Of course,
should some radical improvement be perfected, whereby
communication may be rendered absolutely secretive, while no
intimation is conveyed to the enemy that ethereal conversation is
in progress, then the whole situation will be changed, and there
may be remarkable developments.
CHAPTER XVIII
AIRCRAFT AND NAVAL OPERATIONS
When once the flying machine had indicated its possibilities in
connection with land operations it was only natural that
endeavours should be made to adapt it to the more rigorous
requirements of the naval service. But the conditions are so
vastly dissimilar that only a meagre measure of success has been
recorded. Bomb-throwing from aloft upon the decks of battleships
appeals vividly to the popular imagination, and the widespread
destruction which may be caused by dropping such an agent down
the funnel of a vessel into the boiler-room is a favourite theme
among writers of fiction and artists. But hitting such an
objective while it is tearing at high speed through the water,
from a height of several thousand feet is a vastly different task
from throwing sticks and balls at an Aunt Sally on terra firma:
the target is so small and elusive.
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