Evening star., 1918-08-09
DROPPING BOMBS FROM PLANES
REQUIRES SEVERE TRAINING
How Men Are Taught to Hit a Target
From Height of 10000 Feet
In the Air.

| During the first year of the war
there were no aerial bombing organi-
cations in the allied flying corps.
Practically all tho work in the air
was in the nature of observation. No
pilots could be spared for anything
else. whereas today probably 25 per
cent of the aerial arms are bombing
squadrons Of twelve machines per squad
ron. according to an authorized state
ment of the War Department.
The first bombing was done by vol
unteer pilots. who few over the Ger
man lines and dropped three or four
bombs made from artillery shells on
concentration camps and canton
ments. Showers of small steel arrows
were sometimes spilled upon conveys.
troop trains and bodies of massed
troops. The Germans. however, began
regular day bombing of cities in 1915.
and the allies bombarded Karlsruhe
in reprisal in October of the same
year. From that date or the evolution
in organized bombing developed rap
idly. Some time later the French be-
gan night bombing, but this was not
undertaken by the Germans until Au-
gust. 1916.
Today large groups. including sew
eral squadrons of bombing machines.
go over the lines from time to time
and completely destroy their objec-
tive. be it a city or a camp. column
of troops or a trench system. Unfor-
tunately the allies air forces have to
travel for many miles over hostile
territory defended by anti-aircraft
guns to attack German cities. while
the enemy can attack French cities
by flying only a short distance beyond
our lines.
Developing Larger Planes.
The allies are developing large
bombing planes. however. which carry
armament to protect them when they
are attacked by airplanes. Bombing
squadrons are usually escorted over
the lines by fast fighting squadrons
Of eighteen planes per squadron. and
then left to their own devices, for
the fighters seldom carry sufficient
fuel to permit them to accompany
the bombers on the round trip.
After an excursion of this sort the
returning bombers receive a warm re-
when they again pass over the enemy
lines en- route to their aerodromes
Like fighting squadrons, the bomb
ing planes fly in formation SO de-
signed as to permit the planes to
protect their mates from aerial at
"V" with the leading plane lowest
and the following planes arranged in
pairs. one on each side of the ~"
and each pair a certain number Of
feet higher in the air. This forma-
tion is something like a pointed fight
of steps. thus permitting the higher
planes to pounce upon enemy planes
which essay an attack on any of their
fellows below.
The training Of bombing crews.
| which comprise a pilot and bomber.
is as important and exacting as is the
teaching Of any Of our other highly
specialized branches of the air serv-
ice. It may sound easy to the lay
man to fly over certain spot and
drop a concentrated form of high
prehensive training is necessary in
flying. aiming. firing, navigating and
| fighting.
| for miles under. or rather over, heavy
| anti-aircraft. or Archie" fire. as the
ing planes which you have had to
| drive off. that you at last come to
your objective. 10000 feet below you.
| If you do not know the details of
bombing practice you may set the
sights improperly or fail to keep
You will have the heartbreaking ex-
| perience of watching your bomb go
| down and not hit your objective, but
| perhaps blow up an open pasture.
Or If it goes true on its downward
through the failure Of your armorer to
arm the bomb properly.
The dropping Of the bomb itself ID
| similar to shooting rife. If you set
your sights correctly: ny your plane
correctly over the objective and drop
| the bomb at tho proper time you will
| hit the target.
Learn to Make Planes.
The elemental training consists Of
a hard grind for about three months.
| Their special technical training in
| cludes the theory of flight, aeronautic
| engines and instruments and air
planes. Some Of them could build
| workable machines by the time they
| are through. One officer has prophe-
| sied that after the war this country
| Will be overrun with homemade air
planes.
| centrated theory on bomb explosives.
| exploding and sighting devices. and
ali the theory pertaining to laying
an egg on the Hun" as this new form
| Of fghting is termed.
| The 1pilots and their bombers get
| acquainted during their theoretical
| course, being teamed, as far as possi-
| Bile, to make congenial crew mates.
| This adds efficiency. and from hereon
| they always work. and sometimes die.
together over the lines. In this period,
| known as the preparatory bombing
stage, the bombing crews learn to ny
| q proper course over camera obscuras
| and Bachelor mirrors. These instru-
ments, located in houses on the
| ground, are open to the sky, SO that
the course of the planes flying over
| them can be traced on charts. The
| charts show up even the smallest er-
rors In the movements Of the crew.
| When the embryo bombers come down
expert Instructors correct their error1
when all their faults have bean cor