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Aviation History
1915
1915 - 0460.PDF
submerged, while her after funnels and masts were completely under water." A Central News message from Athens on the 17th inst. stated that two German aeroplanes had dropped bombs on the Allies' Camp on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Regarding the French raid on Karlsruhe reported in our last issue Reuter's correspondent at Amsterdam sent the following message on the 18th inst.:— " According to the Frankfurter Zeilung, the Grand Duke of Baden has sent the following telegram from the front to the Burgo master of Karlsruhe : "' The Kaiser telegraphs me his deep indignation at the wicked attack on beloved Karlsruhe. The poor innocent victims among civilians have greatly distressed him.' *' A telegram from Berlin tries to discredit the French airmen by declaring that they were doubtless aware that in the Castle of the Margrave, which was considerably damaged, were the Grand duchess Louise and the Queen of Sweden. The telegram says that several splinters flew into the room of the Swedish Baroness Hochschild, and the children of Prince Max of Baden, the roof of whose bed-room was demolished, only narrowly escaped." In the " wireless" news sent out from Berlin on the 21st there was the following :— "An official statement referring to the attack by airmen on Karlsruhe explains how heretofore German airmen and airships bombarded places of military importance only, while exceptions were always explicitly mentioned as retaliations to similar enemy measures." The Geneva correspondent of the Temps reported that 27 persons were killed and 60 injured, several of the latter succumbing to their wounds. According to official figures about 70 bombs were dropped, damaging 100 houses. The Exchange correspondent at Rotterdam on the 16th inst. reported that a neutral traveller who had arrived from Karlsruhe said that the damage done was greater than the newspapers had been allowed to state. He stated that over 200 people were killed, while a number of factories engaged in making shells were destroyed. In a message regarding the fighting round Plava an Exchange correspondent on Saturday said :— " The Italians are bombarding the Austrian positions from the mountains and from aeroplanes." From a correspondent at Putte the Maasbode received the following information :— "On Thursday morning an Allied airman attacked a balloon shed near Brussels and dropped several bombs. The damage done is stated to have been slight. The airman was fired at, but it is not known if he was hit." Writing to the Daily Telegraph from Rome on Sunday Mr. A. Beaumont said :— " The airships and aeroplanes of the land and sea forces co operating in the same work have destroyed important depdts and railway connections, and a floating battery opportunely bombarded the enemy from the sea, silencing his guns at Duino, and driving him out of his trenches. " . . . . When the flotilla appeared north, off the mouth of the Tagliamcnto, it attempted to bombard the naphtha depots over which the Austrians had already tried to throw bombs from aero planes a few days before, but the depot remains intact." Mr. M. H. Donohue, writing from Rome on June 20th, said :— " By way of retaliation the Italians sent two aerial squadrons to worry the enemy. A certain number of dirigibles flew across the Adriatic, and, arriving over Trieste, they bombarded the Sant Andrea ammunition factory, which is slightly north of the city. The crews of the airships were careful to confine their attention solely to such targets as ammunition works, and they did not attempt to damage public or private buildings. A portion of the factory was set on fire and some outbuildings destroyed by the Italian bombs. " l'ort Salvore, on the Istrian peninsula, opposite Tagliamento, was also bombarded by Italian aviators. It has been a refitting and sheltering base for Austrian destroyers which lie in wait for JUNE 25, 1915. stray shipping beating up the gulf of Trieste. Some small steamers taking refuge at Saivore were destroyed by the attack." The Telegraaf last week received the following details of Allies' air raids on the Gontrude aerodrome east of Ghent :— "On Wednesday (16th inst.), at seven in the evening, says the account, English airmen appeared above Gontrude and dropped three bombs, in spite of heavy shelling from the German anti aircraft guns. No damage was done to the aerodrome. The airmen escaped unhurt. " On Friday at three in the morning, another aeroplane hovering over Ghent was bombarded from three or four sides. After twenty minutes' reconnoitring the aeroplane disappeared." Mr. James Dunn, writing to the Daily Mail from Rotterdam on Monday, said:— "Allied aeroplanes have dropped bombs on magazines and depots at Ghent. Extensive damage was done and the raid caused great excitement. Troops were called out to extinguish the fires." In an official report given out in Constantinople on Monday there was the following:— " An aircraft shed was also shelled and a fire was caused which destroyed several aircraft. An enemy airman flew over our Asiatic batteries, dropping eight bombs without success." A special correspondent of the Daily Mail at Porrentruy, Switzerland, writing on Tuesday said :— " At sundown on Thursday Belfort learned that a German airman was making for the fortress. As soon as the news was received the famous French pilot Gilbert, of Paris-Madrid fame, who was trying a new machine, exclaimed, 'Where is he? He is mine,' and immediately started off to meet the enemy. Gilbert was soon but a speck in the distance, and he came across his adversary over Aspach, in Alsace. The aerial fight soon began. Gilbert kept on rising, and passed from one side to the other of the German, who was rising spirally, and firing his machine gun. Gilbert was also firing, and leaving the German for the third time on the left he fired twelve shots from his machine gun. The German was seen to throw up his arms. His machine dipped and crashed to the earth. The bodies of the German pilot and the observer were unrecognisable, and the machine was smashed to bits." In a Reuter message it was stated that the French machine was riddled with bullets, but the pilot escaped with nothing worse than having his elbow grazed by a bullet. The Daily Telegraph correspondent at Rotterdam on Tuesday wrote:— " From the islands off the Dutch coast extraordinary activity on the part of Zeppelins is reported. The enemy airships in the last three days have been observed several times flying in various directions. They are engaged both on trial trips and what appears to be regular scouting expeditions over the North Sea. Yesterday observers at Amcland saw three airships, two of which flew west wards in the evening. Shortly afterwards a third appeared, and after manoeuvring disappeared again eastwards. This morning from Vlieland a Zeppelin came in sight from the northwards, flew away west, and after an absence of two hours returned and took an easterly direction. I learn, too, that work is in energetic progress at the airship stations in Belgium, where the soldiers are talking of another raid on England on a larger scale than hitherto." In the official communique issued by the German Main Headquarters on Tuesday, it was stated:— " Our airmen bombarded the aerial harbour at Courcelles, west of Rheims. " Hostile aerial attacks on Bruges and Ostend caused no military damage." The Morning Post correspondent at Amsterdam on Tuesday reported the following :— " According to an unconfirmed rumour, a Zeppelin caught fire near Zeebrugge last night and fell into the sea. " Early on Sunday morning eight allied aviators appeared over Iseghem and Emelghem. Seven bombi were dropped in the latter place, three civilians being killed and eight severely wounded. Much material damage was done, the churchyard being nearly completely destroyed. At Iseghem five bombs were dropped, and one struck the railway station. The line was also damaged at several points. The airmen were nearly an hour above Iseghem and Emelghem, and they returned safely."
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