Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1918-11-16
ALLIED AIR
MENAREGO
BOMB SHOTS

4
Press - Ruin rained from the
skies upon the German areas back
of Ostnd and Zeebrugge at the be-
ginning of the great Allied often
sive on the Belgian coast. Today
the whole country in the rear of
the German lines shows the sears
of more than seventeen tons of
bombs dropped upon the German
reinforcement line centers by avia-
tors of the Royal Air Forces. Every
squadron and battery that return
ed to the British lines reported
great fires burning where ammu-
milton dumps and stores of "aso-
line had been hit. They told of
trains brought to a standstill by
great craters torn in their lines by
airplane bombs.
While British monitors lying
off the Belgian coast raked the
German batteries at Osend and
Zeebrugge with fifteen inch shells,
the air attacks concentrated on
the reinforcement lines behind the
German front The triangle of rail
road with Thourout, eIichterveld
and Cortemarck at its corners was
the center of the British airplane
activities. These three important
railroad functions, but 5000 Yards
apart were targets for the Fifth
Group of British Air Forces.
Wawn breaks late at this season
and ID was still dark, with a dash
of rain, when the hour for starting
arrived. From the various AIR
dromes the formations lifted into
the air and were quickly lost In the
low hanging clouds. To the south
of them beyond Dixmnde. the bat
tie already was in progress. Seven
machines were lost in the furry oil
nipht ond bombs but the rest hur-
ried on and arrived over their tar
gets.
The first bombs were falling by
seven o'clock ia the gray rainy
morning. The pilot who diyed upon
Zarren let 90 his bombs from dis-
tance of only two hundred feet
where he could see them land ana
burst i'm the troop congeStnd Town.
Another pilot happened upon y
large calihre batter emnlaced !"
north Of Stadrn he dived thru inc
clouds Ia height Of two hundred
feet before he LET "o his bombs
and then waited aloft until ne
was sure the battery had ceased 90
fire.
Sopadron after squadron Q. ar
planes all flying low roared over
the three functions at the angles
of the "railway triangle" bombing
them industriously. Every road
had its watchful sweeping arr
planes. There was no channel tor
tho hurrving currnts of German
traffic. 4 train going south from
Thollrout was raided bv an arr
plane pilot who came down to with.
i'm one hundred feet Of the ground
and flew past the train his machine
gun sweeping the troops who spout
ed forth from il Three trains were
set on fire and direct hits were
made on four others.
Near Werchem, the road was oc-
cupied for mil by Il transport
column. Eighteen well diected
bombs concerted the moving col
unm into horrible barricade of
smashed wagons aud lorries, dead
hores. dead and wounded men. The
survivrs scattered to- wide bitches
on either side of the raOd. With
two machine guns fling together
eighteen hundred rounds a minute
the airplane pilot raked both ditch
e.. "Many casualties among per-
sonner was the official statement
of the result.
Asdavlight broadcned and the
weather improed every railroad
and every road behind the German
lines was "A river of vhicles and
men. but the airplaDes had laid a
lire of danger across the country
which the Germans had to travel
from their bases to the front where
the British and Relgggggg""cggdl
the British and Belgians were dri-
wing the Hun line backward.
That night the great railway si-
ding near Ghent where twenty
five trains can lie side by side was
brilliantly lit and feverish with
anxiety. Trains were shuntine and