New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-05-27
Planes Rain Bombs on
Unsuspecting Crowds
on Southeast Coast
Three of Attacking
Craft Brought Down
Defending Air Forces Pur.
sue Teutons Over the
Channel
by Cable 10 The Tnbunel

sons were Killed, including twenty.
seven women and twenty-threc chill
dren, and ia more were wounded, of
whom forty-three were women and
nineteen children, yesterday in the
most successful" air raid yet made in
England by the Germans. Most of the
casualties occurred in one town, on the
southeast coast, presumably Dover.
though Folkestone is also mentioned in
the Berlin official bulletin as a point
of attack. and the planes made wide
sweep inland. Sixteen or more aero
planes took part in the attack. Three
were brought down. No Zeppelins were
used.
Women and children who had stood
for hours in a long line in the busi-
est street waiting to purchase pota-
toes were the principal victims. In
tent only on not losing their places in
the line, the women and children had
little warning of the raid and were
easy victims Of the air vultures, who
dropped their deadly bombs indiscrim-
inately.
After the hostile fliers had dropped
their bombs they fed across the Chan
mel, pursued by British battle planes.
One of them was destroyed in mid-chsn-
mel and plunged into the sea- On the
Belgian coast half of the fugitive squad
ron was met and engaged by British
naval service planes from Dunkirk
Several combats followed, and two
! large twin-engine machines were shot
down. All the British machines re-
turned.
Pilot Guided Raiders
1t was 5:15 o'clock in the town that
suffered the greatest damage when the
first section of the raiders was sighted.
Witnesses describe them as five silver
specks in the sunlit sky Their pilot.
flying little in advance and even
higher, could not be seen except
through glasses. Within the next hour
and quarter three more sections
passed overhead, loosing their bombs
without apparent aim. but cutting a
pathway of destruction straight across
the business and residential quarters
of the town.
When the raiders first appeared the
streets were crowded with shoppers.
promenaders and workers out to enjoy
the fine afternoon. Even after the first
deadly explosions many Of the people
did not make for cover, but continued
to watch the sky. 1t was among these
that most of the fatalities occurred.
At one spot on the main business
thoroughfare sixteen women, eight men
and nine children were killed, and for
ty-two persons were injured. For a
while they all lay together about the
bloody corner among the carcasses OF
horses and the scattered ruin Of the
nearby shops. The bombs dropped by
the raiders were Of large size and COM
pletely demolished most Of the build
ings that were struck. About sixty
fell on the town and its suburbs.
People take to cellars
The intervals between the arrivals
of the raiding sections were broken
only by the cries of the wounded and
the distant booming Of naval guns.
After each visit the people in shelter
ing cellars wondered if il was safe 10
venture out, and hours after the last
airplane had left many remained in
hiding.
Relief workers, professional and VOL
unteer, hurried TO the deyasted streets
and the hospitals were soon crowded,
not only with the wounded, but with
women and children suffering from
shock. Reports soon began to come IN
from the outlying districts and the
nearby country that the raiders had in
flicted casualties there also, though the
main zone of death lay across the heart
Of the town.
There seem to have been three mo-
tves for the attack: First, TO obtain
observations, Dover being a fortified
town: second. to compel the British TO
concentrate more aviators at home,
thus weakening their forces at the
front; and third, TO satisfy the German
people 1t is notable that a German de-
fea. on land is almost invariably fol-
lowed By a raid on England
Though the Zeppelins were a failure
as an offensive weapon, the German
aeroplanes have proved a more danger
Gus substitute. The new type Of ma
chine is a powerful speedy climber,
and it is being turned out in the Faith
erland in large numbers.
Official Report of Raid
Field Marshal French issued the fol-
lowing account Of the raid:
A large squadron Of enemy aircraft
about sixteen--attacked Southeast Eng
land between :i5 and 80 o'clock Last
evening Bombs were dropped at . num-
Der Of places, but nearly all the damage
occurred in one town. where some bombs
fell into the streets. causing considerable
casualties among the civil population.
Some shops and houses also were scri-
ousy damaged.
The total casualties reported by the
Volice from all districts are:
Killed rs injured. ia.
or the killed. % were women and %
were children. while i3 women and ~
children were injured
Airpanes of the Royal Flying Corps
went In pursuit. and the rsiding aircraft
were engaged BY fighting squadrons OF
the Royal Naval Air Service from Dun
kirk on their return journey. The Ad-
miraity reports that three enemy air
planes were snot down by the latter.
The battle between the planes b
thus described by the Admiralty:
Naval airplanes attacked the airdroms
at st. Denis WestrSr. near brugcs, yea