A ZEPPELIN VOYAGE.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11672, 12 April 1916, Page 1

A ZEPPELIN VOYAGE.

FROM GERMANY TO LONDON. A COMMANDER TELLS HIS EXPERIENCES. Th© air raids recently over England and Scotland have set people talking : of the, power of th© Zeppelins and the damage they can do. j What is it like to he in a ZeppelinP | Tho German Commander Mathy gives [ some interesting particulars in his talk to Karl von Wiegand (correspondent of the "New York "World") about his Zeppelin raid on London. " GLIDING THROUGH THE AIR. "As the sun eank in the west wa were still a considerable distance out over the North Sea. Below us it wag rapidly getting dark, but it was stillE light up where we were. On one side another Zeppelin, in grey warpaint like that of my craft, was visibln in the waning light'against the clear sky, gliding majestically through the air. I "A low mist hung in the distance ! where England was. Tho stars came j out, and it grew,colder. We took ani other pull at our thermos bottles and ate something. As we neared the coast II set the elevating planes so as to go still higher, in order that our motors 1 should not disclose our presence too soon. "I cannot-tell you the exact time or place wo crossed the coastline, as that might be to the advantage of the enemy. Tho men went to the guhs which fight off aeroplanes, and. the others were each at their posts. Mj lieutenant took his place at the firing apparatus which releases the bombß and controls the speed, or rapidity with which they are dropped according to my orders from the_ bridge or tho front of the gondola. It is a cold, clear, starlit night, and there is no moon—one of those nights when the distance of objects in the sky is illusive, and difficult to get the range of, but our instruments tell us exactly how are." . A FAIRY-LIKE PICTURE. Commander Mathy pointed out how the Thames was an excellent guide to their Zeppelim however dark tlie city might be. He adds:— "I headed straight for th© glow in tho sky, and then for a point on the Thames to get bearings for my attacks. Soon-the city was outlined in the distance. -There were dark spots which stood out from tho blur of lights in the well-lit portions. The residential sections were hot "much darkened. It was the .dark spots I was after, and I boro on them, as they marked the city. " London seen at night from a great height is a fairy-like picture. We were too see the people, in the streets. There was no sign of life except in the distance the moving of lights of what were probably trains. All seemed still and quiet, and nti noise ascends from below „ amid the\ spluttering of the motors and the whir-; ring of the propellers. . ! " Our motors and propellers 6ooni revealed our. presence. First one and, theu,anather and; another of those tibbons shooting out. .from glaring: eyelike searchlights pick.us tip. ' Now.from low comes an ominous sound that penetrates the noise of the motors and the propellers. There are little fed flashes' and short bursts of fire which" stand out prominently against the black background. THE SOUND OF GUNS. "From north and south, from right and left, they appear, and following tho flashes rolls up from below thej sound of the guns. It is a beautiful and impressive but fieeiing picture as; seen from above, and is probably no; less interesting from below—the greyish.' dim outlines of the Zeppelins gliding, through the waving ribbons of light and! shrapnel cloudlets which hang thickly. "But wo have no timo to admire/ our eyes and minds must be concentrated on our work; for any moment we may ba plunged below, a shapeless mass of wreckage and human bodies dashed into the unrecognisable. You saw it at Johannistal (the aerodrome near Berlin) two years ago. I had so little time to register my impressions that I have to think back to give you ! a descriptive word picture of the j scene." j The commander next spoke of the f shock your nerves get when the London searchlights pick you up, and you sco the first flash of the guns that are taking aim at you. Pulling yourself together, however, you pick out such places as the Bank of England ? St Paul's, etc., and so get your bearings. You then giro the order "Fire and following that, there mingles with the noiso of the engines the thunder of the explosives caused by the bombs you aro dropping. FLAMES FROM THE CITY. " I soon observed flames bursting forth in several places. Over Holborn Viaduct and. the vicinity of Holborn Station .we dropped several bombs. From the Bank of England to the Tower, a short distance. I tried to hit the Tower Bridge, and I believo I was successful, but what was the extent of the damage I could not determine. Flashes from tho Tower showed that guns were placed there, which I had already observed during a previous attack. They were keeping up a lively firo. "Arriving directly over Liverpool Street Sation, I shouted .'Rapid fire' through the tube, and tho bombs rained down. There was a succession of detonations and bursts "of lire, and I could see that they hod hit well and caused, apparently great damage, which has boon confirmed by reliable reports wo have since received. " Flames burst forth in_several places j in that vicinity. Haviifg dropped all my bombs I turned my airship for home. My orders had been carried' out quickly. Despite the bombardment of tho sky we had not been hit. "In point of damage and hitting tho object, which 1 was instructed to attack it- was my most, successful trip over tho vicinity. Ascending or descending until wc found a favourable wind we made a quick return." The abovo extracts will give readers soni? idea of what it is like to be in a raiding Zeppelin: what the sights and sensations ore. to bo in an aircraft bent on mischief, sailing over a hostile place, and the thrilling experiences that come to one engaged in battles in tho air. When Commander Mathy published these experiences they were passed by the censor in England, but it was pointed out that many of the statements were entirely untrue.