AIRMEN'S AGGRESSIVE WORK.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14658, 16 July 1918, Page 2

AIRMEN'S AGGRESSIVE WORK.

BRITISH FORCES BUSY IN ALL

QUARTERS

(Per Press Association). WELLINGTON, last night

lit the review of operations for the week ending July 13, the Secretary for* the Colonies states : —

British airmen continue, steady aggressivo work on all fronts, diversified by successful local air fights and long distance raids, both m Germany and the East. On the Western front, despite rain, mist, and clouds, the British airmen kept the closest eye on the enemy's movements, keeping him lively by bombing dumps and hutments and attacking.' his infantry and transport with machine guns, and helping the army to desta-oy his batteries, besides taking thousands of photographs of his positions. ■ ■

The aerial fighting thus entailed resulted m heavy enemy losses. Fifty enemy machines were brought down and 37 winged helpless — a total of 89 enemy machines — while only 17 British machines are reported missing. When the Australian infantry took Hamel on July 4, British airmen brilliantly co-operated and every attack was preceded by an air assault. British aviators flew close over the roofs of ruined cottages and dropped several hundreds of bombs, and fired nearly 50,000 rounds of machine gum ainmuni- 1 tion on the Boche defences.

The Independent Royal Air Force continues bombing i'aids* into Germany, aiming at. important junctions and munition' centres west of the Rhino. A British formation attacked Metz Ablon, Saarbrucken, Coblenz, and Carthouse, and single raids were, also carried out on Bolchen, Mannheim, Thionville, Falkehberg., Kaiserslantern, and Lnxemberg. All the machines returned safely, despite desperate air resistance at Metz and Saarbruckon, which resulted m one , enemy machjne being fired down and two helplessly winged. . The navy and air forces again co-' operated m attacks on the German, nav«al works on the Belgian coasfc with" excellent results. Bombs were seen to burst on vital points m the harbor entrance, powder factory, warehouses and quay at Ostend, round the lodl# gates at Zeebrugge, and on shipping at Bruges. ,

A British formation once attacked 16. hostile machines, 'three of these being winged and three brought, downy in| flames, with . no British .damage. -; British machities took /thousands of: photographs iii Italy and brought dowrisix enemy, aircraft. ..-!'•' '; success was achieved on tha Balkan and Palestine fronts.. Over half: a ton of hombs was dropped effectively! on Constantinople on July 7. In this! connection there are many expressions; of indignation by the German militaryauthorities at civilian participation m acts of warfare such as helping! the Allied airmen m Belgium. It is. amus-" ing to find an . official proclamation quoted m the Nachrichsen, a W^st-} phalian paper, on .Tune 19, requiring; German civilians to capture all ■enemy airmen forced to land on German terri- : tory or prevent them from re-starting l or destroying their aeroplanes. This' proclamation considers such a service a, danger, and offers a bribe accordingly'^ of 50 marks per head to civilians bringing, m airmen •as prisoners. This marks a fine contrast with the attitude expected by the German High Com-' mand from other civilians m respect to' German foundered , aircraff.V • ,