AERONAUTICS IN WAR.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2597, 3 September 1909, Page 3

AERONAUTICS IN WAR.

AIRSHIPS AND THEIR DESTROYERS. Just as tho'Germans have invented special guns for destroying airships, recent information shows, that they wuold now seem to be aiming at air-ship-protection from projectiles. Is the race between projectiles and armour, so long carried on at sea, to be recommenced in the air? Describing German “airship-destroy-ing” guns, a Berlifl correspondent declares: —“The most‘marvellous of them is a Krupp 10.5-centimetre (4£in gun), which dan hurl a projectile weighing 39.61 b at a maximum elevation of 75deg to a height of 7 A miles. A Krupp 7.0-centimotre centimotre (3in) ‘airship destroyer,’ designed for mounting on a motor-car. can throw a 14.31 b shell at an angle of 75deg. miles. A 6.5-centimetre (2^

in.) field-gun, which Krupp’s have built for operations against airships, fires an B.Blb projectile three miles at an angle of 60deg. The Ehrhardt 2in. ‘airship destroyer,’ for use aboard an armoured I motor-dar. is capable of flinging a 91b /shrapnel shell two miles.” But the airship is to have offensive, weapons too. At any. rate, we read: “Although German experts profess to think the chief value of, military airships is for reconnaissance. the army authorities are experimenting with a view to using aerial cruisers as offensive weapons. Three distinct types of shells enter into consideration. The first is an explosive shell for use against building, war materials, and dockyards. The second is,a burning shell for setting

fire to buildings, airships, balloons, or flying-machines. The third is a shell emitting intolerable odours for rise against troops in fortifications and against the population of towns. It is declared that the Zeppelin can, without difficulty, carry as many explosive shells or ‘aerial torpedoes’ as a torpedoboat. These vary in size from three to six inches, and are thus no larger than small-calibre land artillery ammunition. For operations against small bodies of troops or individuals hand-grenades will be employed. The burning shells weigh only three to seven ounces. Exhaustive trial sliave been made 1 both with ties, field-guns, and machine grins for use against aerial craft, hut it is a general conclusion that airships will be exceedingly difficult to hit. So far no practical experiments against airships have been possible, and the authorities are seriously considering the advisability of constructing dummy airships for next autumn’s imperial, manoeuvres in order to test thoroughly the capacity of the Krupp and Ehrhardt ‘airalrindestrovers.’ So far experts have found that dirigibles can rise easily beyond the limits of vertical artillery fire. At the Moppen-Krupp target range, near Essen, projectiles fired at two small •anchored balloons- ten feet in diameter, at a range of 1700 yards, brought them both down. The balloon targets were 200 feet from the ground.” GERMANY’S TYPES OF AIRSHIPS.

' There would seem to be. no limit to German efforts at air-conquest., That Germany is not confining herself to di- ! rigible balloons is shown by a recent cablegram stating that the army authorities are building aeroplanes—Ger- • many having hitherto done practically nothing in the heavier-than-air line. But in gas-filled dirigibles German ingenuity has already, evolved a. number of types, of wheih the Zeppelin (rigid construction), the Gross (semi-rigid), and the Parseval (non-rigid and portable') , are known throughout the world, while possibly a similar fame awaits the new Siemens-Sehuckert (non-rigid). The position of Germany with regard to these four types is as follows: —The Zeppelins.— The old Zeppelin, which in the course * of his successive experiments the inventor called his model No. 4, aud which was. 443 ft long, came to grief by an explosion on August 4, 1908, at Echterdingen. The immediate successor was the airship kngwn as the Zerjpelin 1.. with which Count Zeppelin did good performances earlier in this year. Thq motor is : of 80-li.p. .Next comes the Zeppelin 11., -which performed the recent record flight, and which is said to have a motor of 105-h.p. The Zeppelin 111. is being built at Friedriehshafen. It wj’? l also have a motor of 105-h.p., and its gas capacity will be 5600 metres. —Gross Type.— Of the- semi-rigid Gross airships (designed by Major Gross) two are now in existence ,and use. They are considered regular military property, as they belong to the Government. The press and Parseval types are strikingly similar to the French airship models. ■ —-Parseyals. The Parseval list (designed bv Major Parseval) now comprises three airships. One was sold t-o the Government. No. ;2 remains at Tegel, where the soldiers use it for experiments, and. No. 3 is at Bittcrfeld. No. 2 is 226 ft long, and 37ft in diameter. The Parseval airship differs from the Zeppelin in the fact that it is of the non-rigid, type, and, moreovr, it,is only about half tjie length of the Zeppelin. It is said, however, that Major von Parseval -is - disposed to add a considerable volume to the capacity of the. new models. It is claimed that the Parseval can be mounted or dismounted at any place “en route,” and the equipment comprises a hydrogen generating plant. -Siemens-Sehuckert.— A recent cablegram attributed to" this dirigible balloon the high driving force of 500-li.p., and a passenger-carrying capacity of 54. It was previously reported : ‘ ‘The Siemens-Selluclcert Company, at Nonnendamm, near Berlin, is constructing an airship, but the important details are withheld from.the public. It is of , the non-rigid type. 329 ft long, nearly. 43ft in diameter, and the capacity is given as 11..000 cubic metres. Captain von Krogh. a ‘ wellknown aeronaut, who 'was first identifield with the Zeppelin •'■xperiments and later with the Parseval. is supervising the construe* s on the Sicmens-Schuc-kert airship.” .