The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1918-10-31
AMMUNITION
DUMPS is EXCITING
British Aviator Tells How Hun
Stores Are Located and
Destroyed.

Behind British Lines in France Cby
maiD.-The British aviation com
muniaue frequently contains q brief
me 10 record that direct hits were OBJ
tanned upon an enemy dump at" some
point behind the German lines. This
co!orless announcement may seem TO
the reader IN America nothing more
than the record OF a dun piece of rou-
tine, but the decd itself is different
from it's record.
American airmen attached 10 tho
British squadrons have long since
found out that the business OF bomb
ing dumps often is exciting and
spectacular work. Moreover, the i'm
portance of its effect upon enemy plans
ana operations ear hardly be eXagger-
ated. a well aimed hit on q store OF
German ammunition may destroy the
work OF many months in the nluEition
factories, and cripple numerous bat.
terics for many long days.
a British airman, Lieut.. w. A..
Barnes, has given the Associated Press
the following account OF q recent So
minute raid on Il German dump as
characteristic OF this form OF activity.
on this particular night there was
not enough moonlight for 4 long raid.
~ Nllt lttSt SiNtil us was IL Vel illttIi
ammunition dump. We welcomed tho
change, for, naturally, the strain OF
long distance raids into Germany, night
after night, becomes 4 bit wearing.
Dumps are Of course situated as nea
as possible 10 the fri. ; line, and SO
mean short raids.
Dumps are by no means easy tar
gats TO ind at night, for they are sci
i0m situated near any definite land
marks, ana are usually well ComoG-
tagged. by the study Of maps and
photographs. however, we h&d pretty
well located the position Of this one.
and started out on the raid with high
hopes OF success.
I'VE few almost Gac east from the
a.rGromc. At the end OF 30 minutes
wc could just mako out the outline OF
sheds. This vas good, but we let out
d parachute flare 70 light Up the
ground, and make sure We're over
the target. This pronp,'| dlspelted all
doubts, for the Hun sCarch!iShts
opened up at once. ana Il hail Of ma
chine gun bullets leaped up from the
ground. Anti-airCraft guns had been
firing for some time, but the shells
were bursting well above US, and CAV
ing 10 trouble.
The parachute fare proved q real
friend, because both ~searchi!ghts and
machine guns concentrated upon 1t.
giving us just sufficient time to /
swiftly, release our bombs, switch on
the engine, and start climbing.
when we turned TO observe results.
we witnessed the finest fireworks dis
play | ever saw. Ammunition was
cracking off at record speed. dense
clouds OF smoke We're rising, n high
~ colored flames Were lcapirg 100 feet
and more from the ground.
I'VE watched this pleasing exhibition
for some inmates. Until the cough OK
an Archie burst nCar by to runl'EH as
that we were st!li over Iiun-lamd, and
80 turned and stec"cd for home.
The whole job occupied exactly %
minutes, but ii must have cost Ger
many hundreds OF MAI power hours in
munitions HOrEs--tEcre was still some
arc there at noon mex day--and saved
our French allies q good many casual
tieS. for, as ii happens. hat big dump.
we learned, vas to serve Il bit o! irons
facing French troops"