GERMANS FEAR AIR-RAIDS

Evening Star, Issue 16625, 7 January 1918, Page 7

GERMANS FEAR AIR-RAIDS

HYSTERICAL THREATS.

The overwhelming disaster which overtook the Zeppelin fleet towards the end of October has caused great depression among the German public, who seem to be beginning to realise, too, that the murder raids on England are a complete military failure, producing no other result than to stiffen the determination of their enemies (writes the Rotterdam correspondent of a London paper). Clearly with a view to st'rruiating the people, the German Goverameiit have caused to appear in the 'Lokal Anzeiger' an extraordinary outburst thre-iT.en-ing the destruction of Paris' by the German air forces. True, it is disguised under the appearance of being a warning to tho French of the terrible fate wnich will overtake their capital if the French airmen venture on the other side of tbo Rhine. The real intention, however, is to make German readers believe that though nothing can be achieved against England through the air, Paris lies at their m-rcy, and has only been so far spared out of presumably pure magnanimity. Instancing the raids on Karlsruhe and other German places, this inspired screed, to which great prominence is' given, goes on : France lias long had upon her the p:iilt of the crime with which she tries to frighten us to-day. But +'or France the words "Mene tekel" are written. Only a hundred kilometres before our f ttp.t lies the fortress of Paris. Do the French really seriously believe it is their defence which keeps back .our flyers from the heart of the French war power? Let France not deceive herself. We have means in our hands to ensure that for every house on which bombs' are thrown by the French in peaceable German towns a whole street in the, fortress of Paris shall sink into ruins. France must herself determine her own fate.

Long experience of Germany's devious schemings suggests that the intention is to attempt raids on Paris for the encouragement of the German people, at the same time using the above hypocritical "warning" as an excuse. PANIC IN FRANKFURT.

The police authorities of Frankfurt have ordered all theatres, concert, and-cinema managers to print on their programmes instructions in case of air raids. Travellers from Frankfurt say that a perpetual state of panic exists there owing to the Allies air reprisals. For five days they were not, allowed to leave their hotels after § oclock in the afternoon, "as allied aeroplanes were reported to be near. The police do not permit visits to the streets damaged by the recent raida-