AIR RAIDS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14192, 9 January 1917, Page 9

AIR RAIDS.

«. 'DROPPING' BOMBS IX THE DARK. FEELINGS AT 3 A.il. ».«GaapJua details of l-hu. t manaeii. ..in which a British air raid is conducted on the Western front are contributed by a correspondent of the Times on India. . It r . is extraordinary, lie writes, how intensely one sleeps at 5 o'clock and how much one would give to be allowed to go on sleeping, but it conies and comps again that persistent, hammering cry, "Three o'clock, sir." Awakened 1 to a- dim consciousness, you realise that it is the sentVy doing. his beat to fulfil the orders in the "Night Order Book/' wherein yoii w'rote last night : "FlightLieutenant X , Block 2, i Cabin Xo. 10. to be called at 3 a.m." _; Out oi the, window the stars are seen and the moon is shining brightly. The raid has been put off for four nights now owing to the weather, rain and clouds, and for tfour mornings the sentry has called you at 3. a.m. to report that it is raining, or that there is a thick mist, ■ and so '"for four morningb you have ' murmured, "Thank heavens, the weathei-V dead," and cheerfully gone to sleep again. The raid is evidently doming off this morning, however. ■ .'.:.'■ '!.'■' .... "CARRY ON.'? No one talks very much, because at 3 a.m. yoii hate yourself and your neighbor, having little or no interest in anything „ except the dispomfort of turning out at. 3 a,.m. to drop bombs in "cold blood (3 a.m. is a cold-blooded hour) on an objective' which! as yet you do not know and which you probably won't be^able to find. Having swallowed the ' cocoa, hot because you want it, but because it? is h6t" and -wet, a move is made to the Intelligence Office, where the being! who deals in intelligence is waiting with maps'and information. He* also is very bad tempered at this tim in the 1 morning, and I don't blame him. The intelligence officer, after bitterly complairting' against people for coming in ones 'and! twos- instead of :in a batch; so that he . has to say the same thing seiveral times over, proceeds to business. "The place ybti have to bomb is 'Z' — better go out to sea first (and ' then cross the coast at 'Y,'.and carry on till you strike 'the canal." All this' 'sounds very explicit, but have you.- ever • tvied your way over hostile country in the dark, when all roads look the same, when 1 you have to keep a Nreather' eve lifting' ' for a' prowling se(ai'chUght ; beam, and when above all you are feeling rather terrified of enginefailure,' that constant 1 sourde of dangte;r ? Jxist a high tension wire coming adri£t> or a- petrol, union- loar? are a few of the small. Jhdeed trivial,'- .'things that can pxit an engine out-- of commission; fo that with an engine stopped l descent is 'inevitable, and a forced landing in tlis dfiTk.'in r<hemy territory* ■ when' you cannot, see the grouhd;- u mgans — ! , • DEADLY SEARCHLIGHTS. The heavy machines, ; the bomb carriers, one of which is "yourg, are to get away first, then t hoi ' lighter machines, also carrying bombs, and lastly the fighty ing machines to protect the bombing machine's. • r-V It's your turn. The chocks are -pnlle'ft away ajid the tail released. Both throt> ties wide. open, the joy-stick (the universal name for the control lever) is right forward, and you're off in the darkness. The altimeter is showing 30C0 feet— good enough. .Height is -a potential asset it is. easy to drop, but difficult toget up when you are in a hurry. Tlie lines are crossed 1 and the canal spotted —the Hun searchlights, half a dozen ojf 1 : them, are swinging slowly up and dow)v i and across 'like ' tentacles restless and,; groping, sometimes halted for a second.' on a cloud, then on again. - m ? Moonlight is a powerful friend to the pilot, for two reasons ; first, because in bright moonlight machines even as low as SCO feet are invisible, but the pilot can see clearly; second, because in the moonlight a searchlight is useless ; the beam of light offers no contrast, and setems to die away almost when it starts. Searchlights must bel avoided if possible, since the guns frequently swing with the searchlight, and the gunner 'has only to fire. along the beam. Also, when 'the- beam of light strikes the machine it dazzles . the pilbt, so "that he can see nothing; Suddenly an unnoticed beam swings on the machine, but a rapid turn.'- and' •• dive &et the machine out of .danger before they have time to fire br' to bring the light of a second beam into' action. NECK OR NOTHING. Those below ndw realise that a maohinei is somewhere above, ready at any moment to drop bombs, and frantic endeavors are being, made to lotiate and bring you down. Rockets, green spangled lights, come crawling up at you. Shells are bursting everywhere, but : it is random firing. At the back' of your mind you know' that- — though 6in high explosive bursting anywhere near the machine is apt to destroy all faculties for logical reasoning. There arei the sheds, dimly visible ns black rectangular blotcKes. It has taken ages to .find them. A glance at the altimeter shows ilSOftfeet-^the petrol is shut off. Now 'a 'glide starts, 12C0, 1000 in large, wide spirals; an 'occasional' glance at the sheds, & 'sharp look-out for searchlight'beams, but always an eye oh" the altimeter— Boo, 700, 400, 300, petrol on. The searchlights are busy again, they can hear you, but it's neck br nothing;' Out from the sheds to geit. the line and then the' 'final trip. Closer and closer I ,' right hand on the bomb release, then judging th'e >! angle— let go; one, two — { both, bombs away. From ECO feet a bomb t;ake'3-' 5-6 "'seconds, " 'Still looking over tlie side you see them — two- tre- f mendous ;. flasher.— two terrific 'bumps from your- own bombs, and then dowfiv goes her ,nose= a sharp right bank' 'rind' out to 5ea...,. , The a{ivspeed allows- : 76-80-80 ' knots. The- engines are both' doing about l"300 —let 1 'em;' To -get? away, that's all that matters. /The locality: -is unhealthy. Once q\it to sea, the pleasantest part -ofthe whole \trjp' begins. : Dawn ahq>vs faintly in the sky. Being cunning, y]ou keep low dbwn'; n atid the sky is bla'ckt with high.^explosives. . ' - Sauntering gently back to breakfast, flying low over the sands — both engine.a going well — a fine morning- and a. setose^ of having soncj,'V job of work. ' And .so" to the a'ei'bdi'ome. ■ * - ,i