AIRMAN WINS THE D.S.O.

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2742, 10 April 1916, Page 5

AIRMAN WINS THE D.S.O.

FLIGHT-COMMANDER BONE'S

EXPLOIT

DARING ATTACK AT SEA

LIEUTENANT BRANDON'S EXPLOIT

The High Commissioner reports:—

London, April 7, 5.45 p.m. The Press Bureau reports as follows on the exploit of Flight .Commander Bone, who has been awarded ths D.S.O, for gallantry in pursuing a hostile seaplane over thirty miles to sea and forcing an action, in spite of the fact that ho himself was in a small, land ma« chine :— Bone left the aerodromewhile the enemy was still in sight, and, making uo attempt to climb steeply, concentrated his attention on keeping the enemy in sight.' After pursuing him for nearly thirty miles, his machine, by a superior climb, attained a height of 9000. fest, 2000 feet above the enemy. From this position, flying slightly nose down, he rapidly overhauled the enemy, and endeavoured to make a vertical dive, firing hi. machine-gun. The enemy replied! vigorously. Bone manoeuvred to get ahead of the hostile machine. Having succeeded, he steered straight at him, diving to pass below, turning with a vertical right-hand "bank" almost immediately under him. The enemy turned his mschine.away to the left before they met, and the observer was visible hanging over the right-hand side of the fusilage, apparently dead 'or severely wounded. Bone's speed carried him within 15 or 20 feet of the enemy, and he had no difficulty in keeping his sights on, firing four or five bursts of about six rounds, until the enemy dived steeply, with smoke pouring from his engine. The propeller stop* pe_d in a vertical position, but the machine, under control, succeeded in landing safely. BRANDON'S FIGHT WITH THE ZEPPELIN STORY OF THE EXPLOIT (Reo. April 9, 5.5 p.m.) April 8. Later details of Lieut. A. do B. Bram don's encounter with the Zeppelin state that the New Zealander left the aerodrome under orders to patrol in the direction where the enemy's aircraft were expected. He. sighted his quarry and chased, driving his machine "all out." He lost sight of the airship, but finally re-sighted her at his own level, six thousand feet high. He then rose four hundred feet above the roundted bows of the Zeppelin, sharply/turned over the top, and liberated three bombs at one sweep. He heard three distinct detonations m rear of the airship. , The latter fired round after round from her machine guns,,and Brandon felt the bullets hit his machine, but he determined upon.another shot. He saw sparks issuing from the Zeppelin's stern, and flew towards her how and dropped more explosives, despite a heavy mach-ine-gun fire. The Zeppelin was then lost in the darkness. ,

AIR FIGHT IN THE DARK' ITALIANS ENGAGE A RAIDING SQUADRON. (Eec. April 9, 5.5 p.m.) Rome, April 8. An Italian communique 6tates :— "Seven aeroplanes on Thursday night raided the Isonzo lines. Our aviators attacked them in the darkness, and brought dbwn two." WEDNESDAY'S ZEPPELIN RAID SERIOUS DAMAGE BY OUk BATTERIES. By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright London, April 7. ; Amsterdam reports that the British coast batteries seriously damaged the three Zfeppelins that took , part in Wednesday night's raid. THE INVISIBLEASSASSINS DIFFICULT FOE SEARCHLIGHTS TO PIOK UP. ("Times" and Sydney "Sun" Services.) London, April .7.'' The approximate invisibility of the latest Zeppelins is the result of. the Germans' experiments. The searchlights find increasing, difficulty in picking them up, and when they are discovered they endeavour to elude the lights by rapid rising. •Country, correspondents of "The Times" agree that the latest Zeppelins show decreased noisiness, indicating that the persistent efforts to silence the engines are becoming more successful. The "Cologne Gazette" says the series of air raids on England is due to a conversation between the Kaiser and Count Zeppelin, who was recently summoned to headquarters. The "Gazette" regrets the loss of life' and adds: "England l only'saved the crew because she was afraid to repeat the shameful act of the King Stephen."' [Zeppelin Ll9 was disiovored in a sinking condition in the North Sea in February last. The trawler King Stephen came.up to the Zeppelin, and the airship commander offered considerable sums if the rtawler would take him and his crew off. Since there were over twenty on the airship, some of whom were armed, the trawler's skipper, afraid' of being overpowered, refused to take any risks, and steamed away, to the cries of. "Gott strafe England."] GERMAN OFFICIAL REPORT OF WEDNESDAY'S RAID (Rec. April 9, 5.5 p.m.) Amsterdam,; April 8. A German communique claims:—"Oui naval airships on Wednesday pight destroyed ■ large ironworks near Whitby (on the English east coast), after previously putting out of action a battery at North Hull. "We also attacked'the factories _in Leeds and a number of railway stations in the industrial district. ' "Our airships returned undamaged."