imposes a severe tax upon the nervous system, while it must also be
borne in mind that all sorts and conditions of weather are likely to
be encountered, more particularly during the winter. Hail, rain, and
blizzards may be experienced in turn, while the extreme cold which often
prevails in the higher altitudes during the winter season is a
fearful enemy to combat. Often an airman upon his return from such a
reconnaissance has been discovered to be so numbed and dazed as a result
of the prolonged exposure, that considerable time has elapsed before
he has been sufficiently restored to set forth the results of his
observations in a coherent, intelligible manner for the benefit of the
General Staff. Under these circumstances it is not surprising that the
most skilful and experienced aviators are generally reserved for this
particular work. In addition to the natural accidents to which the
strategical aerial observer is exposed, the dangers arising from hostile
gun-fire must not be overlooked. He is manoeuvring the whole time
over the enemy's firing zone, where anti-aircraft weapons are disposed
strategically, and where every effort is made by artillery to bring him
down, or compel him to repair to such a height as to render observation
with any degree of accuracy well-nigh impossible.

The methods practised by the German aerial scout vary widely, and are
governed in no small measure by the intrepidity and skill of the airman
himself. One practice is to proceed alone upon long flights over the
enemy's lines, penetrating just as far into hostile territory as the
pilot considers advisable, and keeping, of course, within the limits of
the radius of action of the machine, as represented by the fuel supply,
the while carefully taking mental stock of all that he observes below.
It is a kind of roving commission without any definite aim in view
beyond the collection of general intelligence.

This work, while productive and valuable to a certain degree, is
attended with grave danger, as the German airmen have repeatedly found
to their cost. Success is influenced very materially by the accuracy
of the airman's judgment. A slight miscalculation of the velocity
and direction of the wind, or failure to detect any variations in the
climatic conditions, is sufficient to prove his undoing. German airmen
who essayed journeys of discovery in this manner, often failed to regain
their lines because they ventured too far, misjudged the speed of