New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-21
Giant Air Fleet Raids
Zeppelin and u
Boat Bases.
AlRMEN DROP 5 TONS
OF HIGH EXPLOSIVE
Great Damage Reported-Ger-
man Planes Wing Five
Enemies, Says Berlin.
BY GORDON BRUCE.
by Cable to The Tribun.

Lohd0n, March 20.-There is great
satisfaction in England to-day over the
successful outcome Of the greatest air
raid in the history of aerial warfare.
when sixty-fve Allied machines this
morning raided the German naval and
air bases at Zeebrugge. From what
observers reported. tremendous
amount Of damage was done without
loss Of life among the raiders.
1t is believed that this raid, coming
within few hours after four German
seaplanes attacked the English east
coast, marks the beginning Of a new
British aeronautical policy. Author
ties look for all subsequent attacks by
the Germans TO be followed promptly
by retaliatory action on huge scale.
An unusual feature Of the Zeebrugge
affair was the presence in the raiding
mir fleet Of fifteen fighting ironclad ma
chimes, heavily armed These were
used to protect bomb dropping craft
in case Of resistance developing.
This exploit, coupled with the feat
OF Commander Bone, who shot down
one German raider thirty miles of
shore yesterday. has done more 10 in
spire feelings Of confidence here than
all the talk i'm mass meetings Of the
last twelve months. Bone is hailed
as hero in all the papers. lie is the
first airman TO destroy German air
craft on British territory.
The raid on Zccbrugge ia considered
d splendid example Of what great mum
bcrs Of planes can do. Five tons Of
explosives were dropped by the bomb
carriers. an amount equal TO that car
ried by five Zcppelns. Each machine
bore 200 pounds Of bombs. l. IS re-
ported that the fiers showed romarka-
bic ACCURACY in their work, and for
the few German planes to have at
tempted TO Illustrate them would have
resulted only in their humiliation.
ZccbruIgc has Jared III in the matter
Of raids. knowledge of important
aviation bases there and a. Ostend
make these places fayorite objects OF
British activity. The two largest for
NOR raids have been over the same ter
r.torv. ON February II, 1915, thirty-four
British machines swooped upon those
.aints. This was followed Up on Feb
ruary rs with an attack by forty-eight
British craft. On the whole,
to-day's work indicates that the Brit
ish are getting into their stride. This
bodies i'll for Zeppelin bases near the
coast
Zeebrugge is on the Belgian coast,
twelve miles northeast Of Ostend.
Since the German occupation this port
has become Of considerable Importance,
particularly as a German submarine
base. II is ono Of the principal points
from which submarine operations IN
the North Sea are directed.
The British official statement on tho
raid says:
"In the early hours Of this morning
combined force Of approximately
fifty British. French and Belgian aero
planes and seaplanes. accompanied by
fifteen fighting machines, left and at
tackled the German seaplane station at
Zcebrugge and the aerodrome at Hout-
tayc. near Zoebruggc.
considerable damage appears to
have been done. The machines on tho
average carried 200 pounds Of bombs.
All the machines returned safely. One
Belgian officer is reported seriously
wounded.
"All tho British machines referred
to were naval"
The French official statement says:
at about o'clock this morning
English. French and Belgian aviators
bombarded the aviation field at Hout-
tave. 10 the east of Ostend. Nineteen
French aviators took part in this eX-
pedition. and all Of them returned 70
their base.
Last night our bombing aeroplanes
dropped twenty-five shells on the rail
way station at Dun-sur-Meuse, where
important movements of troops had
been reported. All the proJectiles
reached the objects aimed az.
This morning one of our pursuit
aeroplanes brought down in the region
OF Verdun an enemy machine, which
Tell inside our lines"
Berlin states that five Allied ma
chimes were destroyed in action. The
official statement follows:
"In an aerial battle Lieutenant
Baron Won Althaus brought down his
fourth aeroplane to-day over enemy
lines west of Lihons. while Lieuten-
ant Boclke brought down his twelfth
machines, over the Forest Of FORCES.
The enemy lost three other aeroplanes,
one in an aerial encounter near Ouisy,