Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 75, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 March 1915 — GUNNING FOR THE AIRSHIPS [ARTICLE]

GUNNING FOR THE AIRSHIPS

Modern Warfare Haa Developed New Field That Calls for Scientific , * Marksmanship. The advent of the aeroplane and the airship introduced a hard problem for the riflemqji whose duty it is to bring down hostile craft of this kind, says Popular Mechanics. Even with its enormous speed the bullet discharged by a modern rifle is not fast enough for the aeroplane, as has been discovered in the European war, bat the expert riflemen who are con 1 stantly on the watch for hostile air craft are fast learning the requirements tor hitting these swiftly moving targets. They no longer aim at an aeroplane when trying to bring it doom, but at a point about six lengths ahead of the machine. The airman running the hostile craft also knows this and. when under fire, seldom flips far in a straight line if he can help it, but follows a zigzag course. The Zeppelin is a much slower-mov-ing craft and can be “plugged” about the center of the envelope if the rifleman aims at its nose.