Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-10-30
Huge ViCkerS PLANES Sweep
ReinforCenentS and Ma
chine Guns Into IraCkIeSS
Wastes ParaIyzing Rebel
Natives
BY MILTON BRONNER

BY MILTON BRONNER
LONDON, Oct 2S.-Aerial trans,
portation of troops loaded with MAJ
chine guns and accomplished safely,
swiftly and comfortably!
It's no longer a theory. It's an
accomplished fact. England has
done it.
The war and air ministries don't
beat the big drum about it. They
don't advertise it. But the feat has
been pulled off so many times now
that the war-making powers of
Britain no longer look upon it as an
unusual thing.
AS soon as airplanes were built
which flew safely to Paris from Lon
don and vice versa, carrying six or
eight passengers, the airplane men
and paper and began planning troop
and the army got busy with pencil
carriers.
Perfect Accomplishment
Theoretically there was nothing to
prevent the dream being carried into
execution. But paper theories are
often hard to carry into actual fact.
In this case, however, it was done
easily
The great Vickers company con
structed airpIanes that could carry
twelve passengers and two pilots.
And the army bought them 50
promptly that England was able &C
give wild tribes in MesOpotamia the
surprise of their lives,
Natives were rehellnG against
British authority and were making
themselves very troublesome. they
felt safe because there were no rail
ways in the territory where they
were on the rampage and motor
transport was difficult if not all but
impossible.
Thirty Minute Revolt
But one fire morning two big
suuadrons of troop-Garriers came
roaring down into the desert country
with company or so OF veteran
British troops. And they had plenty
of machine guns with them. That
particular rebellion died in about
thirty minutes
For army authorities all over the
world it opened a new vista.
The troop.carriers are not only
useful in deserts and plains where
there are no railways, but likewise
are of enormous potential value IN
n war such as the last great one.
There were many instances where
the allied line was thinlV held ~
troops and where it was next 10
impossible to reinforce them VNlrNlH
on account of congestion on the ran
waVs and the roadwaNs. An ample
srnplv of troop-carrYing alrplane9
would have made the difference be-
tween victory and defeat:
Troopship Built
Encouraged by success OF the
Nernons, the Nickcrs interests nave
turned out the biggest troop-carrler
ever manufactured and operated sue
cessfully. 1t is known as the NlcK'
rs.NanSuard. 1t carries tWehty'tN"
troopers and two air pilots,
Its power is supplied by two Rolis-
Royce Condor engines, each OF go
| horsepower. Its type is that oil
twin tractor hioplanelandplane. II
has an enclosed cabin for its passen-
gers. which looks very much IKE the
| inside of a London bus, with the adj
edition of a wash room for the traV-
elers.
The overall length is SO feet and
the heieht II feet inchces. The
machine itself, plus the water she
carries. weighs 1870 pounds. IL
Icarries a load of $50 gallons of petrol
| and Is gallons of oil.
In addition to the weight or TWO
pilots and - troopers, it carries 500
bounds of baggage and 103 pounds
| of sundries. So that in all, when
LOADED, the weight is nearly nlne
| tons.
Wood Construction
The machine is made in the mann
of snruce and elm. The full maxi
mum speed is about 100 miles an
hour. The minimum is Il. 1t can
cruise a total of 40 miles. This big
| tNne of machine has not Vet been
fused bv the army. One of them is
shortly 10 be tested in the passenger
service by the Imperial Always
company.
Theoretically there is nothing to
prevent the building of alrp!anes
ARRIVING 200 to 500 troops, but aero.
nautical authorities here don't THINK
IL will ever be attempted.
To begin with, one huge machine
o. this kind would cost as much as
zen of the Nickers-NanSuard type. II
Earvthing gets out Of whack with
Isuch A huge machine, it is a seriorus
loss. If anything goes wrong with
one or two of the smaller machines,
there are still the other eight or
nine to give active service To the