HEAVY AERIAL FIGHTING.

Otago Witness, Issue 3348, 15 May 1918, Page 14

HEAVY AERIAL FIGHTING.

Sir Douglas Haig reports: Wo dropped 400 bombs on different tar?'ot3 along- the front. Wo brought down 2 German machines during a r fighting, eight of which wore brought down in one big encounter in the neighborhood of Dgai. None of our machines is missing. We dropped 10 tons of bombs on Lo Chateau, Oambrai. Bapaume, and the Zeebruggo docks and mole. (Strenuous air fighting occurred in the northern area. We dropped a ton of bombs during the night on the railway stations at Douai and Marcoing. Cloudless weather on the 9th enabled our aviators to do a full day’s work. Our macnines flew all day, reconnoitring and photographing. Our bombers also displayed great activity along the whole front. They dropped 24 tons of bombs on targets, including_ the important railway stations of Tournai. Douai, Marcoing, Chaulnee, and Cambrai; also on billets at Garvin. Beronne, Chipilly. and the docks at Zeebrugge. Air fighting was almost continuous, and was particularly fierce towards dusk. Wo brought down 27 German machines and drove down 12 others; six British machines are missing.

Our night-fliers dropped four tons and a-half of bombs on tho docks and tho entrance to tho canal at Oetend, and three tons and a-half of bombs on Peronne, Chaulnrs. and Bapaumc. All our machines returned. There was great aerial activity on Friday evening. We brought clown eight enemy machines nnd drove down six others behind tho enemy's lines. Nine of ours aro missing. A mist interfered with our air work on Saturday. Wo brought down four more enemy machines.

French communiques state: Four enemy aeroplanes were brought down and 10 fell damaged behind their own lines. We bombed the railway stations of Flaville, Martcl, Ham, Guiscard, and Noyon. Lieutenant Fonck on the 10th brought down six German biplanes—the first two in 10 seconds and the third five minutes later.

A British station official message says: Our airmen bombed military targets near the enemy lines. Wo lost no machines. Official advices from Rome state that Italian hydroplanes attacked Trieste and transports in the Gulf of Trieste. Four were brought down. A Salonika official message reports; Five of o, i .deplanes on the Ist inst. bombed the Hudova aerodrome, in the Yardar Valley, and destroyed a largo shed. Bombs fell among 12 aeroplanes on the ground. We bombed the same aerodrome on the 7th inst., directly hitting the workshops, and bombs fell close to 16 aeroplanes on the ground. Wo bombed the Drama aerodrome on the morning and afternoon of the Bth inst.. causing considerable damage. All the bombs burst among the hangars and aeroplanes. All or aeroplanes returned. The crack American airman, Captain Hill, formerly of the British army, h”s been killed in a fight with an enemy machine. A German official report claims: In the air fighting of the past few days we brought down 37 enemy aeroplanes. Two days later we brought down 19 aeroplanes.