Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-06-30
BOMBING OF GERMAN
SHIPS IS POOR TEST

old-fashioned tie-backs that girls
used to wear? They were a sort
of a ribbon hobble AROUND the knees
you know. The idea Was to give the
wearer a nice little mincing gait
She could not step more than about
seven inches. So she produced on
the observer an impression of sweet
ness and maidenly modesty and gen.
eral use1essness.
Heaven forbid that any one should
find any relation whatever between
the old-fashioned tie-back and the
conditions under which the army and
70 navy air services are to operate
when the filters bomb the eX-Ger-
man battleships off Cape Hatteras
in June and July. But this much
must be said: Neither service is to
be allowed to take its full stride.
The ex-German ships are not to be
e. attacked from the air as they would
be in a real battle. The operation
Is to be a test of bombs and not
q test of the air-weapon against
armored ships No doubt some val
liable conclusions will be reached as
to the value Of bombs against ar
NOR plate, but it will hardly be pos
sible to discover just what a flo
tilla of aircraft can do against an
enemy ship.
The reason why is that the target
ship is to be examined after each
hit with the larger bombs
Two ex-German ships are to be
STACKED and sunk in the course of
The operations. Service criticism
here is to the effect that it would
be only fair to permit flotilla at
tacks against one ship, and use the
other for bomb experimentation.
"Why not let the airmen give Gem
all they've got?" is the service way
of looking at the matter. Let the
air force attack with real flotilla,
as they would in war. dropping all
sorts of bombs and gas and chem
ical. Let them attack at what
height they wish. always preserv-
ing the fiction that the attack is be-
ing made under active service con-
ditions"
Attacks at 1000 Feet
The desire of the air forces is to
prove that the weapons to be
launched from the air will put a
battleship out of commission. One
bomb, no matter if it weighs 1000
pounds, which is the largest bomb
to be used in this operation, might
Of filters swarmed overhead and
dropped bombs on and around the
target ship, airmen believe they can
put it out in faster time than a bat
teship could with its heavy guns.
1--WE do not wish to be judged by
a nf h-a ia ir31p
bombardment," they say.
1t is even possible that no bombs
at all will hit the target ships. I'm
der the rules, attacks by aircraft
will be made at an altitude of not
less than 1000 feet, and at the maxi
ton is evidently designed to cover
actual. service conditions in respect
to the protection of the bombers, so
far as possible. 1t is difficult to
hit plane at height of 1000 feet.
But it is also true that in war and
in attack by flotilla it is entirely
possible that one or more daring
bombers would rise to the ultimate
height, and then swoop like a hawk
toward the quarry, dropping the
bombs at so low a height as to en-
sure success even under conditions
of the utmost peril to the attacking
force. Bombers flying at the height
at moving ship which is not much
more than 500 feet long must have
the DEVILS own luck as well as skill
to make any hits at all.
On the other hand, the reason for
the examination after each hit is
obvious. The surveying officers
wish to know precisely what damage
a bomb can effect against a heavily
armored ship. One 100-pound bomb
penetrated the lightly armored deck
Of the old Indiana, but that is a diff
ferent matter from smashing through
the defenses of the ex-German .Ost-
friesland If the interested public
thoroughly understands that the Hat
teras operations are to be test
Of the damaging power Of bombs the
air. forces will be content. What
i they fear is that. under the rules
they will make what to the public
will seem a disappointing showing,
and by that much handicap the force
in its effort for development.
Senior Officers Too Set
There is an unquestioned feeling
on the part of some officers of the
Of the army and navy are somewhat
too set in their ways. They admit
the need of conservatism in the adop-
lion of new weapons. Otherwise the
military leaders might find them
selves following off rabbit tracks
But they feel that conservatism can
be carried so far as to become mere
stubbornness. If one could get at
the records Of the general board it
is likely that sufficient evidence
could be found to support the con-
tention of the younger officers that
the United States has always Jagged
! behind militarily because of the in
disposition of seniors to keep abreast
Of developments.
The Browning machine gun, the
submarine deadlock, the aircraft de-
l.. lay, the gas failure, half dozen
other matters of the sort might be
brought into court. 1t is also held
that there is a disposition to give
ranking place in both the army and
navy air forces to officers who de-
serve promotion by seniority and
ability, but who are not flying men,
and who therefore lack the special
knowledge required in the new arm.
There is a flare-up coming" said
one man who is in position to
know. "Our men are being sacrificed
and our machines smashed because
the ranking officers are not special
lists in flying. We men who fly are
getting pretty tired"
Many a man who wakes up and
finds himself famous would have
slept too long if his wife hadn't
called him.