PANTO-STRICKEN MANNHEIM.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14572, 6 April 1918, Page 3

PANTO-STRICKEN MANNHEIM.

BRITISH WHO CHEERED OUR AIRMEN. 'A SPLENDID STRAFE.' ; RAMSGATE, Feb. 12. A, first-hand' story of the effect of the British air raid on Mannheim on Deoember 24 is related by Private. Edward Martin, of the Sportsihan's Battalion, who was wounded in, a battle in Northern France and lay in> kheU hole for three days. He was captured by- the Germans and sent to yah internment camp at Mannheim. He has, now returned to Ramsgate aftei" being mourned as dead by his wife. I saw, him to-day'. "It was nearly dinner time," he said, "when we heard a lively droning in the air, and one wounded -prisoner', crieci out : 'Here comes the British airmen to strafe the Huns!' "The noise of the engines was unmistakably British, and unlike anything we had heard when Gothas passed over our camp. All was excitement, and those of us who were able hobbled out into the open air. . "In a few minutes a large "fleet of aeroplanes, flying daringly low, passed over the camp/ Tlie distinguishing marks were plainly discernible. All our boys cheered as the Brit'sh airmen braved the bursting shrapnel and let loose a splendid 'strafe,' which set ns all laughing with delight. ."A terrific bombardment proceeded, and bombs were dropp^ near the camp but not actually on it,' as the airmen seemed to know of our presence; The camp is artfully . situated near a large munition works, the idea being to protect them from hostile attack, but on this occasion, at 'any rate^ the derma n precautions were of no aVail. We were not. hit, hut the' German works, were successfully attacked. '■'*". "The Germans spitefully engineered gangs of French prisoners as far as possible into the raid area, and one poor fellow was hffc on the shoulder by a piece of bomb. ♦'About thirty yardd flrom. Jhim a large bomh fell, and the explosion overturned 1 three tramcars full of munition workers who were leaving the factory for dinner. Considerable damage was done to property around. , He was quickly removed from the scene by the German guard before he had time to estimate the actual damage, hut he was able to see that many people had been kifeldl and injuired. Other prisoners declared that in the streets and in the outlying districts as well, German people were terribly scared by the attack, and not a little disgusted because the German airmen had not* sufficient pluck to go up and engage .our chaps in the air. People shook their fists at the raiders, while others ran about terror-stricken, and k there wero panics in many quarters. "We saw the whole '6f the raid from statrt to finish. Although various antiaircraft batteries came into action we did not see &> single machine fall. We were very pleased with ourselves that day! " A few more raids like that on Mannheim and other German cities should put a speedy end to attacks on Ramsgate, Margate, and London."