The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1917-07-13
GERMAN AIR RAID HITS
HEART OF LONDON FIERCE

l
struck terror. death and ruin in broad
daylight today. 1t was the most pow
| erful air feet ever sent to England.
A myriad of bombs were dropped,
! first upon the Isle of Thanet and then
into the metropolitan area of this
capital The bulk Of missiles was
hurled from an altitude of only 1,000
yards. The raiders criss-crossed over
the city at lightning speed. Seven
machines were brought down. Spec
tacular air duels were fought above
London and the Thames and all the
J way across the C. 1nel.
Up to a late hour eonight the casual
tiles officially known were
Killed: Total, 81.
Metropolitan area: Men, q; wonn-
! eI, s; children, 3; total, "a.
! Injured: Total, 141. ="
! Metropolitan area: Men. "A; won1-
en-, %; children, Sc; total, 13s.
Isle Of Thanet: Women, i; chill
dreu, l; total, 2.
Isle of Thanet: Men, 1; women, 2;
total, 3.
The raid on London lasted Is miR-
utes. Officially only four of the raid
ing machines were reported destroyed
up to late tonight, but three others
were "bagged" after the last official
announcement has been issued, ac-
cording to eye-witnesses.
! OF those mentioned in Lord French's
bulletin one raider fell into the sea
/ off the mouth of the Thames, two
! others were seen to crash into the
sea and three fell in flames on the
mouth Of the Sneldt after bitter
combat with British flyers from Dun
kirk.
}, It was $50 this morning when the
1 raiding squadron in two detachments
!; appeared over the Isle of Thanet and
the east coast of Essex. They hov-
cred for only a brief space over the
island on which are located the fa-
vorite watering places Of Ramsgate
and Margate. Bombs were dropped
profusely.
/ Confer.
Then the grim visitors moved To-
ward London, flying parallel with the
north bank of the Thames. Arrived
over she northeast outskirts, they
slackened their speed suddenly, re-
mained almost stationary for a few
minutes as if holding a last confab to
determine the line of attack. Then
they changed their course and little
later they came whirring across the
city from the northwest to the south
east.
/ They picked the metropolitan area
for the center of their attack. Every
anti-aircraft gun in London was at
once in action Every British ma
chine on hand shot skyward to attack
| the raiders. simultaneously the radio
! was set sparkling with "tips" to the
royal air craft stations all over Eng
land To Dunkirk, on the French
coast, opposite Dover, the first fash
/ was sent, for there is stationed one
of the most formidable of British
squadrons.
Curious.
AS usual, the people of London took
the raid as an object OF unbounded
! curiosity. All through the city sound
ed the alarms that mean rush to your
cellars" And everywhere persons
rushed to their highest windows to
! the roofs and every other vantage
point that could be found. The few
] that did seek refuge in their cellars,
| though escaping death and injury,
probably suffered more from shock
! and fear than the thousands that re-
manned unharmed high up" For the
very foundation of London seemed
shaken by the ever-recurring. concus-
sions from exploding shells. 1t was
as if titanic earthquake had the city
jumping.
The boom of exploding bombs was
deafening. In between the sharp re-
port of anti-aircraft guns sounded al
most like relief Meanwhile German
and British flyers were exchanging
compliments in the way of machine
gun fusilades that added the last
wanting touch to the sound of a large
scale battle Or bombardment.