The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1916-04-04
Zeppelin Raiding Up to Date.

Zeppelin raids upon England will
continue 50 long rs the German Ad-
miralty reports that munition fac
tories are destroyed. Notifications
damaged and batteries silenced, and
il will make no difference that many
non-combatants, including women and
children. are killed. But whit an
illogical and futile business 1t is. The
raids are generally made NJ night
and the throwing Of bombs and ex-
plosiycs must be- done 10y seurchlight
when the XcppclinS, 10 avoid shell fire
;s much rs possible. are moving at
high speed ut a great altitude.
Under such conditions accuracy Of
aim Is out of the question. The re-
suit generally is that explosives In
tended for II munition factory or a
fort fall among city houses. and us
only the poor live, rs IA rule, In the
vicinity of n factory Or fertilization
the non-comhatant victims are likely
to he workmen and their families.
1t is seldom that II soldier or sailor
is killed. After every raid Berlin Is
ready with a positive statement that
it was u great military success. the
slaughter of civilians and the few
coinbatants being ignored. Upon the
officers commanding airships the Ger
man Admiralty Is dependent for in
formation, and these officers can only
indulge in conjecture. Again and
again ii has been shown that the re-
ports they turned in were wide of the
truth; furthermore, IL has often been
the case that the aerOnnuts did not
know the name of the town they
were sailing over.
Last Friday night when n raid was
made on the east coast counties the
mir was unusually clear, and it has
been asked "If the Germans showed
such ignorance of the localities they
visited under ideal weather condi-
tions. how can they hope to do mill
tary damage under much less favor
able conditionS:"
That the invaders last week OK
celled in "frightfulness." destroying
Il great many dwelling houses and
killing and wounding 800 persons. Is
admitted in England: but, according
to Commander BREIrHAurT Of Lis,
which was brought down into the
bombs dropped by Lieutenant BRAN
Don, who flew in an acroplane above
this Zeppelin, the object Of the raids
is purely military. "iou must not
suppose he says, that We set ont
to kill women and children. You
would not find one officer in the Ger
man army or navy who would 90 in
a zeppelin to Kill women and chill
drcn. Such things happen accident
ally in war; And yet the killing OF
nOn-combatants Is about all that j.
accomplished.
If the Germans achieved anything
of military value propOrtionate to the
scale of raiding, not owe the censor
could long keep the facts concealed
The truth is the military damage IN
many invasions has been almost nil
but by this time many hundreds OF
non.combatants have been killed OF
mutilated, probably between one ant
two thousand. It Is characteristic OF
the German officer that Commander
BREITHAUPT fatty refused to believ,
his captors when they said that eli
all their raids they 1.-THE Germans.
had not been able to destroy anythin.
of military Importance in Great Brit
ain." BREITHAurT of course believed
that his captors were not allowed Il
tell the truth, and he said 81.
This. then, is tho state Of tho case
the German sailors do not want I,