LIEUT MARCHAL’S FLIGHT

Evening Star, Issue 16236, 4 October 1916, Page 4

LIEUT MARCHAL’S FLIGHT

On July 24 the French authorities peri mittcd publication of the remarkable flight made by tho French Second Lieutenant Marchal who a month previously passed ovctj Berlin, where he dropped a leaflet, saying: 1 , “We might, if we had wanted to do so, have bombarded the open city of Berlin, and thus killed innocent women and children, but we merely drop ibis, message.” Unluckily, Lieutenant Marchal, owing to tha breakdown of his engine, had to land in a. portion of Polish territory in the enemy's hands, and now is a prisoner of war. Ho started from Naucy on June 20, all 9.50 in the evening, on a special highpowered Nic-uport monoplane, with a petrol supply for a 14 hours’ flight (165ga1). His orders were fo fly over Berlin, drop leaflets there, anti land in Russia. He re ached, Berlin safely, and got within 60 miles of the Russian lines, covering a distance of about SO miles, but at 3 a.m. on June 21 hj;„ motor gave out. and ho had to come aown. Ha writes himself from the prisoners’ camp; "I war, taken prisoner on the 21st, at 8 a.m., at Cbolm. The Austrian officers would uo>. behove me when I said what I bud done, mit they since have proof which convinced them, v'-hafc stopped mo was a sparkinsf pmg breakdown. I landed, changed two ptuge. ami started the engine again, but, U bid lues would have it,, found I must chniipa two more, and nt that moment I was taken, prisoner. Imagine my disgust.” ] Pierre Marchal is one of the most experienced of French flying men, and had a special knowledge of Germany. Ks flew over Berlin by night at a height of nob more than 150 yds, and thua might havo dropped homos with great effect. Public op.ns.on m Paris on the whole rather rogrei* that ho did not drop bombs. He drooped instead a proclamation, in German, of which the following •is .a translation;— i To ihc People of Berlin,— yianv clear-: fugmed Germans know to-day that the war was let loom by tho military adviser* at tho Berlin-and Vienna Courts. All Dm officuu and semi-official lies and perver- 1 s,°ns cannot do away with thd fact that 1 the German Government, with the oon* ! mvanco oi tii-e Austrian Government, f. hls war ; consciously and with pro meditation made ;t inevitable