The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1917-10-12

lOng-distance bomb-carrying machine
for its boat body could be dropped and
its weight-carrying ability increased
thereby.
The new three-motored Gallaudet
seaplane also enters the category of
lOng-distance raiding machines and is
suitable for either bomb dropping or
torpedo launching. Other American
manufacturers are at work on giant
models, but as yet details of these have
not been announced.
LOng-diStance bombing raids are by
no means Il novelty, but they have al
ways been conducted with only few
airplanes of limited carrying capacity,
which carried only u few hundred
pounds of bombs besides the fuel need
ed for the journey.
Among the historic bombing raids
for several reasons is the raid on
Carslruhe on June 10, 1915. 1t was
conducted by 23 twin-motored Caudron
machines, in charge of Captain de Ker-
ILLS, and dropped close to 30 large
bombs on Carsruhe. Three of the ma
chimes did not return-they had to
land and were captured, but the dam
age TO Carlsruhe was serious.
In the very first bombardment of
Sofia on April 81, 1916 single avia-
tor started from SalOniki, flew to Sofia,
dropped four bombs and proclamatiOns
announcing the capture of Trebizond,
and returned to SalOniki. This exploit
was repeated by single aviators from
time to time; then on September 10,
1916, it was repeated by four aviatOrs
who left SalOniki at 6 30 and arrived
over Sofia at 40. They dropped their
bombs, many of which were effective,
and returned. They had crossed the
Balkan mountains at 5000 feet with
out trouble, and had accomplished
what an army could not have done.
The only limitation was that the air.
planes were too few in number to win
decisive victory. In every raid in the
Balkans only four or five airplanes
participated.
Among the most remarkable long
distance bombing expeditions were the
raids on Essen and Munich by Captain
de Beauchamp and Lieutenant Dan
court on September "a and November
1S, 1916, which have been repeated
since by other aviators. The raid on
LudwigShafen, accomplished on May
p, 1915, in which IS airplanes took
part, also involved a flight of about
400 miles. 1t was conducted success
fully, and only one airplane was forced
to land and submit to capture. An
other classic was the bombing raid on
the MauSer works at Oberndorf on Oc- |
tOber r. 1916, in which a French bomb |
ing squadron and a British bombing !
squadron participated, escorted by La !
fayette Flying corps fighters. These
are only a few of scores of such raids. |
In all these raids the aviators had to !
fly from five to seven hours continuous
ly under most trying conditions, having |
to protect themselves with insufficient |
arms. A night raid in large, we'll
armed warplanes would be easy in
much safer.
Darkness facilitates airplane work
at close range because the aviator can
fly closer to his target with little in
creased danger of counter-attacks but
with largely augmented effectiveness.
Surprise is made more possible and
half of the attack may be accom-
plished before enemy searchlightS can
locate the raiders as targets for the
guns. In raid of 1000
or more giant Rirplanes the task of the
defenders would be rendered increas-
Ingly difficult beyond all proportion to
the difficulty now experienced in re-
pelling raids of few flyers. The
and antiaircraft guns
themselves would be made the object
1f attack and largely incapacitated.
The risk of discovery in night at
-acks could be reduced further. ac.
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