IN THE AIR.
THE RAID ON ENGLAND. SOMEBODY BLUNDERED. NEW ZEALAND AVIATOR KILLED. London, Oct. 2). Although six or seven Zeppelins crossed tlie coast it is believed that only one penetrated the London area, and dropped bombs in throe districts. During the air raid Lieutenant Solomon, of tho Royal Flying Corps, was killed. He ascended from an air station in an eastern .county, but something went wrong with his machine and he was dashed to earth. Lieutenant Solomon was a New Zealander, who served in Mesopotamia.
The Sunday Times says Londoners and, all Englishmen are chagrined that the fleet of Zeppelins was able to visit the capital and escape scot free. Somebody blundered, how otherwise can be explained the strange shyness of the searchlights and the consequent shyness of our vaunted barrage ?
ZEPPELIN RAID ON FRANCE. A WARM RECEPTION FIVE BROUGHT DOWN OTHERS HEMMED IN. Paris, Oct. 21. Official, Eleven Zeppelins raided France last night and were chased in all j directions by aeroplanes and harassed by gunfire. Official warning was given in Paris, but no bombs were dropped. The guns brought down a Zeppelin r.ear Uineville and another in the Upper Marne district. Aeroplanes) brought down a third in Burgundy and a fourth in the Maritime Alps, after all-night chase. The report that a fifth was brought dovn has not been confirmed.
The crow of one were taken prisoner, and the Zeppelin itself is intEot. Two others were disabled when attacked by the aeroplanes and anti-aircraft nuns', and weiv compelled to descend. The crews set fire to the airships and took flight. hut were taken prisoners. Besides those brought down four disabled Zeppelins are wandering about France, two in the south-west, one over the Mediterranean, and one on the Swiss frontier. All arc closely hemmed in by French aviators. The first Zeppelin was shot down nt St. Clements Meurthe and Moselle (on the border of Lorraine) at 7 o'clock on Saturday morning. Three airships were seen in company travelling 5G miles an hour against a head wind. Anti-aircraft guns opened at a range of 4000 metres and the Zeppelins leapt to 5500 metres (3 miles). The fourth shell penetrated the envelope of one, which ignited, and one of tin gondolas became detached and fell, then tho Zeppelin, noso upwards, crashed to ecrth. Five bodies, fearfully mutilated, were found nearby, but the remainder were buried in the ruins. Tlie second Zeppelin, L4D, was forced to land undamaged at 9.20 by chasing aeroplanes at Bourbonne, .10 miles west by south of Nancv (in the same disI triet as St. Clements). The commander, [second officer and seventeen were taken prisoner.
The third, Lsfl, alighted at Dammartin, near Montigny-le-Roi (half-way between Verdun and Dijon). Tivo officers and fourteen men landed, of whom two were slightly wounded. They released one of the gondolas and ignited' it and the Zeppelin, with foitr men on "board, swiftly reascended. A prisoner st»ted that LSO left the base at Oldenburg on the 19th and lost her way in the fog while trying to return to Germany. A fourth Zeppelin fell in Laragne, rear Gap in Provence (south-eest France, near Italian border), at 10.50. Two officers and fifteen men were taken prisoner after burning the machine. A fifth was brought down at 4 o'clock in the afternoon 'between Sisteron and Gap. The crew set fire to it before they vi ere taken prisoner.
RETURNING FROM ENGLAND.
ZEPPELINS LOSE THEIR WAY. Received Oct, 22, 7.5 p.m. Paris, Oct). 21, A log book of the undamaged zeppelin shows that the craft was returning from England. Prisoners from the three Zeppelins state they were sent to England and lost their way on the return journey. The captured zeppelins seem to be of a new type, being bigger than usual and able to fly 110 kilometres (nearly 70 | miles) per hour and rise to 6000 metres. A GRAND AIR OFFENSIVE. i GERMAN PREPARATIONS. Received Oct, 23, 1.50 a.m. Paris, Oct. 22. A prisonered German aviator states that Germany fa preparing for a grand air offensive by masses of machines, forestalling those being constructed in America. The Germans include a giant biplane, with four motors, carrying bombs weighing *hree hundred kilogrammes. The Germans had two thousand aeroplanes in July, and were sparing no efforts to increase the number.
IN THE AIR FOR 30 HOURS,
GERMANS LOSE 141 KILLED OR PRISONERS.
j# Received Oct. 23, 1.3® a.m. Londori, Oct, 22, Apparently eleven aeroplanes were engaged in the raid, of which eiglit reached France. The three othors retired Via Holland.
An airship was reported disabled over Toulon, almost vertical. It disappeared over the Mediterranean, and it is believed it fell into the sea. / French aviators were compell® to abandon the pursuit, owing to the approaching night. The Zeppelins were the largest yet fieen. Some must have been in the air 1 30 hours and travelling 1200 miles. I It is estimated that whereas there were 80 casualties in England, the Germans lost 141 killed or prisonfered, .CONSTERNATION IN GERMANY THE ZEPPELINS A FAILURE. Received Oct. 1% •9.5 p.m. Amsterdam, Oct. 21. The zeppelin disaster has caused widespread consternation in Germany. It is admitted that the disaster demonstrates the failure of the zeppelin as an offensive weapon.
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Taranaki Daily News, 23 October 1917, Page 5
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870IN THE AIR. Taranaki Daily News, 23 October 1917, Page 5
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