ng aircraft, thus came to
the people of the United States in a moment of depression and
perplexity. By land the Germans had dug themselves in, holding all
of Belgium and the thousands of square miles of France they had won
in their first dash to the Marne. What they had won swiftly and
cheaply could only be regained slowly and at heavy cost. True, the
Allies were, day by day, driving them back from their position, but
the cost was disheartening and the progress but slow.

By sea the Germans refused to bring their fleet to battle with their
foes. But from every harbour of Belgium, and from Wilhelmshaven and
Kiel, they sent out their sinister submarines to prey upon the
commerce of the world--neutral as well as belligerent. Against them
the navies of the world were impotent. To the threat that by them
Germany would starve England into cowering surrender, the only
answer was the despairing effort to build new ships faster than the
submarines could sink those afloat--even though half a million tons
a month were sent to the bottom in wasteful destruction.

[Illustration: Photo by Levick.

_A Caproni Biplane Circling the Woolworth Building._]

Faced by these disheartening conditions, wondering what they might
do that could be done quickly and aid materially in bringing the war
to a triumphant conclusion, the American people listened eagerly to
the appeals and arguments of the advocates of a monster aerial
fleet.

[Illustration: (C) International Film Service.

_Cruising at 2000 Feet._

_One Biplane photographed from another._]

Listen [said these advocates], we show you a way to spring full
panoplied into the war, and to make your force felt with your
first stroke. We are not preaching dreadnoughts that take four
years to build. We are not asking for a million men taking nearly
a year to gather, equip, drill, and transport to France, in
imminent danger of destruction by the enemy's submarines every
mile of the way.

We ask you for a cheap, simple device of wood, wire, and cloth,
with an engine to drive it. All its parts are standardized. In a
few weeks the nation can be equipped to turn out 2000 of them
weekly. We want within the year 100,000 of them. We do not ask
for a million men. We want 10,000 bright, active, hardy, plucky
American boys between 20 and 25 years of age. We want to give
them four months' intensive training before sending them