[Gamesnow-design] the advantage both in poin

[Rippeon B. <mis...@pu...>]

Their tactics, but owing

to their imperfect training and knowledge the results they achieve

appear to be negligible. The dirigible still remains an unknown
quantity in these activities,
although strange to relate, in the early days of the war, the work
accomplished
by the British craft, despite their comparatively low speed
and small dimensions, excelled in value that achieved by the warplanes.
This was particularly noticeable in matters pertaining to
reconnaissance, more
especially at night, when the British
vessels often remained for hours together in the air, manoeuvring over
the hostile lines, and gathering invaluable information
as to the disposition and movements
of the opposing forces. But it is probably in connection with naval
operations that the British aerial fleet excels. The waterplanes have
established their supremacy over the naval dirigible in a striking
manner. British endeavour fostered

the waterplane movement and has carried it to a high degree of
perfection. The waterplane is not primarily designed to perform

long flights, although such may be carried out if the exigencies
demand.

The practice
of deputing certain vessels to art as "parent ships" to a covey of
waterplanes has proved as successful in practice, as in theory. Again,
the arrangements for conveying these machines by such means to a
rendezvous, and there putting them into the water to complete a certain
duty, have been triumphantly

vindicated. At the time
this idea was embraced it met with a certain degree of hostile
criticism: it was argued that the association of the two fighting,
machines would
tend towards confusion, and impair the efficiency of both. Practice has
refuted this theory. The British aerial raids upon Cuxhaven and other
places would have been impossible, and probably valueless as an
effective move, but