Page:Aircraft in Warfare (1916).djvu/148

§ 71 to approach a warship of any kind by daylight without certain destruction, and it may be little or no better off by night.

§ 72. Torpedo Attack by Air. Some experiments reported as having been made in Germany appear to indicate a direction in which aircraft may become an actual source of danger to even the most formidable battleship or cruiser. It is said that a Zeppelin has recently been fitted with means of discharging a Whitehead torpedo with complete success. We may presume that the airship is brought down close to the sea-level, and then fires the torpedo, just as is done from the deck-tube of a torpedo-boat. In view of the great range of the modern torpedo — at the present day over 2 miles — this form of attack cannot be ignored. It is evident that what is possible to the airship in this direction is also possible to the aeroplane, provided that the latter be built of sufficient carrying capacity; and whereas the airship would find it difficult to approach a battleship or cruiser within 2 miles without detection and destruction, the aeroplane would rarely find this either difficult or dangerous; the matter is mainly one of choosing the proper time and direction of attack. In the haze of the early morning, or in the dusk after sunset, an aeroplane at the distance in question is quite invisible; or again, it is frequently possible for an aeroplane to approach in broad daylight against a landscape background without being observed, especially if assisted by suitable protective colouring; much depends also upon the direction of the sun's rays. Night attack would also in many instances be possible, although the absence of light may be a greater hindrance than help to the aeronaut; added to this there is the not inconsiderable risk of being located by searchlight. The aeroplane for the duty in question will need to be somewhat larger and