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Aviation History
1915
1915 - 0770.PDF
AIRCRAFT AND THE WAR. A CENTRAL NEWS message from Paris on the 23rd ult. stated:— "A Taube flving at a great height passed over Amiens yesterday morning. It dropped several bombs, which fell in the fields, causing no damage to life or property." A message received from the Dutch frontier by the Telegraaf stated that on the 21st ult.:— " . . . . guns thundered almost uninterruptedly. Aero planes, apparently for reconnoitring purposes, followed each other, heavily bombarded by the Germans. The coast was again bom barded." The following information was received from Bruges by the Telegraaf on the 23rd ult.:— "On Sunday evening and Monday evening, about 9.30, an Allied aviator appeared above the town, dropping bombs. The objective was always the harbour, where Fome submarines lie, ammunition is manufactured, and other military works are carried on. One brush factory was completely destroyed. Owing to the complete darkness of the town after sunset, the aviators must find great difficulty in finding their way." M. Naudau, special correspondent of the Journal, telegraphing from the Russian Headquarters under date September 22nd, said:— "The enemy are bombarding the Russian lines (round Dvinsk) simultaneously with their heavy artillery and with incessant bombs from aeroplanes. They are also using asphyxiating gases." The Daily Telegraph correspondent at Rotterdam, writing on the 24th ult., said :— " The Allies' aircraft now make daily trips, dropping bombs on the German defences. To-day they were over Bruges, where it is believed the enemy has been concentrating troops, and dropped bombs." Writing from the Isonzo front on September 19th, the Times special correspondent said :— " Suddenly there is an outburst of artillery near by. An Austrian monoplane is flying very high towards the west, but as the puffs of shrapnel-smoke gather quickly round, it turns and makes off homeward. Nearly every day the Austrian aeroplanes set out, but though the Austrian airmen show great pluck and skill, they seem to be outnumbered and outpaced." According to a message to the Lokalanzeiger from Stuttgart on the 25 th ult., neither the Royal Palace nor the railway station was hit or damaged during the recent attack by enemy airmen. From Malines the Telegraaf, on the 25th ult., learnt that on the previous Monday a French aeroplane, flying over Mons south-eastwards, was heavily but unsuccess fully bombarded by German infantry. A Central News message from Amsterdam, on the 25th ult., said :— " It is learned that the Allies' airmen on Wednesday last bombarded the German positions between Bruges, Middelkerke, and Westend. Several loud explosions were heard, but details of damage caused are lacking." The Daily Telegraph correspondent at Rotterdam, writing on the 26th ult., said :— "Yesterday there was a phase of the battle raging over a wide area, whtn all arms were engaged, when there was fighting simul taneously on land, on sea, and in the air. " In the meantime there was much aerial activity. Three Allies' airmen flew along the coast. The mist still hanging about helped to hide them from the German anti-aircraft gunners, and they were able to drop bombs successfully. During one interval when the fog lifted a German aeroplane tried to seize the opportunity to reach the squadron, but was quickly spotted and driven back to its own lines.'; A Central News message from Amsterdam, on the 27th ult., stated :— "Advices received from the Belgo-Dutch frontier state that Allied aircraft dropped numerous bombs yesterday afternoon on Bruges and Ostend. "The Dutch frontier town of Sluis, which obtains its gas supply from Bruges, was suddenly cut off, and this fact and the personal observation of travellers shows that considerable damage must have been done." An Exchange telegram from Athens, on the 26th ult., said:— " It is reported from Mitylene that a German aeroplane flew over Yera Gulf at mid-day, and threw two bombs on a French cruiser, afterwards disappearing. The attack was unsuccessful." Writing to the Daily Chronicle from the Isonzo Valley, Mr. M. H. Donohoe said :— " A captive balloon of the German Army type reared its mis shapen form above the Austrian main position far to our front. A daring aircraft of the enemy's fleet hummed its way over the Isonzo a good 5,000 ft. above the river, on a reconnoitring tour. Hawk like, three Italian aeroplanes, from far away to the west, shot sky wards in pursuit. The anti-aircraft guns opened fire on the enemy's airmen, and the latter, while he was yet untouched, and his line of retreat still open, veered to the west and went back home refusing battle to the pursuing aeroplanes." On September 27th the Telegraaf reported :— "Zeebrugge was again bombarded on Sunday by aircraft. "In the village of Sluis, which obtains its gas supply from Zeebrugge, the gasometer was suddenly emptied and the gas supply cut off. Last night Sluis was in darkness, and to-day the gas supply is still cut off. It is believed that the gasworks at Zeebrugge have been severely damaged." The following story was telegraphed from Petrograd by Reuter's correspondent on the 27th ult. :— " A Zeppelin and four Taubes recently appeared in the Vileika district (east of Vilna) and two of the Taubes landed, one with a damaged motor. The peasants informed the nearest Russian troops, and a sotnia of Cossacks and a detachment of motor-cyclists hastened to the spot. " The airmen perceived them when at a distance of 300 yards. One immediately ascended. The Russians fired at him and sur rounded the second Taube on the ground. The latter's pilot-officer drew his revolver, but before he could fire he was shot dead. " The other Taube, which was high in the air, was seen to oscillate and suddenly dropped in a field, where it was completely smashed, the airman being killed. Meanwhile the Zeppelin and the other Taubes had come to the rescue, and circled round the spot and dropped bombs, but caused no casualties. " The Cossacks and cyclists took cover in a neighbourin g wood, whence they fired on their aerial assailants, finally driving them off in a westerly direction." The Figaro, on September 27th, published from a cor respondent in Switzerland details of the French air raid on Treves and Saarbruck communicated by a manufacturer residing in the latter town. It appears that, though the German comnmniquis try to minimise the importance of the raids, they did excellent work :— " At Saarbruck the aeroplanes destroyed a great part of the strategic railways. "At Treves, contrary to the statement of the German Press, which asserts that the aviators took the tramlines for railway lines, the station at Treves Junction, as important as those of Saarbruck and Karthaus, through which the Germans have sent hundreds of thousands of men into Luxembourg and thence into France, was very seriously damaged. The people of Treves were seized with a mad panic. At the time of the raid the ceremony of consecrating the new bishop was taking place in the cathedral. Both clergy and congregation took refuge in the crypt, where they awaited the end of the hurricane of fire. " One important circumstance is that the aeroplanes operated with such security that an hour after the bombardment several of them came back at about mid-day and hovered over Treves in order to ascertain the damage done." The Daily Telegraph correspondent at Rome, writing on the 27th ult., said :— " Ten Serbian aeroplanes have flown along the whole of the Austrian frontier, and penetrated sixty miles into Hungary. They confirmed the presence of a few Austrian troops, but no Germans. They perceived some military trains proceeding towards Galicia." The Daily Mail correspondent at Territet (Switzer land), writing on the 23rd ult, said :— "A Romanshorn (Lake Constance) despatch says that during yesterday's air raid on Stuttgart bombs struck two barracks and 770
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