The sun., 1919-03-11
Great Battleplanes SwOOp
Close to Roofs to Reach
Gun Nests.
ONE TON SHELLS USED
German Capital Gets Taste of
Front Line Warfare Fight
ing RcvOlutiOnists.
BY CHARLES TOWER.
Special Gable Despatch to THE Sun from the
London Tiraes Seruics.

opcttu tuOtc DcSpuitN ~ Inn oIN yID" tHe
London Timss Serrics.
CopvriOht, 1919; al rights reserred.
BERLIN, March 1O.-The full story of
the airplane attack on the Spartacists'
positions shows 1t was like front line
warfare. Big fighting planes were sent
to clear out machine gun nests on
housetops by their own machine gun
fire and to stablish gun positions.
They flew within 100 feet of the roofs,
whence they were subjected to heavy
fusillades. one plane was badly holed
by an anti-aircraft gun.
Near St Georges Church the planes
detected big gun position so well pro-
tected ii could not be reached by ma
chine guns, so a heavy bombing plane
was sent to destroy it, To reach other
gun positions near the Alexanderplatz
big howitzers were brought to the
Werder Market. whence. under the di-
rection of fighting planes shells Of one
ton weight were thrown into the Alex
deep.
Poison Gas Shells Used.
Two heavy air bombs smashed a
Spartacist gun emplacement in the
basement of the I.ictz stores. and a
light artillery position on the Cafe
Braun
Meantime the position of the Govern
Inent troops in the police headquarters
has become desperate. They numbered
at the beginning OF the hght $40 rifles
but many OF them Berlin police and not
regular troops. Being under artllery
FIRE for twenty-four hours the food and
munitions supply ran short and then the
Spartacists began to bomb them with
tear and gas shells
Under this new experience. the police
who had no gas masks began to show
tho effects OF nerve strain. The south
7 ern wing OF the headquarters became
untenab,e. the defenders retiring to the
actual prison section or hast.lle. Here
relief came from the skies. bombing
planes swoopng down under Are to
within a few feet of the roof, dropping
parcels of food and ammunition. Thus
they were enabled TO hold out until the
/ air bombs and heavy how.tzer shells
had smashed the underground tunne
and subway whereby the Spartacist re-
/ Inducements were prevented from reach
| ing the scene Of lighting
Fighting In the schools.
There was heavy fighting also outside
and inside the schools at Koenig gstadt
I Director Boetticher and maid servan'
B l.; IngI
heavily before the position was captured
/ According to military information the
/ killed and wounded on both sides mum
! Der more than 1000.
In Berlin the irregulars have jonec
/ the Spartacists and with the marines
! have occupied the royal stables the city
railway stations and other points. Early
this afternoon they made further at
tac>s on the police presidency, but wer'
beaten off The troops OF Gusta "
Noske, the Military Director of the GOV
eminent. especially the officers corp
advancing by the palace. was met b!
a heavy fire from the stables, The!
brought mine throwers and three or fou
( nigh explosive mines into the stables
clearing the route eastward. They thci
forced the war into the AleNanderpiat
and caught marines and irregulars be
seiging police headquarters in the rear
In the fighting with bayonets the ma
rires were dispersed and a number kille,
and captured.
Tho officers corps had 10y niGhtlail o.
~, ,Icd the Mexanderpla!Ask ] r-~ ~tve
the siege OF the station. The marines
.
treated to the Kaiser Wilhelmstraz
where taey had headquarters in Gel
lars. and 10 Misunderstanding wher
~ situated the thieves market for stol,l
goods. These centres have not yet DeeI
taken.
Rowing snipers shot Down,
There are bands in other parts Of tn
city ard Intermittent firing is audible
, The officers corps is acting summarh
and men carrying arms without Govern
ment authorization are shot out Of hand
The Workmen's Council held a me, I
ing at which the SpartaCists and Inde
pendents proposed to extend the strik
Of gas, water and electricity. The ma
ton was carried by a small majority
whereupon the Majority Socialists an
Ebertites left the meeting and announce
they would cease to share respUnsiblit
for the strike.
The gas. water and electr', concern
state they can continue to MAINTAIN sun
plies II they have military protection
The train service is suspended owing I
the terrorization of engineers by the II
regulars. but the Government troop
should he able 10 rsoccupy the static
in few hours.
WOMAN TO RUN IN ARGENTINA