IN THE AIR.

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 18 June 1917, Page 5

IN THE AIR.

ZEPPELIN RAID ON ENGLAND,

ONE DOWNED IN FLAMES.

LONDON, June 17

British official. —Early this morning some enemy airships approached the east and south-east coasts. Two came a short distance inland, one crossingEast Anglia, the other coming over Kent. The latter dropped bombs. Some damage was done, and a fire broke out in a coast town.

One Zeppelin was downed in flames. A NEW TYPE OF BOMB USED. DEADLY TO LIFE. 9.20 a.m. LONDON, June 17. At the raid'inquest evidence disclosed the Germans are using' a new type of bomb filled with shrapnel. It is less destructive to property but deadly to life. A girl was killed fifty yards away by shrapnel, the fragments passing through two intervening houses.

Aviation, experts are unanimous that no bomb dropping device in existence is capable of dropping bombs at twelve thousand feet with anything like precision; therefore the sole object of the raids on London is to frighten people. It -would only be playing the enemy’s game to divert aeroplanes from the West Front, but the public are justified in demanding that sufficient machines be retained in England to meet the raiders on equal terms.

FURTHER PARTICULARS.

The High Commissioner reports:— ■ A Zeppelin raid was carried out by two airships. One crossed the Kentish coast • dropping six bombs on a coastal tow r n, killing two and injuring sixteen persons. The second attacked an East English coast town, about 2.30 a.xn. It was heavily shelled by the antiaircraft defences and driven off, probably damaged by gunfire. Shortly afterwards the raider was engaged and brought down flaming by a pilot of the Royal Flying Corps, and was destroyed. There were no casualties or damage in East 'Anglia.