The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-08-28
BONE AIR R.iIDlNG.
How Good Wori, is Donc by the Aria-
ticn Service.

Behind British Lines in France
July - Correspondence OF The AS
sociated rress)-The British aviation
conmunique frequently contains
brief line to record that direct hits
were obtained upon an enemy dump
at some point behind the German
lines. This colorless announcement
NAV seem to the reader in America
nothing more than the record OF
dull piece OF routine, but the deed 1t
self is different from it's record.
American airmen attached to the
British squadrons have long since
found out that the business OF
bombing dumps often is exciting
and spectacular work. Moreover, the
importance Of its effect upon enemy
plans and operations can hardly be
exaggerated. A weli-aimed hit on
store of German ammunition may de-
stroy the work of many months IN
the munition factories. and cripple
numerous batteries for many long
days.
A British airman, Lieut.. w. A,
Rarnes, has given The Associated
Press the following account Of re-
cent 5S-minute raid on German
dump as characteristic Of this form
of activity:
con this particular night there was
not enough moonlight for long raid,
so the target given US was a Ger
man ammunition dump. We welcon1-
ed the change, for, naturally, the
strain of long distance raids into
Germany, night after night, becomes
a bit wearing Dumps are of course.
situated as near as possible to the
firing line; and SO mean short ralds.
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 we'll camou-
tagged By the study Of maps ana
photographs, however. we had pretty
well located the position of this one.
and started out on the raid with high
hopes Of success.
eve few almost due east from the
aerodrome. At the end Of the fity
minutes, we could just make out the
line of sheds This was good, but we
let out a parachute fare to light up
the ground, and make sure we were
over the target. This promptly dis
PEELED all doubts, for the Hun
searchlights opened up at once, and
a hail Of machine gun bullets leaped
up from the ground. Anti-aircraft
guns had been firing for some time.
but the shells were bursting we'll
above US. and giving no trouble.
THE parachute flare proved a real
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 We're rising. and
highly colored flames were leaping
hundred feet and more from the
ground. -
1--WE watched this pleasing exhibi-
ton for some minutes, until the cough
of an Archie burst near by to remind
us that we were still over Hunland.
and so turned and steered for home.
s.The whole job occupied exactly So
minutes; but it must have cost Ger
many hundreds Of man-power hours
i'm munitions works-there was still
some fire; there at noon next day
and saved our French Allies gooH
many casualties. for as it happens.
that big dump, we learned, was to
serve a bit Of front facing French
troops"