The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-08-26

In Air Offensive.
From London to Jericho the allies
have obtained decided superiority over
the enemy In the air. Since the war
started Germany has tralIed France
and England i'm aerial warfare. Yep
pelins excepted. France and England
didn't waste their time with Zeppelins,
which have been a dismal failure when
compared with bombing machines
such as the allies build and manipu-
late. much TO the terror of the Rhine
towns.
Besides forcing down and destroying
three German airplanes to one lost by
the allies, England. France and now
America r building better machines,
faster machines and machines which
Will carry more tons Of bombs each
than the German.
Germany has lost not less than 5000
machines and aviators In the past
twelve months.
This figure, 5000. represents Ger
many's losses I'm all theaters of war to
allied airmen. While the exact Of
fetal number of German planes de-
stroyed, together with the allied losses.
may not be disclosed, II may be stated
that this unofficial summary is very
conservative.
Radical Reconstruction.
At the outbreak of the war Great
Britain had eighty aircraft. Every
few days Great Britain is producing
more airplanes and other material for
the air force than she possessed alto
gether at n stage of the war. The
strength of the Royal Air Force has
been multiplied at least 200 times in
personnel as compared to the person
mel at n stage of the war. Great
Britain also fas furnished q consider.
able number Of a~irnlanes for her allies.
England's air force has undergone
radical reconstruction and its tactics
have been changed, much to the dis
comfiture of Germany. Briefly, these
changes are: Consolidation of the
Royal Flying Corps and the Royal
Naval Air Service into one ~organiza-
ton, known as the Royal Air Force
establishment of IN air ministry, Gre
alton of the Independent air force, and
use of cavalry" aviators-airmen who
have charged advancing Germans,
bombed and machine-gunned them
from a height Of a hundred feet.
The independent air force, which is
said to have only one authority higher
than its own commander, this being
the war cabinet, has been busy bomb.
ing German cities since its creation
three months ago. Four-fifths of the
German munition works are In the
Rhine valley, and all of them within
striking distance of these independent
air force bombers. Their plan is to
keep a number of Rhine towns in q
constant state of terror by bombing
works of military Importance in those
communities. One town may be raid
ed night after night for a week OF
more, or 1t may be visited day and
night, or twice daily, whichever plan
seems to cause the most CONSERVATION
and demolition. In addition, railway
functions. ammunition dumps and bar
racks are bombed by this organization
of flyers, which works separately and
distinctly from aviators attached tC
certain army corps who also may bt
dispatched to do similar bombing.
Attack Advancing Columns.
The great advantage Of aviators fol
bombing and machine-gunning advan
cling columns was shown I'm the Marcel
and succeeding offensives, when tim,
and again scores of aviators concen
trated upon a certain point disorgan
lied a German advance, or held a por
ton OF the line that had given wa.
. until re-enforcements could be rushet
up by the British. On one da.
these aviators fired more than 20O,O0'
rounds into German columns. Nor
than 100 tons of bombs have beeI
!. dropped In one day.
America is playing a part in the ai
offensive. Every new contingent o
American aviators which reache
France or England helps out in tn
general scheme Of things which keep
the allies masters of the air.
ii The British also have shown the
r superior to Germany in aerial d.
' lenses. There have been twenty-on
raids on London in the past year, tbre
Of these by Zeppelins. But since tn
visit of eleven Zeppelins October las
when five of them were brought dowr
four In France and one in the Med