New-York tribune., 1915-03-28
HOW AIR RAIDS
ARE ORGANIZED
Attacks by Aeroplanes or Sea-
planes Require Much Plan
ming of Details.
<I- HIRTY-FOUR naval neroplsnes
and seaplaneS took part, ,saa sa'a a
4 the Secretary Of tho British

<<- HIRTY-FOUR naval neropisnes
and seaplanes took part" said
tho Secretary OF tho British
Admiralty when announcing details OIL
the recent air raid over German foru-
dcations in Belgium. and thus an IN
tricate piece of organization was light
lv passed over with true British brew
itv For such undertakings require an
;umnnse amount of detailed planning
The fleet Of aeroplanes engaged mas
70 be manpuvred with the same pre-
cision that armies are controiIed on
land or ships at sea. Az the outset tng
machines. twenty feet apart are Tahsenu -
in a long line-"the thin Drown iine,
as il Is humorously called IN the army
and mechanics, having filled the
tanks 10 the limit of their capacity
,yitb netrol. stand at attention. ready
to swing the propellers. Before climb
mo INTO hjs seat each pilot interviews
tbe commanding officer of the air
souadron and receives his final orders
which differ in nearly every case. FOR
a fixed destination is chosen Tor eaeh
gving officer. One has to make for
fortress on which 10 drop his explo-
sives another is instructed TO blow up
an airship shed, while the destruction
of an important bridge is the mission
of a third. BY this means maximum
amount OF damage is accomplished.
The nilot at the end OF the line IS
tho frst 10 be ordered aloft, and ms
companions follow him at intervals or
five minutes, until the aeroplanes are
Aving toward their destination strung
out like a flock of ducks. Each AVA
tor steers his course By map and COM
mass placed on a dashboard before him
and surrounded by nest OF drawers
which contain such articles as Iher-
mos flask, chocolate cubes wrapped IN
protective tinfoil, revolver holder
and a dispatch pad with shsrpened
pencils
on the map is prominently marked
the spot where the aviator ia 70 drop MS
bombs. and ne is not likely TO miss ms
destination, for flyers maps are IN
geniously drawn to prevent pilots from
losing their bearings. They are COM
piled on the principle that an aviator
has TO pick his way almost entirely py
prominent objects that stand out from
the landscape below. Isolated build
ings, trees and mills are distinctly
marked in colors as near rs possloie 70
the hue seen b. the aviator. RIVERS
are colored to a blush silver, WOODS
and trees dark green, roads gray
ish white and Notifications deep
black. Dangerous landing places, teie-
graph wires, rail feLces and similar
menaces to the descending aeropiane
are prominently indicated on tne map
in red.
As an attacking air feet nears It's
destination the aviators separate. and
at a HEIGHT of 5000 feet make for their
respective marks. When over the
structure he has been instructed to de-
stroy the flyer drops the nose OF ms
machine and dives almost verucally
until within 500 feet of the ground.
With a foot pedal he then releases
three or four bombs in rapid success
sion and shoots skyward TO safety' ne
notes the damage he has done. and,
climbing high into the clouds Tor
safety from the enemy's gunhre, he
turns his machine in the direction OF
the air base 10 which he has had or
ders TO return within q certain limit OF
time.
If the raider is brought to earth
through a mishap TO his machine or by
nOsLllt EuHuIt. ne mas liAoNA NSN'S'',
burn his aeroplane rather than allow
it to fall into the hands OF the enemy
that is to say. if he survives his fall.
Seaplane raids are organized on
much the same lines "a those carried
out with land aeroplanes. The naval
machines are launched either from a
ships deck by being dropped over
board by means OF cranes. or they are
dispatched from the seashore. In the
latter case the sailor mechanics have
10 wade up to their necks in water reg
istering many degrees below comfort in
order to maneuvre the machines into
position. The naval pilots occasionally
carry with them a device known as the
Holmes light. IL is thrown into the
water when the pilot wishes to drop
on the waves in a bad light, and it
bursts into fame on being INN. .rsed.
The aviator then alights close 20 this
flare. the light from which enables him
to detect the exact position OF the
waters surface even at night.-Tit-
Bits.