AVIATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17325, 27 May 1918, Page 5

AVIATION

ALLIED AIRMEN'S DAILY ROUND. IMPORTANT WORKS BOMBED. Australian and N.Z. Cablo Association and Router. LONDON, May 24. Sir Douglas Haig's aviation report .tatea: Our night-livers dropped 11 tons if bombs 011 aerodromes, tlie Bruges locks, and billets in the Homme area. We again attacked Mannheim, and Iropped 24 heavy bombs on a chlorine actory, causing two large fires. Our iviators clearly observed the blackened ;irders of buildings gutted by fires caused \v the preceding night's raid. We also Iropped four tons of bombs on the imlortant electrical power station at lvreusevald. All our machines returned. We heavily bombed on Thursday mornng the Metz-Sab'.ons railway station, and >ursts of bombs were observed on the engine sheds. French communique: Our bombing squadrons by day and night on May 20 Iropped 17 tons of bombs in the St. region, on the railway stations at Peronne, Rosieres, and Nesle, and on the aerodromes at Yille>elve. Thirty tons of explosives wero Iropped in the same region by day and light on May 21, in addition to li tons in cantonments and stations in the region 3f Vil.le-au-Bois, Hirson, Le Cateau, and Aulnoye. Italian airmen participated in these operations. 3ATTARO ORGANISATIONS BOMBED. FIRES STARTED. ROME, May 24. The naval official report says: The British air squadron on the 2,oth bombed the hydroplane and submarine bases at Cattaro, and started fires; all machines returned safely, notwithstanding a coun l-er-action. PANIC IN RHINE TOWNS . APPEALS TO GOVERNMENT. Australian and N.Z. Cablo Association. BERNE, May 24. Travellers, including an ever-increasing number of well-to-do German women, declare that panic prevails in, the Rhine towns owing to the recent air raids. Cellars are being converted into bedrooms, and a number of people are fleeing further into the interior. The Rhineland burgomasters have made further urgent appeals to the Reichstag to bring about a cessation of the aerial attacks on England and Paris. BOMBING HOSPITALS. DETAILS OF HUN OUTRAGES. LONDON, May 24. Mr l'hilip Gibbs gives details of a ghastly outrage by the Huns in bombing a Red Cross hospital and huts filled with badly wounded men, some of them with open wounds. There were only eight nurses. and orderlies on duty when the Gothas were heard and the first bombs crashed in. The Germans dropped a great number of bombs, each one of which burst in the midst of the huts, a third of the bombs being of the largest size and making great craters in the earth. They killed many wounded men, including some Germans, "who were receiving precisely the same treatment as the British. The total of killed and wounded runs to some hundreds. Tho nurses displayed heroic devotion, and not one went to the bomb-proof shelters near by. The raid lasted for two hours, and the nurses throughout moved through the wards, encouraging the wounded. The captain of the bombing squadron, who was captured, merely shrugged his shoulders, and said: •" If you insist on putting hospitals near railways, you must expect them to be bombed." NO ROOM FOR MISTAKE. DISTINCT AND WANTON OUTRAGE. LONDON, Mav 25. (Received May 26, at 11.15 p.m.) The fiendish bombing of hospital huts has caused a sensation throughout Britain. It was clear moonlight, and the big red crosses on the white ground must have been clearly visible to the German aviators, who were flying low. A score of great aeroplanes flew in two detachments, discharging bombs and firing machine guns. DEFENCE OF PARIS. AMERICAN SQUADRON TO PARTICIPATE. PARIS, May 25. (Received May 26, at 5.5 p.m.) The Government has accepted the American offer to provide a squadron consisting of America's most expert airmen to participate in the defence of Paris. OVERSEAS CLUB'S PRESENTATIONS. VALUABLE GIFTS. LONDON, May 25. (Received May 20, at 5.5 0.m.) At its annual meeting the Overseas Club presented the Air Minister with a cheque for £13,500 subscribed by the Overseas Club and Patriotic League for the purchase of aeroplanes. The Overseas Club has now presented the Government with a total of 165 aeroplanes. NERVOUS TENSION AT COLOGNE. BURIAL OF VICTIMS. AMSTERDAM, May 25. (Received May 26, at 5.5 p.m.) Forty victims of the Cologne air raid were buried on at the city's expense. The Kaiser sent" a telegram expressing deep regret. Although there was no attack yesterday, warning was given, and the city is in a state of extreme nervous tension. ON THE BRITISH FRONT. ENEMY ORGANISATIONS BOMBED. Auitraliau and N.Z. Cable Association and Renter LONDON, May 24. (Received May 26, at 5.5 p.m.) Sir D. Haig reports: On the 23rd inst. we dropped eight tons of bombs on aerodromes near Tournai and on billets. We brought down five enemy machines ; three j British machines are missing. We also dropped seven tons of bombs on billets in the neighbourhood of Peronne. Fricourt, and Banaume, and hutments in a wood in the Some area; and a ton of bombs on factories and the railway at Hagendenjen, northward of Metz. GERMANY'S NEW AEROPLANES. AN AMERICAN DESCRIPTION. Australian and N.Z. Cable Association. NEW YORK, May 25. (Received May 26, at 5.5 p.m.) The Chicago Daily News correspondent on the French front sends details of new German aeroplanes. They have four motors, each of 300 horse-power, with a crew of nine and two pilots. They mount four machine guns, and carry two tons of bombs. The machines have a spread of 40ft and a length of 92ft.