The sun., 1918-12-29

warfare night squadrons consisted of
as few as four or eight machines with
one commander. half the machines
heavy, powerful bombers, the other
half light combat airplanes keeping
guard high above the cumbersome
craft against surprise by the foe.
Later squadrons went out as strong as
from forty to 100 bombers with half
as many high fiiers.
We may say that mechanical de-
vices enabled the bombers t take
accurate aim, but when you are aim
ing from a height Of two miles while
going at a velocity of from eighty to
100 miles an hour accurate aim is
more luck than certainty. So the
bombers went out in groups of from
six to twelve with intervals of from
ten to twenty minutes between the
groups and what the first rain OF
death missed the others got and by
the time the third or fourth group
came along tiny pin pricks OF flames
bursting up from the ground showed
where hits had been made and h
winking lights Of enemy planes
showed pursuit coming.
| Invisible at 10000 Feet.
But I am told an airplane with
dimmed lights is invisible on even a
clear night when more than 1900 feet
high and a lighted plane is invisible
at 10000 feet, and so If the scou and
! combat planes had been alert the
bombers could get away almost 100
per cent. safe. Cases are on record in
which bombers have come down in
enemy territory TO within 100, 200,
500 feet Of the ground and done their
deadly work and got away before the
foe knew the invaders were not mem
bers OF the aerodrome crew coming in
after a long flight; but his trick could
not he repeated very often AMI was
deadly dangerous. The darker the
night the more dangerous It was, for
while h dark might screen the in
vader, a hanging wire, a tree, a lookout.
an enemy o might bring the bold
corsair crashing to ground. Such &C.
cldents happened-happened often, be-
u engine stalled or controls baked
b we were told only of the get
Always.
No inkling OF an impending bomb
raid was given the men themselves
till just a few hours before setting out
when the group leaders were called in
n given maps and destination and
charted curse and signals to be
shown on their return and signals 10
be used in tail flight and instructions
about the tiny winking bulbs on the
wings for the other planes to follow.
This matter of secret signals for
the return was'very necessary. for in
one famous raid between the Allies and
the Turks off Salonica when the allied
aviators came back TO their aerodromc
they found it destroyed. and when
the Turks returned to their home base
they found 1t destroyed. The raiders
had met and missed each other both
going and coming and the home guard
or each base a mistaken the wink
ings tarlights OF each enemy squadron
Tor those of his own birds coming
home. so that each alike did damage
unmolested and came home to ruin.
At midnight the men chosen for the
bomb raid were reused and told to
dress extra warmly for high flight.
They emerged on the flying field to see
the combat machines and heavy bomb
US '''hb uilhltu Jul Expert ears
declare that the fast combat engines
have a purr, while the big bombers
have a roaring drone. Tanks, stays.
struts. controls, planes and guns had
long before been critically inspected
and pronounced in perfect shape.
Pilots and observers and in the case
Of the bombers one or two gunners
scrambled to their places, the observer
in front and the pilot behind. The
mechanics whirled the propeller
Blocks were knocked from the front
wheels. Shouts OF Contact" and
Ready" and the FIRST group OF com
bat machines scooted across the field
and hoped and purred away into
encircling darkness, followed by the
heavy bombers, some with two, some
with three engines. each aircraft kept
carefully at least TWO or three times
its " space from its nearest neigh
Dor, the wing tip lights ana tail bulbs
winking as they assembled like hrehies
The boy bringing w the rear to hold
in stragglers, or leading his group fol-