Evening star., 1921-06-17
FEAR BOMB TEST
WILL NOT Be REAL.
Airmen Believe Rules Will
! Hamper Attack On Ger
man Ships.
By HERBERT COREY.

Remember the old-fashioned tie
backs that girls used to wear: They
were a sort Of q ribbon hobble around
the knees. you know. The idea was
to give the wearer a nice little minc-
Ing gait. She could not step more
than about seven inches. So she pro-
duced on the observer an impression
q sweetness and ma;denly modesty
and general uselessness.
Heaven forbid that any one should
Ind any relation whatever between
khe old-fashioned tie-back and the
conditions under which the Army and
Navy air services are to operate when
ships OF Cape Hatteras. But this
3nuch must be said: Neither service
1s to be allowed to take its full stride.
/ The ex-German ships are not to be
Attacked from the air as they would
- in a real battle. The operation is
to be a test of bombs and not a test
$f the air-weapon against armored
ships. No doubt some valuable con-
illusions will be reached as to the
y1lue of bombs against armor plate,
but it will hardly be possible to dis
bower just what q fotilla of air craft
Dan do against an enemy ship.
1: Examined After Each Shot.
Y 'IQe reason why Ii tudC Iuc target
thip is to be examined after each
bit with the larger bombs.
! Two ex-German ships are to be at
lacked and sunk in the course of the
operations. Service criticism here Isl
70 the effect that it would be only
lair to permit flotilla attacks against
ono ship. and use the other for bomb
Instrumentation.
why not let the airmen give 'em
en they've got?" is the service way
Sf looking at the matter. Let the air
force attack with a real f1otilla. as
Sf bombs and gas and chemical. Let
Them attack at what height they wish,
Always preserving the fiction that the
attack is being made under active
9ervice conditions"
I The desire of the air forces is to
prove that the weapons to be
launched from the air will put bat
1leship out of commission. One bomb,
to matter if it weighs 1000 pounds,
Which is the largest bomb to be used
IN this. But if a score of fiiers
1varmed overhead and dropped
tombs on and around the target ship,
airmen believe they can put 1t out in
faster time than a battleShip could
With its heavy guns.
1 Attitude Of Air Forces.
1--we do not wish to be judged by
-
Dombardment." they say.
1t is even possible that no bombs at
I'll will hit the target ships. Under
She rules, attacks by aircraft will be
5000 feet. and at the maximum speed
available" This regulation Is evil
IDENTIFY designed to cover actual
1ervice conditions in respect to the
protection of the bombers. so far as
POSSIBLE. 1t is difficult to hit plane
Il a height Of 1000 feet. But it is
ilso true that in war and in attack by
& fiotilla it is entirely possible that
one or more daring bombers would
Use to the ultimate height, and then
cropping the bombs at so low height
Is to insure success even under condi-
ions of the utmost peril to the at
thckins force. Bombers flying at the
height of 1000 feet and dropping
1ombs at a moving ship which Is not
have the DEVILS own luck as well
Is skill to make any hits at all.
j. Fear Public Won't Understand.
On the other hand. the reason for
ne examination after each hit is OBJ
NouS. The surveying officers wish TO
lhow precisely what damage bom6
Gan erect against a heavily armored
ship. One 10O-pound bomb penetrated
the lightly armored deck Of the old
Indiana, but that is a different matter
from smashing through the de1enSeS
If the ex-German Ostfriesland. II the
Interested public thoroughly under
btands that the Hatteras operations
tre to be a test OF the damaging
bower of bombs the air forces will
be content. What they fear is that,
under the rules, they will make what
to the public will seem disappoint-
ing showing. and by that much handi-
cap the force in it's effort for develop
ment.
There is an unquestioned feeling on
the part of some officers Of the air
forces that the senior officers of the
Army and Navy are somewhat too set
in their ways. They admit the need
Of conservatism in the adoption of
new weapons. Otherwise the military
leaders might find themselves fol-
lowing off rabbit tracks. But they
{eeI that conservatism can be carried
10 far as to become mere stubborn