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Title: Aeroplanes and Dirigibles of War

Author: Frederick A. Talbot

Posting Date: July 21, 2008 [EBook #793]
Release Date: January, 1997

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AEROPLANES AND DIRIGIBLES OF WAR ***

AEROPLANES AND DIRIGIBLES OF WAR

By Frederick A. Talbot

PREFACE

Ever since the earliest days of the great conquest of the air, first by
the dirigible balloon and then by the aeroplane, their use in time of
war has been a fruitful theme for discussion. But their arrival was
of too recent a date, their many utilities too unexplored to provide
anything other than theories, many obviously untenable, others avowedly
problematical.

Yet the part airships have played in the Greatest War has come as a
surprise even to their most convinced advocates. For every expectation
shattered, they have shown a more than compensating possibility of
usefulness.

In this volume an endeavour has been made to record their achievements,
under the stern test of trial, as an axiom of war, and to explain, in
untechnical language, the many services to which they have been and may
be applied.

In the preparation of the work I have received assistance from many
sources--British, French, Russian and German--from official reports and
from men who have played a part in the War in the Air. The information
concerning German military aircraft has been obtained from Government
documents, most of which were placed at my disposal before the outbreak
of war.

The use of aircraft has changed the whole art and science of warfare.
With its disabilities well in hand, with its strength but half revealed,
the aerial service has revolutionised strategy and shorn the unexpected
attack of half its terrors. The Fourth Arm is now an invaluable part of
the complex military machine.

F. A. TALBOT.

CONTENTS
CHAPTER

I. The introduction of aircraft into military operations
II. The military uses of the captive balloon
III. Germany's rise to military airship supremacy
IV. Airshi