An
uncontrolled Zeppelin, for instance, would inevitably pile up in
a tangled twisted ruin if forced to descend in the manner of an
ordinary balloon. Consequently the pilot of a dirigible realises
to the full the imperative urgency of keeping beyond the
point-blank fire of aerial mosquito craft.
The assiduity with which British aviators are prepared to swarm
to the attack has been responsible for a display of commendable
ingenuity on the part of the German airman. Nature has provided
some of its creatures, such as the octopus, for instance, with
the ways and means of baffling its pursuers. It emits dense
clouds of inky fluid when disturbed, and is able to effect its
escape under cover of this screen.
The German aviator has emulated the octopus. He carries not only
explosive bombs but smoke balls as well. When he is pursued and
he finds himself in danger of being overtaken, the Teuton aviator
ignites these missiles and throws them overboard. The aeroplane
becomes enveloped in a cloud of thick impenetrable smoke. It is
useless to fire haphazard at the cloud, inasmuch as it does not
necessarily cover the aviator.
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