Show Che Cb JI rial r rBy By Capt Catt Guy D. D Smith of the tLe British British- Royal Air Fo Force c Copyright by GIT Cor Capt-Cor D D. D Sm th s a v CIL ax bOTe th the City oC or D Continued From Yesterday Palestine It R teas wa as at the tho capture of or the tho coast cout city of at Gaza Ga that I had hal mY mr first of or orthe with the airmen flying encounter the tho Runs Huns Wo We know Hun activities were becoming bo- bo I pronounced In our coming somewhat raids were occasional There Thero field from tho Hun aviators who would Ironing droning over our fortifications como come In Instant Instant instant in- in and drop a few tew bombs But tho the of or thorn thom stant we put out In pursuit they would turn tall tail and depart without without with with- chance for or battle giving us a out ut In that peculiar wayn which comIn coming cornIng com corn In ing events cast their shadow low knOWledge knowlI knowledge knowl knowl- that great things 8 edge had conic come to us I were about to happen We Ve had no definite dot def mite Information but each unit re received received ro- ro orders to bo be ready rendy for duty on ona ona ona a certain day lIay and everywhere there was activity Wo 0 felt elt that whatever was projected 1 would be bo tho the biggest thing yet ot et undertaken undertaken undertaken under under- taken In all nil our campaigning out of Port Said and I was delighted beyond words to know that I 1 was not to be bo left lct behind The Tho great da day eventually arrived We e got ot our machines and stores storeR aboard the seaplane carrier and steamed out of the harbor at 11 o'clock at night Before Borore dawn wo we could hear distant firing and Just at daybreak we vc arrived off oCt Gaza the ancient Palestine h h V linnin nf nr f CU CIL LU n. n u. u HIV L u. u Hero we joined a great fleet of oC monitors monitors mon mon- cruisers carriers and destroyers with scores of motor boats darting darting- In Inand Inand Inand and out among amon them and with numerous numerous numerous numer numer- ous little trawlers at hand These trawlers seem scant to be bo Indispensable and andare andare andare are always In ever every scrap GAZA ZA TIll THIS OF CE s' s The Tho drumfire bombardment of or Gaza had already started Wo We 0 were told that land forces force were to mako make a simUltaneous si simultaneous si- si attack with ours and that Gaza must call all On Once co before Gaza had been attacked and captured but the British forces had been driven out after aCter occupying tho the cIt city for but ut half I Ian an hour This time there was to be he no failure j I Gaza was to be captured and there was a thrill In the very er thou thought ht for Gaza's history is one of ot battles and singes es dating back almost to tho the be beginning beginning be- be ginning of oC time More Ioro than years before Christ it withstood the tho siege of Alexander th c Great for five months Ono One hundred years before Christ It was captured and destroyed by br Alexander Alexandcr Rebuilt on a new site It thrived cd for tor centuries under the influence of or the Greeks and was ono of ot tho the ancient scats seats of learning Tho The Moslems captured captured captured cap cap- It In the tho s seventh century and lost It centuries later to tho the Crusaders But b by this time Gaza's ancient glories had departed and it was known only for its commercial importance and because of or scriptural references It was to the hill bill El near the eft city that Samson carried tho the gates Sates of I Gaza Gaz The Crusaders lost tho elt city to the Moslems in 1214 1244 and Moslem rule I was vas uninterrupted until 1799 when tho the city was taken by Napoleon But Moslem Influence was too great for the teachings s of Christianity to overcome and It has hns remained a a. Moslem ell city Is it an any wonder that we thrilled at atthe atthe atthe the very cn of at battling battlIng- for Cor tho the possession of ot this historic little city where have bare fought tho the soldiers soliers of or all ages Our machines were wore launched without without without with with- out loss of time tho the plan of or battle be being being be- be ing that the first machine was to lead the attack the others following in swift succession each to go 10 to the re relief relief re- re lief of Its predecessor Hun machines were busy overhead when whon we rose front from the waters The Tho first machine to go up had bad hardly hardly hard hard- ly h got well started when it was Wag at attacked attacked attacked at- at tacked by a Hun scout and barely es escaped escaped os- os being shot down Tho The machine was riddled with bullet holes and one bullet camo came so close to finding a n. human human hu hu- hu- hu man target that It actual actually took a littie little lit lit- I tie tle nick out of or the seat sent of ot the observers observer's observers observer's ers er's trousers By skillful maneuvering maneuvering maneuvering maneuver maneuver- I ing however the pilot managed to shako shake the Hun oft off I AI- AI AERIAL RIAL BATTLES RATTLES OVER FIELDS OF Several aerial battles were fought that day occurring occurring- of ore off made famous by the Biblical saying BaYing Tell TelI it not in the streets of Jr f Wo We unscathed save for bullet t through tho the machines which were of no consequence t The TIme duty of our squadron was to di direct direct dl- dl tho the fire fhe of the big naval guns onto tho the railroad at Deir At this point there thera was waH a bl big bridge over ove tho the Yach Hazl about a m nub 10 nearer tho coast than a u. road bridge over the same wadi After Arter this first days day fighting the tho Job became somewhat monotonous for fora a U. few days spotting for tor artillery ordinarily or or- not being eIng particularly In ing And when a battle Is raging and anda a big battle battlo too right under your our or very eyes and all you can do it to sit still sUll and make mako signals you ou somehow feel teel under terrific restraint Our ship wa was lying about a mile south Routh of or and five or six sL miles north of or Gaza From rom this position we wc could get s.-et a splendid view now of the h bom m- m Tb The Tho Huns Iun had bAd fortified Gaza with a perfect labyrinth Of oC trenches an and believed their Po Position o o- o was Impregnable Our land squadron on shot hot and amid captured d an Austrian Lieutenant rho ho said You rou trill TUI n never ner er Gaza Gaz r hc hc Germans Ger ha haro fortified It too well and you ou have failed ll In your other at cit cit- t- t tempts This w was Just before the th city crt fell tell dut along Out on usual spotting duty the coast one morning mornin about 11 it o'clock wo were flying along anally tho the ob observer observer ob- ob server watching watching- for tho the burst burnt of i a Inch fourteen shell through tho thu field glasses Fourte Fourteen n were plentiful plen plen- tHul at nt this battlo battle of or Gaza Garn In which several hundred thousand men mea participated pat patol d anti and which In Its uso Use of or up-to- up the minute munitions the tho ferocity of or orIts Its attacks an and l counterattacks tho the frequency fre fre- freI fre- I quency of Its shifts In advantage and Its accompanying slaughter was In Iii I every way equal to n many of or the greater battles that havo waged alon along tho western front CAUGHT UNA UNAWARE nl fly nY A II liU HUN U A I was keeping keeping- an ey eye on the battle and a wonderful sight It was On ono one sector a barrage ire fire WAS in progress at this particular moment preceding an Infantry charge With Joy I t saw aw that the Turks were preparing to retreat The observer and I were so bus busy with our eyes on the panorama that wo 0 paid pait no attention whatever to the Hun airmen air lr me men n Suddenly came right In In- our cars ears the hc tat rat of a machine ma hine gun with bullets whizzing by our OUI l ads Behind us not more than thirty feet away way and driving drIvInS' straight at t our tail tall Its gun spitting a a. regular lead hall hail upon us came a Hun scout a n. Halberstadt Halber- Halber stadt single seater It was a A. tickling situation for tor or scouting and bombing planes such as ours arc are not built for air all battling being too heavy for the thc acrobatics by which It Is possible easIly easily JJ ily to evade an nn attacking enemy However we had one advantage over oyer our cur adversary He was was was' alone and must do his own piloting and firing firings To get our range he had to aim not the gun but tho the airplane at u. u ua us and so must becoming be coming straight on In our machine tho the observer handled tho time gun which could ho bo was wu so mounted that It swung to tc fire Ire from any an angle angle- le Our chance for escape la lay in quick manipulation manipulation manipulation manip manip- of oC the tho airplane that would take tale taleus us out of ot his range I gave tho the control a quick twist that turned her with her planes on the vertical ver Ver- er and dropped In a steep spiral The Tho Hun shot over the top of our upward wings wl missing them b by a hair Then I straightened h out cut ut and started in pur pur- suit ONE OXE HUN U l iv 1 ivAS FLIGHT AS ANOTHER ATTACKS Meantime my observer had dropped his glasses swung the machine gun Into po position and turned loose such a burst of oC fire that the lone German Gorman quit cold Ho lie had a speedy plane but we might have havo brought him down had not the tat rat of ot another machine machino machino ma- ma chino chine gun drawn our attention to tc a second enemy plane this ono one a two- two seated Albatross launching an attack upon us from Crom about a hundred feet to our rl right ht this Wo Vo 0 had a running fight with tell follow fellow ow In an air battle every overy third bullet fired is a a. tracer that tracer that Is it leaves a n. trail of or smoke so that one can tell just how hoyt close one has come cometo cometo to the tar target et thus getting getlinG tho the range for Cor his other shots We could follow in this fight not only our own tracers tracers tracers tra The observer ob observer ob- ob cers but tho the Huns Hun's as well server of or the tho enemy plane was standIng standing stand stand- In ing ing- ingup up manipulating his machine gun bun and we could also see sec the head of or the pilot But accurate aim from an airplane airplane air air- plane pIano Is Impossible and all we could do was to fire In their general tion Hun airmen daring in man many respects do not stand up bravely braveh in a case of or give Ilvo and take They will start an at attack attack at- at tack but tho the Instant the opposing gunners get the tho range ranee off ocr they will race We po possibly sibl did some damage on this occasion but If It Ite we e did we never were able to find out The Tho Hun made tracks for his own lines We Wo followed follow ollow- ed a short distance but ut could not give further pursuit without neglecting our regular duty and without endangering ourselves to a whole flock of German machines So back we wo went to our spotting until lunch time when we r turned returned to the tho ship The British forces in tho the harbor had h been strongly reinforced u by L l French forces by this time and ana i 1 i had also been put ashore to assist our land attack The ba battles we C had had hadIn hadin hadin in the air had been watched by allhands all allhands hands and soon after our return there came a message from the thc French commander commander cornman com corn man mander d or We thank tho the pilot and observer very much for tor their services ser and are very glad Iad they were not shot down The French are arc always thoughtful and considerate in this way The They never overlook the sending of a a. message message message mes mes- sage of ot thanks and congratulation if one has accomplished something FI PLYiNG IN IS ALL ALIj IN D. DAYS DAY'S YS Y'S Battle natU raged an and raged until flying In the midst of danger became such a matter of tho the days day's work that we thought nothing of it at all Beautiful Beautiful Beau Beau- weather prevailed during durIn our OUI two weeks before the city I would get up at 4 1 o'clock e ee every e I morning and come out on deck Just for the pleasure of or beholding the beautiful sunrise over oer the tha Judean hills Usually at this time the tho guns were hushed There was no nu hint anywhere that men would a few tew hours later be at each others other's throats seeking to kill All w was s peace and the very landscape itself was Wag of such a character as to soothe the soul It was vas difficult to look at It and aud think of war I was flying ono evening toward sunset about f five ye miles north of or Ga Gaa a. a The ob observer wits was busy trying trying- to spot our guns gums onto some Turkish batteries close to tho shore but the they were so go sowell well velL camouflaged that it was almost Impossible to m mike ke out their exact location Tho The even evening InS InS' air all was wonderful wonderful won won- and md In spite or of occasional spiteful spiteful spiteful spite spite- ful shots from archies we Just hung around in time the one ono spot and feasted our eyes on the glory of ot tho scene Gaza is close to tho the seashore and its white houses house and mosques mOQues set in the tho greenery of lush Jal gardens ens and the shade of or date palms all surrounded by thick cactus hedges hedge sparkled under tho the rays ras of or the he dying sun Hun with the tawny of a a. Corol Corot- N Neither of or ofus ofus orus us intentionally neglected neg dut duty but I 1 Ido Ido do think that wo we for forgot ot for Cor a few minutes the Job we had In iq hand and nd tho the significance of ot the great struggle gle raging ragin beneath us in contemplation of or ortho tho the view Dusk began to creep in Wo Yo could catch occasional flashes lashes of lights light out of or tho the trenches which the Turks had dug u behind the tho hedges hedge and smoke was rising from scores of at little camp fires Just beginning to show their glow Clow HUNDRED me DiG DU S ROARING G I IN IS CHORUS Then came deeper dusk and the sun un sank behind tho the hort horizon on and fr a u ridge of oC sandhills came a roar of or artiller ar- ar tiller tIllery and the tho flash Clash of a hundred big guns as the time Turkish batteries began spitting their venom at the attacking forces This brought lis us s awa away from our contemplation con can of ot the magnificence of ot the evening and right up a against stern duty We 0 enjoyed the tho fireworks as a spectacle spec spec- and we enjoyed them even more I because thc they enabled us to signal signa the I batteries batteries' exact location Our gunners opened fire had the tho r range n o perfectly I and proceeded to blow that particular I gun covered sand ridge to pieces And nd I we having ha nothing more to do do flew I back to tho the ship for tho the night On Ono wee week after tho the bombardment of or Gaza be began an we got our first news of oC tho the British land advance twenty miles inland had been lIeen cap cap- Apprehension beset the Turks They began to fear the land movement movement move move- ment mont coming by Ly way of or Beersheba would envelop elop tho the forces defending Gaza so 90 the they made mado preparations for retreat t. Wo We had tapped the Turkish wires and were also picking licking up UI all their wireless messa messages We e knew w we haUl had the tho city won when I this message came camo over the thc wires to the Turkish commander at Gaza Destroy oV everything an and l retire at atTo once I To Bo Be Continued Tomorrow |