AERIAL FIGHTING.

Otago Witness, Issue 3342, 3 April 1918, Page 18

AERIAL FIGHTING.

GREAT WORK BY BRITISH FLYERS." Sir Douglas Haig reported on the 26th : The activity in the nil- is very great. The clav was remarkable for the weight of bombs dropnod and tho number of fights. Many thousands of rounds were

fired from low altitudes upon the enemy's troops. Aeroplanes reported the progress of the battle, and informed the artillery of suitable targets. Low fliers bombed and machine-gunned masses of troops in the battle area. Over 1700 bombs were dropped in the daytime at different targets, including Bruges dock, the Aulnoyo railway station, a large camp southeast of Cambrai, high-velocity guns, and hostile reinforcements. The lighting wae the severest yet experienced. We brought down 47 enemy machines and drove down 22 uncontrollabla. . Ten of ours are missing. ' After dark they continued bombing and machine-gunning enemy troops opposite the battle front. They also bombed the Bruges dock and an aerodromo between Tournai and Mons used by night fliers. Over 14 tons of bombs were dropped. All our machines returned. One large enemy machine was bombed and landed behind our lines. Following a successful daylight raid on Mannheim, other objectives ill Germany were attacked at night time. We dropped half a ton of bombs on railway stations at Cologne, starting a nro. Over a ton was distributed on the Luxembourg railway station, where a fire started, and on Courcelles railway station, eastward of Metz. Two tons were dropped on the Metz railway station, and direct hits were observed on a bridge south-east of the town and on a stationary train, which was set afire. A large fire also started. A ton was also dropped on the Thornville railway station, where a moving train was. derailed and afire caused. All our machines returned. Sir Douglas Haig reported on the Our aeroplanes on Monday were almost exclusively, employed in Jjombing and machinegunning troops and transport behind the battle front. Twenty-two tons of bombs, and 100,000 rounds of machine gun ammunition were used. All the pilots report that they were able to drop' bombs accurately and fire into the centre of infantry battalions in close formation and columns of cavalry and transport. The air fighting was less intense than on the previous day We brought down 13 enemy machines, and 10 others were made uncontrollable. Eight of ours are missing, mostly due to fire from the ground while fiymg low. During the night we continued to bomb and machine-gun troops m forward areas v and transport upon the roads. There was a great concentration of our aeroplanes on the 27th over threatened points. Masses of our machines bombed and machine-gunned infantry and cavalry. Thirty tons of bombs and many thousands of rounds of ammunition were fared. We brought down 20 German machines in air fighting, and 10 others by anti-aircraft guns. Twelve of ours are missing. Our nightfliers continually attacked troops at .Bapaume, Cambrai, and Peronne Twenty-five thousand rounds were fired, and they dropped 24 ton* of bombs on important centres of the battle front; also four tons on the Valenciennes railway station, through which troops and trams were passins towards the front. » . : Large bodies of our aeroplanes again on the 28th carried out low-flymg operations. The aeroplanes dropped" over 30 tons ot bombs, and fired a quarter of a million rounds, inflicting severe casualties and delaying the; enemy' in bringing up troops and ammunition In the al r fighting we brought down 24 German machines and drovfe down seven uncontrolled, while we destroyed two balloons.; 'Nineteeni of ours are missing, but it is believed that; some landed within our lines. Anti-aircraft gunfire accounted for the greater portion of our casualties. We continued at night, bombing Bapaume, Bray, and Peronne with the utmost vigour. We dropped over 1000 bombs and fired 1000 rounds at good, targets, which were plentiful and easily visible fn the moonlight. The pilots saw bombs bursting in the middle of of troops and transport encampments. Four of ours are missing. We dropped oyer a ton of bombTlrom a balloon on the station at Metz on the 27th, and good bursts were seen on the sidings. We successfully .raided Luxemburg station on the 28th firing ii. he!ivy bombs, several of which buret upon their objectives. All our machines re"rhe ' majority of our aeroplane attacks were southward of the Somme, where large concentrations of troops are constantly-re-Dorted The'aeroplanes continued their work till dark. Desnite rain storms and low clouds, they fired nearly a quarter of a million rounds. There was not much air fighting, considering the number of British machines in the air, but on the battle front the fire from the ground was again heavy. We brought down nine German machines and drove down five others uncontrolled, and our fire from the ground brought down two. Twelve of ours are missing. Our aeroplanes concentrated on the olrtn on the battle front southward of the Somme, where large columns of the enemy were advancing. On these we dropped many bombs and fired thousands of rounds from machine guns. There has been a good deal of air fighting, the _ enemy s lower fliers being particularly active. We dropned 12 tons of bombs on Bapaume and the roads in the vicinity, also on the roads and villages eastward of Arras, scorin<r direct hits on dumps, transport, and railwav lines. The weather had completely broken at midday on Saturday, but, despite the driving rain our pilots continued to participate in the battle south of the Somme bombing and machine-gunning until a late hour. There was heavv fighting between lowflyinn- machines. We brought down 12 German' machines, and drove down three others while anti-aircraft guns shot down two Five of our machines are missing. The British Admiralty reports: Naval aeroplanes from Dunkirk, between the 21st and the 24th inst,. destroyed 10 enemy machines, brought down seven uncontrolled, and brought down a hostile balloon, ihey also carried out three bombing raids on the Bruges docks, and many direct hits were obtained upon fiheds and quays. Bombs burst close to destroyers. Aeroplanes attacked several torpedo-boat destroyers, and an armed trawler. A pilot who was forced to descend into <he sea was picked up by a French destroyer. All the others returned. His Majesty the King has sent a message to all ranks of the air services in France, oynressing gratification at their splendid achievements in the great battle. His Majesty statr-s that he is proud to bo their oolonel-in-chief. Tt is officially stated that a hostile air--ship is operating on the Egyptian coast. FRENCH REPORTS. French official" reports state: From February 15 to March 15 we brought down 52 and disabled 50 enenw aeroplanes. In the same period we. lost 29. Between March 22 and 26 our airmen, firing as low as 22 yards .from the ground, dropped over 50.000 kilogrammes of bombs o;; convoys, marching columns, and massed

onomy troops. Wo also fired thousands of inujhine-gun rounds-. The ,enemy suffered terribly. Sixty battle planes and 20 bombing planes on the 27th inflicted terrible losses on the enemy's massed infantry, and iblew up munition damps, causing great fires. Our bombing planes co-operated in Attacking railway stations at Metz, Ablonse, and Thionvillo. Several fires and violent explosions were caused at Metz and Ablonse. A French air squadron on the night of the 23rd dropped three and a-half tons of bombs at Badische on an aniline factory, and at Ludwigshafen, on the principal poison gas factory /in Gormany. % Forty-two enomy aeroplanes were brought down. Our airmen, despite the bad weather, flying in groups, heavily sprayed with machine-guns and bombs the enemy battle / line and concentration zones. Seventeen thousand kilogrammes of projectiles were dropped in the Noyon, Guiscard, and Ham region. One squadron brought down 13 enemy machines. A German official report on the 26th claimed that 93 enemy aeroplanes and six balloons had been brought down since the beginning of the battle.