Imperial Valley press., 1914-12-28
Allies Succeed
With Air Craft

French aviators, according to official
announcements issued today, have car
ried out successful aerial attacks up
On the important aviation bases of the
Germans at Metz and at Brussels.
The aviation hangers at Frescaty,
near Metz, were bombarded and it is
believed considerable damage was
done. Bombs and arrows have been
dropped upon the railway station at
Metz and upon the military barracks
at st. Privat just outside the town.
AT Brussels II bombs were dropped
on the airship shed, six of which were
effective. The German hangar was
burned
An unofficial dispatch received by
the Exchange Telegram Company
from Rosendaal says.
at is rumored here that Zeppelin
was sighted near Nieuport this morn
ing and was shot at by the allies and
all its occupants killed in the debris
Of the airship as it descended"
With dramatic suddenness the
French avenged the Zeppelin attack
on Nancy, in which two persons were
killed and number wounded, by send
ing French aeroplanes over the enc
my's lines yesterday to drop bombs
en- the great German base and fortress
of Metz. The French war office as
serts in its official communique that
the German air attack on Nancy. in
which dozen bombs were dropped
by the Zeppelin on the center of the
city, were without military reason. On
the other hand, the targets of the
French aviators which successfully
reached the German fortress were
purely military.
of all the places on the German
side of the Lorraine border Metz is
the most important in the present op-
erations. 1t is the great depot
through which pass the supplies for
most of the German forces in the
southern part of the French terri
tory. Because of this its permanent
forts now are reinforced by almost
impregnabie supplementary defenses,
at which searchlights and anti aircraft
guns have been placed at every avail
able point from which they can sweep
the skies.
The French aeroplanes rose from
the base behind the French lines at an
early hour and turned toward Metz.
The progress eastward over the course
Of the Moselle appears to have gone
unnoticed until after they had crossed
the river and proceeded well toward
the western forts which form the ont
er ring Of the defenses of the Ger
man base and which even now are
reported to be under bombardment by
the French field guns.
The French aviators displayed great
skill and daring in maneuvering their
machines. Descending from the high
altitude at which they had crossed the
frontier in order that there might he
greater certainty of aim, they dropped
their first bomb.
From all points where the high an
gle guns Of the Germans could bc
brought to bear on the daring air
men the shrapnel began to burst near
the French machines, while from the
German hangers the rival airmen with
Their machine guns already began to
climb into the air.
The French ayiators dropped tbei,
bombs into a group of the hangar
and swept on across the city over one
OF the important railway stations,
where troops were being entrained for
the front. Here they dropped more
bombs. Swinging southwark as they
turned toward France and the safety
Of her lines, with the German ayia-
tors IN pursuit, the Frenchmen passed
ever the barracks at ST. Privat. where