WITH THE AIRMEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 3212, 6 October 1915, Page 24

WITH THE AIRMEN.

RAID ON BRUGES. AMSTERDAM, September 27. The Allies' made an air raid on Bruges on Sunday. As the village of Shus Is sunk in darkness, it is believed that Bruges gasworks, from which it is supplied, must have been severely damaged.

LETTER FROM MEMBER OF ZEPPELIN CREW. BERNE, September 27. A member of a Zeppelin crew, writing to the Berne newspaper Der Bund, says : “London is beyond our range. It is possible to reach it if a steady east wind is blowing, as we can then float a considerable distance, thus conserving our petrol. But unfortunately the weather is England’s best ally. It is usually either windless or too windy, or it is bright moonlight. “ We took fewer bombs on our London raid, but of a specially large kind. 'We reached the mouth of the Thames unobserved, owing to clouds and the silence of our engines, until we arrived at the Tower Bridge, where we crossed to the north side. The searchlights then caught us, and immediately the sky was ablaze with searchlights. The air was rent by a terrific cannonade. The guns at first wero unable to reach us. We dropped our bombs regularly, but shrapnel began to play around us. “At last we could discern dark spots of considerable size amid the glow of light. We dropped bombs here, but the searchlights hampered us by cutting off the view of our objectives. “The English are terror-stricken at our wonderful Zeppelins, 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 next morning, so we take another direction. The great thing is plenty of petrol, especially when the English aeroplanes are about.’’ MORE GERMAN CLAIMS. AMSTERDAM, September 27. A German communique states : We shot down three aeroplanes, including a great French battle-aeroplane, in aerial battles north-east of Ypres and south-west of Lille. Two French aeroplanes were brought down in the Champagne.