Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-05
Has Warning Of Change.

Has Warning Of Change.
what has seemed to be an ideal night
with an east wind. Those who have
watched these affairs may have noticed
that on such occasions there has been
. sudden change In the weather shortly
has followed closely on those ideal
nights The German has had warning
OF that change and has kept his raid
ing machines at home aceQrdinxly. =.
..o an 1neto. w
whether the proper moment has ar
rived for . raid into Germany. II II
OF prime importance to the British
bombing sauadrons. now operating
experience. together with their organ
t1ed system Of weather information.
VIII be of the highest value to the
great dsets Of American bombing ma
operation against Germany during the
The excellent Organization and the
skillful handling OF the Britlsl bomb
Ing seusdrons were very clearly dem
March - by Ian Macpherson when he
stated that since October Of 1917, when
these squadrons bssan their work. they
bad made thirty.sight effective raids
into Germany and had dropped forty
etEht tons Of explosives. He also stated
that $50 flights had been made and that
c4ly ten machines had been lost
What he evidently meant here was
that $50 bombing aeroplanes had
- say, ESQ machines in all had start
- in the thirty-siGht Nids-whieA
gives US an average Of about six ma
e8ines per raid and an average load
akout NTH Of ton. say 400 pounds.
q bombs per machine. ~ -''E
Very Good Work Done.
When one considers that until
:. February Of this year the weather
was particularly unsuitable for fly
lag over the mountains of the .Vosges
csives that very. good work has been
done. The raids Of November. De-
cember and January must be regard
81 chiefly AZ training flights. design
81 70 get some Of our pilots used to
Anding their way over Asace-Lor-
rpine 30 that they would be able to
lad sQuadrons of new pilots diree,
- THAR detectives later on.
Reference to ohicial reports Of those
naonthe show that the weight OF
was comparatively small This would
Indicate that a. small number Of ma
chinss was used. The incrsaee Ii
rhe weight Of bombs in recent raids
are being used. 49, "a. .
In this connection it il also to b.
noted that in many of the earlier raid.
the raiders went no farther than the
iron and steel producing centers in
Afsace.Lorraine. This meant that they
had to carry less fuel and could there.
fore carry more bombs per machine
Thus q smaller number of machine,
would be needed to carry a ton d
hcmhs than is needed for the Longer
raids which are now being made. !
= Many Of our newspapers hailed these
raids on Aasaee-Lorraine as being raids
on Germany. emitting to note that one
Of the allies objects in the war is to
yoke. and aiso emitting to consider tina,
f1ids on that area would have no moral
eject on Germany. 1t II. however. well
g emphasize the fact that continuous
and steel works Of such places q,
Breybach. SaaYbrucken. Pirmasens
etc. are Of great military value be.
Cause from that district is drawn a,
steel Naturally II this supply could b.
entirely cut OF the effect on the German
army would be very serious. And ever
ifs the output could be reduced to one.
eHfng eject on the enemy's troops
would Be felt.
Have Tvofold Purpose.
Thus. this, shoSt-distance raids into
tie iron districxs are very we'll worth
while. because they NIL Q two-fold pur.
pose. In the >6rst place they afYort
very excellent training for young and
Inexperienced pilots: and, secondly
they do dennitt military service b,
nfakink the en<my's task Of maintain
tgg his supplies Of war material NOR,
aifhcuH.
However. thu main object OF tn.
bombing raids 10 to affect Germany II.
self Already we hear Of something
very like . state Of scare In the Rhinl
toWn2 owing to the small raids which
have 1ken place up 70 the present
Probably these accounts are exag
geratsd by friendly nsutrais. None tn.
Js1s, Il seems likely that there ID Somi
j truth In the stories.
II there be any truth At all. thsI
there - every encouragement to 60 Of
bQmhenE. II forty-efght tons OF bombs
. u6rfod Of nearly AYe month"; and 4