THE COLONIST. Published Every Morning. Tuesday. August 23, 1910. WAR IN THE AIR.

Colonist, Volume LII, Issue 12878, 23 August 1910, Page 2

THE COLONIST. Published Every Morning. Tuesday. August 23, 1910. WAR IN THE AIR.

The recent remarkable achievements of aeroplanes and dirigibles in Europe and. America, and especially in regard to military operations, make it. certain that in the warfare of the future aerial vessels will play a very important part. Writing on this subject in the "United Service Magazine," Major B. Bannerman-Phillips sums up the results from the standpoint of a practical military man. The previous year, he says, was a "period of steady improvement rather than sensational advance." The costly and scientific creation La Republiqu© was destroyed, with the loss of several lives, but the new year brought Gross 111. This vessel carries a crew, of fifteen men. "It ushered ia the New Year with a series of flights over Berlin, during which.it carried eight men and attained a speed of 37£ miles per hour." Previous dirigibles attained 30 miles. "Moreover, this latest creation of Teutonic genius and enterprise fought it's way successfully against a _ wind blowing 20 miles <an hour. This feat, together, with the performances of Latham and others in driving aeroplanes in the teeth of half a;- gale, shows that man has at least mastered ■ the elements of the art of aerial navigation." Major Bannerman-Phil-lips endorses the view that "the true test of progress in aerial navigation for military and naval purposes Is now, not so much the distances covered by dirigible or aeroplane, but the amount of wind resistance overcome, the weather-worthy qualities developed the increased ability to ride out a gale in the open, and to operate in spito of adverse ■ meteorological conditions." The aeroplane has shown greater capacity than the dirigible for operating under adverse weather condi- , tions.. A dirigible could never have weathered storms which the.monoT plane has encountered and successfully overcome. It has triumphed over gusty winds— the most ; dangerous kind — averaging over- fifty "miles an hour. So far* the military "dirigible has only been useful- in good weather. Trials have shown "that while airships can never take the place of. other methods of reconnaissance, -as by cavalry patrols, etc., throughout a campaign, yet on occasion they would give the side on whose behalf they operated such great advantages that no commander could afford to dispense with them as auxiliaries." In the future airship is to hunt and destroy airship. "Its obvious mission will be, in the first instance, to search for an enemy's airships and hunt them down whenever* and wherever they take the air, neutralise their utility, and destroy them, if possible." 'Future • trials alone will reveal the. superiority ' of type. The author does not anticipate deadly results from bombs dropped by airships. "The moral effect .will' presumably always be out of all proportion greater than the material" results, but will, be discounted by welltrained troops." Since Major Ban-nerman-Phillips penned his article, ex- ' periments in bomb dropping from both aeroplanes arid dirigibles prove that ■ even in this direction limits cannot be set upon the war use of aerial vessels. From varying: heights dummy bombs, have been dropped' with precision upon, comparatively small objects-, and there is no doubt whatever that used in earnest bomb dropping dirigibles and aeroplanes could cause terrible destruption, against which the object, of attention from above would have no defence. The weapons so far devised for ihs "destruction of flying- machines have not proved effipacious. "TJie best defence against airships," the writer remarks, will always be a superior standard in similar craft .and— in. the. near future— -in.:- aeroplanes.": -At ,pre- * sent, from a military, point of. view,. '■ there are very serious defects in air : machines. Most of these will doubtIpss be remedied in. good time.'' An . almost fatal defect at present is the, " great noise made by propellers and tntctor screws. You" must never tell the enemy you are coming. The histori- ' cal crossing of the Channel by Bleribf, and the later- triumphs of other: aviators, are Jessons and warnings of the , progress of aeronautics. Itis"apres- i age of the imminent passing of Brit- < am's insularity for purposes of war, ' and a practical foretaste of the possl- j bilities of the aeroplane, and moro < especially the monoplane, for over-sea reconnaissance. Such has been the improvement during the last year in the 2 construction and handling of both c aeroplanes and dirigibles thp/t the navy i can no longer guarantee immunity in x war tjme from the pentration of our territory by an 'enemy's scouts.!' c ..■ ■ *