Page 324 - Airpower in 20th Century - Doctrines and Employment
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324                         airpower in 20  Century doCtrines and employment - national experienCes
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                                                                       to Çanakkale un-
                                                                       der  anti-aircraft
                                                                       fire,  gave  re-
                                                                       port  to  Admiral
                                                                       von Usedom and
                                                                       thus,   ensured
                                                                       that  the  Fortress
                                                                       Command  made
                                                                       itself  ready  for
                                                                       the campaign. 5
                                                                          Meanwhile,
                                                                       Second  Lieuten-
                                                                       ant  Pilot  Cemal
                                                                       saw the approach-
                                                                       ing fleet by Bleri-
                                                                       ot (Ertuğrul) and
            Çanakkale under bombs.                                     confirmed the as-
                                                                       sault. Before the
            attacks started, the hostile naval-reconnaissance aircraft that had been unable to see
            the mines had issued the certificate of clear ground. It used to be believed that the
            mines cast in 8 m in depth could be seen from 1000 m high above. However, the
            aircraft could only detect the ones that were very near to the sea level. The chopping
            sea also prevented the mines to be detected. 6
               Having beaten the outer
            bastions of the Çanakkale
            since  February  1915,  the
            great  armada,  of  British
            and French vessels started
            its  main  attack  on  March
            18,  1915.  The  mines  laid
            by  Nusrat  mine  vessel
            and could not be detected
            by  minesweepers  played
            a  major  role  at  this  well-
            known phase of the Battles
            of Çanakkale. Of the allied
            armada,  Bouvet,  Irresist-
            ible  and  Ocean  had  sunk        Dropping of the airplanes onto sea by hoist.



            5
               Karl Stirling Schneide, Ibid., p. 94.
            6
               Yavuz Kansi, Ibid, p. 196.
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