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Aviation History
1915
1915 - 0436.PDF
THINNING THE GERMAN AIR FLEET. ON the two previous pages we publish this week an interesting pictorial record by Mr. Algernon Black, of the destruction of the Zeppelin airship by Flight Sub-Lieut. Warneford on June 7th, near Ghent. Below we also give the'official descriptions of the incident which earned both the V.C. and the Legion of Honour for Sub-Lieut. Warneford, and these are supplemented by a few further details from other sources, both regarding this and the destruction of the airship shed at Brussels, by Fiight-Lieuts. Wilson and Mills. Flight Sub-Lieutenant Warneford's Honours. IN the London Gazette issued on Friday there was the following:— " The King has been graciously pleased to approve of the grant of the Victoria Cross to " Flight Sub-Lieutenant Reginald Alexander John Warneford, Royal Naval Air Service, for the conspicuous act of bravery specified below : "For most conspicuous bravery on June 7th, 1915, when he attacked and, single-handed, completely destroyed a Zeppelin in mid-air. This brilliant achievement was accomplished afier chasing the Zeppelin from the coast of Flanders to Ghent, where he succeeded in dropping his bombs on to it from a height of only one or two hundred feet. One of these bombs caused a terrific explosion, which set the Zeppelin on fire from end to end, but at the same time overturned his aeroplane and stopped the engine. In spite of this he succeeded in landing safely in hostile country, and after 15 minutes started his engine and returned to his base without damage." The following note was issued in Paris on Saturday :— "The Minister of War to-day handed the Cross of Chevalier of the Legion of Honour to Flight-Lieutenant Warneford, of the British Army. " Lieutenant Warneford is the officer who, while flying recently over Belgium at a great height, encountered a Zeppelin armed with machine guns. He descended to within 60 metres of the balloon and blew it up with bombs. Lieutenant Warneford's machine turned over, and he had to land, as one of his tanks had been pierced. He at once emptied the leaking tank into the second tank and resumed his flight amid a hail of bullets from the German troops, who had run up in the meanwhile. He was on the ground 35 minutes." Flight Sub-Lieut. Warneford's Story. THE following account of the exploit, written, it is stated, from details supplied by Sub-Lieut. Warneford, appeared in Le Temps of the 14th inst. : — "On his return from this magnificent exploit, Sub-Lieut. Warneford landed at Cape Gris-Nez, having flown over part of the North Sea in order to make sure of escaping the Germans. Some people knowing English were able to approach the Sub-Lieutenant, and our Calais correspondent has obtained from his own mouth the following interesting account of the audacious raid. " In the middle of the night between Sunday and Monday three aviators had departed for a reconnaissance flight over Belgium with the intention of destroying if possible the airship sheds, the location of which was known. The squadron was formed by Lieuts. J. P. Wilson and J. S. Mills and Sub-Lieut. Warneford. About half-past two in the morning the three aviators arrived near Brussels, and lost no time in making for the hangar where the Zeppelin was believed to be stationed, at Evere. " After having rapidly assured themselves that their approach had not been noticed, the Lieutenants Mills and Wilson resolved to attempt to blow up the shed, ftfld started to fly over it. They descended to within a short distance so as to make sure of not missing their mark. About fifteen bombs were then dropped, which brought gigantic flames from the roof. The desired result had been achieved. This exploit accomplished, the two lieutenants returned by air to their station, leaving Sub-Lieutenant Warneford to con tinue his reconnaissance. " Towards three o'clock, just as dawn was breaking, he saw in the distance the silhouette of a Zeppelin between Ghent and Brussels. The aviator prepared for the encounter by climbing to as great a height as possible in order to fly over the aerial monster, and thus get out of range of her machine guns. " He succeeded in this manoeuvre, descended to within about 30 metres above the Zeppelin and dropped six bombs. The sixth hit the dirigible squarely. A terrific explosion followed producing such atmospheric disturbances that the English aeroplane was turned completely over. The aviator looped the loop involuntarily, but was lucky enough to be able to right his machine. He saw the Zeppelin lying on a roof, where it was totally burnt up. From the height of the fall and its violence there can be no doubt that the crew were killed. Having assured himself of this, the aviator returned on his way to the coast and landed at Cape Gris-Nei, after passing Dunkerqueand Calais." The Success of Fiight-Lieuts. "Wilson and Mills. FROM information which has now come to hand, it appears that there was in fact a Zeppelin inside the shed at Evere, near Brussels, which was bombed by Flight Lieuts. Wilson and Mills on the 7 th. Information received by the Telegraaf from Brussels stated that it was a Parseval, but a later message said that the destroyed airship was the LZ 38, one of the latest Zeppelins. The Handehblad stated that seven big rail way trucks conveyed the debris of the burnt Zeppelin back to Germany. Le Temps, on Saturday, printed the following account of the successful attack from an eyewitness who had just arrived in Paris from Brussels :— " Favoured by a mist, the Allied aviator arrived over the town, but as soon as he was perceived he was violently but unsuccessfully shelled by German guns. " The aeroplane was manoeuvring very high and slowly in wide circles, as if striving to locate exactly the position of the hangar. Meanwhile, the Germans tried to get out the dirigible, which was not a Parseval, but a Zeppelin airship. Hardly had it emerged more than a few yards when the aviator was suddenly seen to dive straight down within a few hundred yards of the shed and drop three bombs, which exploded with a terrific noise. A few seconds later the airship blew up with a still louder report, while huge tongues of flame shot into the air from the blazing hangar. " Besides the Zeppelin, five Taubes in the shed were burnt, and nineteen German soldiers were killed." Suppressing the News in Germany. VERY little has been allowed to appear in the German Press on the matter. In some of the German papers of last Friday the original Admiralty announcements were reproduced, with the statement that no German official confirmation had been received. In the Wclff Bureau version of the French communique of the previous day the statement that General Joffre had proposed that Sub-Lieut. Warneford should be given the Legion of Honour for the destruction of the Zeppelin was permitted to remain. In this connection it is not uninteresting to notice the following comment in the Vossische Zeitung of June 9th, on the destruction of the Italian airship:— " In their flights to England, and also in their attacks upon Calais, Paris, and other French towns, our airships have repeatedly been attacked by enemy aeroplanes, and assuredly they gave the aeroplanes opportunity enough to develop superior speed. But neither the English nor the French have succeeded in destroying one of our Zeppelins. The Zeppelins always shook off the enemy airmen with ease, and safely reached their distant home ports. The Austrian airman has been the first to succeed in bringing down an airship, but even the newest Italian airships do not possess the speed of the German Zeppelins," A Letter of Thanks. MKS. A. CORKERY, the mother of Flight Sub-Lieut. Waine- ford, V.C., writing from White Lodge, Runfold, Surrey, has sent the following letter of thanks to the press, in reply to the shoal of congratulations which she has received upon her son's feat :— " I should like to convey my thanks through your newspaper to the numerous people who have written to me to congratulate me on my son's, Flight Sub-Lieut. R. A J. Warneford's, great achieve ment in bringing down the Zeppelin, and on his getting the V.C. and Legion of Honour. "I find it quite impossible to answer all letters personally which I receive from his many admirers, and must ask them to kindly accept this acknowledgment." 436
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