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Somme。 At first the idea of a machine for fighting only； was ridiculed。
Even the Germans； who； in a military sense； were awake and plotting
when other nations were dozing in the sunshine of peace； did not think
ahead and imagine the aerial duel between groups of aeroplanes armed
with machine…guns。 But soon the mastery of the air became of paramount
importance； and so the fighter was evolved。 Nobly； too； did the men of all
nations rise to these heroic and dangerous opportunities。 The Germans
were the first to boast of the exploits of their fighting airmen； and to us in
Britain the names of Immelmann and Bolcke were known long before
those of any of our own fighters。 The former claimed not far short of a
hundred victims before he was at last brought low in June； 1916。 His
letters to his family were published soon after his death； and do not err on
the side of modesty。
On 11th August； 1915； he writes： 〃There is not much doing here。 Ten
minutes after Bolcke and I go up； there is not an enemy airman to be seen。
The English seem to have lost all pleasure in flying。 They come over very；
very seldom。〃
When allowance has been made for German brag； these statements
throw some light upon the standard of British flying at a comparatively
early date in the war。 Certainly no German airman could have made any
such complaint a year later。 In 1917 the German airmen were given all the
fighting they required and a bit over。
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Certainly a very different picture is presented by the dismal letters
which Fritz sent home during the great Ypres offensive of August； 1917。 In
these letters he bewails the fact that one after another of his batteries is put
out of action owing to the perfect 〃spotting〃 of the British airmen； and
arrives at the sad conclusion that Germany has lost her superiority in the
air。
An account has already been given of the skill and prowess of Captain
Ball。 On his own countand he was not the type of man to exaggerate his
prowesshe found he had destroyed fifty machines； although actually he
got the credit for forty…one。 This slight discrepancy may be explained by
the scrupulous care which is taken to check the official returns。 The air
fighter； though morally certain of the destruction of a certain enemy
aeroplane； has to bring independent witnesses to substantiate his claim；
and when out 〃on his own〃 this is no easy matter。 Without this check；
though occasionally it acts harshly towards the pilot； there might be a
tendency to exaggerate enemy losses； owing to the difficulty of
distinguishing between an aeroplane put out of action and one the pilot of
which takes a sensational 〃nose dive〃 to get out of danger。
One of the most striking illustrations of the growth of the aeroplane as
a fighting force is afforded by the great increase in the heights at which
they could scout； take photographs； and fight。 In Sir John French's
dispatches mention is made of bomb…dropping from 3000 feet。 In these
days the aerial battleground has been extended to anything up to 20；000
feet。 Indeed； so brisk has been the duel between gun and aeroplane； that
nowadays airmen have often to seek the other margin of safety； and can
defy the anti…aircraft guns only by flying so low as just to escape the
ground。 The general armament of a 〃fighter〃 consists of a maxim firing
through the propeller； and a Lewis gun at the rear on a revolving gun…ring。
It is pleasant to record that the Allies kept well ahead of the enemy in
their use of aerial photography。 Before a great offensive some thousands
of photographs had to be taken of enemy dispositions by means of
cameras built into the aeroplanes。
Plates were found to stand the rough usage better than films； and not
for the first time in the history of mechanics the man beat the machine； a
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skilful operator being found superior to the ingenious automatic plate…
fillers which had been devised。
The counter…measure to this ruthless exposure of plans was
camouflage。 As if by magic…tents； huts； dumps； guns began； as it were； to
sink into the scenery。 The magicians were men skilled in the use of brush
and paint…pot； and several leading figures in the world of art lent their
services to the military authorities as directors of this campaign of
concealment。 In this connection it is interesting to note that both Admiralty
and War Office took measures to record the pictorial side of the Great War。
Special commissions were given to a notable band of artists working in
their different 〃lines〃。 An abiding record of the great struggle will be
afforded by the black…and…white work of Muirhead Bone； James M'Bey；
and Charles Pears； the portraits； landscapes； and seascapes of Sir John
Lavery； Philip Connard； Norman Wilkinson； and Augustus John； who
received his commission from the Canadian Government。
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THE MASTERY OF THE AIR
CHAPTER XL The Atmosphere and the Barometer
For the discovery of how to find the atmospheric pressure we are
indebted to an Italian named Torricelli； a pupil of Galileo； who carried out
numerous experiments on the atmosphere toward the close of the sixteenth
century。
Torricelli argued that； as air is a fluid； if it had weight it could be made
to balance another fluid of known weight。 In his experiments he found that
if a glass tube about 3 feet in length； open at one end only； and filled with
mercury； were placed vertically with the open end submerged in a cup of
mercury； some of the mercury in the tube descended into the cup； leaving
a column of mercury about 30 inches in height in the tube。 From this it
was deduced that the pressure of air on the surface of the mercury in the
cup forced it up the tube to the height Of 30 inches； and this was so
because the weight o