The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-01-15
SAYS AIasH|PS Can
DESTROY HUN NAVY
Aatay cs Another Worlds De-
~ Rattle BY Attacking Ma
,ai na~cs with Capronis.

VIZ AtaNS "Ah ~aPsOhar'
yers. Jan. t4.--Rear-Admiral
"ev A. F'iske. In a letter written
80 Alan X. Hawley. president
40 Aero club Of America points
that Cermany's weak point la that
.1sr navy and q sufficient number
.sroplanes attacking In force can
s.rey the entire enemy fleet. Rear
'rairal Fishes letter was in part
ts follows:
.aent is broken down, Germany can
not support her army and navy and
therefore will have to give up. II
her military establishment IL broken
dow, The allies can march to Berlin
and compel her to give up. Ii her
naval establishment Is broken down
the allies can form an impossible
blockade around Germany. That
would shut of every means Of COM
rnunication with the outside world.
even the means Of submarines. and
Germany would have to give up"
He called attention to the immense
Losses in land battles between Russia
ana Japan. with no decisive result
until In one historic hour japan
smashed the Russian navy. He con-
tinued:
.'If the only way 60 win this war
is to night long succession of enor-
! nous land battles then we must hght
, them. But II may be advanta geous
( 10 see II an alterna tive less bloody but
/ equally decisive can be devised, Tne
{ most decisive battles OF history were
NOT the most bloody. Some OF them
! like the battle between the Merrimac
and Monitor and the battle of san
tiago were comparatively bloodless!
The battle of Manila did not cost
single life on the American aide.
Careful reflection about the de-
r,a,ve battles of the world seems 20
show that, in every case, strong at
tack was made against r. point that
was com parntively weak and yet was
vital. Noting this does IL not occur
20 us at once that Germanys weak
eat point is her navy. that II 10 VITA
ara that. therefore we should make
a strong attack upon it7 Her nava
mower in now protected behind vas
mine fields Just az the garrison OF
/ fort in the oiden days was prQtectee
behind thick walls of fort. But tn'
walls OF the fort when they could no
he broken through were climbed owe
, With scaling ladders. The German
. nine fields can likewise be fowI
! over with aeroplanes.
. "soma of these aeropianes may
, seapianen that rise from NoTth Se
. | waters manned by navy men; otber
NAV spring directly from the Iant
manned by army men. CoinciaenNl
n with these attacks, great DIVISIONS
army ~arplanss may attack w
. enemv's bridges. munition depots an
railroads behind bis trenches In Franc
ana thus prevent him from conccEtra'
!. inc nu his Aerial forces in defense
. xiel and Vilhe,mEhaven. :,
"The aeroptane has established
,. self as a mechanical appliance OF sres
Il reliability. 1t can carry large aestru'
q tive forces to strategic points MOI
O quickly than any other aeropiane ca
i, ( snuadron OF Caproni aeropianes r.
l. gently made a flight of s7o miles VIII
~ out stopping. The distance from I'm.
!, land 10 KEEL and WilhelmshaVen IL on
ans and AIS miles respectively, and u
:, distarces to those places from Nof,l
eastern France are but thirty MN
- greater. ....o,
9, that ,hera are no aeropianes able
o. carry full-sized torpedoes from EN-
In land to KEEL. discharge the torpedo
" ana return to England, But there a
% ..ronIapes In existence which ran sho
al of such ability by only smaii Pc
TO centage. Certainly. therefore II
n. auch aeYoplaneS 90 exist tHsS ~0'.
ne made TO exist and I am informed IN
n. thew can by one OF the most compete
aAronauticaf engineers In the world.
at much hope Is felt by the allies NJ
"a hseauae OF the apparent loss or enc
- ttvaness OF the submarine attaci
whether or not the submarine has De
~, bsaten. let us realize that the saoHi
&c rine IL only one of many naval weapo
" and that naval strategy recognizes
al fact that 20 long a. the enemy ne
he EXISTS az fighting force. SO long as
rernains what we cali meet IN
ING" IL constitutes a continuing me
are from which an attack on so
re- kind may be expected at any III
~ For@this reason no mere suusreh.s
submarine activities should DINO "s
gs the desirabiiity Of sinking "f
lie ahiinz the German heet-
h "C,srmany's entire feet is conc
d. trsted In the region Off kfei ana w
re heIrnshaven. All her naval eggs are
Ie- one basket and those eggs are VIE
m. essential to her existencs as NAT,
Is III is my profound conviction q
- wa can smash these eggs by tofpe'
- nlane and atr-bomb attacks X we
Nv. mare and deliver them on scale gu
Toe ctently great.
.s III we 40 this we shall win the is.
'n- 6ecislve battle of the world ana u
I'VE thc Anal necessary step TO victory ="
lgs tbe minimum expenditure of money
time ape human life.
,or ------------------------
Aid v. w. @. A. DIRECTORS