The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-02-22
AIRPLANE AND GAS
TO WIN NEXT WAR
Will Paralyze Resistance in
Months, Editor Tells Aero
nautical Society.
WHY GERMANY FAILED
Lost War, Says Cammen, by
Using Too Few Of Her New
Instruments.
WHY GERMANY FAILED

A picture OF warfare Of the future in
which the attacking force. using poison
gas and airplanes In unheard of guam
titles, will cause such tremendous je-
struction of life and property In the first
four weeks OF war as to make any fur
Their resistance by the enemy impossible.
was drawn last night by Leon Carmen,
associate editor of the Journal Of the
Amsrtcdn Society OF Mechanical EnDi-
necfS, at the annual meeting of the
Aeronautical Society Of America. The
meeting was in the auditorium of the
Engineering Societies Building.
Mr.. Cammen said that dreadful as
the present war has been. the poison gas
flame throwers. submarines and air.
Graf were used on such a small scale
by the Germans that they failed to ac-
comp!ish their detectives.
why Germany Failed.
Had they put out the first time ten
times as much gas as they did, the Ger
mans could have had the Channel ports,
and then no one knows how the war
would have gone" he said. The same
applies to flame throwers and still more
to the submarines. Fortunately for US.
however, the Germans never had the
courage to apply their horrible weapons
on n very large scale right from the
start and by the time they had every
thing tested out to their satisfaction
and were ready to 20 on a really big
sosle. the ALLIES were also ready with
either protective or counter measures"
He pointed out that the entire pro-
duction Of poison gas by the Allies to-
ward the end Of the war. when they
Used as much as the Germans, was only
about thirty tons day. Even the 200
tors a day the Americans were ready
to Use was entirely inadequate.
I'm the next war the tendency will be
to maintain a permanently gassed at
mosphere within a certain intensive zone
lehind the enemy front lines SO as to
interfere with the movement of supplies
and generally reduce the effectiveness of
men and equipment. The real revolu-
ton in methods OF warfare. however, is
coming with the adequate use Of air.
craft"
Even the very restricted use OF air
craft in the past war. Mr.. Cammen
pointed out. showed it's great value.
Enough aircraft will be provided in fu-
ture to direct the fire Of every battery.
THE destructive power of aircraft
bombardment has never been tried out
in full" he said. Dropping a few
shells may make good newspaper copy.
but II does not achieve much In the way
OF results. In the next war we should
expect to see the same thing on a vastly
greater scale, with from two to three
hundred planes used on each objective
in patches Of say forty to fifty at a
time. and at periods of one to two hours
throughout the night and night after
night. Such bombardments will be made
possible by the greater range and car.
rying capacity of the planes and the
noiselessness of their engines and pro-
pellers.
Could Wreck Lines I'm Rear.
Large numbers OF aircraft will per-
init. when necessary to transport small
forces far to the rear of the enemy
line, TO attack special detectives. Five
hunded men landed $50 miles to the rear
of the enemy lines could wreak such
havoc as would disorganize a whole
sector of defence, and even II all these
men had to surrender ultimately. II
would be worth it."
Mr.. Cammen declared that the country
which has most planes and drgibles
will be best able either 10 defend or
attack in any future war that may
come, and that. therefore, the develop
ment of military and convertible COM
mercial planes Is the greatest problem
| of the day.
The commercial possibilities OF the air.
plane were described by Charles w
Howell. vice-president OF the Aeronau-
teal Society. A portrait by S. Montgom-
cry Roosevelt of Hudson Maxim. a for
mer president OF the society, was I'M
yelled