eebrugge. Catch
them there and you will destroy them as boys destroy hornets by
smoking out their nests. But against this the Germans have
provided by blocking every avenue of approach save one. The
channels are obstructed and mined, and guarded from the shore by
heavy batteries. No hostile ships dare run that gauntlet. Even
the much-boasted British navy in the three years of the war has
not ventured to attack a single naval base. You could not even
seek out the submarines thus sheltered by other submarines
because running below the surface our boats could not detect
either mines or nets and would be doomed to destruction. The
enemy boats come out on the surface protected by the batteries
and naval craft. But the air cannot be blocked by any fixed
defences. Give us more and more powerful aircraft than the
Germans possess and we will darken the sky above the German bases
with the wings of our airplanes, and rain explosive shells upon
the submarines that have taken shelter there until none survive.

The one essential is that our flyers shall be in overwhelming
numbers. We must be able not only to take care of any flying
force that the Germans may send against us, but also to have
enough of our aircraft not engaged in the aerial battle to devote
their entire attention to the destruction of the enemy forces
below.

From every country allied with us came approval of this policy. At
the time the debate was pending in Congress our Allies one after
another were sending to us official commissions to consult upon the
conduct of the war, to give us the benefit of their long and bitter
experience in it, and to assist in any way our preparations for
taking a decisive part in that combat. The subject of the part to be
played by aircraft was one frequently discussed with them. With the
French commission came two members of the staff of General Joffre,
Major Tulasne and Lieutenant de la Grange, experts in aviation
service. A formal interview given out by these gentlemen expressed
so clearly the point of view on aviation and its possibilities held
in France where it has reached its highest development that some
extracts from it will be of interest here:

"At the beginning of the war the Germans were the only ones who
had realized the great importance of aviation from a military
point of view," said these offic