So far
as submarines are concerned the fact must not be over looked that
movements in the sea are carried out under blind conditions: the
navigator is unable to see where he is going; the optic faculty
is rendered nugatory. Contrast the disability of the submarine
with the privileges of its consort in the air. The latter is
able to profit from vision. The aerial navigator is able to see
every inch of his way, at least during daylight. When darkness
falls he is condemned to the same helplessness as his confrere in
the waters below.
A well-known British authority upon aviation suggested that
advantage should be taken of this disability, and that the air
should be mined during periods of darkness and fog to secure
protection against aerial invasion. At first sight the proposal
appears to be absolutely grotesque, but a little reflection will
suffice to demonstrate its possibilities when the area to be
defended is comparatively limited. The suggestion merely
proposes to profit from one defect of the dirigible. The latter,
when bent upon a daring expedition, naturally prefers to make a
bee-line towards its objective: fuel considerations as a matter
of fact compel it to do so.
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