The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1918-08-24
BOMBING DUMP"
GREAT SPORT FOR.
BRITISH A|RMEN ].

Behind the British Lines in France
| Correspondence of The Associated
Press)-The British aviation commun-
ique frequently contains a brief line
to record that direct hits were obtain
ed upon an enemy dump at somewhere
behind the German lines" This color
less announcement may seem to the
readers in America nothing more than
the record of a dull piece of routine,
but the deed itself is different from
its record.
American airnen attached to the
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
and operations can hardly be exag-
gerated. A well aimed hit on store
of German ammunition may destroy
the work of many months in the NUM-
ton factories. and cripple numerous
batteries for many long days.
A British airman, Lieutenant w. A.
Barnes, has given The Associated
Press the following account of a re-
cent 5S-minute raid on German dump
as characteristic of this form of ac-
tivity:
'On this particular night there was
not enough moonlight for a long raid,
so the target given us was a German
ammunition dump. We welcomed the
change, for, naturally, the strain of
long distance raids into Germany night
after night, becomes bit wearing.
Dumps are of course, situated as near
as possible to the firing line, and so
mean short raids.
Dumps are by no means easy tar
gets to find at night, for they are sell
dom situated near any definite land
marks and are usually well camou-
flaged. By the study of maps and
photographs. however. we had pretty
we'll located the position of this one,
and started out on the raid with high
hopes of success.
1--WE flew almost due east from the
aerodrome. At the end of the fifty
minutes, we could just make out the
outline of sheds. This was good. but
we let out parachute flare to light up
the ground. and make sure we were
over the target. This promptly dis
PEELED all doubts for the Hun search
lights opened up at once, and a hail
of machine gun bullets 1eaped up from
the ground. Anti-aircraft guns had
been firing for some time but the shells
were bursting we'll above us, and Civ
ing no trouble.
friend, because both searchlights and
machine guns concentrated upon it.
giving us just sufficient time to dive
swiftly, release our bombs, switch on
the engine and start climbing.
when we turned to observe results
we witnessed the finest firework dis
play I ever saw. Ammunition was
cracking off at record speed, dense
clouds of smoke were rising and high
ly colored flames were leaping a hun
dred feet or more from the ground.
1--WE watched this pleasing exhibit
ton for some minutes. until the cough
of an Archie burst near by TO remind
us that we We're still over Hunland,
and 50 turned and steered for home.
THE whole job occupied exactly IS
minutes; but it must have cost Ger
many hundreds of man-power hours in
munition works. There was still some
| fire there at noon the next day and
| saved our French allies a good many
| casualties, for, as it happens, that big
| dump, we learned, was to serve a bit
| of front facing the French troops"