Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-07-14
AIR SUPREMACY
NOT CONCEDED
Fleet Officers Refuse to Grant
Plane Is More Powerful
Than Battleship.

WITH THE ATLANTIC FLEET, July
14-No matter what the outcome Of aerial
bombing operations against naval YES
sells now under way, these tests viii
never convince the officers of the Atlantic
feet that the battleship and fighting YES
sci is to be displaced by air forces.
Although many OF the officers admit
that they have been forced to recognize
that the aerial fighters have acquired
an admirable amount Of skill, still they
refuse to agree that air forces are yet Il
serious menace to lighting sea ships.
The first argument thar every naval
officer gives to the claim of the aerial
proponents Is that naval warfare has
been the result Of years Of progress, and
in all Of these years there has been but
one weapon which has been discarded
and that is the ram. 1t is pointed out
that for every advance In methods Of at
tacks upon naval craft there has been
developed a new defense.
WARFARE ONLY
TEST OF STRENGTH.
Warfare is but a cycle Of development,
the Atlantic feet officers point out. When
the cycle is completed warfare becomes
only a test of strength, and they believe
that in the final analysis, no matter how
great the development OF the airplane,
It viii be but test Of strength.
Getting down to specific argument
against the airplane and its bombing
| attacks the officers Of the feet point
out that thus far it has not been proven
that there is any successful armor pierre
! ing aerial bomb. Until this comes the
battle wa gon" is safe. they say, fo-
when q battleship goes into action her
vulnerable parts are under protection of
heavy coat Of armor. Even though
her superstructure and her deck work
and her deck Gefenses may be completely
blown away, she viii remain a fighting
/ craft, unless her armOr is penetrated and
| the vitals Of the vessel destroyed.
! OPPONENTS OF FLEET
/ ARE MENACE.
| During the war the men Of the Navy
had no fears Of aircraft, they say. They
declare that the great British feet,
which kept the German naval force
/ bottled up, lay at anchor during the
/ greater part OF the war within easy strik-
/ ing distance OF German aerial bases. yet
/ there ls no record Of any successful or ex-
tensive air attack upon the Grand fleet
/ Have the Developments in aerial warfare
come so quick and fast during the last
/ three years that the aerial proponents are
! able to substantive their claims that the
/ battleship is now obsolete: the officers
I OF the feet inquire.
| Turning directly to the bombing tests
/ which are now in progress. the feet offi-
GERS state that It will be impossible TO
( Judge conclu sively what the strength Of
the air raiders is. for there has been no
/ defense There have been no attacking
air parties and there has been no anti
aircraft defense. 1t is impossible they
say, 10 estimate the ability of the de-
lenses Of the feet until IL has been 1c-
tually demonstrated.
The officers Of the Navy are willing to
! agree that aircraft Is Of great value to
them. They use naval aircraft IN their
/ target practice continually. They feel
that there should be generous appropria-
lions for aircraft as major defense, but
they refuse to consider seriously any pro-
! posals that naval developments be with
neld while the nation spends its money
Ior aircraft development.
/ The men az the feet feel that those
who would inture the defenses Of the ma
ton are a menace, and they are inclined
privately to consider IN this class those
who urge the abolition Of the battleship
In favor OF the airplane.