Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1917-06-14
HEART Of
LONDON IS
ATTACKED
IR4publican A. p. Leased WireI


LONDON, June 13.-In a swift and
deadly raid on the city of London today
German airplanes took a heavy toll in
killed and wounded Other places
We're attacked, but so far as is known
at present by far the heaviest losses
occurred in London town itself.
At a late hour tonight the casualties
as officially announced numbered 534
including 81 killed and 437 wounded.
F'ifty-fiv men met death and 223 men
were wounded. Sixteen women and 2e
children were killed and 122 women
and "a children were wounded.
The German squadron consisted of
about Is machines, and the down town
section OF London was their chief OBJ
Jective. Many bombs fell in the East
End, where buildings were destroyed
and others badly damaged Scores O
persons fell victims to the explosions.
In one instance alone 10 children
were killed in street and so were in
jured.
British airplanes ascended immedi
ately the signal was given that hostile
machines were coming, but the Ger
mans remained at a great height ano
flew swiftly, and evidently the British
fighters had difficulty in the pursuit
Tor the@loss of only one German na
chine has been recorded.
Other machines are reported to have
been brought down, but there is no
official confirmation of this. The
anti-aircraft guns of London seem
ingly We're unable to reach the Ger
mans.
W nile great many small busines:
houses and the homes of poor in thf
crowded districts suffered great dam
age. Field Marshal ViscOunt French
commander of the home defenses, an
nounces that no damage OF military
or naval nature was done.
large number of the victims were
young women clerks employed in bus
mess houses, and the proportion of
wo.hen and children was large.
The weather favored the German en-
terprise, as the sky was dull and misty
with clouds, in which the machines
were able to conceal themselves
through a large part of the flight. The
squadron came UP the Thames, the
fliers separating after they had crossed
the English coast and apparently
turned with wide sweep when they
arrived at the destined point. Then
they scattered their cargoes of ex-
plosives on the return flight
Hundreds of thousands of people in
the streets, on house tops and from
windows witnessed the aerial battle
between the British and German air.
planes. Far overhead could be seen
The bursts of shrapnel, while the rattle
of the guns was punctuared with an
occasional roar of bombs, the swish
nf which through the air was plainly
heard.
A large flock of British machines
flashed overhead from the westward in
pursuit. Then people began to crowd
toward sections where bombs had
fallen. and the streets were soon
throngd. There were no signs of
panic anywhere.
Where bombs fell in London there
was no evidences of damage visible
from the streets, except broken glass,
but in the East End numbers if small
buildings were crushed to ruins and
several fires were burning.
The details of the pursuit of the
raiders by British machines were not
known up to a late hour tonight.
The bombing of school house fur
nished one of the most pitiable scenes
in the whole raid. The bomb struck
the roof squarely, cutting clean
through and passing through two
class rooms, one above the other, kill
ing some children, but sparing the ma
jority. 1t finally exploded with ter
rifle force in room on the ground
floor where there were 64 little chill
Continued on Page TWo)