WAR IN THE AIR

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16258, 8 July 1918, Page 7

WAR IN THE AIR

[By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright) (Australian and N.Z. Cable Association.)

(Reuters Telegrams.)

(Received July 7th, 5.5 p.m.)

LONDON, July 5,

During the post week the air fighting has been intense, and an abnormally high percentage of German machines has been destroyed by the British.

'An increasingly menacing portent is the British air raids over Germany, whose large and more distant cities are now in constant fear of attack. This is occasioning a rapidly-spreading anxiety and alarm throughout Germany. The new British independent fighting force has been specially conspicuous by a series of heavy, telling blows against big industrial centres in the Rhine provinces.

Our naval airmen also have been vigorously carrying out daring offensiras against vital enemy Bea stations on the Belgian coast.

Sir Douglas Haig reports?—

"Our aeroplanes co-operated in our successful attack on July 4th southward of the Somme, by heavily bombing German positions throughout the previous night, and machine-gunning and bombing from a low altitude enemy troops and transports.

"During the actual operation we destroyed 11 machines and drove down ten. Four British machines engaged in that area are missing. 11l our machines engaged at other parts of the front returned.

"We dropped 33J tons of bombs on July 4th and the nights of July 4th and July sth." The Air Ministry reports:— "On the morning of July sth our aeroplanes heavily attacked the railway station at Coblenz and successfully bombed Saarbrucken, where we brought down two enomy attacking machines. All of our machines returned. 1 * LONDON. July 5. Sir Douglas Haig's aviation report says:— 'The weather is cloudy. Enemy activity was slight during the day. "Last night wo dropped 1(5 tons of bombs on railway junctions at Lille, Courtrai, and elsewhere. All our machines returned."

(Received July 7th, 11.45 p.m.) LONDON, July 6.

The Admiralty reports: —

"We dropped 15J tons of bombs cn Bruges, the lock gates at Zeebrugge, and sheds and warehouses on the "uay at Ostend; also on two aerodromes. Bursts of flames were observed in sheds, warehouses, and hangars."