The Way of the Air: A Description of Modern Aviation

by Edgar Charles Middleton

Future Navies and Armies of the World

How will aviation affect warfare in the future? Will it abolish entirely this undesirable condition of affairs, or will it serve to provide added inducements? It is, indeed, a debatable point. If we incline to the latter view, every known argument and theory points to the fact that warfare of the future will be to all intents and purposes instantaneous. There will be no preparatory delay caused by the necessity of placing large armies in the field, of gradually marching forward to establish contact with the enemy, and of carrying out skirmishes which may be prolonged to weeks and months before the actual battle takes place. The belligerent fleets will set off in the dawn or in the darkness, as the case may be, and before twelve hours have elapsed, after entering into the conflict, a definite decision will have been reached. For the airman, there is no falling back to a second line of trenches, to a natural position heavily defended, or to a concrete fortress or emplacement, or to fight a rearguard action. The fight in the air must be to the death, without quarter asked or given, for no prisoners can be taken. The loss of men and material will be tremendous.

It is doubtful whether aviation will entirely do away with fighting on land and sea, but it is very obvious that either fleet or army of one belligerent nation, at the mercy of the air fleet of another nation, will be in a very helpless position. Should the warfare in the air be indecisive, were such a condition within the realm of reasonable argument, it might be possible for the fleet or army to be brought into action with advantage, but even this is doubtful. As regards our own nation, before 1926, the Royal Naval Air Service will be the largest and most important service in Great Britain. Possibly there will be a single Air Service, and before ten years will have elapsed it will be the most important of all the British services, and will be composed both of aeroplanes and airships. The only other form of aircraft, the seaplane, being too slow, too clumsy, and too costly, will long ago have been abandoned.

Peace and War Uses of Aircraft

Before we enter upon the discussion which is the subject of this paragraph we wish to guard ourselves against one misconception. It is possible that readers of this chapter may already have come to the conclusion that it is possible to develop aircraft for one purpose, and one purpose only: that is, either for war or for commerce; and impossible to develop them for both. This would be an entirely erroneous idea. It is true that we have already laid stress upon the fact that there is a very imminent danger that aircraft may be developed too greatly for war purposes to the detriment of others, but provided that the necessary precautions are taken, there is yet ample time for the commerce-carrying machine to be developed at the same time and in the same manner as the war machine. Within a very short time we may find that the Super-Zeppelin of the air will have entirely replaced not only the Dreadnought of the sea, but also the giant passenger liners. Both the war and the peace craft will be considerably larger in size than the 1916 type; the balloon portion of the Zeppelin will have trebled itself in size; it will be, if anything, of greater length and of slimmer formation, while the covering will be composed of some light but durable metal, such as aluminium, to prevent the possibility of explosion of gas caused by the firing of the guns. The narrow gondola beneath will be wider, and will mount several guns of 4.7-inch or larger caliber: for although the Zeppelin of the future will be a much more stable and airworthy craft, by reason of its lateral stability it will never be possible to fire a gun of any size from either bow or stern of an airship or a Zeppelin, without bringing the whole craft canting over, and possibly breaking its back. Thus, all Super-Zeppelins of the future will be heavily armed amidships, that is to say, where the proportion of strain on the craft is least felt. The passenger-carrying variety will differ very slightly from the war machine, save that the gondola will be deeper, more graceful, and more on the lines of the hull of the present-day ocean-going ship or steamer. The Parseval and similar types of large airship will replace the cruiser and the battle-cruiser; also the large cargo-bearing steamers of to-day.

With regard to the aeroplane, we are already in possession of super-craft, some of double engine variety, the Sykorsky, the giant Russian machine, and the triplane, or three-planed aeroplane; but it is extremely doubtful whether it is possible for the aeroplane, being a heavier type of aircraft, to develop into a much larger size than it is to-day; the reason for this being the abnormal engine-power that would be required to lift such a craft from the ground, and the fact that the extra weight thus occasioned would render the whole craft unairworthy. However, the aeroplane will fulfill in the future the uses of the light-cruiser and the torpedo-boat, while a sort of seaplane submarine will fulfill the double purpose of both over and under water work.

As a commercial vessel the aeroplane will only be of use for the conveyance of passengers and light cargoes on short voyages from Great Britain to Ireland, Great Britain to France, Holland, Norway, or Russia.

The Balance of Power

The new method of warfare will not influence to any material extent the present condition of international politics. Of all the Great Powers, however, Great Britain will be more nearly affected. For many centuries past we have relied upon our natural geographical position, as an island, to protect us from all invasion. And to retain this insular and impregnable position we have relied upon our glorious Navy, which is, and always has been, mistress of the seas. But now we are no longer an island; that is to say, we are no longer protected from the attacks of an enemy merely because we are surrounded by sea, even although we maintain the supremacy of our naval power. Another element has now to be considered, namely, the air, and that, unfortunately, we do not hold with the same mastery that we did the sea. It will be seen, therefore, that for the safety of the Empire, we must immediately build up a great air fleet, and gain the supremacy of the air. Germany has already shown us the lead in this respect, and we must not be content to follow, but to improve, greatly improve, upon that lead. One thing is certain, that the mad extravagant race for armaments among the nations will continue, but with this difference—that it will be for great fleets of the air, as to-day it is for large armies and great sea fleets.