The World Crisis, Volume 1 (of 6)Churchill, Winston
History
The World Crisis, Volume 1 (of 6)
Churchill, Winston
World War, 1914-1918; World War, 1914-1918 -- Great Britain
According to all accounts received, the Germans, in so far as they
have penetrated this region, have done it simply by bluff. Small
parties of Uhlans, taking advantage of the terror inspired by their
atrocities in Belgium, have made their way freely about the country,
and have imposed themselves upon the population. We require, in the
first instance, 200 or 300 men with 50 or 60 motor cars, who can
support and defend our advanced aerial bases. I should propose to draw
these by suitable volunteers from the Marine Brigade. They should be
placed under the orders of Commander Samson, and should operate from
Dunkirk. It will be necessary first to obtain permission from the
French authorities. This, after consultation with Lord Kitchener, I am
taking steps to do. We ought to be able to make it quite impossible
for parties of 15 or 20 Uhlans to make their way with safety through
this area. During the next week the Germans will presume on their
immunity, and will be found in occupation of numbers of places where
they cannot possibly maintain any effective force. The advantage of an
aeroplane reconnaissance is that the approach of any serious body of
troops can be discovered while it is still at least two days’ march
away. There ought, therefore, to be no difficulty in chopping these
small parties of the enemy without our force getting into any trouble.
Propose me plans for immediate action on these lines in detail.
_October 2, 1914._
Secretary.
Director of Naval Ordnance.
Director of the Air Division.
The experiments with regard to projectiles for use against aircraft
must be worked out on the most generous scale, eight or ten different
lines being pursued simultaneously, the necessary funds being
provided. It is perfectly useless in time of war to go through
successively the whole series of experiments appropriate to peace-time
administration. Let me have a report on the projectiles available. We
must have means of attacking Zeppelins, not only with shells from
guns, but with incendiary bullets or grenades from aeroplanes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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