The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1918-05-24
AIR MASTERY
British Demand Victory Through Air
ROute-Claim Mastery Of Air Now
Is With Our Cause.

London, May 23-The recent air
raids far into the German interior
are arousing popular demands for eff
fciently planned and uninterrupted
air drives that will paralyze the en-
pire industrially and crush the Ger
man morale. The rally summaries
of enemy machines shot down and
tonnage of bombs dropped are eager
ly followed. The keynote Of the press
comment is that IL the areial weapon
is used ruthlessly the war can be
brought to a triumphant conclusion.
F. G. Kellaway, parliamentary sec
retary for the ministry for munitions,
hits the popular view in an interview
today in which he says:
at Is clear that we have reached
superiority in the air, both as regards
personnel and material If we use
this superiority without limitations,
except for the regard for humanity
which the British always observe, we
can bring the war to a successful con-
clusion by air drives"
While pleased with the recent sue
cess of British flights into Germany,
experts and others voice a demand
for more effective and sustained
bombing raids along the Rhine valley
where five-sixths of the German NUM-
tions are made.
British troops again carried out a
number of raids at various sectors
during the last "a hours, netting them
numerous prisoners and some ma
chine guns. The Germans tried
several times to penetrate the French
and British lines but were invariably
driven back with losses. Artillery
activity continues in all of the vital
sectors of the front between Ypres
and Disc. The German firing has
been spreading northward from
Ypres to Neuport. where the lines
rest in the sea.
This German cannonading between
Ypres and the sea has not been in
tense enough to indicate serious ag-
gressive intention on that front. but
the possibilities that the main blow
may after all fail on this extreme
northern sector, where the Belgians
would have to bear the brunt, is not
lost sight Of.
The Paris correspondent at the
British front telegraphed that the
artillery and the aerial activity has
reached unprecedented intensity. ll
a certain sector 100000 shots have
been fired within "a hours.
The correspondent looks for the
chief German attack north of the
Somme. Incidentally nineteen Ger
man brigadier generals have beer
killed on that front since the often
sive began. March 81.
Tonight's bulletin from Haig re
ports successful British raids in thu
Aveluy wood, which is contnuou!
storm center northwest of Albert ant
south of Heluteine, some distanc,
further above Albert. French troop!
penetrated the German line in rait
north of Bailleul and to the east o
Locre. Similar successful enter
prises by the British and French wer'
reported in the day bulletin. All re
ports agree that the Germans ar
badly worried over the ever increas
ing activity of the allied aviators 81
much that Berlin again resorted toda.
to the familiar charge that heavy pro
perty damage and casualties wer
being caused among Belgian civilians
Enemy aerial attacks in Belgium ar
increasing in frequency, say tn
Berlin report.
In military circles the belief is hel
that the harassing operations of tn
allied fiers are the chief factors 1
delaying the German offensive.