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Show Giants of the Sky. "The largest war planes are the bomb-dropping machines. They must be capable of carrying heavy loads of explosives. They are usually slow ' machines, speed being sacrificed to carrying capacity. The Italians have specialized In big bomb machines. The huge Capronl airplanes carry three men and three guns, besides 2.750 pounds of explosives. That makes a ! useful load of 4.000 pounds. The n-.a- ! chine Is driven by three engines with a total cf 000 horse power. Such j enormous machines are rather exceptional, excep-tional, however. Bombing machines are usually convoyed by fast fighting planes, and do not have to defend themselves from attack In the air. Often bombing raids are made at night, and the Italian machines are provided with 'searchlight bombs to enable them to locate Important spots on the ground beneath. These are brilliant magnesium torches suspended suspend-ed from parachutes, so that they fall slowly and give a broad Illumination, j while the airplane Itself is shielded i i from the light by the jta rachute." A. Russell Bond, In St. Nicholas. |