Evening star., 1917-04-08
British Report Destruction of
Is and Damaging of 81
Other Enemy Craft.
TEN GERMAN BALLOONS
BROUGHT DOWN AFIRE
Berlin Announces Destruction Of
A Allied Planes-Haig's Troops
Gain Near St. Quentin.

By the Associated Press.
LONDON, April I'm terrific
air fighting during the last two
days and nights in northern
France British airplanes carried
out numerous raids and dropped
more than eight tons of bombs.
Twenty-eight British machines
are missing, says the official
statement from British head
quarters in France tonight, and
fifteen German airplanes were
seen to crash to the ground and
thirty-one German machines
were driven down damaged.
Ten German balloons, the
statement adds, were brought
down in flames. The official re-
port reads:
"In the neighborhood of st.
OueHtill oli tiooPS
ground during the night at a
number of points between the
villages of Selency and Jeancourt
and reached the outskirts OF
Fresnoy-le-Petit.
There was considerable artil-
lery activity on both sides to-
day in the neighborhood of Arras
and in the Ypres sector.
1.7Oo Photographs Taken.
During the days and night of April
and 6 our airplanes have been ve'y
active, continually harassfng the enc
| my's communications long way IN the
| rear and seeking out his fighting ma
| chimes at considerable distance be-
hind his lines. Large tracts of the en-
emy's country for many miles in the
rear have been photographed, moro
than 1,7O8 photographs being taken be-
hind the enemy's lines.
"Co-operation with the artillery con.
tinued during the daytime unhlnuereu
except by the weather, although re-
/
enemy to prevent this important work.
Seventeen successful bomb raids
were carried out on enemy >alrdromes.
ammunition depots and railways a long
distance behind the lines, In adoitioh 70
numerous small raids. A total OF more
than eight tons of bombs was dropped
| "All the time intense fighting between
! large forma tions took place our cas-
ualties are twenty-eight machines
| missing, large number Of which are
| known to have been shot down in COM
| bat over the enemys country.
Enemy Siiffers Heavily.
| 1T IS known that the enemy sur
fered very heavy casualties. In one
case an observer, was seen to fall out
of his machine, which went down, out
of control, in a spin. In another case
the fighting was SO close that an enemy
pilot was seen to fall from his machine.
which was out of control and diving by
the nose
'Fifteen hostile machines were driv-
en- down and actually seen to crash L"
the ground. while thirty-one others
were driven down DANA ged. large
proportion of which must have been
totally destroyed In addition ten nos
tile balloons were brought down IN
flames.
Germans Claim Forty-Four Aeros.
entente allies yesterday lost forty
four airplanes on the western front.
saws the official statement issued today
bv the German army headquarters
staff. Thirty-three of the British or
French machines were destroyed IN
aerial engagements. Five German air
planes. the statement adds. did not
return. ..-,
The artillery duel was continued
h. cans al
front from Lens to Arras. the state
nent reports st. Quentin has been
shelled by the French.
The French attempted TO recapturs
the trenches they had lost at Saplgneul.
tut were repulsed. The German guns
effectively shelled ammunition dumps
and fortifcations at Rheims.
A concerted attack against German
observation balloons between Soissons
and Rheims was checked by German
air forces and only two of the balloons
were lost. OF the operations on the
eastern front the report states that
Russian raiders near BaranoVIchf and
Stanislau were driven back.
1900 Shells Fall on Rheims.
PARIS. April The official state
ment issued by the war office tonight
reads;
quite spirited artillery actions oc-
curred today at various points along
the front especially between the
Somme and the Oise. south OF the
ailette river and in the region 10 the
northwest of Rheims.
"In the Arsonne surprise attack
by the enemy against our trenches in
the valley of the Aire was repulsed
after hard fighting.
According to late reports the Ger
mans fired today and last night 1900
shells into Rheims, fifteen civilians
lii ilx..1 II lF4N- n
Belgian communication: In the
region of Het Sas the Belgian batteries
successfully shelled the enemy works.
There was artillery activity on the
whole of the Belgian front
American EIvjnu COrnS