Albuquerque morning journal., 1918-07-29
AERIAL DRIVE ON
BERLIN SOON IS
PLAN Of ALLIES
British Officer Says an Air Raid
On Teutonic Cities This Fall,
or in the Spring at the Very
Latest,


New York, July 2S.--An aerlal oiseli, .,s..o
sive to cities of Germany llciuu'ils y,
Berlin. Is possible in. the opinion OF
Mai Cen. w. S. Brancker, controller
general of equipment of the Brltlsf
air ministry.
Major General Brancker in state
ment to the Associated Press laid en-
phasis on the organization of the an
forces on a basis quite independent ol
the land and sea.
General Brancker believes eventu'
ally the United States will be Obliged
10 create secretary of air forces. For
the success of the allied cause he feels
strongly that the quicker air inde'
pendence is established in this coun-
try the better.
I'VE simply had to come to an ali
ministry in England" said General
Brancker. The Zeppelins and the
Gothas, coupled with the experience
gained when aviation was controlled
by the army and navy, forced it upon
us. You have had no Hun air raids
in this country to arouse you, but it is
much hoped that, lacking this stimu-
lus, you will profit by our experience,
Independent Control.
arc lOl TIC eihltlbNo VI iAANN
pendent control obvious? Here you
have one branch of aviation under the
administration of the secretary of war;
another under the secretary of the
navy. These ministers have many
other affairs to attend to in addition
to aviation.
in Great Britain we have LORD
Weir, the air minister, as the head OF
council of seven.
This council controls everything
pertaining to aviation, both for land
and sea combat. 1t supplies the army
and fleet with airplanes and pilots
and in addition maintains an inde-
pendent force This Independent all
force really has the same status az
the expeditionary force or the granG
fleet.
I'VE can formulate policy and
strategy, while production equip
ment and personnel function under
one control. We do not have the an
omatous situation of one branch of
aviation service competing with the
other for production and equipment.
Such coordination as this, obviously
is the only way great air offensive
can be prepared for and conducted.
We need your help, your great re-
sources and similar organization In
this country to cooperate with us on
equal terms.
Can Bomb German Capital.
1T is within the realm of certainty
that we can bomb Berlin in the spring
if not in the fall, with airplanes We
have building, as we have already
bombed Cologne and the Rhine cities
but We have not the numbers fol
a really big offensive, in my under.
standing of the term. We have plenty
of planes and can build plenty more
but we lack engines, and we have
about reached the limit of capacity
for engine production.
'We have built up a big airplane
program to take the Liberty motor
and bomb Germany, but America car
not now spare these motors, and so
l fear that our airplanes will be
wasted and the real offensive from
the air seriously delayed
"The delivery of cetrain types OF
planes by flying them across the At.
lantic is feasible. If we can fly t.
Berlin and back which Is more thar
500 miles, we can fly from New
Foundland to the Azores (the Longest
lap of the Journey, which is 1,20(
miles. This means a big organization
airdromes and repair plants in New
Foundland and the Azores"