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Aviation History
1915
1915 - 0183.PDF
MARCH 12, 1915. a total wreck, and the frame and silk cover were taken away in motor wagons. Four hours after the accident all traces of it had gone. The correspondent says that the Zeppelin was wrecked beyond repair." According to a telegram from Basle on the 6 th inst., six French airman passed over the German village of St. Ludwig, proceeding in the direction of Wiesenthal They were fired upon by German soldiers but were not hit. In a communique issued in Constantinople on the 6th inst., it was stated :— " Two airmen who flew across the Gulf of Saros fell into the sea, and their seaplane disappeared in the water." A subsequent communique stated :— *' It is confirmed that the hostile aeroplane which fell into the sea was brought down by tbe fire of our batteries." A Daily Chronicle correspondent, writing from N.E. France on Saturday, said :— " According to the report of an eye-witness, a Zeppelin which appeared over the French lines near Bethune on Wednesday was brought down and captured. Several French and English airmen went in pursuit of the airship as soon as it appeared, climbed above it, and dropped bombs which penetrated the envelope. The hinder part of the balloon was seen to break away from the rest, and the Zeppelin rapidly fell to the ground in a collapsed condition. The Zeppelin which passed over Calais on Thursday night followed the coast westwards as far as Ambleteuse—some four miles north of Boulogne—where it was seen shortly before midnight. It then turned back." A Daily Mail correspondent in Northern France, writing on Saturday, said :— "A Zeppelin visited Dunkirk on Thursday night at about 7.30, flying over the town in the direction of Calais. It was immediately fired on by the forts and anti-aircraft guns. " The wind, which had been blowing only lightly during the day, increased after sunset. This compelled the Zeppelin to return without accomplishing its mission. No bombs were dropped. "At 4.30 yesterday afternoon a Taube flew over Dunkirk, and after circling over the town beat a hasty retreat on being chased by Allied airmen. No damage was done." Writing to the Daily Chronicle on Saturday a Geneva correspondent said :— " A report from Friedrichshafen states that Count Zeppelin has arrived to hurry forward the building of two Zeppelins. " It is confirmed that during a fierce storm at Cologne the Zeppelin sheds in that city were blown away. One airship was destroyed, another was badly damaged, and several soldiers were injured." A Morning Post correspondent at Amsterdam reported the following on March 7 th :— " For the first time German aviators on February 26th threw bombs on La Panne, on the coast between Dunkirk and Ostend, two soldiers being killed and a civilian, aged 80." In a description of a visit to the General Headquarters of the British Expeditionary Force in Northern France, the special correspondent of the Daily Mail said :— " The programme arranged for us began with a visit to the aviation park, within a short motor-car ride of the town. At this point the air patrol service is centred and controlled. A record is kept of every flight and its success or non-success, that is, whether information was obtained and proved to be correct, carefully tabu lated for reference. Every aeroplane is tended by two mechanics, one for the engine and one for the planes and frame. The result of all this care is the gratifying small proportion of accidents among the Army airmen. " A walk across muddy fields brings one to the quarters of the wireless aeroplane section. This section, divided into flights of four machines each, consists of aeroplanes fitted with wireless telegraphic apparatus capable of transmitting signals to the receiving station at the aviation park. It has been found possible, as the result of a wireless signal from the air, for the artillery to locate and hit a moving target before it could reach shelter." Dealing with a visit to the British General Head- 183 quarters in a message to the Daily Telegraph, written on Sunday, Mr. E. Ashmead-Bartlett said:— " The batteries are, of course, a considerable distance behind the trenches of both armies, and the gunner never sees what target he is aiming at. The artillery officers engaged in observation ute every conceivable expedient to obtain a view of the effect of their shell tire, but much of the shooting can only be observed and corrected by aerial reconnaissance. " The aeroplanes of both armies are continually engaged in flying over the lines and observing the position of the enemy's batteries, of his troops, munition trains, and marking all the likely farms and villages where brigade headquarters or battalion billets are likely to be. The large scale map of this country, which has had to be gradually made from smaller maps already in existence, is divided into small squares, each numbered. The aviator marks on his map the position of some battery or farm, and on his return com municates with the battery commander in this section of the line. The latter marks his map in turn, and then works out to the minutest fraction the distances and angles of fire, all of which are carefully entered in a book. The batteries then register each new target suggested to them by the aviator. That is to say, they fire a certain number of shots, the results of which are noted by the aviator, who corrects the aim by signal, or on his return to earth. " Headquarters of brigades are being continually changed, and batteries are continually being shifted. The aviator has to do his utmost to keep in touch with all such changes. In addition, both armies conceal their batteries so carefully that it is often quite im possible to discover them from above. But in spite of the most careful observation, numerous points seem to escape the notice of the enemy, without any apparent reason, or else the guns never find the right range." In the " wireless" news sent out from Berlin on Monday there was the following :— "In the Western theatre of war hostile airmen bombarded Ostend." The following report of the wreck of another Zeppelin was sent by the Boulogne correspondent of the Daily Telegraph on Monday :— " My correspondent wires the following, with all reserve :— "Prom reports received here this morning 1 am given to under stand that the captain of a Danish steamer sighted a Zeppelin floating on the sea. Close examination revealed it to bear the figures L 9. The wreck was seen about twenty miles north of Wimereux Bay (three miles from Boulogne port). This may be explained by the fact that for the last few days three Zeppelins have been sighted between here and Calais mamruvring above the sea. Probably one of these met its fate in last night's hurricane that blew all along this coast." The following details regarding life at Ostend at the present time were published in the Tyd on Wednesday, having been sent by its Sluis correspondent:— " Conditions at Ostend are becoming worse daily, owing to the repeated raids made by the Allied aviators. The harbour station, after three air raids, is still standing, though slightly damaged. The reason for the repeated air attacks, according to the correspondent, is that Ostend is used as a submarine base, and the station as bar racks for marines. " The Hotel La Couronne, where high officers used to stay, has been closed, as in the immediate neighbourhood many bombs have been dropped, which destroyed part of the bridge near the hotel. Some villas on the boulevard have also been damaged. The popu lation have been forbidden to leave the town or enter the prohibited area near military places. The bridges are strongly guarded." fc> ® ® & A Derelict Waterplane in the North Sea. THE following message was sent from Amsterdam by a Daily Mail correspondent on the 4th inst.:— " A Dutch pilot boat last night discovered a wrecked waterplane in the North Sea. It was brought to Ymuiden Harbour to-day by torpedo-boats. '• The wings and framework of the waterplane were badly damaged. The motor was made in the Gnome works of the Societe des Moteurs, Paris, but the propeller was marked ' No. 287 R,' and the word ' Shotter ' was painted on the wood. The waterplane was provided with English compasses and three English manometers, and also a clock, which had stopped at ten minutes to five."
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