THE AIR.

Taranaki Daily News, 1 June 1917, Page 5

THE AIR.

BATTLES IN THE AIR. GERMANS HOPELESSLY BEATEN. MACHINES FALL' TO PIECES. ■ Received' May 31, 11.50 p.m. London, May 3!. Correspondents on the Western front give graphic details of recent air battles at a height of three miles. The British, whose mastery is indisputable, have frequent encounters with hostile groups numerically Huperior, which, however, they easily down. The most extraordinary feature of the latest lighting is that many of the German machines, on being thus harried and outmanoeuvred, fall suddenly to pioces, owing to faulty construction or defective repairs, attributed to the enforced haste to make good the serious losses during tho past few weeks. The Daily Chronicle's correspondent at headquarters supplies details of marvellous air fighting on the 27th, and shows that thiHy German machines were brought down. Fifteen were seen to crash or were hopelessly afire. Fourteen were driven down entirely uncontrolled. Only one fell from gunfire, because so few of the enemy ventured across our lines. AEROPLANE ATTACKS. A SCHEME OF DEFENCE. Received May 31, 5.5 p.m. London, May 30. General French, replying to a Folkestone deputation, stated it was impossible absolutely to prevent aeroplanes' attacks, but a scheme of defence had been reconsidered in the light of the experience gained in. the recent raid, and he hoped measures would be taken to make any repetition a risky operation involving heavy loss. No other air raid on Britain has produced, so many casualties as the last aeroplane raid. Six or seven Zeppelins on January 21, 1916, kliled 67 persons and injured 117, in October of 1916 Zeppelins killed 60 people* and injured I'ls in London and the Eastern Counties. Tho Secretary of State for Home Affairs gave the casualties in air raids up to May 29, last ye?r, as 409 killr/1 and 1005 injured. The following is a list of aeroplane raids on England:— 1914 December 25: Aeroplane over Sheertiess. No damage. } December 26: Aeroplane over Thames. No Damage. 1915 January 19: Aeroplane over Yarmouth. Pour killed and 1 wounded. February 21: Aeroplane over Essex Trivial damage. j February 25: Aeroplane over ' East Coast. April 16: Aeroplanes over Kent. No damage. May 3: Aeroplane over Dover. No damage, July 3: Aeroplane and seaplane over Harwich. No damage. ■ September 13: Aeroplanes over Kent,. Seven wounded. 1916 ' /■ January 23: Aeroplane drops bomb* on Kent by moonlight. One killed, fl injured. January 23: Two aeroplanes drop bombs on Kent. No damage. January 25: One aeroplane over Dover. No damage. February 9: Two seaplanes made raid on Kent. Three injured. February 20: Six aeroplanes raided Suffolk and Kent. One killed, 1 injvred. March 1: One seaplane over Kent. One killed. March 19: Four seaplanes over East' Kent. Fourteen killed, 27 wounded. April 24: One aeroplane over Dover. No damage. May 3: One aeroplane over Deal. Six bomb* on station, and houses damaged. Three injured. May 20: Three seaplanes over Kent. Windows broken. July 9: Two seaplanes made raid on Kent. Windows broken. JAugust 12: Two seaplanes over Dover. Seven soldiers injured, September 22: One seaplane over Dover. No damage. October 22: One seaplane over Sheerncss (raider destroyed at sea). Very slight damage to railway. October 23: One seaplano over Margate. Slight damage. Two injured. November 28: Seaplane over London. 1917 May 25: Sixteen aeroplanes over South-east coast, seventy-six killed, 174 injured.