AERIAL FIGHTING.

Otago Witness, Issue 3338, 6 March 1918, Page 15

AERIAL FIGHTING.

Sir Douglas Haig reports:—Wo bombed three aerodromes m the Lys Valley; all of our machines returned. Despite the weather, our aeroplanes dropped over 200 bombs on aerodromes at Courtrai and billets at St. Quentiu. All our machines returned. Our night fliers dropped 1200 bombs, chiefly on the aerodromes of Ghent, Tournai, and Courtrai, and on billets at Douai and St. Quentin. Our airmen are busy bombing dumps, railways, and aerodromes in tho vicinity of Lille, Courtrai, Tournai, and Mons. The Biiti&h air service has brought down four Germans. British aviators mado long-distance reconnaissances and bombed railway sidings and junctions at Courtrai and in the Valenciennes district, and aerodromes at Douai. Wo brought down 15 enemy machines; eight of ours are missing. Wo bombed the barracks at Treves and an aerodrome at Mctz with good results. The British Admiralty reports: Our aircraft on the night of the 25th dropped many tons of bombs on Costabker aerodrome and Bruges Lock with good results. Two further raids were mado on Tuesday on Engel dump and Abecle aerodrome. All our machined returned. British aircraft successfully raided the seaplane sheds at Ostend. A number of hits woro obtained from an altitude of 150 to 300 feet, also three direct hits on an aircraft battery in the vicinity. French communique: Enemy aerplancs bombed * Nancy on the night of the 26th ult. Two persons wero killed and 11 injured. Seventeen German aeroplanes bombed Nancy on the Ist, causing much damage and several fires. Ten persons wero killed. The British Air Ministry announces that February 1 to February 22 the Royal Flying Corps brought down 114- enemy machines, while the anti-aircraft guns brought down six. The British lost 28 during the same period. On the Italian front the British brought down 58 enemy machines and lost eight. A French expert commentator states that between December 1 and February 15 the allied airmen in the west carried out 22,518 flights, during which 104 enemy planes .were downed, 93 put out of control, took 21,300 photographs, and dropped 192 tons of explosives with remarkable success. The Manchester Guardian says that Germany is sounding Spain with a view to getting King Alfonso to make a proposal for the abandonment of air raids on towns outsido tho war zone. Mr Jeffries, war correspondent, reports that Gothas on February 26 dropped fully 100 bombs in Venice. Many of them fell round the Doges' Palace and the Bridge of Sighs, which fortunately escaped. The Rialto bridge, was destroyed, and two convents wero struck. It is calculated that one-third of the houses in Venice are now ruined. Obviously, he says, tho Huns intend to destroy Venice's magnificent jewels of architecture. Mr Ward Price says that the forty-fifth air raid on Venice" lasted eight hours. Three hundred bombs were dropped end 38 houses and churches were destroyed, in one of which the famous Cellini altar and landscape were wrecked. The Gothas repeatedly replenished the supply of bombs, droning backwards and forwards all the night. An Italian communique states: A squadron of our seaplanes flew over Pola on the night of February 27, and dropped two tons of explosives on the arsenal and other military works, causing large fires, and returned undamaged.