YOUNG AIRMEN'S AMAZING FEAT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 14711, 17 September 1918, Page 6

YOUNG AIRMEN'S AMAZING FEAT.

FLEW THROUGH STREETS OF TONDERN.

LONDON, July 26. An amazing story of. how the British airmen reached Tondern and bombed Zeppelin, sheds on the occasion of the recent raid, was told King George when he visited the "mystery ship" of the grand fleet. . This ship is a- triplane carrier. 'She took the flying men and their machines to a suitable point off the German coast at a very early hour m the morning; A number of airplanes were dispatched to destroy the Zeppelin hangars at Tondern. Captain Dixon;' a young officer, arrived at his destination m the grey 'dawn and came so low m his search for hangars that at one time he was within five feet of the ground. He flew along the whole length' of the main street, and was seen by a milkman, who took the machine for a German, plane, and stood up m his cart to wave a cheery good morning. Dixon quickly, recognised how helpful this mistake might prove to him and gleefully waved back a greeting. The crews of the German anti-aircraft gufns seemed also to have mistaken the ma r chine; for a German plane, for they did hot fire. , . . Dixon's search for the Zeppelin sheds lasted until he found what looked to be an airship shed. Down went a bomb upon it, but the tremendous explosion showed that he had bombed an ammunition dump which was utterly destroyed. Speeding along still quite low he came upon a Zeppelin shed arid bombed it. Almost instantly there was a fierce conflagration, the "flames rising nearly 1000 feet. Thig indicated the nature of tho target reached, and as his object had been achieved, the pilot made for his supply ship. A heavy barrage was put up by the enemy, but Dixon reached home with his machine/undamaged. The barrage gave the direction to the other attacking machines. Captain Smart, who piloted one of them, saw by the light of tho burning hangar that there was a second Zeppelin,. |m the shed which had escaped direct I injury from, the first attack. With better guidance than his comrade had found available, but with enemy shells flying thick around him, which compelled him to keep to a mqch greater height while launching his missiles, he attacked m turn and blew up the second shed. He also returned unhm't.