Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-10-24
QNE-HALF OF ZEPPELIN
FLEET IS DESTROYED
Ai''cs Exultant Over Greatest Defeat
Ever Administered to En-.
envy Air Forces.
[bKoUGHT DOWN IN FRANCE
Ahown Now That Raid Was At
tempted in Execution Of Fearful
Threat of Vengeance Following
Bombing OF German Towns.
IBy A.nociatod pressl

TBy Associated Pressl
WASHINGTON. October e3-Ger-
many probably lost one-half of her
'''ai effective feet of super-Zeppelins
On tho day OF October 20 In the disas-
'rous raid over England, according to
oihcial cablegrams received in Wash
ington.
All France is exultant over what the
uispatches declare to be tho greatest
ueteat ever administered TO an air
meek since the beginning Of the war.
he qualification is more intense be-
cause 1t is now known that this Ger
man raid was an attempt to carry out
FEARFUL throat OF vengeance made
Tour days before.
On that occasion, the German gov
eminent sent out warning to both
france and England OF dire punishment
TO follow what the Germans declared
TO be unwarrantcd and inhuman at
lacks by British and French aviators
upon peaceful German towns. Repri-
sails were threatened In an Official
German communication. which in part
reads:
For every brick which falls from
peaceful German homes. whole rows Of
q.
OFFICIAL FRENCH REPORT
OF ATTEMPTED RAID
The official French report OF the at
tempted German raid reads as fol-
lows:
Tho first Zeppelin brought down fell
at ST. Clement on the borders of the
forest OF Mondon, ten kilometers from
Luncville. 1t was seen at 6:20 A. M.
5ourneytng with two other Zeppelins.
1t was at once attacked by one of our
armies defense sections. At first
series OF shells were fired at the Yep
felin when 1t was at a distance OF 1000
meters. The Zeppelin promptly rose
to a height OF $500 meters. In q fresh
attack by the aircraft guns. the fourth
shell struck the outside envelope and
the Zeppelin caught fire. 1t remained
mass of metal and India rubber and
broken propellers. Five bodies. hor-
ribly mutilated. were found near the
Zeppelin. Others must be buried under
the ruins which still smoking.
There could not have been any bombs
left in the Zeppelin as no explosions
were heard. The apparatus had four
propellers
About ego P. NJ Zeppelin No. 40 was
forced by our aviators to come to earth
near Bourbonne les Bains 1t is intact
The commanding officer and seventeen
men of the crew are prisoners. tThis
Is the airship referred to at length In
to-day's cable dispatches).
"A little later the third Zeppelin, the
l. so. came down at Dammartin. near
Mohtigny lie Roi. and two officers and
fourteen men of her crew were cap
tured. Two Of the crew were slightly
wounded.
The Zeppeiin's crew detached n car
which they entirely destroyed Tho
Zeppelin. without ballast. went OF with
four men. From the declaration Of the
prisoners this Zeppelin left Gutenberg
for London. October ls. but was un-
able to reach the English capital.
ATTACKED ny AvIAToRs
AND ENTIRELY DESTROYED
Two Zeppeiins, entirely DESTROYED,
were attacked by our aviators and by
our antiaircraft guns and came down
In the valley OF the Saonne. alightiIs;
In the region of Sisterton. The crews,
after having burnt their Zeppelins. at
tempted to escape, but were taken
prisoners.
Two other machines were seen in
the south. one landed at Laranee I'm
49, 1870 <h'PS' hhe olHeT was seen
by the aviation center at Frejus drift.
ing towards the sea in q vertical no.
sition and disabled
Thus probably the Germans lost nye
OF their Zeppelins. which were all of
the new type. from 234 to 244 meters
in length. carrying seven and nine
engines with from $500 to 1000 horse
power"
Summing up the extent of the disas-
ter to the German air fleet, the report
says that Germany altogether has con-
structed probably 100 zeppelins. of
which sixteen were destroyed before
the war. The losses officially reported
by the allies were six in 1914, sixteen
in 1915. twenty-five in 1916 and three
for 1917.
Thus the minimum OF sixty-six Zen
pelins have been destroyed, to which
must be added half dozen or more
lost by accident and in experimental
trials. Deducting machines loaned to
Bulgaria. Germany now has on the
western front only twenty-five super
Zeppelins. The greatest air fleet con-
centrated against England in Belgium
and Northern Germany has never
amounted to more than sixteen Yep
pelins.
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