Already he has been responsible for a re-arrangement of strategy
and tactics. The man aloft holds such a superior position as to
defy subjugation; the alternative is to render his work more
difficult, if not absolutely impossible.
CHAPTER X
BOMB-THROWING FROM AIR-CRAFT
During the piping times of peace the utility of aircraft as
weapons of offence was discussed freely in an academic manner.
It was urged that the usefulness of such vessels in this
particular field would be restricted to bomb-throwing. So far
these contentions have been substantiated during the present
campaign. At the same time it was averred that even as a
bomb-thrower the ship of the air would prove an uncertain
quantity, and that the results achieved would be quite contrary
to expectations. Here again theory has been supported by
practice, inasmuch as the damage wrought by bombs has been
comparatively insignificant.
The Zeppelin raids upon Antwerp and Britain were a fiasco in the
military sense. The damage inflicted by the bombs was not at all
in proportion to the quantity of explosive used. True, in the
case of Antwerp, it demoralised the civilian population somewhat
effectively, which perhaps was the desired end, but the military
results were nil.
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