The War in the Air
The war in the air has become somewhat brisker in the last few days both in the North Sea and on the fighting front in France. On Tuesday there were a number of encounters in which enemy planes were engaged by anti- aircraft fire or by aircraft, and were driven off without loss on our side. In single combat the R.A.F. men have much more than held their own. These raids were probably directed with a view to reconnaissance rather than attack. On the French front there have been many engagements, the most remarkable of which was a battle between twenty-seven German Messerschmitts and nine French aeroplanes, with the sensational result that the French brought down nine of the enemy without incurring any loss. Such a victory would not have been possible unless both the pilots and the machines had been superior. Though the Germans still have numerical superiority in the air—and they will not very long enjoy that—it is clear that in quality their machines are inferior both to the British and the French. Unless the numerical disparity is very great it is quality which counts for most in air warfare—a fact which is proved when nine machines can defeat twenty-seven. To establish an early supremacy is of great importance, for confidence is more than half the battle.
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