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Aviation History
1918
1918 - 0152.PDF
FEBRUARY 7, 1918. AIRCRAFT RAIDS. JN view of the decision of the Government not to allow details of places visited by enemy aircraft to be published, we are, as before, giving to each one an index number. Eventually, when details are available, we shall give the respective information under these index numbers, which will facilitate easy reference to each particular raid. " X 87 " Raid (January 28th-29th). February 2nd." Police reports show that the total casualties so far ascer- tained as having been caused by the air raid of the night ofJanuary 28th-29th in all the districts visited by hostile aero- planes are as follows :—Killed, 58 ; injured, 173. Of the above casualties 30 persons were killed and 91injured in a single building used as an air raid shelter. The work of removing the debris in this building has been greatlyimpeded by the dangerous state of th? structure, and it is possible that a few more bodies may yet be discovered.The police have information of four persons in the district who have been missing since the raid took place, and whosebodies have not yet bsen found." Replying to questions in the House of Commons on January29th, Mr. Macpherson said that about 70 British machines went up on January 28th, and all returned safely. On thefollowing evening Mr. Macpherson said that the names of the officers who brought down the Gothaare Capt. G. H. Hackwill,R.F.C., and 2nd Lieut. C. C. Banks, R.F.C. The bodies of the three occupants of the Gotha were givena funeral of a military character in an Essex village on February 2nd. One coffin bore the inscription " Frederickvon Thomsen, Lieutenant, German Flying Corps, killed in action, January*:8th, 1918." The inscriptions on the othercoffins stated that the bodies were those of German flying men, names unknown. "X88" Raid (January 29th-30th). THE following communiques have been issued by theField-Marshal Commanding-in-Chief, Home Forces :— " January 30th, 12.30 a.m. " Hostile aeroplanes crossed the coasts of Essex and Kentabout 9.30 p.m., and some machines attempted to penetrate into London about an hour later. Up to the present none hassucceeded in penetrating the London defences, but some bombs have been reported as having been dropped in the outskirts.The raid is still in progress." " January 30th, 11.15 a.m." A number of attacks were delivered against London THE RAID THE following official statement was issued in Paris onJanuary 31st. :— ?~ " Four enemy air squadrons crossed the lines north of Com-piegne and reached Paris, flying at a very great altitude, and favoured by the clearness of the atmosphere. They approachedParis and its suburbs from the north and north-east, dropping in succession bombs on several suburbs. They then flew overParis, chiefly on the right bank of the Seine, where, in a few moments, they dropped almost all their bombs, causing afairly considerable number of casualties, especially among women and children, Two hospitals were hit and severalbuildings burned and damaged. The number of killed is about 20 and of the wounded about 50. Several air fightswere fought north of the capital. One German aeroplane was brought down and its two occupants taken prisoners.One French aeroplane had to land, its occupants being wounded. A further report will be issued later giving thenumbers of our casualties." 1 An official communique issued later stated :— 'It is now known that our losses as the result of the air raidlast night were 36 dead, including 22 in Paris, and 14 in the suburbs, and 190 injured, including 114 in Paris and 76 inthe suburbs. A large number of the victims were women and children." <s> <•> Ten Years for Dropping Leaflets. by hostile aeroplanes last night between 10 p.m. and 12.30 a.m., but in no case did the raiders penetrate into the capital. The first enemy machines crossed the Isle of Thanet at 9.30 p.m., and proceeded up the Thames Estuary towards London, but were all turned by gunfire. About the same time three or four other raiders crossed the Essex coast ; these also failed to penetrate the outer defences of the capital. Meanwhile a single aeroplane, which crossed the Essex coast at 10.30 p.m., passed round the north and west of London and dropped some bombs on the south-western outskirts. At the same time another enemy machine dropped bombs in the north-eastern outskirts without causing any casualties or damage. " Other aeroplanes which crossed the Kent and Essex coast, between 10.25 p.m. and 10.50 p.m., were all turned back by gunfire at various places on their way to London. A final attack, which was delivered across Essex by three or four machines between 11.30 p.m. and midnight, was equally unsuccessful. Bombs were dropped at various places in Kent and Essex, but detailed reports of casualties and damage have not yet been received from these counties. A few casualties occurred in the south-western outskirts of London. About the same number of machines as on the previous night appear to have taken part in the raid—namely, 15. A number of our aeroplanes went up, and several engagements with enemy machines are reported. One of our pilots attacked a raider over the north-eastern outskirts of London, with the result that it dropped its bombs on open ground, and made off. All our pilots returned safely." " 3.30 p.m. " Police reports state that the casualties caused in last night's air-raid were :—Killed, 3 ; injured, 10. " In addition to the above, the police state that it is feared that six other bodies are buried in the wreckage of a house." Mr. Macpherson gave the following further details of the casualties in the House of Commons yesterday :—Killed, two men, one woman, total three ; injured, seven men, two women, and one child, total ten. " February 2nd. " The total casualties caused by the raid of January 29th-31 st amount to :—Killed, 10 ; injured, 10." German Version. " Berlin, January 30/fc. " Our airmen carried out successful attacks on England andon the north coast of France. Bombs were dropped on London and Southend, as well as on Dunkirk, Gravelines, and Calais." SOME little time ago it was announced by Germanythat Allied aviators captured dropping leaflets over territory in German occupation, would be treated as spies and shot. Itis now announced by the Deutsche Tageszeitung that Capt. E. L. Scholtz and Lieut. H. C. Wookey, the occupants of an aeroplaneof the nth Squadron, which was shot down on October 17th, south-west of Cambrai, were sentenced on December 1stby a German court-martial to 10 years' penal servitude for dropping enemy leaflets. Prompt and vigorous action has been taken by the British ON PARIS. " Paris, February 2nd. " The victims of the air raid on the night of January 30th- 31st were :—Killed, 33 (including 11 women and two children) in the city ; 16 (including three women and three children) in the suburbs. Injured, 134 (including 50 women and 10 children) in the city ; 72 (including 38 women and seven children) in the suburbs." According to unofficial messages the machine bnraght downwas an Aviatik with a 225 h.p. Benz motor. It had on board four 25 lb. bombs and two no lb. bombs. The two officers,who were taken prisoner, had a written order to bomb Paris, but to spare the hospitals and schools ; they explained that theorder was so worded in order to save them from being shot. German Version. The following was issued from Berlin on January 31st:— " On Christmas Eve and during the month of January' enemy airmen, in spite of our warning, have again dropped bombs on open German towns outside the region of operations. Thanks to our measures of defence, the losses and damage were slight. As a reprisal, 14,000 kilogrammes of bombs were dropped during the night of January 3oth-3ist on the city of Paris, in the first systematic attack from the air." Foreign Office. Through the Dutch Government the Foreign Office has informed the German Government that it learns from the German Press that these sentences have been passed as punishment for what the Germans describe as a breach of international law. It is further stated that the Foreign Office, after careful examination of international law, finds no reference to any subject concerned with the dropping of propaganda leaflets, that the Germans themselves have adopted this method on a very extensive scale, and that unless Capt. Scholtz and 2nd Lieut. Wookey are released from prison immediately, and proper treatment as prisoners of war ac- corded them, reprisals will be taken. 148
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