The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-09-18
TALES OF AIR
RAIDS THRILL
How the British Royal Flying
Force Conducts Bombing
Expeditions.
AlUMEN TAKE MANY CHANCES
Britons Prefer Daylight Work While
Germans Favor Night Operations
-Aerodromes Favorite Target
for British Flyers.

LOnuOn.-NlENI Thlus VI tire ipsa'
air force usually have concentrations
of German troops, bsllets and the like
for their objective, and aim rather at
moral and personal, than at material
damage. Daylight raids have the pur-
pose of damaging specific objects. such
ms railroads, lines of communication,
dumps of stores and ammunition and
a~erodromes.
The daylight raiding machines fly in
formation, accompanied and protected
by other machinesS The bombing ma
chimes meet at a prearranged rendez-
vous, well on the British side of the
lines, where they maneuyer into cor
rect formation.
Once over the target, the fighters
scatter and patrol the neighborhood
while the bombers discharge their mis-
sizes on the detectives. Unless anti
aircraft fire is exceptionally heavy,
they generally dive u few thousand
feet to make sure of the target and
when their work Is completed rise
again to the level of the escort.
German aerodromes are q favored
target and great Is the delight of a
pilot when he can report that a hos
tile machine surrounded by mechanics
was about to ascend, but that he OBJ
tanned a direct hit and the German
Notwithstanding the personnel
appeared to be severely damaged"
Had to Land Under Fire.
On one occasion q British pilot in a
bombing raid descended to 400 feet un-
der intense rifle fire, successfully
bombed q German alrplane just emerg-
ing from its hangar and then tried to
make off. At that moment his engine.
possibly by reason of the German fire,
failed, and he had to descend. BY
skillful gliding he managed to land
three-quarters OF a mile away, though
In full view of the Germans. Instead
of firing his machine at once, he
jumped out and quite unperturbed pro-
ceeded to overhaul his engine. Luckily
he found the cause of the trouble at
once, put 1t right. adjusted the con.
trolls and swung the propeller. The
engine started, he jumped In with the
nearest German only a hundred yards
off and opening his throttle raced
over the ground and into the air amid
a fusillade of bullets. The sequel In
cluded a safe return and-a we'll
earned military cross.
When all the bombs have been
dropped and the formation resumed,
the machines head for home. 1t Is on
the homeward journey that events may
be expected, time enough having
elapsed for the Germans to detail q
squadron to intercept the returning
machines.
Sometimes an enterprising German
pilot will walt alone for the homing
convoy, hiding himself thousands of
feet up In the clouds until ne sees his
moment, then. singing out a machine,
will dive at IL, pouring out a stream of
bullets as he dives. He may achieve
his object, and send a British ma.
chine crashing to earth, but whatever
the result the Germans method Is the
same. He dives clean through the for
nation down many thousands of feet
only "1attening out" when close to the
ground.
Surprise Dive Germans Chance.
The whole affair is so swift-just
one lightning dive-that long before q
British fighter can reach the German
he is thousands of feet below. heading
for home and safety. The surprise
dive is his one chance.
Sometimes a German squadron inter.
cepts a returning British formation
The British fighting machines spread
out in a screen to allow the bombers a
chance to escape. and then attack the
Germans as they arrive. Battle Is
Joined in the air. 1t may be that zone
of the British machines is missing
1t is more likely that German ma.
chimes were seen to crash" Meanwhile
the bombing airplanes have crossed
the British lines and landed safely In
their aerodrome.
Bombing by night Is the method
most favored by German pilots. Com
pared with daylight raiding bombing
by night Is rather a rule Of thumb
pedestrian affair. The danger from
antiaircraft guns Is at It's minimum by
night, for IN airplane is a difficult tar
get to keep under observation with
: any searchlight, except perhaps those
used in the highly specialized and In
tensive defense Of London. and there
: Is little chance of meeting hostile air
. planes or Of observing much Of what
damage Is done by the bombs. The In
eradicable sporting instinct of thu
British causes them to prefer the vast
ly increased peril Of the daylight raid
offering themselves as visible targets
. to antiaircraft guns, but discriminat
! Ing In daylight between legitimat,
military detectives and civilian homes
1 Nevertheless detectives such as Ger
man army billets, ammunition dumps
J bivouacs and other large targets arr
! regularly bombed at night by r.. A. F
pilots.
BY experiment with sugar beets \