AIRCRAFT IN WAR,* TEE part which has been played by
airships in the present war "has come as a surprise even to their most convinced advocates." The brilliant exploit of Lieutenant Warneford- whose untimely death, by the irony of fate, followed so closely upon it through a mere accident—parallels and outdoes the final episode of Mr. H. G. Welle'e When the Sleeper Wakes, the date of which was intended to be at least a century ahead. We read daily in the newspapers of the daring achievements of the airmen, but as yet little has been told us on really good authority about the machines which they use—for most of the existing treatises on aircraft deal with a number of types which have already been discarded by military aviators. Thus Mr. Frederick Talbot tells us in his extremely interest- ing volume on Aeroplanes and Dirigibles of War that four distinct types of aeroplane are now used by our French allies, to each of which is allotted a specific duty. The Morane- Saulnier monoplane, in virtue of its great speed and powers of rapid climbing, is employed solely for the purpose of chasing and driving away or bringing down hostile aircraft. The Caudron biplane, which is also very fast, is employed mainly for discovering the enemy's artillery and communicating its range to the French and British gunners. The Farman biplane, which is noted for its quality of endurance and can remain in the air for many hours at a stretch, is utilized for strategical reconnaissances involving prolonged journeys, as distinct from the hasty tactical reconnaissances carried out by swifter machines. The Voisin aeroplane, which has specialized in the quality of weight-carrying, is chiefly used for throwing bombs, since it is able to carry an adequate supply of these terrifying missiles. The British authorities have not as yet gone so far in the direction of standardizing their Fourth Arm, and employ a much greater variety of machines than the French. Of all these, as well aS of the German aircraft, Mr. Talbot gives a readable and helpful description. His narrative of the evolution of the German dirigibles, in which at the present moment we are taking a rather lively interest in this country, is marked by intimate knowledge, and explains that the Zeppelin is only one of several types employed in the task of "frightfulness." In later chapters Mr. Talbot gives a detailed account of the various kinds of bombs and other weapons—including the silent but deadly flechette—used by aviators. Very readable, too, is the selection of anecdotes, illustrating the daily work of the airmen, which completes this fascinating book.
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