AERIAL WARFARE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3315, 26 September 1917, Page 16

AERIAL WARFARE.

Sir Douglas Haig reports: The enemy's aeroplanes dropped 50 bombs behind our lines on the 15th inst., but the damage done was slight. Our aeroplanes dropped 143 bombs on aerodromes and billets, and fired 1000 machine-gun rounds at various targets scattering 2000 infantry, from a height of 100 ft. We brought down 14 enemy machines, and eight of ours are missing.

In the new British offensive on the Western front aeroplanes and balloons carried out observations of the locations of troops preparing for a counter-attack, and reported these to the artillery, which dealt with the situation.

Sir Douglas Haig reports: During the attack our aeroplanes fired 28.000 machine gun rounds from a height of 100 ft to 1000 ft at infantry trenches, shell holes, and approaching reinforcements. In the middle of the day the German aircraft were active, attempting to interfere with our artillery with bombing and low-flying machines; but when the weather improved in the evening they kept well eastward of their lines, and wore disinclined to fight. There was great aerial activity on the 20th inst. Our aeroplanes, ranging guns on hostile batteries, troops, trenches, shell holes, and low-flying machines, harassed the enemy's infantry and transports. Masses of bombs Wero dropped on Roulers, Menin, and elsewhere. During the first two hours low clouds and drizzling- rain mado flying almost impossible; but our aeroplanes flew low and bombed an aerodrome near Courtrai and attacked bodies of infantry. The weather unproved later, and contact was maintained with the advancing troops. Thirty-four German machines were brought down, and 29 British are missing.

British aeroplanes on the 23rd dropped bombs on billots, hutments, and aerodromes; also three tons at night time x>n the Holders, Menin, and Wervicq railway stations. The enemy dropped a few bombs at midday, but did little damage. We broucrht down .nine enemy aeroplanes; two of ours are missing. The Germans claim to have brought down 54 "Rritish machines. British airmen advanced with the Infantry, attacking from an altitude of 500 ft and less, and then sometimes swooping down until their wheels seemed to touch the German helmets. They fired machine guns as they flew. Aerial oavalry is an appropriate "name for the airmen, who definitely

engaged tho infantry according- to a proarranged plan. French aviators dropped 15 tons of bombs on barracks and munition factories at Stutfcgart and Uckingen, aerodromes at Colmar and Logelback, military establishments south of'Aiotz, and railway stations at linonvillo and Sarrcbourg. A Maestricht newspaper states that during an aerial raid on Roulers in tlio middle of August a bomb fell on some largo buildings occupied by German soldiers, and killed or wounded 9UO of them. -; Tho United States Consular building aft Dunkirk was wrecked by a German bomb on September 7. The Germans ara constructing aerothroughout Flanders, and partici*larly large ones at St. Denis and Westram, NAVAL AIRCRAFT ACTIVE. Tho British Admiralty reports that naval aircraft on Saturday, 15th inst., bombed enemy shipping between Ostcnd and Blankonbergbe. They hit a largo destroyer amidships. One and probably two trawlers were sunk. Tho Admiralty also reports that on tha night of the 2,oth and tho morning of tho 21st naval aircraft dropped a large quantity of bombs with good results on the Aertryeke, Sp.irappelhoek, and Thorout aerodromes, and the Thorout railway station} also near Atelier, Deiimarine, and Ostend, A flying corps patrol assisted to drive off numerous enemy aircraft, which attacked. All ours returned. Four tons of bombs were dropped on the" Roulers station and on aerodrome billets in the vicinity of Lille. The Admiralty reports that our ships bombarded naval works at Ostend with satisfactory results. Threo seaplanes assisting the enemy wore brought down.