AIR RAID ON LONDON.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20596, 21 June 1930, Page 26 (Supplement)

AIR RAID ON LONDON.

MOCK NIGHT ATTACK. FIFTY BOMBERS PARTICIPATE. Fifty giant bombing aeroplanes . droning in a great circle round London under conditions akin to aerial warfare were tho spectaclo lately witnessed by thousands of peopie on tho 400 mile circuit on which tho raiders operated. It was tho greatest reliability test which tho Royal Air Force night bombing squadrons of tiie Air Defence of Great Britain have ever Jiad.

All night long tho twinkling navigation lights could bo seen as squadron after squadron of potential raiders roared over-

head. Every machine flew, at least threo times over tho route, thus travelling moro than 1000 miles duirng tho night. Tho 'planes were equippod as if it was a raid over enemy territory, and elements of danger wero introduced when at times all lights were extinguished. Tho routes were kept secret to the last minute, sealed instructions being handed to wing commanders only n few minutes before tho machines wero timed to leave the ground. At 3 o'clock tho first squadron took off, and squadrons Nos. 7 and 68, from Worthy Down, near Winchester, IS'os. 10 and 99, from Upper Ileyford, near Banbury, and No. 9, from Manston, Kent, took the air at intervals until dusk. Every machine could score a total of 200 marks: 00 for reliability, 80 for airpilotage, and 40 for signalling. Thcso marks wero to bo carefully worked out by umpires, and it was expected that tho winning squadron would have the honour of appearing in tho Royal Air Fqrco display at Hendon this month,