A GERMAN AIRMAN'S ACCOUNT

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 28 September 1915, Page 7

A GERMAN AIRMAN'S ACCOUNT

(Received Sept. 28, 12.45 p.m.)

BERNE, .Sept. 27. A^ member of a Zeppelin crew, writing* to the newspaper Derbund, says: "London is beyond our range- It is possible to reach it if a steady wind blows and we can float for a considerable distance conserving our petrol. Unfortunately the weather is England's best ally; it is either windless, overwindy or bright moonlight. We took fewer bombs on the London raid, but they were specially large. We reached the mouth of the Thames unobserved, owing to clouds and the silence of our engines, until we arrives! at the Tower Bridge, where we crossed to the north side. Searchlights then caught us. Immediately the sky became ablaze with searchlights and the air was rent with a terrific cannonade of guns. At first they were unable to reach us and we dropped bombs regularly. Shrapnel then began to play around' us"

"We could discern dark spots of considerable size amid the glow of light, and dropped bombs here, but the searchlights hampered us by cutting off the view of our objectives. The English are terror-stricken at our wonderful Zeppelin, and the effect must have been awful.

"The English land guns are useless, but there are better ones on the coast, so we are careful when returning. They always try to intercept us from Dunkirk in th^ morning, so we take another direction. The great thing is to have plenty of petrol when English aeroplanes are about."