WAR IN THE AIR

Stratford Evening Post, Volume I, Issue 258, 9 October 1931, Page 2

WAR IN THE AIR

GREAT GERMAN COMMANDER MATHY’S DRAMATIC DOWN-, FALL SEVERE BLOW TO THE ENEMY The dramatic downfall of Heinrich TVtathy, the greatest'airship coalman-' ider o£'t,h;ei\var, ntarked the; beginning ®f the end of the Zeppelin raids on Britain. The story is told from the official “History of the War in the Air,” by Mr, H. A. Jones. It October' 1, 1916, a calm autumn evening, that Mathy set .out in the L. 31 with several other raiding Zeppelins. The story of the destruction is best told in the words of Sec-ond-Lieutenant W. J. Tempest, who brought down the L. 31. “About 11.45 p.m.’, the British airman says in his official report made at the time, “I found myself over South-west Loudon, at an altitude of 14,500 feet. There was a heavy ground fog. I was gazing over toward the North-east of London when I noticed all the searchlights in that quarter concentrated in an enormous ‘pyramid.’ Following them up to the apex, 1 saw a small cigar-shaped object, which I at once recognised as a Zeppelin, about 15 miles away, and heading straight for London, i i ■ “To get to the Zeppelin 1 had l to pass through a very inferno-of ! burs - ing shells from the anti-aircraft ■ guns below. . ’ • ‘ i r'.i Straight Dive at Zeppelin

“All at once, it appeared to me 'that the Zeppelin must have sighted ; We; for she dropped all her bombs Imbue volley, swung round, tilted her nbse and proceeded to ■ race away northward, climbing rapidly as she went. I made after her at all speed at about 15.000 feet altitude, gradually overhauling her. ' > • •' “As 1- drew up with the Zeppelin, to my relief I found that I was free from anti-aircraft fire, for the nearest shells were bursting quite-three miles away. The Zeppelin wasrcriow nearly 15.000 feet high and mounting rapidly. I therefore decided to dive at her, for though I held a slight advantage in speed, she was . climbing like a rocket and leaving me (Standing. “I accordingly dived straight at the Zeppelin, firing a?-burst straight into her as 1 came. I let her have another burst as 1 passed under her, and then, banking my machine over, sat under her tail, and flying along underneath her, pumped lead into her for till ■ [ was worth, I could see tracer bullets flying from her in all directions, but I was too closely under, her for her to concentrate on me. As I-was firing I noticed her begin to go red inside like an enormous Chinese, lantern, and then a flame shot out of ; |he front part of her and I realised she was on fire.