eutrality should not be violated. It lay over country much of which is
wooded and sparsely inhabited--first from Belfort to Muelhausen, thence
over the Black Forest and some groups of wooded peaks to a point north
of Schaffhausen. Here the prescribed course was to bend southwards,
between the two arms of Lake Constance which stretch to the north-west,
and when once the lake was reached the objective would be full in view.

On the 28th of October Lieutenant Pemberton Billing returned to England
to collect men and machines. A squadron of four Avros, with 80
horse-power Gnome engines, had already been formed at Manchester under
Squadron Commander P. Shepherd. The four pilots were:

Squadron Commander E. F. Briggs.
Flight Commander J. T. Babington.
Flight Lieutenant S. V. Sippe.
Flight Sub-Lieutenant R. P. Cannon.

[Illustration: Friedrichshafen Raid.]

There were eleven air mechanics. The machines and stores were shipped at
Southampton for Le Havre and arrived in Belfort by night on the 13th of
November. When he reached Belfort, Squadron Commander Shepherd fell ill;
moreover, the weather was bad, with a falling barometer and a strong
easterly wind. At last, on Saturday, the 21st of November, conditions
improved and the raid took place. At half-past nine in the morning the
four machines were lined up on the western side of the aerodrome to
undergo engine tests and bomb-release tests. They were then dispatched,
at intervals of five minutes, Squadron Commander Briggs, on machine 873,
being followed by Flight Commander Babington on machine 875, and Flight
Lieutenant Sippe on machine 874. Sub-Lieutenant Cannon's machine failed
to rise and broke its tail skid. The other three reached Friedrichshafen
about noon, almost together, and wrought havoc on the Zeppelin works.
Squadron Commander Briggs was brought down by machine-gun fire, which
riddled his petrol tank. The other two returned in safety.

Two accounts of this raid shall be quoted, one from the air, the other
from the ground. Here is Flight Lieutenant Sippe's log:

Attack on Friedrichshafen, 21st November 1914.

'9.55 a.m. Left Belfort. Shaped course for Basle,
following Nos. 873 and 875.

10.25 a.m. Arrived Basle, passed to north, observed
No. 873 going away to south, overtook
No. 875. No. 873 several miles to starboard.
Followed Rhine at height of
about 5,000 feet, keep