BOMBELLES, MARC MARIE

lomatist; later, bp. of Amiens, BOMBING MACHINES. A heavy type of aeroplane used for carrying and dropping bombs. They were first developed during the European War of 1914-18, and reached a high degree of efficiency. The early machines used by the Germans for dropping bombs on French and English cities were nothing more than the ordinary military aeroplanes put to particular use, but in the later years of the war both sides built machines specially designed for carrying great weight and equipped with devices for enabling the crew to drop the bombs with ease and accuracy. Among the allies, the two largest bombing machines were the Handley Page and the Caproni. The former was driven by four Rolls-Royce engines, each of 300 horse power. It carried sufficient fuel for ten hours flight and traveled at a speed of 80 miles per hour. Shortly after the armistice one of these planes flew over London carrying forty pa engers. The Caproni triplane was equipped with three Fiat engines, each of 600 horse-power, and was capable of carrying three tons of bombs. It was used by the Italians in raids on Pola and Trieste. Other smaller types of bombers used by the allies were the Caudron, the Breugnet, the A. V. Roe, the Letord, and the Morane-Saulnier. Among the most famous of the German bombers were the Gotha, the Friedschaven, the Lizenz and the A. E. G. The first was of the ‘pusher’ type, was built of wood, and was equipped with twin 500 horsepower engines. It carried a crew of three men. The A.E.G. was the latest type of German bombing machine. Its framework was of steel tubing, {ts span 60 feet, and its speed 90 miles per hour. It was equipped with twin Mercedes engines of 260 horse-power. The Lizenz had a span of 140 feet, could carry nine men and 2000 lbs. of bombs. At the time of the armistice Germany po e ed 200 bombers. In addition to the mechanism for releasing the bombs, the machines were equipped with Goerz sizhts, to enable the operator to aim. Other special equipment used on both sides consisted of flares, ignited, when drop: by the resistance of the air, which were used to illumine the object of attack. They were capable of producing from 300-400 candle-power. Special bombs, containing 60 per cent of their weight of explosives, were also developed, the ordinary artillery shells containing only about 5 per cent of explosive.