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Aviation History
1915
1915 - 0990.PDF
1/lfCHTj St. Mark. The city was enveloped in fog, but nevertheless we could soon make out the different canals, especially the Grand Canal, and then the small squares came into sight. We could also clearly distinguish the ships in the harbour. When we threw the first bomb the town began to wake up to the occasion. Suddenly numerous lamps were lighted, searchlights played by the dozen, and at the same time the guns began to fire at us furiously. The search light on the Tre Porti particularly lit us up, and gave a chance to the gunners, who aimed well and made us very uneasy. "' Nevertheless, we escaped, and threw our bombs, one on the arsenal, two on the railway station, and three on the electric depot. Among these one was a fifty kilogram bomb, the rest smaller incendiary bombs. We could also perceive the effects of the bombardment, for at four different points we saw flames. We are convinced that one of the dep6ts at the arsenal caught fire, and we could see the flames when we were far away fiom Venice on our way back.'" The Times correspondent at Petrograd, writing from the Army Headquarters, under date November 21st, stated :— " My hosts at one of the batteries welcomed me into their com fortable dug-out. We retired early to rest in order to be up betimes to visit the trenches. But our slumbers were destined to be broken up. The telephone from the straw pallet of the commander hummed out orders to prepare for a Zeppelin. We all promptly sallied out, and I had my first glance of a nocturnal visitor so rarely seen on the Eastern front. Sailing at a great height the Zeppelin emitted spasmodic flashes, apparently trying to pick out a course towards Dvinsk without making himself too conspicuous. One or two shrapnel shells, however, burst so close that the com mander of the aircraft lost his judgment and turned sharply west ward, at the same time dropping a shower of bombs, a great part of which were afterwards ascertained to have fallen on the enemy's own trenches, causing heavy loss of life." An Exchange message from Amsterdam on November 24th stated:— " Travellers who have arrived at Roosendaal from Brussels state that two Allied aeroplanes were seen over Brussels on Monday afternoon. They threw the latest editions of the London and Paris newspapers over the city, and were out of sight before the German gunners could fire a shot." Writing from Paris on November 25th the Daily Mail correspondent in Paris stated :— "There are, however, signs that the Austrians consider that the game is lost. They have transferred their aviation camp from Aisovizza to Aidussina, 12 miles south-east of Gorizia, evidently preparatory to a retreat." A Central News message from Amsterdam on November 25 th said :— "A Zeppelin airship manoeuvred near Pristina and dropped bombs. "A French aeroplane appeared above Prilep and dropped bombs with good effect on barracks, in which were Bulgarian infantry." DECEMBER 3, 1915. The Morning Post Petrograd correspondent writing on November 26th said :— "The effects of cold seem to tell especially on the aviation service, and the German aeroplanes go up less and less often. Owing to the rapid increase in the intensity of the cold with every hundred yards of altitude, aeroplanes are compelled to fly compara tively low, which, having regard to the Russian artillery, is too often fatal. About a fortnight ago, already, a German ' Albatros' was caught, absolutely intact, thanks to the cold of the high altitudes. It was observed over the Russian lines, and was allowed to get well to the rear before a Russian flotilla of aeroplanes mounted and cut off its retreat, and concurrently the artillery became busy. The 'Albatros' soared to an altitude where the cold must have reached minus 31, or 63 deg. of frost, Fahrenheit. Soon it was seen to be circling aimlessly, and finally it made a good descent, quite normally, into the marshes, which are unoccupied, away to the left, and behind the Russian lines. After a couple of hours' search the ' Albatros' was discovered. The pilot and observer were both dead in their seats, and the machine was in perfect condition. Aviators are of opinion that death was caused by intense cold aggravated by rapid motion through the air. It is probable that the last conscious act of the pilot was to plane down, that his and his companion's arms being frozen, they were unable to loosen the straps which bound them to their seats, and that heart failure from cold brought death." The special correspondent of the Petit Parisien at Salonica telegraphed under date November 26th :— " Squadrons of French aeroplanes yesterday bombarded with complete success the Bulgarian town of Strumnitza, where large accumulations of stores and a considerable concentration of troops had been reported. The aeroplanes were bombarded without result." A message from its Ghent correspondent in the Tekgraafoi November 27 th stated :— " Seven Allied airmen last Thursday appeared above the district of Oudenaerde and dropped bombs on the railway bridge across the Scheldt near Eename. The bridge belongs to the important rail way line connection Courtrai and Brussels. Five bombs hit the bridge, which was destroyed. Civilians have been pressed into the work of reconstructing it." From the frontier the Telegraaf on Tuesday learnt:— " Four Allied airmen last Saturday dropped bombs on Gits and Beveren, near Rouleis. At Beveren some soldiers were wounded and some sixty horses killed or hurt. No damage was done at Gits." A correspondent writing in the Berliner Tageblatt regarding the fighting on the Isonzo front stated :— " Airmen have been playing a great rdle, and the Italians have a new type to display in their great battleplane. On the Isonzo front, and in the Wippach Valley, whenever the weather clears, one can see their mighty aeroplanes, thirty metres in length. They are armoured, and have three motors and two or three machine-guns. Entire air squadrons are frequently seen fighting with each other." ® ® ® ® "Life is a mirror—smile at it and it will smile RECRUITING OFFICER : "You realise the dangers before you? You are not afraid of having horses shot under you ? " SOCIETY RECRUIT: "Me? I had two motor boats explode under me, three autos start over me, and an aeroplane fall with me during the past social season alone !"—Puck. THE war-aviator is not too proud to fight, though he is generally above fighting.—Boston Transcript. When Burglars Travel by Aeroplane. HUB: "One night, while you were away, I heard a burglar. You should have seen me going downstairs three steps at a time !" WIFE who knows him): "Where was he? On the roof ?" back; frown at it and it will frown again." Zeppellnism. " SHOOTING the moon," said a witness at the Clerkenwell County Court recently, was now called " a Zeppelin move." t ! ! WILLIS : " What do you think the result of getting Edison, Wright, and Ford on the Naval Board will be?" GILLIS : " The invention of a naval aeroplane run by electricity that will sell 460 f.o.b. Detroit."—M. Y. World. ft! " WE advanced crabwise, jumping from cloud to cloud. We waltzed home delirious with joy, photographing each other on the way." Only the simple story of a French aviator. Ten years ago it would have been accepted as positive proof of delirium tremens.— N. Y. Evening Mail. 954
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