during the present war raids extending to anything approaching 300 or 400 miles out and home over enemy territory, so that the recommendation suggested above is probably more drastic than necessitated by present conditions; however, all depends upon the duration of the war, the technical difficulties in the way of the production of suitable machines can be surmounted at any time without great difficulty. Beyond this there is no reason to suppose that during the present war the French littoral will be in other than friendly hands, whereas in the foregoing discussion the broader basis has been assumed, namely, that all territory not actually British must be considered as potentially hostile.
§ 128. Air Raids and the Naval Outlook. The possibility of air raids on a large scale on the Naval outlook will certainly be far-reaching in its effects. All dep6ts, dockyards, etc., within easy range of alien territory, such as those situated on our southern coast, can no longer be regarded as secure from bombardment; the defence of such places as Portsmouth and Devonport from attack by air may prove an almost if not quite impossible proposition; the weather conditions may be such as to let the enemy through even in face of a numerically superior defensive force. Thus it may be confidently anticipated that these southern depôts will become points of subsidiary importance, useful enough in times of European peace, but forming no really essential part of the scheme of National defence in the event of a great European war. The "centre of gravity" of the bases on which the Navy will rely for its support is bound to move northward and still further north as the power of the aeronautical Arm is uncoiled, and eventually the strategic centre of our defences, both Naval and Aeronautical, will perforce be located in the region of the Irish Sea and North Channel; it will then be in the neighbourhood of Belfast on the one
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