In an interview with a correspondent of the United Frees
of America Count Zeppelin defended the action of the Zeppelin crews who dropped bombe on Yarmouth, Bran- caster, Snettieham. Lynn, and other unfortified towns and villages. He expressed hie regret that non-combatants should have been killed, but said that non-combatants were simi- larly killed unintentionally by artillery fire. The real cause of the outcry was that England feared to lose her splendid isolation, and knew that she had failed to build anything comparable to the Zeppelins. A town which held troops or was protected only by trenches, he said, was subject to land attack, and therefore was rationally subject also to aerial attack. The proof of the humanity of the German airship crews was that when they dropped bombs merely to lighten their airships they removed the fuses. The hollowness of Count Zeppelin's excuses hardly needs to be pointed out. Abso- lutely undefended towns and villages were attacked. In the case of the bombardment of well-fortified towns by artillery due notice would have to be given according to the customs of war. As for the bombs that did not explode at Yarmouth and Lynn, the fuses had not been removed.
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