Milford chronicle., 1921-09-02
AIRCRAFT VS.. BATTLEsHIPs

Summing up the results of the re-
cent airplane test off the mouth of
Chesapeake Bay, the Republican Pub
licity Association, in a statement is
sued through the President of that or
ganizatiOn, Hon. Jonathan Bourne,
Jr., says:
THE Navy tests which were held
off the Atlantic capes terminated
July 21 with the bombing and sinking
of the ex-German batt1eship 'Ostfries-
land There was considerable good
natured rivalry between the man-O'-
wars men and the air service respect
ing the merits of battleships and air
craft, out of which grew the popular
belief that the tests would determine
whether or not the battleships must
yield to the airship as a warfare wea-
pom and the former, in the near fu-
! ture, be consigned to Obsolescence.
/ But whatever the views of the ri
val factions, the fact remains that
both sides are now pretty well agreed
that we can not yet dispense with
battleships and that the airship has
proven itself to be a valuable auXil-
iary in the defense of our coasts Sec
retary of War Weeks, remarking on
the ideal conditions which prevailed,
and the fact that the ships were moor
ed, declared: This all means that the
value of the airplanes as an offensive
weapon was not absolutely proven.
The delayed explosion seemed to be
the most effective and the development
apparently will be in the perfection of
bombs that work on the depth charge
i1A1o a n r.
ships below their heaviest armOr line.
General MenOher, chief of the army
air service, said: L have always con-
tended that the bomb did constitute
very grave menace~tO the capital ship
and that extraordinary precautions
had to be taken to meet the menace
DENLY stated that scientific
of the utmost value un-
will result from the series
of tests and Assistant Secretary
summed it up by saying,
The airplane has proven its value as
an auxiliary of the navy. They will :
be extremely useful in the future for i
work and in harassing
he enemy l do not believe that they I
spell the doom of the capital ship. t
That has been predicted three times {
n my life time. The torpedo, the sub
marine and the airplane all have been l
nailed as weapons to make dread E
loughts useless. What think will |
happen will be steps by the navy to I
meet the new form of attack. Aviation '
will have to be developed in cOnjunc- s
ion with the fleet rs
1T seems that the best form of air |
hinc would ] I
combination of direct hits which
would demOralize the personnel OF the ]
hin. together with shots laid close to
he hull for the purpose of sinking.
n the case of the 'Ostriesland,
leavily armored vessel, these outside l
hots seemed to be the most effective. {
If course it is to- be borne in Iaind 7
hat in all these tests the targets were i
stationery, and the effect of anti-air- I
raft gunfire could not be determined. E
conditions were perfect. S
THAT airplanes can terribly harass
n approaching enemy fleet was dem Il
nstrated to the entire satisfaction OF v
very witness of the tests, and this in v
self supplies a powerful plea for the il
Enlargement of the air service. Not d
ne who was present at the exercises t
id not regret that a more generous a
was not given by Con- c
ress to the air service, and it is 't
ute likely that the separate bill q
-hich it is, announced Senator Poin-
exter will introduce for airplane car 81
iers and other aids to the service g
ill find greater support than Y as ac- s;
Orded the provision in tine 1Savy ap- d.
rOpriatiOn bill for such purposes, p,
nd which was stricken out by the
Ouse. In addition, it is made ap- A
aren't that the Government should
lcourage in every way in it's power
Ie development of the airplane in vi
lstry in order that America, where al
e plane was invented, may take it's c;
ace in the lead instead of trailing NJ
rance, Great Britain, Germany, and
pan, as at present" ad