WAR- CHRONICLE

18
air-ships, has elapsed in its previous form, while its new frame
has been ratified neither by Germany, France, nor Russia, and can
therefore not be considered binding for us with regard to England.
The Hague Regulations, concerning "War on Land" and Convention
regarding "Shelling hj Naval Forces" have only made provision
for "War on Land and Sea," no allusion being made to
"War in the Air," and in the afore-mentioned case can only be
applied in so far as they correspond with general international
principles. At the same time there can be no doubt whatever that
such principles are not in opposition to bombardment by air-craft,
where a bombardment carried out by land or sea forces is permissible.
According to this, all fortified places are liable to be bombarded
by air-craft, as this bombardment is allowed (see Article 25,
Regulations for War on Land, and Article 1, Hague Convention),
as well as all military equipments in unfortified places, according
to Article 2 of the Hague Convention for Naval War-fare. Added
to this, the general principle is applicable in the case of air war,
that forces belonging to a war-waging party- are permitted to take
counter-measures against all hostile attacks.
According to reports received, the German naval air-ships
have kept strictly to these rules. The object of their operations
was the English coast town Great Yarmouth. According to the
official British monthly army list, this is one of the "coast defences,"
which in times of peace and war is under the control of the British
army and therefore liable to be shelled by air-craft. The other
places damaged by our air-ships on their journey thither and back
have only themselves to blame, as our air-ships were first shot at
by. them, so that it is questionable whether they can be considered
as being unfortified. Besides this, on December 9 English air-ships
carried out an attack on the unfortified town of Freiburg i. Br.
and on December 25 dropped bombs on the unfortified and inhabited
Island of Langeoog, although they had not been attacked from
these places. It will clearly be seen, that owing to the nature of
the air war and the practices carried out by both war-waging
parties, the preliminary notice of attack as prescribed in Article 26
of the Hague Regulations for War on Land, and in Article 2, § 1 ;
Article 6 of the Hague Convention is impossible.
We regret deeply, that on this occasion civilian life has been
sacrificed. But the German forces cannot be deterred by such
possibilities from taking all possible means, compatible with international
law, of fighting an enemy that shuns no means whatever,
whether in accordance with international law or not, for the destruction
of our entire economic life.
(Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, 22 "^ January 1915.)