ON A ZEPPELIN RAIDER

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2576, 25 September 1915, Page 5

ON A ZEPPELIN RAIDER

GERMAN COMMANDER'S STORY , THE ATTACK ON LONDON By Telegraph—Press-Association— Copyright - (Rec. Loudon, September 24.) London, September 24. The ''New York World" publishes a description of an air raid on London, by tho Zeppelin commander Mathy. . "It was a clear, moonlight night. Distances in the sky are illusive, and it is difficult to find the range, but our instruments told us our qxact height. The most important guides were the silver surface of the Thames'and the glow of London,'. which. is visible at a' distance of thirty-seven miles. .Tho English will iiover eradicate the Thames, flora which" we can always pick lip any point.- :London, although darkened, threw-up a sufficient'glow :to enable straight steering, -until - the city was out-lined,, still and silent. Below tho darkest spots stood , out in contrast to the blue lights and other '.portions,, mostly residential. We were after the darker spots.

Tho Alarm, "Searchlights suddenly flashed, as if the dead city had come to life, waving their arms around the sky as if sending out feelers for the danger which was threatening them. Our. height made it impossible for effeotive anti-aircraft range-finding. "There was a military' justification for bombing a battery which was screened near St. Paul's,' jmt we abstained from shelling, not. desiring to damage the Cathedral. We endeavoured to bomb the Lower Bridge, but are not certaip of' the result-of our efforts. "We never encountered 'an aeroplane, but the British anti-aircraft. gunners were always ready. Our motors and propellers soon revealed our presence. First one and then another of those ribbons of light 6liot out from the glaring eyelike searchlights, and picked us up, Later,' little flashes, of fire burst from the black background, and then came the sound of tiro guns. It was a beautiful aud impressive picture from above, and was probably equally interesting below, with the greyish dim outline of the Zeppelius gliding through the'waving ribbons of light and shrapnel clouds. But tvo had no time to admire these things, for we knew that at.any moment we might be plunging Silow in a, shapeless mass of wreckage and unrecognisable'bodies."

Dropping tho Bombs. "I picked up St. Paul's Cathedral, where a,'big searchlight was installed, and laid a course for the Bank of England. ■ When above the Bank I shouted to' the lioutenantto fire slowly, Mingling with the vivid flashes from the guns came the explosions and bursts of flames which were due to our bombs. Wo dropped several on iHolborn Viaduct. From the Bank we went to the Tower, where I believe we. did successful bombing. Over iihe Tower Bridge the flashes from the Tower, of London showed the guns there, as I observed on^ our previous attack. "Arriving directly. over. Liverpool Street Station, I shouted: 'Rapid fire!' The lieutenant rained down the bombs. I could see that they hit well, and apparently caused great damage. Flames burst forth from several places. At last; having dropped all our bombs, we turned the airships homewards. Despite the bombardment we were not hit. Our maiii attack lasted ten minutes, and finished at 11 o'clock, the Zeppelin ascending and descending until it found a. favourable wind, 'when it made a quick return.

Mathy is thirty-four years of ago. Ho formerly commanded a destroyer, and the present is Ms hundredth voyage in a Zeppelin, including several trips to England. He states that there is not an officer or man in the aerial fleet Who does not feel deeply when lie learns that women and children have l>eeirliill6d. He would rather fight on board, a, torpedo boat _ than attack a city from the air. His chief impression while in the air is the speed and tho intense cold, when from three to five thousand feet up. Asked what height .her was at when he bombed London, Jlatliy refused to give tho English range. They aro doing well enough, and learning fast. "If Balfour had stood at my side and seen tile flashing of tho guns lie would not have denied that London was a defended city." .

COMMENTS BY THE PRESS BUREAU. FALSEHOODS AND INVENTIONS. (Rec. September 25,. .I.lo' a.m.) .. London. September 34. J h? Pi'sss tJn.fsiw pusses th& atjovo jfcjuwifflww

untruths, notably, the battery under ? a^'s ' . "This statement can. only bo characterised as a falsehood, invented for tho purpose of excusing what tho raiders are attempting to do."