NIGHTHAWKS.

Evening Star, Issue 16079, 3 April 1916, Page 6

NIGHTHAWKS.

ONE BROUGHT DoWfr THE GUN MUST WIN. REASONS WHY. HOLLAND'S FEARS. [By Criticus.]

There was intense satisfaction in London over tho destruction of one of the raiding Zeppelins which have just visited the eastern, counties of Britain, and that satisfaction wil.l find an echo throughout'the Empire, not co much because of the military importance of the event as because certain of tho "heroes" who steal across the North Sea, in the darkness of tho night, murder a number of women and children with, their bombs, and skulk away again with tho light of dawn have got their deserts. It seems that two squadrons and a detached ship took part in tho raid. The two squadrons visited the eastern counties, while the detached ship raided the north-east coast. Some 28 peoplo aro reported killed and 14 injured at the moment of, writing. From another cable ?t appears that at least one of tho Zeppelins visited London, its huge, glimmering shape attracting thousands of people from their houses, in spite of instructions to the contrary. The searchlights illuminated the raider from stem to stem, and the shells from the anti-air-craft guns burst all around her. Evidentlv damaged, she turned and made for the coast, and most probably this was the Zeppelin which the steamer Svantholm afterwards found floating near Kentish Knock, in the Thames Estuary. Two officers and 25 m.?n were taken'off, and the airship sank. A later cable states that it was the steam trawler Olivine which tool: off tho Zeppelin's crew, and that 25 are missing.

It turned out to be the Lls, a vessel about 700 ft long, and one of the largest and most modern types, and, as most of the men wore naval uniform, evidently belonging to the naval branch. Such a vessel might carry anything up to a ton of explosives over and above tho weight of armament and crew. It may be added, however, that the military damage caused by .such a. quantity of explosives, scattered indiscriminately over large areas, would be beneath contempt, and the loss of so huge and expensive a vessel throws the balance of advantage resulting from the raid overwhelmingly against the Germans. How indiscriminate the scattering must be is revealed by the message, which describes the Zeppelin as illuminated from end to end by tho defending searchlights. It has more than once been pointed out here that when the crew of the Zeppelins look earthwards they will be blinded by the glare of tho searchlights, into the eyes of which they will be directly looking, and which will throw everything behind them into inky darkness. Another little romance has been exploded by the present raid. At the time of tho last big raid on Paris we wero told that the " success" of that <:ffort was duo to a. searchlight which v,\ia lowered towards the earth, and which threw wonderful new light rays, which "pierced the mist like the sun." Apparently it was not in evidence during the raid on London. THE GUN WILL WIN.

A little common sense, will show that in the struggle between the gun and the Zej> pelin the gun must win, just as it has always wen in its never-ending duel with the makere ol armor plate. Count Zeppelin lately boasted that Germany was producing Zeppelins of much greater speed, range, and ascending power. Let her spend her money in that way, by all mean.?. The higher the Zeppelins ascend, the more at random must their bomb-dropping be, and though the murder of civilians by random bomb-dropping is v<ny exasperating, from the military point of view it is quite harmless. The object of those who are fighting the Zeppelins should bo to produce guns of over lengthening range, which will drive the Zeppelins ever higher and higher, nn,til the point is reached when the air becomes so cold and rarefied that further ascent is impossible. The gun must win in such a duel, because there is a definite limit.to the powers of ascension which can be given to any airship, sinco it cannot possibly rise beyond the point at which its crew are no longer able to breatho. But the range and hitting power of the antiaircraft gun can bo developed indefinitely, ;ls can also the accuracy and swiftness of its shooting. Jules Verne once wrote a romance about a gun which, fired a shot to the moon, and that is not a theoretical impossibility. It is certainly possible to devise guns which will drive shells much higher than a Zeppelin can rife, and when that is dono tho Zeppelin will be practically doomed. It will only remain to perfect the sighting apparatus, and train tho crew so thoroughly as to bring certain destruction upon any Zeppelin which comes within range. It is merely a matter of time before our artillery experts grasp the lesson and develop tho gun. Probably some of oxvr modern naval guns would do if placed on anti-aircraft mountings. SPASMODIC AGGRESSION. The Germans are still aggressive in a spasmodic way all along tho western front. Sir Douglas Haig reports the repulse of a German attack near St. Eloi, and of another attack upon our new lino at Ncuvillo St. Vaast. On the west bank of the Meusa the Germans succeeded in gaining a momentary footing in tho French lines at Morthomme after a heavy bombardment, hut were immediately expelled by a counterattack. At Malancourt tho French line has been withdrawn behind' the village, but, as the semi-official report points out, the essential thing is that the French should retain their hold on the formidable glacis of Hill 304, from which they can enfilade tho positions out of which the enemy launch their attacks. On the east bank of the Meuse German attacks have been repulsed in the neighborhood of Douaumont and Vaux. The correspondents point out what they call a novelty in connection with the Verdun fighting, this being the use of 12in guns to produce an impenetrable curtain of fire for the purpose of cutting off French detachments. The assertion is not very convincing.

Rapid-fire guns, firing shrapnel -with a flat are the best weapons for forming curtains of fire, The 12in guns are generally howitzers with a high trajectory and a slow rate of fire, whilo their ehclls aro -usually high explosive! THE EAST. The Russians are evidently still advancing from Kermanshah towards Bagdad. They roport defeating the enemy in the region of the fortress of Karahalachkan, which lies in the direction of Bagdad. From the British in Mesopotamia there is no sign of movement, but a message from the King to General Townshend, after complimenting the troops, states that every possible effort is being made to support their splendid resistance. This doubtless means that strong reinforcements are pushed up. If they do not soon get there" however., the Russians are likely to bo in Bagdad before us. I rom the Russian front there is. no news save the repulse of a German attack near Mokritza, in the region of Lake Narotch; the annihilation of an enemy detachment west of Chartorysk, on the Styr, south of the Pripet; and the repulse of powerful attacks on the Upper and Middle Strypa. Floods are hampering operations, and the Russian offensive may bo looked upon as closed for the time being. On the Dvina the ice is breaking, and the enemy have abandoned their first lino of trenches at Kolki, on the Styr. HOLLAND UNEASY. Holland was thrown into excitement on Friday by reports that officers' furlough had been withdrawn and that goods trains had been requisitioned. These reports were promptly denied, but an extraordinary council of (Ministers has been Held, and it is evident that Holland is in a very uneasy condition. 'The exact cause of the anxiety is not clear. The Allies propose to stiffen the blockade of Germany, and that may cause uneasiness, as it would mean the application of more stringent regulations to Dutch commerce. More probably, however, it is the attitude of Germany which is giving concern. Many Dutch vessels have been ruthlessly torpedoed, and Holland is alarmed lest she, too, Ghould be dragged into the war. There are those who hold the opinion that Germany would bo glad of an excuso to overrun Holland. What she would gain by that is not clear. The use of the Dutch ports as submarine bases is hardly worth the risk, and such a move would enable the Allies to make the blockade much more stringent, as Holland has been one of the chief gateways by which supplies have been smuggled in. ' The country is not well placed strategically for purposes of defence. It is a long, narrow country with open frontiers, but "it has the advantage that by means of specially arranged dykes large areas can be flooded and invasion thus rendered difficult. The war strength of the army is about 125,000 men with 152 guns. The defence scheme contemplates the concentration of this force into a limited area, known as tho " Fortress," in the event of invasion. This area comprises the provinces of North and South Holland, with parts of Zeoland and Utrecht. Given a resolution equal to that displayed by tho Belgians, the Dutch could make the overrunning of their country by the Germans too costly to justify the enemy in undertaking it _ under present circumstances. But it is impossible to predict what tho Dutch people would do, or what tho Germans will do, -since the latter seem so obsessed by their submarine dreams that they might venture upon any wild gamble lor the purpose of furthering them. Cable connection between England and Holland has been cut, evidently by tho Germans; but wireless telegraphy should provide o sufficient substitute.