The airman has not been allowed to hold his undisputed sway in military
operations for long. Desperate situations demand drastic remedies and
already considerable and illuminating ingenuity is being displayed to
baffle and mislead the scout of the skies.
It is a somewhat curious and noteworthy fact, that the Germans were
among the first to realise the scope of the airman's activities, and the
significance of their relation to the conveyance of intimate information
and the direction of artillery fire. Consequently, they now spare no
effort to convey illusory information, in the hope that the hostile
force may ultimately make a false move which may culminate in disaster.
Thus, for instance, as much endeavour is bestowed upon the fashioning of
dummy trenches as upon the preparation of the actual lines of defence.
And every care will be taken to indicate that the former are strongly
held. The dug-outs are complete and at places are apparently cunningly
masked. If the airman is flying swiftly, he is likely to fail to
distinguish the dummy from the real trenches. To him the defences appear
to be far more elaborate and more strongly held than is the actual case.
The advantage of this delusion is obvious when a retreat is being made.
It enables the enemy to withdraw his forces deliberately and in perfect
order, and to assume another and stronger position comparatively at
leisure. The difficulty of detecting the dummies is emphasised, inasmuch
as now, whenever the sound of an aeroplane is heard, or a glimpse
thereof is obtained, the men keep well down and out of sight. Not a sign
of movement is observable. For all the airman may know to the contrary,
the trenches may be completely empty, whereas, as a matter of fact,
they are throbbing with alert infantry, anxious for a struggle with the
enemy.
This is one instance where the dirigible is superior to the aeroplane.
The latter can only keep circling round and round over the suspicious
position; the movement through the air interferes with close continuous
observation. On the other hand, the dirigible can maintain a stationary
position aloft for hours on end. Then the issue is resolved into a
contest of patience, with the advantage to the airman. The soldiers in
the trenches fret and fume under cover; confined concealment is irksome
and is a supreme test of the nerves. Unless the soldiers are made of
very stern stuff, physical endurance succumbs. Some rash act--apparently
very trivial--may be committed; it suffices for the vigilant
sentinel overhead. He detects the slender sign of life, forms his own
conclusions, and returns to his headquarters with the intelligence that
the enemy is playing "Brer Rabbit."
It has also become increasingly difficult for the airman to gather
absolutely trustworthy data concerning the disposition and movement of
troops. Small columns are now strung out along the highways to convey
the impression that the moving troops are in far greater force than is
actually the case, while the main body is under the cover offered by
a friendly wood and is safe from detection. The rapidity with which
thousands of men are able to disappear when the word "Airman" is passed
round is astonishing. They vanish as completely and suddenly as
if swallowed by the earth or dissolved into thin air. They conceal
themselves under bushes, in ditches, lie prone under hedgerows, dart into
houses and outbuildings--in short, take every cover which is available,
no matter how slender it may seem, with baffling alacrity. The
attenuated column, however, is kept moving along the highway for the
express purpose of deceiving the airman.
Advancing troops also are now urged to move forward under the shelter
of trees, even if the task entails marching in single or double file, to
escape the prying eyes of the man above. By keeping close to the line
of trunks, thus taking full advantage of the overhanging branches, and
marching in such a manner as to create little dust, it is possible to
escape the aerial scout.
The concealment of cavalry, however, is somewhat difficult. An animal,
especially if he be unaccustomed to the noise of the aeroplane,
is likely to become startled, and to give vent to a frightened and
vociferous neighing which invariably provokes a hearty response from
his equine comrades. The sharp ear of the airman does not fail to
distinguish this sound above the music of his motor. Again, he has come
to regard all copses and stretches of undergrowth with suspicion. Such
may or may not harbour the enemy, but there is no risk in making an
investigation. He swoops down, and when a short distance above the
apparently innocent copse, circles round it two or three times. Still
undecided, he finally hurls a bomb. Its detonation invariably proves
effective. The horses stampede and the secret is out. Even foot
soldiers must be severely trained and experienced to resist the natural
inclination to break cover when such a missile is hurled into their
midst.
Frequently a force, which has laboured under the impression that it is
safe from detection, has revealed its presence unwittingly and upon the
spur of the moment. If the men be steeled against the bomb attack, it
is almost impossible to resist the inclination to take a shot when the
airman, swooping down, ventures so temptingly near as to render him
an enticing target almost impossible to miss. As a rule, however, the
observer is on the alert for such a betrayal of a force's existence.
When the bomb fails to scatter the enemy, or the men are proof against
the temptation to fire a volley, a few rounds from the aeroplane's
machine gun often proves effective. If the copse indeed be empty no harm
is done, beyond the abortive expenditure of a few rounds of ammunition:
if it be occupied, the fruits of the manoeuvre are attractive. Cunning
is matched against cunning, and the struggle for supremacy in the art of
craftiness is keen.
The French Flying Corps have had recourse to an ingenious ruse for
accomplishing two ends--the one to draw concealed artillery fire, and
the other to pre-occupy the airmen. Two German aerial scouts observed a
French machine flying at a somewhat venturesome height over their masked
artillery. Divining the reason for the hostile intrepidity they
gave chase. Circling round the French machine they assailed it with
machine-gun fire. The enemy appeared to take no notice but continued his
gradual descent in a steady line.
Presently the German airmen, having drawn sufficiently near, observed
that the French aviator was inert. Had he been killed? Everything
pointed to such a conclusion, especially as they had raked the aeroplane
fore and aft with bullets. But still suspicious they continued their
circling movements, their attention so concentrated upon their quarry
that they had not observed another move. It was the crash of guns from
their masked artillery which broke in upon their absorption. Looking
round, they observed three French aeroplanes soaring around and above
them at high speed. Scarcely had they realised the situation before
a spirited mitraireuse fire was rained upon them. One of the German
aeroplanes was speedily disabled. Its fuel tank was riddled and it sank
rapidly, finally crashing to earth in the deadly dive head foremost,
and killing both its occupants in the fall. The second aeroplane hurried
away with its pilot wounded. In the excitement of the aerial melee the
first French aeroplane had been forgotten. It was now scarcely 100 feet
above the German artillery. A capture appeared to be imminent, but the
Germans received a rude surprise. Suddenly the aeroplane exploded and a
hail of shrapnel burst over the heads of the artillerymen.
The circumstance was decidedly uncanny, but after two or three such
experiences of exploding aeroplanes the matter was explained. The
apparently helpless aeroplane was merely a glider, which, instead of
carrying a man, had a booby-trap aboard.
It appears that the French airmen have found a use for the aeroplanes
which are considered unsafe for further use. The motor and propeller are
removed and the dummy of explosives is strapped into position. The
laden glider is then taken aloft by means of an airship, and in the
concealment of the clouds is released, the rudder being so set as to
ensure a gradual vol-plane towards the suspicious position below. The
explosive cargo is set with a time fuse, the arrangement being that the
contents will be detonated while the machine is near the ground, unless
this end is accelerated by a well-planted shell from an anti-aircraft
gun. The decoy glider is generally accompanied by one or two aeroplanes
under control, which keep under the cover of the clouds until the
hostile aviators have been drawn into the air, when they swoop down
to the attack. The raiders are fully aware that they are not likely to
become the target of fire from the ground, owing to the fact that the
enemy's artillery might hit its friends. Consequently the antagonistic
airmen are left to settle their own account. In the meantime the
dummy machine draws nearer to the ground to explode and to scatter its
death-dealing fragments of steel, iron, and bullets in all directions.
Possibly in no other phase of warfare is subterfuge practised so
extensively as in the concealment of guns. The branches of trees
constitute the most complete protection and guns are placed in position
beneath a liberal cover of this character. The branches also offer a
screen for the artillerymen, who can lurk beneath this shelter until the
aeroplane has passed. To complete the illusion dummy guns fashioned
from tree trunks and the wheels of useless limbers are rigged up, and
partially hidden under branches, the idea being to convey the impression
to the man aloft that they are the actual artillery.
The aerial scout observes the dummies beneath the sparse covering of
branches. Congratulating himself upon his sharp eyesight, he returns
to his base with the intelligence that he has found the enemy's guns
he indicates their position upon the map, and in some cases returns to
notify the position of the weapons by smoke-ball or tinsel, when they
are immediately subjected to a severe bombardment. He follows the
shell-fire and sees the arms put out of action. He returns to camp
satisfied with his exploit, oblivious of the smiles and laughter of the
hostile artillerymen, who have their guns safely in position and
well masked some distance away. The dummies are imperfectly concealed
purposely, so that they may be discovered by the aerial scout, while the
real guns are completely masked and ready to belch forth from another
point. In one or two cases the dummies have been rigged up in such a
manner as to convey the impression, when seen from aloft, that a whole
battery has been put out of action, barrels and wheels as well as broken
limbers strewing the ground in all directions.
Moving masses of soldiers are also resorting to cunning in order to
mislead the airman or to escape his observation. At the battle of
Haelen, during which engagement the German warplanes were exceptionally
active, the Belgian soldiers covered their heads with bundles of wheat
snatched from the standing stooks, and under this cover lurked in a
field where the corn was still standing. From aloft their forms defied
detection: the improvised headgear completely covered them and blended
effectively with the surrounding wheat. In another instance the French
misled a German airman somewhat effectively. What appeared to be
cavalry was seen to be retreating along the country road, and the airman
returned hurriedly to report. A German squadron was dispatched in hasty
pursuit. But as it rounded a copse skirting the road it received a
murderous fire at close quarters, which decimated the ranks and sent the
survivors flying for their lives along the road up which they had ridden
so confidently. Had the aviator been in a position to observe the horses
more closely, he would have found that what appeared to be riders on
their backs were in reality sacks stuffed with straw, dressed in old
uniforms, and that a mere handful of men were driving the animals
forward. The cavalrymen had purposely dismounted and secreted themselves
in the wood in anticipation of such a pursuit as was made.
While the Germans do not appear to be so enterprising in this form
of ingenuity they have not been idle. A French airman flying over the
Teuton lines observed the outermost trenches to be alive with men whose
helmets were distinctly visible. The airman reported his observations
and the trench was subjected to terrific shell fire. Subsequently
the French made a spirited charge, but to their dismay found that the
outermost German trench was occupied by dummies fashioned from all sorts
of materials and crowned with helmets! This ruse had enabled the German
lines to be withdrawn to another position in safety and comparatively at
leisure.
Before war was declared the German military experts were emphasising
the importance of trees for masking troops and guns against aerial
observation. One of the foremost authorities upon military aviation
only a few months ago urged the German Military Staff to encourage the
planting of orchards, not for the purpose of benefiting agriculture or
in the interests of the farmers, but merely for military exigencies.
He pointed to the extensive orchards which exist in Alsace-Lorraine
and Baden, the military covering value of which he had determined from
personal experience, having conducted aerial operations while military
were moving to and fro under the cover of the trees. He declared that
the cover was efficient and that under the circumstances the laying
out of extensive orchards in strategical places should be carried out
without any delay. This, he urged, was a national and not a private
obligation. He advocated the bestowal of subsidies on the farmers to
encourage the planting of fruit trees. He suggested that the trees
should be provided by the State, and given to all who were prepared to
plant them; that substantial prizes should be awarded to encourage the
rapid growth thereof, and that annual prizes should be awarded to the
man who would undertake their cultivation and pruning, not from the
fruit-yielding point of view, but for facilitating the movement of
troops beneath their dense branches.
He even urged the military acquisition of suitable land and its
determined, skilful, and discreet exploitation by those who loved the
Fatherland. He emphasised the necessity for keeping such orchards
under military control, only vouchsafing sufficient powers to the local
authorities to ensure the desired consummation. He maintained that, if
the work were prosecuted upon the right lines and sufficient financial
assistance were given, the purpose in view could be achieved without
saddling the war department with any unremunerative or excessive burden.
He admitted that the process of raising fruit trees to the stage
when they would afford adequate cover would be tedious and somewhat
prolonged, but argued that the military advantages, such as enabling
troops to move below the welcome shelter with absolute freedom and
without physical fatigue, would be an ample compensation.
The utility of such cover to artillery was another factor he did not
fail to emphasise. He dwelt seriously upon the difficulty of rendering
permanent gun emplacements and heavy artillery invisible to the airman
by resort to the usual type of gun shields. The latter may be located
with ease by alert airmen, whereas if the guns were under cover of fruit
trees they would be able to accomplish their deadly mission without
betraying their presence to the aerial scout. Moreover, by pruning the
trees in such a manner as to ensure free movement beneath, the artillery
would be able to advance without betraying the fact to the enemy.
This authority vigorously insisted that the work should be carried out
without a moment's delay as it was vital to the Fatherland. In the
light of recent events, and the excellent cover which is offered by the
orchards of the territory he cited as an illustration of his contention,
such a disclosure is pregnant with meaning. It throws a new light upon
the thorough methods with which the Germans carried out their military
preparations, and incidentally shows that they were fully alive to
every possible development. Fruit-raising as a complement to military
operations may be a new line of discussion, but it serves to reveal the
German in his true light, ready for every contingency, and shows how
thoroughly he appreciates the danger from the man in the clouds.