The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1917-05-27
AIR RRAIDERSIN
BRITAIN KILL rs.
Sixteen German AviatOrS
Drop Shells OH Dover
and FOlkestOne.
BATTLE ABOVE CHANNEL
Pursuers Shoot Down Three
German Machines-Dead
Include 23 Children.
BATTLE ABOVE CHANNEL
Special Gable Despatch TO TEE suS.

Special Gable Despatch 10 TIE SuN.
LONDON, May ga big squadron OF
German sirplanes-estimated at sixteen
carried out the most murderous bomb
ing raid of the war yesterday afternoon
on towns on the English southeast coast
German bombs killed seventy-six per-
sons. of whom twenty-six were women
and twenty-three children, and WOUNDED
174, Of whom forty-three were women
and nineteen children.
British aviators made after the Ger
mans when they few back after doing
their work and brought down three ma
chimes after a pitched battle thousands
of feet above the English Channel. No
British machine was brought down.
Tennyson's vision of navies graphing
in the central blue was shown on Friday
Just before dusk when the fascinated
people on the southeast coast watched
through riffs in the clouds as the British
aircraft went in pursuit. A great din
was caused by the explosion OF bombs
which the Germans were dropping. while
the gunners Of the opposing air hotilias
maintained a fusillade comparable at
times to q cannonade on land or sea.
Battle Seen Throagh Clouds.
The fighters were seen only fitfully
through the clouds. racing along NJ
twice the speed of express trains. with
the roar of many engines. which was
drowned at times by the overwhelming
! boom OF the great bombs that were
dropped.
The casualties were heavier than IN
any other raid. either by Zeppelins oil
airplanes The raid was undertaken
With airplanes, which until the last few
weeks, the Germans have not used fol
| this purpose. 1t has been known fo
months that the British have takei
measures against Zcppelins which ar'
well nigh infallible.
| Aside from the large losses In liz
and the number injured. many OF whom
are said to he very seriously hurt. thi
raid was made with bombs Of grea
power and the damage to houses an
other buildings was unusually heavy.
Though the official statements issue'
by the Government do not tell the name
of the towns that were raided, the Ger
man official statement. which reports TIL
exploit very briefly. says that Dover an
Folkestone. two large Channel ports
were the principal victims
Germans Tell of Exploit.
The German statement says:
During a successful raid one OF OIL
air squadrons dropped bombs on Dove
and Folkestone. on the south coast G
ENGLAND. Long distance flights inlan
also gave good results"
Dover is q British naval base OF Grea
importance. finely situated on sma
bay at the eastern end OF the Channe
directly across from Calais. The populi
tion and the garrison number $500
| l. GaI httf Ia mn a
dence that the German raiders droppe
bombs especially on the fortihcation
Folkestone Is five miles southwest
:, Dover. 1t Is we'll known waterir
. place and has a population OF abo'
. $4,000.
. The following report Oh the air ra
> was made by Field Marshal Niscou'
. French, commander of the home force.
b "A large squadron Of enemy aircra
about sixteen--attacked southeast En-
> land between 8 rs and Q 80 O'Clock la
= evening. Bombs were dropped at
!. number OF places. but nearly all 4
. damage occurred in one town. whe
:. some bombs fell into the streets. causii
y considerable casualties among the ci'
:. population. Some shops and houses al
= were seriously damaged
- Killed Fifty Women and Childre
I. THE total casualties reported by {
n police from all districts are
10 KILLED. 76 injured. 174. OF the kill
= Of were women and 23 were childrt
= while 43 women and 1s children We
y injured.
" "Airplanes OF the Royal Flying Cor
q went In pursuit and the raiding aircrs
g were engaged by fighting squadrons
the Royal Naval Air Service from Du
kirk on their return journey. The A
miralty reports that three enemy a
=, planes were shot down by the latter
- The Admiralty statement says:
y; Naval airplanes attacked the a
- =. drome at St Denis Westres. near Brug
:. yesterday morning., dropping ma
"a bombs.
~ "In the evening. several enemy a
!, craft returning from the raid on Ell
-, land were engaged oversee by Ro.
~ Naval Air Service machines. An
=. :. counter took place between one Brit
=, and three hostile airplanes in m
=, channel and ono of the latter was
" " stroyod. Several encounters also e
-. place of the Belgian coast. in VIII
.. two large twin-engined hostile machil
~. were shot down. All our machines
Ne turned safely"