urce of much danger to the joining of the
British and French armies, and the possibility of the Germans forcing
their way through to Boulogne meant a possibility of a cutting off of
the entire British army and the French and Belgian forces between
Ypres and the sea near Nieuport. However, if La Bassee was isolated
and the Aubers Ridge taken by the British, the chances that the
Germans could retain Lille were materially lessened; and if the
British got Lille they might start to drive their enemy from Belgium.

During the lull in the fighting on land, to which reference has been
made, there was much activity in the air. Reconnaissances and raids
were of almost daily occurrence. A Zeppelin dropped twenty bombs on
Calais, slaying seven workmen at the railroad station on March 18,
1915. Three days later another, or possibly the same Zeppelin, flew
over the town, but this time it was driven away before it could do any
harm. "Taubes" bombarded the railroad junction of St. Omer and made a
similar attack on Estaires on March 23. Four days after another attack
was made on Estaires, and on the same day, March 27, the German airmen
did some damage to Sailly, Calais, and Dunkirk. The next day a "Taube"
made an attack on Calais, Estaires, and Hazebrouck. A Zeppelin closed
the month's warfare in the air for the Germans by making a dash over
Bailleul.

Aviators of the Allies, too, were busy. One of their aerial squadrons
proceeded along the coast on March 16 and attacked the military posts
at Ostend and Knocke. These aviators had as one of their main
objective points the German coast batteries at the latter place. But
the squadron was seen from a German observation balloon at Zeebrugge,
and a flock of "Taubes" made a dash for their enemy's craft. The
Germans were not as skillful airmen, however, and they found it
necessary to retire. Five British aviators made an attack on the
German submarine base at Hoboken, southwest of Antwerp, and destroyed
a submarine and wrecked two others. This raid was made without injury
to the aviators, the only accident being the necessity of one of the
aircraft to descend, which it did, only to find it had landed on Dutch
territory and must be interned. The excellence of the Allies' flying
was not confined to the English. Belgian and French airmen, as well as
British, flew almost constantly over Ostend, Zeebrugge, Roulers,
Aubers, and such other places as German soldiers and their supplies
were in eviden