Aerial
Militarism
The Development of Aerial Militarism and the Demobilization of European
Ground Forces, Fortresses, and Naval Fleets
Paul Scheerbart
tr. M. Kasper
Ugly Duckling Presse
Like Rilke’s
mirrored stag, Scheerbart offers sixteen points in this “flyer”,
newly translated a hundred years after it was written.
I. “A land
battle however is completely impossible—the dynamite dropping from above
works so fast that ground forces don’t arrive until long after events
develop.”
II. “Naturally—many
soldiers can hide in forts. But if they come out, they’re exposed to air
torpedoes. They might as well not come out.”
III. “Naval
fleets count for nothing in future dynamite wars... in particular,
the English are to be pitied.”
IV. “Infantry
is of no use whatsoever.”
V. “Artillery,
all the same, would have a limited ‘right to existence.’”
VI. “Horse
soldiers nowadays haven’t the slightest value.”
VII. “One
could stop building submarines.”
VIII. “I’m
against demolishing fortifications—they’re excellent examples of architectural
landscapes... even torpedo boats would be well received as passenger steamers.”
IX. “Superfluous cannons... horses... most sabers and most
uniforms will probably wind up in the war museums of the future.”
X. “A
European or international congress of militarists should be organized in the very
near future. Whether it meets in Berlin, Paris, or Switzerland is neither here
nor there... redeployment of armaments is what needs discussing, not disarmament.”
XI. “Anti-militarism
hasn’t the slightest right to exist anymore; it’s over, and the friends
of peace should realize that very soon.”
XII. “Naturally,
the smallest state can be very dangerous to the biggest.”
XIII. “’This
image also suggests notions of just what an air apparatus might mean to
anarchists, nihilists, and others of that ilk. The eagle eye of the police may
constantly monitor the doings of these groups, but who’ll watch over them
if they hurl their murderous weapons from on high, which, with flying machines,
will soon be within reach?’”
XIV. “Festivals!
After what’s just been said, I need hardly add that we have little reason
to celebrate dirigibles with festive enthusiasm.”
XV. “Over the
centuries, the United States of Europe have
constituted a much-ridiculed utopia. Faced with a dynamite war, this utopia
becomes a much more realizable thing—soon losing its comical side.”
XVI. “Private
aircraft, therefore, are easily utilized in air warfare.”