Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-08-02
BOMBING DEVICES
FOR ALL kIRPLANES

With the American Army in Eng
land, July spondence).-
Almost every airplane used by the
Allies soon will carry bombs. Ex
perts in aerial warfare are convinced
that the general efficiency Of the
corps will be increased if bombing
device is added to every plane sent
out, even though it be Of the type
once intended only for recogniZance
work. and Americans now training in
England are being as carefully
drilled in bombing as in handling a
machine gun.
Lessons learned during the resist
ance offered in the recent offensive
have served TO increase the already
high regard OF both British and
American officers in the air service
for the flying, bomb carrying
craft, and, over the camps and coun-
tryside where aviators are being
trained, planes are in evidence al
most every hour, dipping down from
high in the air and Swimming the
nearby country, barely missing tree
tops and houses. II is the newer
lesson they are learning, and OBJ
servers back from the front where
the allied planes did such remark
able work not only in scouting and
distracting the enemy but actually in
breaking up formations and a points
checking the onward movement
have urged concentration on that
form of training.
Goya
lean aviation camps, have been lib
eral in their praise of the new f1iers
from overseas. their only criticism
being that the Americans are "a bit
too keen" Their tendency mas been
to 90 in for flying stunts rather too
early in training but even this the
trainers have admitted is a valuable
fault, although one not to be encour-
aged
II has been pointed out to the
Americans that team work as we'll
as individual efficiency is prime
requisite and the Americans have
steadied themselves TO the routine
their trainers have found makes for
general advancement if not for in
dividual applause. Fancy flying. the
acrobatic work that once found IA
vor and drew heavy rate receipts at
. aerial exhibitions in the United
States. still is taught but the learn
ing of that form oe flying also has
come to be regarded merely as
routine and wholly incident to the
steady. low flying desirable for at
lacking camps and troops in forma-
ton.
Accidents have occurred in the
camps where the Americans are be-
ing trained and a few men have
| been killed but the records show that
the percentage is far less in England
than in the United States. Those in
training here are inclined TO attribute
! the difference more to luck than to
anything else. although there also IS
pointed out the probability that the
average airplane used in England is
a better made machine than the av-
erage that has been used in the
United States.
The bombing devices being at
| tached to virtually every plane is not
the contrivance that was used in the
earlier days of the war That used
then was little more than mechan-
ism that released the projectile, al
lowing it to fall at a point approx
mately near the target. The device
now being used is one with which the
operator may with much practice
become almost as proficient IN mark
| manship as an artilleryman is with
his gun. Almost every light plane
will carry bombs Of at least IS
pounds and from the heavier types
there will be hurled the huge con-
tanners of high explosive not mate
rally different from those used by
the Germans in some Of the more
recent raids.