The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-05-26
Germans Meet British Sea-
planes on Return Trip.
Second Air Raid on England
Within Three Days.
BLOODIEST AIR RAID OF WAR
Most of Destruction Done in
One British Town.
May Have Included Both Yep
pelins and Airplanes.

London, May 26.-Death dealing
German attacks by sixteen enemy air
craft, resulting in the killing and injur-
ing of scores of women and children
and followed by battles in the clouds
between British and enemy airplanes,
Friday evening, marked the bloodiest
Teutonic aerial attack on England
since the wars opening. Details were
revealed today in admiralty and home
defense statements.
The casualty list was officially fixed
at &c killed and ia injured. p women
and % children among the dead and
43 women and 10 children among the
injured.
Drop Three on English Soil.
Royal flying corps machines, which
arose to battle with the invaders as
they winged their way across England,
d wned three of the Germans
Royal naval air service planes at
Dunkirk, called into action, immedi-
{ tely swung into battle array above
the channel. Here a series of thrilling
encounters occurred. One British ma
chine gave battle with three of the
enemy craft, and shot one of the trio
down. The two sped on with the
other raiders to encounter more naval
planes over the Belgian coast Far
aloft :he two forces sailed and ma
neuvered and fought. Before the
enemy forces could escape, two more
twin engine machines were shot down
to the ground
of tn sixteen ali craft participant
ing the raid, six were therefore &C
counted fer.
May Have Included Zeppeiins.
The home defense statement name i
the German raiders as aircraft
which might be either aeroplanes or
zeppolin.s. The admiralty statement men
spoke OF enemy aircraft but like
wise detailed an encounter with
three hostile planes" and the des-
truction Ct two twin engines hostile
machines indicating airplanes. 1t
is possibl. therefore, that the German
raiding force was composed of both
ZeEpelins and airplanes
The rlid occurred over TIE south
east coast" according o official an
nouncemcrt. Most of the damage was
done in one town.
Sixteen enemy aircraft bombed the
southeast coast last night" Lord
French's statement said. ',Seventy-siN
were killed and ia were injured The
raid occurred between 5:1o and $3.50
p. m. Bombs were dropped at a num-
Der of places, but the damage was
mostly in one town. Three enemy aero
planes were downed. r. F. c. aero
planes pursued the enemy and they
were also sought by r. NJ. A. forces
at Dunkirk, in retiring"
British Machines Escape.
"All our machines are safe" tht
admiralty announcement declared.
Coincjdent with announcement OF
these al, battles, the admiralty an.
nounced a raid by British naval aero
planes on the enemy aerodrome at St
Deniswestrah yesterday, in which
many bombs were dropped.
Some houses and shops were ser
iously damaged" the official state
ment declared.
Total Victims 3O5 Killed; 729 Injured
Assuming all casualties in this raiC
were of non-com batants. the tota
number of civilians killed since tn,
start of the war by German air raids
-Zeppelins and aeroplanes both-i
raised to 305 killed and 729 wounded
in today's announcement.
The only other air raid which ap
preached this present one in destruc
CONTINUED On Page TWOl