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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 1092.PDF
Assistant Instructor.—Graded as a Flying Officer.—Lieut. C. L. Willcox, Spec.Res., a Flying Officer; Oct. ist. • Graded as an Equipment Officer, 2nd Cl.—Temp. 2nd Lieut. A. L. Hyslop,Gen. List., an Equipment Officer, 3rd Cl., and to be Temp. Lieut, while so em- ployed ; Sept. 26th. . Equipment Officers School of Instruction.Chief Instructor (graded as a Park Commander).—2nd Lieut. (Temp. Capt.) G. J. Read, N. Stafis. R., Spec. Res., from an Instr. (graded as an EquipmentOfficer, ist Cl.), School of Mil. Aeronautics, and to be Temp. Major while so employed ; Aug. 17th.Instructor (graded as an Equipment Officer, 1st Class).—2nd Lieut. (Temp. Lieut.) W. F. Bryant, R.W. Surr. R., an Equipment Officer, 2nd Cl., and to betemp. Capt. while so employed ; Aug. 17th. Assistant Instructors (graded as Equipment Officers, 2nd Class).—Temp. Qrmr.and Hon. Lieut. (Temp. Lieut.) H. C. Gaze, R. Fus., from an Asst. Instr. (graded as an Equipment Officer, 2nd Cl.), School of Mil. Aeronautics, and to retain histemp, rank whilst so employed ; Temp. Lieut. D. O'B. Gill, R.E., an Equipment OCTOBER 18, 1917. Officer, 3rd Cl.; and to be Temp, lieuts. whilst so employed : 2nd Lieut. W.Thome, an Equipment Officer, 3rd Cl.; Temp. 2nd Lieut, (on prob.) D. R. M. Wright, Gen. List, and to be confirmed in. his rank ; Aug. 17th.Examining Officer (graded as an Equipment Officer, ist CIJISS).—Temp. Lieut. J. A. Payne, Gen. Lfsf, from au Asst. Instr. (graded as an Equipment Officer, 2ndCl.), School of Mil. Aeronautics, and to be Temp. Capt. whilst so employed; Aug. 17th. ? General List.—2nd Lieuts., Spec. Res., to be Temp. Lieuts.: C. H. Lick;June 26th. W. G. Stuart, D. S. Thompson ; July 24th. R. H. Little ; Aug. i, 23rd. 2nd Cl. Air-Mech. H. A. Creswell, from R.F.C., to be Temp. 2nd Lieut,(on proh.) ; Sept. ist. Temp. 2nd Lieut. G. H. Griffiths resigns his commission ,, with a view to joining an Inf. Off. Cdt. Bn.; Sept. 26th (substituted for Gazette — ,jnotification Sept. 25th, page 9927, incorrectly describing initials as E. H.). ' Aeronautical Inspection Department. London Gazette Supplement, October xoth. ~*R. E. Cragg to be Temp. Hon. Lieut, whilst employed as aa Assistant Inspector, Aeronautical Inspection Department (Dec oth 1916 AIRCRAFT WORK AT THE FRONT. OFFICIAL INFORMATION. British. General Headquarters, October gth." The weather was even more unfavourable for flying on the 8th inst. than on the previous days. Much work was, however, done in aerial reconnaissance,and some artillery work was successfully carried out. Two enemy machines were driven down out of control. Ground targets were also attacked withmachine-gun fire. Two of our aeroplanes are missing." General Headquarters, October xoth." On the gth inst. little flying took place, except on the battle-front, where a great deal of work was done, m spite of a strong gale and thick clouds. Theenemy's new gun positions and other suitable targets were reported by our aeroplanes to our artillery, which dealt with them. Touch was kept with ourinfantry all day, and the enemy's troops were harassed by machine-gun fire at every opportunity. A ton of bombs was dropped on Staden during the day,and Jt night two tons were dropped on Roulers, Courtrai, Menin and Ledeghem stations. A direct hit was obtained on a hostile train, causing a number ofexplosions. In air fighting four German machines were brought down, and two others were driven down out of control. Two of our machines are missing." General Headquarters, October lift." On the 10th inst. stormy weather continued, and flying was only possible in the early morning and in the evening. These opportunities were taken by ourmachines to carry on artillery and photographic work, and a number of bombs were dropped by us on hostile billets and hutments, and upon a German big-gun position. In air fighting three enemy machines were brought down, and two were driven down out of control. Four of our machines are missing." Admiralty, October zjth." In the last 24 hours, October 9th—10th, patrols were carried out by the R.N.A.S., during which enemy trenches were attacked by machine-gun fVre,One pilot, on being heavily shelled by anti-aircraft guns, descended and attacked the guns' crews, scattering them and silencing the guns. " Early yesterday morning (October 10th) bombing raids were made on thefollowing military objectives : Thourout railway junction and trains. Uchter- velde railway junction and trains. Large quantities of explosives were dropped.All machines returned safely." General Headquarters, October 12th.." On the nth inst. every opportunity was taken by our aeroplanes to recon- noitre the enemy's positions and to carry on artiDery and photographic workduring the intervals of clear weather. A large number of bombs were dropped by our machines on hostile billets, and machine-gun nre was opened from a lowaltitude upon the German infantry in their trenches. One hostile machine was brought down yesterday in combat, and another was shot down by ourinfantry. Two other enemy machines were driven down out of control. Five of our aeroplanes are missing." Admiralty, October 12th."Yesterday afternoon, in spite of heavy clouds and rain, naval aircraft carried out a bombing raid on Sparappelhoek areodreme. Many bombs weredropped. All machines returned safely." General Headquarters, October 13th." On the 12th inst. the weather could not have been less favourable for the co-operation of our aeroplanes with- our infantry in their attack. None the less,machines went out till 4 p.m., both in the rain and during fine intervals, and with great difficulty succeeded in locating the position of our troops. Themovements of the enemy were watched, and a great many hostile batteries * were located and reported to our artillery. In addition to this work over 10,000rounds were fired by our aeroplanes from machine-guns at hostile infantry in trenches and shell-holes, and on the roads. Parties of mounted troops andconvoys of hostile transport were also engaged from low altitudes, causing many casualties and great confusion. Only a few German machines wereencountered, presumably on account of the bad weather, and little fighting took place in the air. Four enemy aeroplanes were brought down and five otherswere driven down out of control. Ten of our aeroplanes are missing. The very- strong west wind and the suddenness with which storms of driving rain came upaccounted for the non-return of many of our machines. Several of those missing belonged to patrols which were not engaged in fighting and e\ ldently^frere Tostin the storms." General Headquarters, October 14th." Owing to the weather, very little flying was done on the T3th inst. In the fine intervals a certain amount of artillery and photographic work was accom-plished, and the enemy's new positions were reconnoitred. " One of our patrols encountered an enemy formation of double the numberof machines, and a determined fight took place, from which four of our aeroplanes failed to return. Owing to the close nature of the fighting the number of hostilemachines accounted for could not be determined by our pilots. Other Allied machines, which arrived too late to take part in the fight, saw from a dis-tance several machines falling out of control." Admiralty, October 14th." On the 13th, owing to unfavourable weather, operations by naval aircraft were restricted." One of our fighting patrols, however, during the forenoon shot down an enemy machine over Ostend, which was observed going down in flames." War Office, October 15th." Salonica.—Oui aeroplanes have dropped bombs on a dump at Cestovo, north-west of the lake, and on a railway train entering that place." General Headquarters, October ijMt." On the 14th inst. there was a slight improvement in the weather. Artillery work and photography were carried out by pur aeroplanes, and one and a hafttons of bombs weTe dropped_on Ledeghem railway station and on hostile biHets east of Lens. In air fighting three German aeroplanes weraj>rought down andone was driven down out of control. Two of our machines Sre missing." French. Paris, October gth." Our airmen, in spite of a tempestuous hurricane, actively co-operated in the attack, using their machine-guns at a low altitude against the enemy infantry,and assuring association with the other arms." Paris, October 15th." German airmen bombarded the Dunkirk region last night. There were several victims among the civil population." Two German captive balloons were brought dowr» to-day, one by the fire of our special guns, the other by one of our airmen." Russian. Petngrad, October 10th." On October 8th r4 enemy aeroplanes approached Cerel; some of them fired mines on our transports at Ajtcbod. On October 9th, at 7 a.m., eightenemy aeroplanes attacked without result the batteries at Cerel and the village of Mendo, six miles north-east of Cerel." Petrograd, October 13th." During the numerous aerial reconnaissances and engagements in the region of the Oesel Island our aviator Galaktionofi brought down an enemy aeroplane,which fell to the ground." Petrograd, October i$th." Enemy naval and aerial forces are energetically supporting their land opera- tions (in the Gulf of Riga) and are attacking north and south of the island(Oesel)." Roumanian. . Jassy, October 15th."On October 12th four enemy aviators bombed the city of Galatz, and, descending to a very low altitude, nred with their machine guns, causing a numberof victims amongst the population." German. Berlin, October nth."In an aerial battle which developed in the evening over Zonnebeke-Zand- voorde, in which about 80 aeroplanes participated, three enemy aviators wereshot down. " The losses sustained by the enemy aerial forces in September on the Germanfronts amount to 22 captive balloons and 374 aeroplanes, of which 167 were behind our lines. The remainder were seen to have been brought down beyondthe enemy positions. In encounters we lost 82 aeroplanes and five captive balloons." The Work of the Air Board. - - - ~ ? - ^ PRESIDING at a lecture entitled " Over the Lines " givenby Mr. Boyd Cable on October roth. Lord Cowdray, President of the Air Board, said that he (Lord Cowdray) was primarilyconcerned with the production of as many aeroplanes as could be designed and produced of the best possible types for theneed of the air service. Their particular use in the field was for the fighting services to arrange.Critics were apt to forget that there were limits to the supply of skilled labour and of those kinds of raw materalwhich were indispensable for the construction not only of aircraft but also for other instruments of war. The shortageof some of this material—and he meant not only of local stocks but of world stocks—arose partly from the enormousdevelopments of the mechanical side of warfare and partly from the necessities created by the orgy of destruction inwhich the world had been involved for the past three years. At the present time an increased production in one direction almost inevitably involves decreased production irx another.Our output of aeroplanes and seaplanes had been enormously increased, and must be considered as highly satisfactory.This, however, did not mean any relaxation of effort. There was nothing in this way more wonderful or moresuccessful than the air service, especially when it was re- membered that this new fighting force had been created, forall practical purposes, during the war. It had* at the same time became the eyes of the Army, the scouts oi the Navy,the terror of the submarine, and will be by no means an inconsiderable factor in determining that final victory whichwould compel their foes to s-ue for peace on terms that would secure, he believed for all time, right and freedom to man-kind. ^ Mr. Boyd Cable in the course of his lecture, which wasillustrated by photographs taken from the air, dealt with the use and value of aircraft in war, and showed what servicethey rendered to the fighting men. IO92
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