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A Three-Inch Anti-Aircraft Gun

MOUNTED ON A TRUCK long before it hove in view. They could announce to France and England, as they frequently did, the coming of raiding Zeppelins and airplanes. For photographic work, the airplane proved invaluable. The camera was truthful and never in a hurry. What the airman's eyes frequently could not see was recorded by the camera, to be carefully deciphered at headquarters later on. In this way, trenches and fortifications could be clearly traced, and operations could be intelligently based upon these records.

At first the airplane was chiefly relied on by both sides for an aid to the artillery in directing its fire. But gradually it fell into disuse for this purpose. The height at which it had to fly made its directions often inaccurate and then too the increasedly skillful use of camouflage in concealing the gun locations of the enemy thwarted the observer's efforts.

Gradually this use of the airplane was discarded, and the kite balloon took its place. The work of the observer stationed in the balloon was less spectacular than that of the aviator, but far more accurate, and in many respects more important. His work was not marred by haste. He had powerful glasses that gave him a radius of 10 hazardous. But he had to be a fatalist and remain quietly in his position. His balloon offered an alluring target for the enemy's long-range guns. Hostile aviators swooped down at the great bag and sought to puncture it with bullets.

If an incendiary bullet penetrated the fabric and ignited the hydrogen gas, the balloon was doomed. Not more than 15 or 20 seconds would elapse before the explosion came. The observer's only salvation then was the parachute with which each was equipped. In the 17 days before the armistice was signed, the American army alone lost 21 balloons in this way, but in return our own aviators and artillery brought down 50 German balloons in the same period.

When the war began, the Germans had about 100 kite balloons of the Drachen type. The Allies had practically none.

They set to work, however, and eventually produced the Caquot balloon, which proved to have so many advantages over the Drachen that Germany herself finally adopted it.

The Caquot balloon has a length of 93 feet, while its largest diameter is 28 feet. It has a capacity of 37,500 cubic feet of hydrogen gas, and this proves sufficient to lift the mooring cable, the basket, two observers and all necessary equipment to a height, if desired, of AERONAUTICS 5,000 feet. The lines are so curved as to offer the least possible resistance to the air. It is made of rubberized cotton cloth. It has lobes of rubberized fabric to act as rudders. When the wind blows, the lobes, which are attached to the rear third of the balloon, fill with wind. When the air is calm, the lobes hang loosely.

The construction of the balloon makes above its moorings. It is released and drawn down again by a windlass mounted on a motor truck, so that it can be transported to any desired location. A spe- AERONAUTICS were So Aerial The scouting plane and the kite balloon represent the defensive feature of furnished that aviation. But it was soon discovered that the air service could also be made a formidable weapon of offense. Machine guns were system of tactics as precise as those on synchronized that they shot through the blades of the propeller.

There were Homeric and dove and rose in accordance with a system of tactics as precise as those on land and sea. battles in the sky, in which as many as forty or fifty planes might be engaged at once. Rewards were offered for those DIAGRAM OF A KITE OBSERVATION BALLOON, USED IN THE UNITED STATES cial feature of the Caquot is the location of the balloonette or air chamber within the main body of the gas bag. To separate it from the gas chamber, a cial feature of the Caquot is the location is used. There is no air in the balloonette when it is first fully inflated at wind blows what is practically the ground level, but as the balloon ascends asc the win into the balloonette through a scoop placed under the nose of the balloon.

This forces up the balloonette and comette when it is first fully inflated at what is practically the ground level, but gas from the envelope.

The average life of a kite balloon on an active war front was only fifteen days, but it did valuable work while it lasted. So anxious were the Germans to destroy them that they gave an aviator who brought one down a credit equivalent to the one bestowed for 1/2 days, but it did valuable work while it who brought down the greatest number of "ace" was bestowed upon the airman who had the attested destruction of five or more planes to his credit. Supremacy sides, for it meant that one's own planes watch his movements, while he was could hang over the enemy's front and debarred from doing the same thing in return. Planes were constructed with with aerial competitors, a daring aviator armored protection to ward off the enemy bullets. Sometimes, instead of fighting in return. Planes were constructed with rain machine-gun bullets on a marching would swoop down near the ground and between the aerial enemies stimulated the invention of devices that would telephone, that enabled the aviator to increase the effectiveness of the service.

Chief among these was the wireless AERONAUTICS AERONAUTICS keep within speaking radius of his com- largely at the mercy of wind and weather, mander in the air and his ground station. and offered too great a target for anti- At the beginning of the war, aerial aircraft guns and the hosts of planes supremacy resided with the Germans, that rose in the air like a swarm of but as the conflict progressed it gradually wasps to attack the huge craft with swung to the side of the Allies, so that bombs and incendiary bullets. Grad- PROPELLER.

BULLETS PASS BY PROPELLER BETWEEN REVOLVING BLADES RELOAD MAGAZINE PLANE 00 PLANE