RAID ON ADDIS ABABA.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume IV, Issue 100, 6 April 1936, Page 5

RAID ON ADDIS ABABA.

Italian 'Planes Machine-gun City.

POPULACE IN FLIGHT.

Press Association—ronyrisrht. Addis Ababa, April 4.

Five Italian aeroplanes carried out a daring reconnaissance raid on Addis Ababa early this morning they did not' drop bombs but- machine-gunned 'the aerodrome and destroyed an Abyssinian aeroplane and damaged another, also the hangars. Spasmodic rifle fire from various, parts of the town was ineffective. The planes disappeared within an hour. Believing the object of the raid was to secure aerial photographs and rectify maps in readiness for bombing raids the population is hurriedly evacuting the capital. Tens of thousands of eucalyptus trees have been felled to cover dugouts and trenches constructed to form air raid shelters. Elaborate precautions have been taken to protect the foreign legations and consulates. Although the British legation has offered sanctuary to Europeans numbers of them are hurrying to Djibouti. Trains travelling to that place are crowded. The Mayor severely punished 109 men' for firing rifles against the raiders as orders were given not to reply to the Italian attack, Addis Ababa being an open town. Falling rifle bullets injured ,several, including a British subject.

The foreign legations have decided to ask''{he Italian Government whether it is now intended to bomb the capital in breach of Italy's former undertaking, especially as Addis Ababa is denuded of troops and military stores. The Italians also bombed Jijiga and Diredawa.

At Geneva Mr. Kerouy, the Abyssinian Foreign Minister, strongly protested against the raiding of Addis Ababa as a flagrant violation of the Hague Convention prohibiting the bombardment of open towns.

The Italians at Asmara declare that every man of the crews of the planes which attacked Addis Ababa was wounded by machine-gun or other anti-air-craft 1 fire.