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Aviation History
1915
1915 - 0032.PDF
I/OCHT] In the " wireless" news sent out from Berlin on Tuesday there was the following item :— "German airmen have dropped bombs on the outskirts of Coudekerque and Rosendael (near Dunkirk) on the ammunition stores of the British Army situate there. One bomb set fire to and destroyed part of the village. The total number of killed and injured in both places amounts to ioo." A Daily Chronicle correspondent in Flanders, in a despatch dated January 5th, thus referred to the Belgian aviation headquarters :•— " Close by, in a carefully selected spot, which I may not name, the Belgian aviators have established their headquarters. They are not many. A dozen perhaps, less even since an accident has cost the life of one of them. The aviator, Dechamps, descending from a reconnoitring flight over the enemy's batteries, having escaped death from their cannons and their rifles by a miracle, touched ground too abruptly, one of the bombs which he carried in his machine broke loose, and coming in contact with the earth exploded, killing him instantly. " If I mention this aviation centre, it is less to speak of the work accomplished by the aviators, which is beyond praise, than because I have still in my mind the thrilling memory, on the morning of my departure, of a chase, given by the Germans, to an English aeroplane, which visited their lines in a manner which left them uncomfortable. " My automobile had taken me towards Nieuport .... A big English biplane was flying towards the front. It was not flying high, five or six hundred yards at most He was still separated from the first line of German trenches by two miles, when the enemy opened fire upon him " Instead of rising above a thousand yards, and pursuing a zig-zag course in order to baffle the German marksmen, the biplane continued its flight at little distance from the earth, and in a straight course. " The aviator's audacity was soon put to proof. Five shrapnels at a time exploded in the air, a little distance in front. For a few moments the dense white smoke hung in the air like flocks of cotton against the limpid sky, then the wind blew them towards the sea. Five other shrapnels followed closely, a little too far behind this time however. Then came five more, and yet another five, always five by five, the redoubtable shrapnels exploded around him, and unmoved, following his course with the calm of an aviator practising over a flying ground, the master of the air continued his reconnaissance. "Once I thought him hit; the white wings trembled unsteadily for a moment, paused, then balanced themselves, and the motor continued to pull the machine. When he hsd sufficiently explored Nieuport, he veered towards Ramscappelle with the same tran quillity. Still followed, and still intact, he disappeared after a few minutes in the direction of Pervyse." ® ® ENEMY PATENTS RELATING TO AERONAUTICS. THE following list of British patents which have been granted in favour of residents of Germany, Austria, or Hungary, is fur nished in view of the new Patents Acts, which empower the Board of Trade to grant licences under certain conditions to British subjects to manufacture under enemy patents, and is specially compiled for FLIGHT, by Lewis Wm. Goold, Chartered Patent Agent, Enrolled Patent Attorney in the United States, 5, Corporation Street, Birmingham. It is desirable in the first instance to obtain a full copy of the patent specification (price 8rf. each patent), and also the latest particulars upon the Patents Register. If any patent listed has been assigned to a non-enemy proprietor, the law does not apply. No. 25040/11. Aerial machines without aerostats; planes, arrangement and construction of; propelling ; cars. A flying machine comprises supporting planes hinged to the longitudinal sides of a frame, flapping wings hinged to the said supporting planes, a car supported from a pivot and by chains passing over pulleys, and a rudder mounted on a telescopic shaft. The supporting planes may be adjusted by means of bands, and, during transport on the ground, may be folded down at the sides of the machine. Barcz, J., Germany. No. 26855/11. Aerial machines without aerostats ; planes, arrange ment and construction of. In order to give automatic stability to a flying machine, a hollow body is arranged underneath the forward part of the triangular supporting plane of an aeroplane, and is formed of a lower inclined tapered surface connected by vertical surfaces to the edges of the main plane. The plane and hollow body are arranged to be collapsed for convenience of transfer, &c. Voigt, G., Germany. No. 27405/11. Aerial machines without aerostats ; adapted to travel also on water ; propelling. The machine is provided with a closed in boat chassis, having a laterally extending deck JANUARY 8, 1915. Writing in the Daily Mail of January 6th, Mr. Frederick W. Wile said :— " A reliable neutral, just returned from Germany, supplies me with a piece of war news hitherto suppressed in Germany, to the effect that in their panic to ward off hostile aircraft after the brilliant English raid on the Zeppelin station at Diisseldorf, two German airmen were themselves shot down by undiscriminating German anti-aircraft artillery." It was reported from Amsterdam on Monday that French aviators flew over Brussels on Saturday and dropped bombs on the Etterbeek aerodrome. A dirigible shed in course of construction is said to have been partially destroyed, while several German soldiers were killed. A Times correspondent, writing from Flanders on Wednesday, said :— "Three Zeppelins are reported to have been seen early this morning off the coast, between Calais and Gravelines (14 miles west of Dunkirk). This news receives substantiation from the repeated visits of German airmen to Dunkirk during the day. These visitors, who, with one exception, threw no bombs, may possibly have been scouts sent out to attend the airships on their return home, or to report progress. Five times the Aviatiks came into sight, but they did not always come above the centre of the town. Once a shell from anti-aircraft guns at Firminy burst within 50 ft. of a German machine, upset its balance, and sent it away down the wind into safety. Twice airmen of the Allied forces—first Commander Samson and afterwards a Frenchman—went up and chased the intruder away. One of the German airmen dropped two bombs in the suburbs, but did no damage. " Prompted by the heavy loss of life resulting from the last German visit, the Mayor had issued a proclamation warning the inhabitants to get under cover. As soon as a hostile aircraft was reported, therefore, a blue and white flag was hoisted as a signal rom the belfry, and the streets were quickly deserted." Writing to the Daily Telegraph from Northern France on Wednesday, Mr. Patrick de Bathe said :— "The Germans continue night and day in their labours at forti fying all their positions in Flanders. They have mounted several machine guns on the old belfry at Bruges against any raid that may be made by the Allies' aircraft. They are reported to be putting up new Zeppelin sheds there, and to be forming a big aviation centre just outside the town. Several seaplanes and a dirigible are at Zeebrugge." ® ® with a gunwale. To give free passage to the air current from the propellers, the chassis slopes downwards to the water at the rear, and the gunwale is discontinued at this part. Front and rear propellers arranged above the deck for protec tion from the water are provided. They are driven by separate engines, so that the machine may safely alight and proceed upon the water in the event of failure of one motor. Military apparatus :—A torpedo tube is so disposed in the chassis that the centre of gravity of the torpedo may coincide with that of the machine. The presence or absence of a torpedo has thus no effect on the equilibrium of the machine. The tube is arranged above the water-line, and is provided with a projecting sheath where it projects above the deck. Willisch, A. von, Berlin. Dated October 20th, 1911. No. 27556/11. Hangars for airships. Hangars for airships are mounted upon turntables controlled electrically by the action of the wind so as always to present the longitudinal axis of the hangar in the direction of the wind. Arens, F., Germany. No. 27625/11. Aerial machines adapted to travel also on land or water ; shock of landing, deadening. An aerial machine is provided with a boat body elastically connected to land wheels and having lateral keels which act as skids when landing on the ground. Mees, G., Germany. Dated Sept. 26th, 1911. No. 27800/11. Propelling; stopping way. An aeroplane is provided with a pair of concentric propellers driven by separate motors. One propeller is coupled directly to its motor, and the other is driven indirectly by chain or other gearing. The motor, which is adapted to drive through the gear, is preferably disposed with its centre of gravity coincident with that of the machine, so that in the event of its becoming defective it may be removed without disturbing the balance. Or if the direct driving motor breaks down the other motor would be substituted for it. Loutzky B., Berlin. 32
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