Gilpin observer., 1919-02-27
HUNS UNNERvED
IN AIR ATTACKS
.Net Many PerlIs in Raids on
England.
TRAPPED IN THE SKY NETS

Machines Encountered - Became
More and More Difficult to Get Men
for the Work-London Always Given
a. Objective Of Raid.
Some interesting revelations as to
the experiences of German airmen In
their raids on England are given in
Daily Mail. 1t says that the story Of
these Gotha raids is the story of the
Third German Bombing squadron Of
about 80 machines, which were sta
toned in flights at st. Denis. Westrem;
Gontrode and Mariakerke. in Belgium.
An insight into the character of the
Gotha crews-the best pilots refused
the works. gained from the fact that
when orders came through for an at.
tack on England two hours before the
start runners were sent pOsthaste to
search the brothels and drinking shops
of Ghent to warn the personnel. 1t
was common enough for several of the
pilots to find at the moment of start
ing "defect" sufficient to send them
back to their beer. They seldom ad-
tusted the machines themselves, al
though one pilot says he fitted no few
er than five new engines in the star
board nacelle before he found one to
work properly.
OF the machines which started, one
fourth never reached the English cOnst,
and of those that crossed one-half
turned back before reaching London.
London the Objective.
London was always given as the OBJ
jective, but the officer-Observer could
choose his own course and height
about 10000 to 1900 feet, which was
always the best the machines could
make. He communicated his orders to
the pilot by means of crude press
button electrical device.
With Ostend and the Belgian coast
behind them, the crew were about half
way across the North sea when, 30
miles away, in the still moonlight. they
could see the dim. white line of the
Kentish cliffs. 1t was unmistakable,
they said, this difference between the
sea and land even at night, and they
had little difficulty in picking up the
North Foreland, their favorite landfall
when heading for the Thames.
1t was then that the cold dread of
their adventure came upon them and
the rot set in. The stout hearts pushed
or; the less Injured at the first sound
Of gunfire released their bombs pro-
m,scuously and made for home. Until
German headquarters refused to ac-
eept the report they stated the bombs
fell among hostile shipping"
The awful racket of the barrhge of
the outer London defenses unnerved
many of the best. The huge machines
rocked and lurched In the air storms
raised by the bursting shells, and once
clear the pilots had only moment to
brace themselves to face the greater
danger of the night-fighting scouts.
Many Lost Their Heads.
Many u Gotha crew fought desper-
otely and well. but others completely
lost their heads. The back of the
fuselage of one machine was riddled
by its own gunner. Seeing flames
squirting from the tail. the crew Of an
other machine threw themselves over.
board, while the scout slowly circled
around the blazing mass as it fell to
earth. Yet another machine dived
from 10000 to 1900 feet when engaged
by scout whose machine gun jammed
when in position to deal the death
Slow from beneath the Gotha's tail.
This Hun, in his effort to escape,
dropped 10 bombs In space of 200
yards.
1tyN hos x-ttI
terror to be faced before the city was
reached. AS all London knows, there
was suspended from balloons thou
sands of feet above vast system Of
nets which would have cut the most
powerful machine In two. The Huns
never knew quite where these nets
were and after every trip the danger
was magnified.
Once in one of the later raids. when
the giant (Riesen) Gothas were used,
the left wing tip of one machine
grazed the anchor rope of balloon,
spun half round and dropped sheer
600 feet before the pilot could recover.
Another machine was being hotly
chased over London by a scout when
q balloon net loomed before II. The
pilots strained madly at the controls,
and quarry and pursuer just cleared
the topmost strand In safety.
The tales the men told on their re-
turn led to one of the most striking
orders ever issued In the German air
force. During this raid (Whit Monday
las) seven machines were brought
down and three more crashed on land.
ing. So great was the moral effect on
the crews that the order for further
raid wus countermanded.