AERIAL WARFARE

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 16, 14 October 1907, Page 2

AERIAL WARFARE

mSpUSSION AT THE ;HAGtCEiK ; ;: ""-.. '■'■'"-■/',. l . N 'A : correspondent'of the.;Londqn'" Times *■' ~. . writes as follows;-^Twp.;matters%'haye .r> ( . .cently been prominently before the p'ublio; ,'• one is the Peace .Conference at The Hague, .' ■ the other is the public display of the powers-of •;.: twp steerable war", airships...ls-'there'any spebv ;'. ■• , ialcouucGtion.between the two?- The'factpf■;' those two,ovonts coming-'on about:the:same,; time is probably but a coincidence; yet: itha\'. two subjects. may: in the , future beoomo':'.'- ," closely connected.' It has been, suggested that such aerial praft, so potent'asthey niay be--come in war, .should , be-prohibited : , by'interw v ', :-' national law." ' Su'clii a' course ,is,..however',- ■ ' hot in' the'least .likely ;to be ■carried'into ... ■■ effect. -If; practicable"; dirigible •.airshijpi J , ;■' • possible, it than probable;- that'such;-; : ■ yossels; .will' be':'built* for'priyaW puiposesV-, ; . .Once'thejairis fuir,pf : , l i;-. tq:pi^yent l .'thesoj'-b^'gV.^e^"\for^; j war-'.'.p.uT-::-.. poses'? . Since scouting .^viil. v undoubtedlyvbe,. : ' vone of. their'priiicipal.Toles':in , 'war;;'any!pri--- ; vately owned ,'vessels "could "carry/'out ,; the' duty, and each nation would do : well to en- - courage .'the spoft'.of air,; yachting;', It.fls *" , a''totally/different matter.to marine scouting v •. - and'.navigation. :--Ali L this.-seems, to . .to ■ prohibit , war' airships is impracticable. , '!-- ; . ■ - Dropping prExpiuslves.'.;' ."'•,= ; ..^v ;i , < ':. f J: r :,At Tho Hague 'Conference' of : 1899ra ; pro- , t-: posal.was maUe:that'the ; dropping'of explos7 ; '. 'iyes from balloons' , '' or similar ■'apparatus ■', , should be made illegal for'five ! -years.;' Now , . the' : Belgiaii representative Has proposed that '■■ ' this 'prohibition; should be renewed ; for^ an- .--. other five years,''and'the'delegates'from' Great Britain "that "it shbuld remain l in force ' '■ until N the end of the next-Hague' Conference. " •' it is still uncertain "whether either off these' ' proposals will; be adopted. "", ■ ' '"■,; '■*-. '-'I - \ .'■ Aiihor amendments were also suggested, ; though ; theso do not amount to mucfc OnoV■- <. proposal' was that- a- military 1 balloon' musti--bodirigible, "which; presumably, implies that V ■ a free balloon/must not 'be employed; in jar', | ', or at all events hot for .'.the. discharge ofex- ', •plosiyes."'-The'; term '■'"dirigible"; is; Tioweve'r, \ . somewhat ''Vagiiei a_nd : it is not easy; to see i why'a balloon with the. wind, should ;\ . bo any'more-.'terrible. than. one. able 'to direct';'. j its 'wicked' way:'where. it' listeth'.' , .'Another , suggestion was-that, war airshipr-shpuld ; be ■•- i manned by a military crew.-' This, - \ ■ seem a' cufibiis item' to discUss. ~ It is. equi- f valerit' to laying down that men-o -war (must i be : manned 'by naval ,pffiocrs and; crews." If ■ \ •only civil'aeronauts are available;: surely the;., , authorities' : Pii'' : 'tho. : 'spot "can at once, enlist .; \ themas. soldiers,' oven-though; but! tempor-. .- - ■• arily 1' Another proposition Vas'that- projeo- ■, tiles ■ should not be "dropped , from balloons ■■■ ] on , -"non-defended"towns' , and villages. :lt l seems extremely unlikely -.thajt ;: any; com- I mander ; wbuld care-to'waste" ammunition in doing such'" a thing,.yet. .this last- proposal .- seems tohavo met with'the'appro val'of mfist ■ of 'the delegates. It was 'later-.pointed out that bombardment' of undefended places ■ was prohibited by- other":clauses;-' so that . whether the. toeanS;be'balloons:W/ : npt. doea ■• not signify." ' ; N ,■/'.':.'.'[ '.,,'" ;^''.:: .i: ; ' .i.'-i .-.- <

■ Definition. ->-•• \ -■■■■■■'■ .'■''.' .; '■"/'' J"/,;;' ■ IWe do not then sewn.to bo much forwarder."! in the prohibition ! of "aerial warfare.,' ahe _■. . subject is one 'which has so many-ramifica-, ; - tionsas to'make it'a most complicated, one-. to discuss. First of' all, how ".can >tr aerial machine be' defined? If ,, ls . : canned it > one thing, but if bn)y a small machine driven,.: < forward with the ."idea of; passing; over -.the enemy and automatically droppmg ; explosivea on him, then.wc'have to'consider.whorein. tho cliffererice lies between-this and^a- rocket,,: .or even a shell:' Then, again, it has to be decided 'wliat ; is4V he implwdlhyiropping; explosives , on an enemy/ May. they be mijcharged with the idea of blowing up a. bridge '. or railway ? ' Would it be' fair for. the' aeronauts, to land and blow" up , the .bridge witU : "explosives wMch: they have. brought. with•them?' Again,' wo may suppose ■impossible .. in the" future" to. havo; airships carrying .guns; ■ are they to' be barred from firing shells? .Fro-; sumably there would be no harm in their ( clis-; charging rittos, if tlie bullets are not .-.ex-.--.. plosivo." This brings uji the question of.:, whether aeronauts would bo allowed to Tain » 1 down showers of bullets on■<the. heads."or . troops below, and,' if only explosives are to' - ■be prohibited, 1 would: of; burning • material or-red-liot balls, dropped with; the ■/■ ideaof setting aHghVto; houses;; magazines,, ;■•; 'ships'," ote.y' : be;'allowed? " .V.'.-"'' ; l ;,:■,•-"'■ ; Peace and Airships. .-> :.■■ - i"■ v ;- - ■ - But now we come to a larger and wider. .. ■ ■question"regarding peace and . airships*;, lr ,' ■. > such vessels' are to coino into common use,: it ; in thofuturo : tho sky. is .to be dotted over, , t with such : craft, what is going to happen, if, > war breaks out?'.: Supposing war was ; i clarcd betweeit Great' Britain and-some ..other i Power. , 'Wo Eoo a number, of air cratt- plying ; their way through our skies/how are we, to\;. ; > ■ • itell-which are our own and Which are hostile _ ■ warships?" If the enemy, come .over " and .; I -bombard us, , there is nothing, to prevent pur ; going overhand bombarding him. ' - . l ments of our troops can be watched by the I enemv but wo in turn will know all that u ■ eoing" on in their, countr>. | This would seem • to reiider war, as we iiow know it, almost m> • possible to carry out. If we know for certain that a force of a giveu strength is advancing along a certain, route j we can move away before it and manoeuvre to surround it • ' when wo like. The enemy.., too, will know our • J movements and avoid being caught: , '.: The'; ' mateuvring of .armies: becomos' , useless I ■ Everything will then depend"up6ntho;aorial ■' fleet. . Hence, if it camo.to a battlevin the ! air, that side, which/ Was"victorious would • . command the entire situation.-; But let us,,/ for a moment, try to;imagine an aerial, engagement.. .First, the:, air being: full of.airJ: • ! ships going hither and'thither, how aro-weto ■ ' recognise which are tho :vessels of' the. hos--1 -tile fleet?; . It must bo difficult enough-in;; ■ naval warfare to distinguish tho Various men- ■ o'-war. But in tho air, where-navigation ie not confined within certain channels and de- .' J pondent on portsj. ■ and, , mbroover,' when ■ vessols may bo far above or down underneath ' as well as away to ouo side,' the .•matter is one of.-'the. difficulty; 'You may ■-- search all over the cnomy's country-withbtit ' N coming across his fleet, since it can so'easily.i be hidden away, or may lie out! for: acruiso.- ' I There can bo no neutral.territory;- the fleet ■"■' ■! of airships can'at any minute cross over , to* a ■ 1 foreign country and bo back again in'a few ■• t minutes.. Aerial.warfare will, without doubt, > . r be by far the most difficult to carry on.;" Ifci 1 really seems to be impossible! Doos it im--3 ply that tho introduction of tho practicable airship will bring about universal peace?