The airman must possess a quick eye, because
his especial duty is to note the disposition of the troops
immediately facing him, the placing of the artillery, and any
local movements of the forces that may be in progress.
Consequently the aviator engaged on this service may be absent
from his lines for only a few minutes, comparatively speaking;
the intelligence he acquires must be speedily communicated to the
force to which he is attached, because it may influence a local
movement.
The strategical reconnaissance, on the other hand, affects the
whole plan of campaign. The aviators told off for this duty are
attached to the staff of the Commander-in-Chief, and the work has
to be carried out upon a far more comprehensive and elaborate
scale, while the airmen are called upon to penetrate well into
the hostile territory to a point thirty, forty, or more miles
beyond the outposts.
The procedure is to instruct the flier either to carry out his
observations of the territory generally, or to report at length
upon a specified stretch of country. In the latter event he may
fly to and fro over the area in question until he has acquired
all the data it is possible to collect.
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