The safety of the aviator under these circumstances depends upon
his maintaining an altitude exceeding the range of the guns
below, the most powerful of which have a range of 8,000 to 10,000
feet, or on speed combined with rapid twisting and turning, or
erratic undulating flight, rendering it extremely difficult for
the gun-layer to follow his path with sufficient celerity to
ensure accurate firing.
At altitudes ranging between 4,000 and 6,000 feet the aeroplane
comes within the range of rifle and machine-gun firing. The
former, however, unless discharged in volleys with the shots
covering a wide area, is not particularly dangerous, inasmuch as
the odds are overwhelmingly against the rifleman. He is not
accustomed to following and firing upon a rapidly moving
objective, the result being that ninety-nine times out of a
hundred he fails to register a hit. On the other hand the
advantage accruing from machine-gun fire is, that owing to the
continuous stream of bullets projected, there is a greater
possibility of the gun being trained upon the objective and
putting it hors de combat.
But, taking all things into consideration, and notwithstanding
the achievements of the artillerist, the advantages are
overwhelmingly on the side of the aviator.
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