The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1918-11-22
HUN AIR ATTACK
RELEASING OF BOMBS SOUNDS
LIKE TEARING CLOTH.

Sioux Falls, Nov. 22.-Sergt. Dex-
ter Dewing, a South Dakota soldier.
writes interestingly of the work of
the midnight sky jazzer"-the Ger
mar aeroplane bombers-and the
sensations of the soldiers when these
night visitors are lowering over
them. He writes in part:
I'm your last letter you asked me
to tell you about the Hun bombing
planes and the methods he uses dur
ing his nieht attacks.
First Of al, he is know to us sol.
diers a. the midnight sky jazzer.'
The motor Of the boche plane has a
very peculiar hum and is easily dis
tinguished from those in use by the
Allies; it sounds something like the
buzz of a lee, only greatly eyagger-
ated.
Soon after dark, about the time
we are ready for bed, he comes forth
for his nightly marauding, sometimes
only one or two planes, end then
again 80 OF 40. At the first dismal
sound Of his motor in the distance,
the order comes, Lights out And
then we all put on our tin bonnets,
gas masks at alert, and then seek the
best shelter we can find, and there
we wait for Fritzy to shovel off his
load of deadly bombs and return to
his own lines.
THE hum zones closer and closer
and at times is almost unbearable,
sending cold chills up and down ones
spine, while he hugs the ground a lit
tie closer and swears there is a thou
sand planes directly overhead.
Suddenly there comes n faint
sound like the ripping of cloth and
he unloads one; while passing
through the air it sounds a great deal
like steam escaping from a leaky
valve. When it strikes the ground
there is a terrible crash, a flare of
light, and shrapnel goes sizzling
through the air in all directions TO
deal out destruction.
Generally when he has unloaded
his supply, which consists of about
eight bombs to a plane. he swoops
down upon us and cuts loose with a
machine gun, after which he rises
high into the air and goes back for
another load.
Then there is the boche artillery,
Of all sizes, from the whiz bang
(Which is all that the name indi-
cates) to the C. /. cam the latter
being the largest projectile in use by
the Hun.
while passing through the air it
sounds something like a cream sep
arator in action. yet, when it strikes
the ground, there is a terrible explo-
sion and pieces of she'll are thrown
for hundreds of yards in all direc-
tiOns. The craters made by these
shells are some Is feet in diameter
and seven to 10'feet deep.
"Our battery has been on most ev-
cry front up to date. and in some po-
ed up by these shells.
During two days and=one night of
last week, pieces were so close to
the Hun lines that we fired point
blank, and with the naked eye we
: could g the movements of the
boche. However, we have advanced
since then, and at present our can
non ere in a new position.
'"TLc endurance of the American
doughboys is wonderful, and their
courage marvellous. and, when work
ing under the protection of artillery
fire, nothing can check them, not
even the Prussian guard.
In the past few days I've seer
several boche planes brought down;
one day we accounted for eight, all
of them falling right around our gun
position; that is, within a radius of
a quarter of a mile.
IF l ever get a peek at my real
complexion again, I'm afraid I'll have
a runaway"