Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-07-08
Raid, Carried Out in Daylight,
Is Directed Against Civilian
! PopuIationi Planes Descend
to Low Elevation,
NEW TACTICS EMPLOYED
BY BOMBING SQUADRON
Explosives Fall Close to Hos
pitaI Over Which Red Cross
Flag Flies; No Military Points
Damaged,


London, July THE second descent
upon London by squadron OF ar
planes, was made this morning be-
tween 9 and 10 o'clock, when the
business section of the metropolis was
bombarded. Although the German
contingent was larger, more daring.
more deliberate in it's movements, ana
descended much lower than on the
visit of June 10. the number OF killed
and wounded was, according to the
first official roll. roughly, one-thlro
the previous casualty list. The de-
struction of property may have been
greater, but that is impossible to es-
innate.
The flight of the Germans over
London lasted about twenty minutes
British airmen engaged the enemy Tor
several minutes over the metropolis
and anti-aircraft guns were firing
briskly, dotting the sky with shrap-
mel puffs, but without success so far
as concerned the destruction of any
of the twenty or more machines which
constituted the invading forces
Ten Machines Destroyed.
The admiralty was able to report
tonight however, that naval airmen
who followed them to sea brought
down three machines. A British squad
ron sent up from Dunkirk to intercept
the returning raiders did not encoun-
ter them because they had taken
more nertherly route, but the British
afrmen met and destroyed seven other
German machines
The morning was one of maze
weather favorable for crossing the
channel without being observed. on
their former visit, made in similar
weather, the Germans kept high up
in the mists, but today when they
neared their detectives, most of them
descended. Their formation was like
a flock of wild geese as they ap-
proach, and neither the British pur-
suers or the guns were able to scat
ter them until they spread out before
letting loose the bombs.
Hundreds of thousands of people on
roofs, from windows, and gathered in
the streets saw the remarkable spec
tacle.
Giant Plane Is Pilot.
All London heard the noise of the
battle. AT first there we're few
minutes when the anti-aircraft guns
we're crashing sharply and the ma
chine guns were rafting aloft. Then
came three or four minutes when the
heavy explosion of bombs and the
shattering of glass was the dominant
sounds; then few minutes when the
artillery fire receded into the dis
tance.
The Germans steered a course
across London from northwest to
southeast. They dropped the last of
their supply of bombs on section of
workmens dwellings and crossed the
Thames. Some observers say that
giant airplane piloted the squadron
and that the bomb carriers were in
the center, flanked by scouts for fight
ing off the British airmen.
The low altitude and slow pace at
which the Germans crossed Loadon
and the daredevil way they circled
over their objectives caused great
surprise.
When first seen they Eere steering
a steady course from the northwest,
evidently in the act of making long
sweeping curve which would ultimate
ly bring their heads in the direction
of home They completed the ma
neuver over the Thames. and as the
British machines came into the pic
ture the raiders quickened their pace.
Running Fight Is Fierce.
A fierce running fight ensued be-
tween a strong force of British ma
chimes and the raiders toward the
mouth of the river.
The machines flew fairly toward
the rattle of the machine guns. which
were distinctly audible from the
ground. None of the Germans had
been brought down when the COM
batants disappeared from view, but
the British squadron continued the
pursuit and engaged them heavily.
Thirty-seven persons were killed
nounced.
Today's attack was plainly directed
against the civilian population and
business and financial buildings.
There is no question that the Ger
mans knew where they were and II
was no matter of scattering explo-
sives blindly from great height. why
more persons were not killed is hard
to explain. Thousands were in the
streets in the area bombed, but prob
ably a much larger proportion took
shelter in the solid buildings. taught
by the lesson of June rs.
Solid Buildings Fairly Safe.
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