BOMBING RHINE TOWNS

Waikato Times, Volume 89, Issue 13891, 17 October 1918, Page 7

BOMBING RHINE TOWNS

A BRITISH RAID DESCRIBED. hJS ♦*? r e gree L n aerodrome, mi ies behind the lines, th e big British bomb! ers were prepared for tneir raS of huge machines stood waiting fof the finishing touches, looking in the twf Sn^ 6 t nt birds costing on the found. To one side were the smnlW Jghting aeroplanes which would escort the raiders on their long flightTS &fi n il^ rmto / y - \» ks had w7rPutt,T d 5 OW the hu S° bombs on to lh C J -," tr ° llios an d fitted Zu th« underside of the 'planes, belts and drums of ammunition were placed ready for use, and the en<Jn 7W a » was in order A little before dark the pilots and gun! ners arrived by two 8 and threes. Each officer carefully examined his particular part of the machine, and one by SSL the aeroplanes left the ground in the gathering dusk and began at once to climb. Last of all the escorting madunes went up. Mile after mile thev flew through the darkness. Below the faint outlines of fields and streams .ould be dimjy distinguished, with ponds and streams gleaming through the night. They crossed the fighting lines at an immense altitude untroubled by "Archie" or anv other terror of the sky, steadily humming towards the big German town which was that night's objective. After a good two hours' flight a signal flared from the leading machine. ine Rhine was at hand, and evervone prepared for action. Guns were fingered tenderly, bomb-releases looked to and sights adjusted. Then the first searchlights picked up the formation, and a moment later the skv was covered with puffs of smoke'; shrannel shrieked through the air, and lon<r wavering beams flashed hither and thither to aid the German gunners at their task. Down went the noses of the machines as they dived through the barrage, each pilot intent on keeping his place in the formation and hoping that a stray shot might not reach" his engine. The fighters remained on high, waiting for the German aeroP l an j S T hlch shou]d arri ™ soon out of the darkness. Another signal flashed out, and factories and railway were now within easy range. One bv one, and in salvoes, the pilots planted their bombs. Muffled roars from below announced the arrival of tons of high explosive; red flashes showed where the explosions took place. At one place a huge sheet of flam c shot upwards, tintinir half th« heavens with a rosy 'glow. A moment lator a louder lK)om"showed the cause of the fire; the main object of the raid had been achieved, the munition factory hit, and a conflagration started. Up to this point the work of the raiders had been simple. Then the German night pilots came on the scene, endeavouring to break up the formation and overpower the bombers singly, instead of attacking them when they were well able to defend themselves. This was precisely the chance which the escorting fighters had waited for. Diving through the night thev fell on their foes, shooting at close range, and sending two of th e Germans down in flames to add to the terror of the town below. "Archie," meanwhile, had died away; there was as much danger of hitting friends as of bringing down foes in the wild turmoil winch now filled the night. At last all the bombs were dropned. Several fire glowed in the town, "and -it least one terrific series of explosions proved that the heart of the target had Iven reached. The signal to retire was given and the formation withdrew, whilst the esrort acted as n renr-gtiard to drive off any foes who were venturesome enough to follow. Another terrific storm of shell-fire greeted them as they left the town, but no damage was done, and the barrage gradually died down as the machines drew out of range.

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