The gun is a
hybrid of the mitrailleuse and the French "Soixante-quinze,"
combining the firing rapidity of the former with the recoil
mechanism of the latter. This missile has established its
ability to penetrate the defensive armouring of any aeroplane and
the motor of the machine at 1,000 yards' range. This offensive
arm is now being manufactured, so that it is likely to be seen in
the near future as the main armament of aeroplanes.
At the moment widespread efforts are being made in the direction
of increasing the offensive efficiency of aircraft. It is one of
the phases of ingenuity which has been stimulated into activity
as a result of the war.
CHAPTER XII
BATTLES IN THE AIR
Ever since the days of Jules Verne no theme has proved so popular
in fiction as fighting in the air. It was a subject which lent
itself to vivid imagination and spirited picturesque portrayal.
Discussion might be provoked, but it inevitably proved abortive,
inasmuch as there was a complete absence of data based upon
actual experience. The novelist was without any theory: he
avowedly depended upon the brilliance of his imagination.
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