WAR IN THE AIR.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17011, 19 November 1918, Page 5

WAR IN THE AIR.

RAIDS ON GERMANY. l> '

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THREE MONTHS* TGTAL C 249.

DiScussing the hjgVproportion cJ-BritiaK-Hip raids, epwJally directed"'against the key' railway central -in the Rhine pro., vinces, notably,,-those at TJiionviJle -an\\ M*<:-3ab-W; tne Da.ilJ .Telegraph *~ays;— lroring~'«he period June-Augcst,. IKB, the famous railway triange *'.» Metz-jiablp-and the junction at Thionvijle were raided" no fewer than 46 tity'*. Many photo." graphs taken cV.ring theoe confirmed She extent arid ; magn« f ,uae of the damage caused. ■•' Thus, :at Mctz-ffiblon, during a, single raid, an engine shed known to contain 25 engines -wan hit, two trains on the southernmost track ..on" the south arm of the triangle v^i'burned out, and several other tracks in the same arm were amounly damagd. Although slight damage to . permanent way can usually be patched up m. a few hours, there is photographic- evidence to show that the repeated rai<L of British airmen upon this important rail- : way junction have, at frequent intervals, very materially reduced its war traffic, which has apparently often been held up for many hours at a time when quick and regular transport of munitions was most vital to Germany's military needs. At Thionviile, bombs dropped by British airmen started'- a big fire, which, fanned by a strong south-westordly wind,. developed into a nuge conflagration that waa only arrested on the river bank.'."..;■

The big industrial centres on the Rliin* contain, in addition to important railway junctions, some of the largest munition, poiso& : gns, and electrical undertakings in Western Germany. These legitimate military objectives were repeatedly attacked by British airmen with very marked effect. Thus the factories at Mannhium, including the notorious Badischo poisongas works, were heavily bombed no fewer than 11 times; the works and railway station at Saarbrucken, eight times; the factories, station, and barracks at/Co•blentz, five times; Karlsruhe, five times; Frankfort-on-the-Rhine, Hires times: Stuttgart, twice,- Zweibnicken,.twice; Cologne, .twice, etc The material results of these raids were very considerabla. At Mannheim, in the course of three consecutive night ravdß, extensive damage—confirmed by photographs—was caused to the Badische poison-gas works, including the partial destruction of the sulphuric acid and nitric vitriol factory, arxT the aniline department, while much damage was ilsp caused to two large buildings north of thai laboratory At Cologne, Cnblentz, and Mannheim a heavy death roll attended the attacks of British airmen upon .military objectives at those places. An immediate, effect of the ; raids was the compulsory withdrawal by the Germans of a large number'of squadrons from the fighting fronts for the defence of th» i Rhine. Whilst these concentrations did prevent a single British squadron from reaching its chosen objectives, the hgrmts of these enemy forces were not neglected by the R.A.F., Independent Force. Thus, in the period June-August : inclusive, Boulay prodrome was heavily bombed 32 times,...J/ orhango 14 times, Buhl 13 times. Freisdo-f A times, Hagsnan 5 times, etc. Those attacks, often made from a very low height, resulted in heavy losses for the enemy, a large number of hangars being burned out, and many valuable machines destroyed. The profound and widespread moral effect of this persistent British air offensive 0 7er Germany was seen in the fact that at dozens of public meetings in the Rhine towns, excited citizens passed resolutions protesting against the raids, calling for. their mutual limitations, or in default of this, for drastic and often quite impracticable measures of defence; that captured letters from placed as widely " separated as Mannheim and Cologne all testified to the terror and p'-nie inspired by the raids among the civil population,; while well-to-do families . in increase ing numbers, sought the temporary security of more distant inland towns. ■\ .-'/■ '"■■ ■•' ••'■■:" '■' ■."''•