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Aviation History
1914
1914 - 0876.PDF
[/UGHf] he volplaned, and while doing so dropped his bomb with marvellous coolness. A few seconds later his motor resumed working. The corporal had also dropped his bomb, but owing to the smoke caused by the fire of the enemy neither could see whether the mark had been hit. They believed, however, that they had been successful. The German artillery kept up a furious fire upon them for ten kilometres, but the aviators returned safe and sound. They have received mention in the army orders of the day." The Belgian military authorities are responsible for the truth of the following incident:— " Two Belgian aviators returning to headquarters had to land, owing to a breakdown, in the neighbourhood of some Uhlans. The aviators found they could not repair the machine. So they slipped away and regained the Belgian lines, and the aeroplane was given up as lost. Two days later it was ascertained that it was still at the same place, guarded by Uhlans. " A party at once set out with an 80 h.p. motor with a quickfirer on it, and dragging a trolly. The party came up to the spot at great speed, and surprised and drove off the Uhlans, afterwards keeping them at bay with the quickfirer, while the aeroplane was dismounted and put on the trolly. The convoy then drove off under the nose of the surprised Germans." From information to hand subsequently it would appear that the leader of the rescue party was the well- known Belgian motorist and aviator Baron de Caters. A French communique issued on Monday afternoon gives the following details of the way in which a French man " bluffed " a German patrol:— " One of our aviators, running short of petrol, was compelled to land in a village of the annexed territory. He was replenishing his reservoir when a strong German patrol was signalled. The officer continued calmly to empty his petrol tins. The Germans, quite at a loss, halted at a distance of 200 yards without attempting to fire. Possibly they feared some trap. His reservoir full, the aviator set his motor going and flew away. It was only then that the Germans, seeing that they had been tricked, opened fire upon him, but it was too late. The machine and the pilot returned to their centre safely." On the morning of the 17th inst. a German aeroplane was sighted reconnoitring over Givet, and as a result of rifle fire it fell at Hasufre. It was reported from Paris on Tuesday on the authority AUGUST 21, 1914. of M. Paul Doumer.who has returned from the fighting line in Belgium, that three Zeppelins have been destroyed while making reconnaissances in Belgium, while a fourth fell in a forest and was wrecked. On the 18th, a German aeroplane, flying the French colours, dropped three bombs over Luneville but the damage done was insignificant. On the same day an Austrian machine with an officer and a soldier fell into the Russian hands near Balin Station on the Podolia line. It was also reported from Russian sources that a German aeroplane was destroyed near Samno, and that four German aviators had been killed. On Tuesday, a message from Copenhagen stated that Zeppelin No. 2 had passed over Boubjerg at a height of between 300 and 400 metres, and proceeding in a northerly direction. On Tuesday Belgian soldiers brought down a German aeroplane at Asterrebeck, while French troops secured another German machine near Dinant. A third German machine fell a victim to rifle fire at Wavre, and it is stated that two of the occupants were killed and one wounded. During a brief visit to Paris on Tuesday, a French military aviator, who had been on duty in Belgium, stated that he had twice flown from Brussels to Cologne and Coblentz, and although repeatedly fired at he had met with no mishap. The pilots sent for special service to Belgium flew from St. Cyr to Brussels but during the trip they had to keep out of range of rifle fire for fear of being taken for Germans. The pilot, in question, said that he had been fired on several times, and on one occasion a plane was pierced by a bullet. Several instances have been reported of attempts by German airmen to disguise their machines so as to appear as if French, but mainly on account of the dis tinctive shapes of the German types these ruses have so far met with failure. Steps have also been taken to render the German airships as invisible as possible by painting the envelopes a grey colour. It is stated that in the early days of the war a German airman ascended after dark and in order to mislead the Belgian marksmen suspended a red lantern about 200 ft. below the machine. This lantern was quickly smashed, but the machine itself was untouched. In several of the large cities in Germany light guns have been mounted on the top of church steeples to fight aircraft, whilst some refugees from Germany report having seen guns for attacking aircraft mounted on the bridges across the Kiel Canal. ® ® ® ® HANDBOOK OF WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY. ALTHOUGH the subject-matter of this volume, which is now in its fifth edition, is not directly concerned with the science of aero nautics, it is none the less of importance to readers of FLIGHT because of recent developments in the application of wireless apparatus to various forms of aircraft intended for Naval and Military services. Dr. Erskine Murray has dealt with the subject in an exceedingly lucid and complete manner, using the simplest possible language in so doing, and, unlike most writers of text books, has not confined his attention merely to already well-known material, but has included some work of an original nature, which considerably enhances the value of his book. This has been characteristic of past editions of the book, and the present volume does not fail in this respect, while the most recent information available regarding developments in wireless transmission has been incorporated. The author first indicates the early attempts that were made to evolve a system of wireless telegraphy, after which the various forms of apparatus used in the production and the detection of high frequency currents are examined. Considerable space and attention is devoted to the explanation of the method of operation of the already established and suggested systems of wireless telegraphy, including that of Tesla, who proposed utilising the whole world as a conductor by the creation of stationary electric waves on it. The theory of jigs and jiggers and that of the transmission of electrical energy is thoroughly investigated, while those who are engaged in the working of wireless apparatus will derive much useful informa tion from a perusal of the chapter dealing with adjustments, electrical measurements, and fault testing. The efficiency of wireless transmission next receives attention, and a brief account is given of the calculations involved in the design of a wireless station. The book concludes with a number of well-chosen tables and notes regarding matters which are likely to prove of value to those interested in w reless telegraphy ; and two appendices are added, giving the service instructions of the Radiotelegraphic Convention and the Marconi Co.'s original specification for Imperial wireless stations. The book, which is published by Crosby Lockwood and Son, of 5, Broadway, Westminster, at the price of IOJ. dd. net, is well illustrated throughout, and cannot fail to interest and instruct its readers. 8;6
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