AIR RAIDS AND REPRISALS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 8, 4 October 1917, Page 4

AIR RAIDS AND REPRISALS

The scries of air raids on Engish towns following:, rapidly one tfter another, with- a resultant iniasing death toll of men women md children ■ non-combatants, is ikclv to provoke an irresistible tiea against German ■owns The question of reprisals m been thoroughly threshed out in the English Press, and hasten discussed also from the pulpit and the platform. Tho main purpose of 10risals as suggested in this ws o convince tho enemy that his wan-, ;on and indiscriminate slaughter of bho civilian population of Britain policy but an unprofitable one. lhe nurposo of Germany in carrying out this indiscriminate bombing of sities is to inspire terror and to weaken the spirit and will of the ncople of Britain to carry on the ™r The German High Command who plan and encourage these raids no doubt hope to do some material ; damaKO which will cripple the elforfs of tho Allies in the war, but they also hope to demoralise and dishearten the people they/are warring against. It seems to be admitted that no' purely defensive measures can wholly check these raids, and the best .defence is to attack the centres from which the raids originate. This is being done and with some success, but the raids not only continue but are increasing in 'frequency and in the numbers of machines engaged., So far as Great Britain is concerned, no attemnt has yet/been made to try the effect of inspiring tho German civilian population with a sense ot the horror of this form , of warfare. The' German military leaders use the air raids on England as a means to inspire and encourage the people of Germany with the beliei that the war is going in their favour and that the enemy are suffering desperate losses. The successes achieved are- grossly exaggerated, and tho people the more readily bend their will to their military masters-, because thev believe the raids bring nearer the day of victory. The very fact that they are immune from similar attacks assists to their hoodwinking by the military. The case for reprisals, therefore, is a strong one from various points of view. Air raids on German towns would not only serve to place the enemy on the- defensive and Eorce him to divert his energies to the protection of his own towns and people; but they would bring home to the German people a sense of the horror of whnt these raids mean; the people would bo stirred to protest apainst the inability of their High Command _ to protect their): their confidence in their military 'invmcibleness would be further shaken; and the protests which,, would certainly be made might h» expected to lead to the Raiser and his confederates in crime recognising that this form of warfare was double-edged and unprofitable. In any case there is no possible justification for permitting British citizens to be indiscriminately slaughtered by German airmen without using every possible- means of torcinff the enemy to desist. In the circumstances tho only sound objection raised to reprisals, is the possibility that our.airmen can render p-reater service to tho cause of tho Allies on tho fighting front in Franco and Flanders. This argument is a strong one and up to a point unanswerable. That point, however, is passed when the enemy s raids on towns and cities in Jingland attain a frequency that not, only cause repeated great loss ot. lifn and heavy material damage, hut threaten to have a marked moral offoct encouraging to the German nenplo and prejudicial tr> our own. V r;i.nro has already deemed it newssary to carry out reprisals, and it

grows increasingly clear that Britain will have to follow her example, not because she wishes'to do so, but as a matter of sheer necessity in self-defence her own people. „______