AIR SECRETS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 20075, 11 October 1920, Page 6

AIR SECRETS.

GERMAN PILOT’S STORIES. HEAVY LOSS IN TRAINING. The vast, development of the German 5 111 ’ forces during the war is described m great detail for the first time in ' Tbo Deutschen Luftstreitkrafte in 'Ulllaicge ” (Mittlcr, Berlin), a work edited by the well-known German airman Major Neumann. A full account is given of the giant aeroplanes which Germany began to develop about the time when we were constructing aircraft of immense siao snd power. The largest of all (says the “Dailv Mail ) had six 300 h.jv. engines driving four screws, two pullers in front and two pushers behind. The speed was about eighty miles an hour, it could carry four to five and a half tons, including bombs of one ton. _Tho training of the crews of these giant machines, we are told, was a matter of great difficulty and involved ‘ heavy sacrifice of life?’ “For the first time wc learnt tho nature and significance of blindness at night. Pilots who flow brilliantly by day proved quite unsuitable for flying at night, as their eyesight could not accommodate itself to the darkness. They lost the sense of balance, or could not recognise and correctly estimate their distance from tho ground when landing. , “By methodic training and gradual increase of the efforts required of them, brilliant success was ultimately realised in the art of night-flying. The weather had no.influence except in the case of fog.”

BRITISH BOMBERS’ RUSE,

Tho British tiro stated to have vigorously developed the art of flying by night, afid they are absurdly reproached with “ unfair ” tactics. This example is given: “ On the night of February 15, 1918, a hostile aeroplane appeared over the aerodrome of tho 2nd (German) squadron, and gave the Morse code signal of the squadron for lauding by flashes. As about the same time a force was starting, tho men on nuty supposed that one of our own aircraft had been compelled to make a forced landing, arid showed the lauding lights. “ Immediately there came an attack with machine-gun fire, followed by the dropping of six bombs. Tho commander of an air section, who was there, was killed by a bomb splinter, and several fitters were wounded bv bullets.’' A very interesting type of machine, of winch particulars are given, was the all-metal Fokker biplane, which was constructed in 1917. It was made of duralumin, an alloy of aluminium, and pad no wood or fabric about it. Its gieat advantages were that it required no tuning before flying, and was completely protected against fire. The aanger of collapse in the air was eliminated, and it proved better than ordinary types in severe weather. ENEMY SOVEREIGNS SPARED. This type carried hardened nickel-chrome-steel armour a. fifth of an inch round the pilot, protecting him and the engine even against machinegun fire at close range. According to the Gorman authority, attacks on London, were forbidden during the early period of tho war, and at other points aeroplanes and airships were not permitted to attack the enemy Sovereigns (though we know that they did attack the King of the Belgians at Antwerp). Thus we are informed: “LZ 35 was actually under way on April 13, 1915 ordered by the 4th Army to -attack the chief bases of the British. Cassel, Hazebrouck and St Omer. Just before she left came in a cipher telegram, in which the Kaiser forbade the attack on St Omer, and ordered Poperinn-he to be attacked instead. “ The reason was tho news that on that night the Entente leaders—the King of England and King of tho Belgians, with the prominent statesmen and generals of the Entente—wouid be at St Omer deliberating in the town hall. LZ 85 had a ton and a half of bombs on board, and the town hall standing in an open space and easily visible, was a mark that could scarcely have been missed.” Ho declares that the British were quite wrong in supposing that they had got rid of the Zeppelin danger because attacks were suspended between this date'and March, 1917. “The airahip constructors used the time to get ready a new type of ship, which could easily reach 20,000 feet, where the strongest searchlights would not he able to find them.