Show V CIS tiT by r p with the the- rl hU f In lIt Great rest SfA pair r G C I and n All 11 r rr for tor 1 the A A. A Stoker Stoke company Copy CoPT France Holland UnIT Italy Spain pain II Russia t. t nn 9 9 1 by J Edward V. V r. r All and nd the Scandinavian countries r CHAPTER r I Continued from yesterday r To 10 see an aeroplane cavorting about abou t over ever ver their heads filled them with ith bitterness bitterness bit at the thought that these well dressed men arc getting paid for tor that pleasant sport while they are arc forced force d dt to to work like Uke beasts beauts of burden In th the t rtin rain Infantry officers have o told m me meth e th that t rare rarely 1 have the they seen an AmerIcan American American Amer Amer- ican aeroplane over them wh n it was needed to chase aWa away cn enemy machines and ind that thal Huns repeatedly came over o them at nt low altitudes strafing the troops with machine-gun machine fire to their great preat injury and demoralization i It is not difficult to understand this bitterness under the circumstances Much Much lituch of this thin feeling feeling- might be he clear 11 1 awn away iway however If It the thc int that when hen enEm enemy machines ire are strafing them our airmen n are ro re- re tt probably twofold upon the enemy enemy troops beyond the lines Everyday Every day iday our machines were engaged in this hazardous hazardous' work of oC trench strafing Much of the tho success of our Infantry Advances d ances was duo to tho the operation co-operation of our air forces behind the front and beyond the vision islon of our doU doughboys In in the trenches Admitting Admitting- as the they do rh rho disastrous effect of aeroplane at attacks attacks at- at attacks tacks upon their own lines s they can easily Ima Imagine lne ho how terrified their enemy en enemy en- en emy m infantrymen became at the daily lally appearance of our fighting planes in their midst I l As to tho the comparative risks of ot injury Injury in injury In- In jury In these two arms o of warfare I Ib b believe even the mo most moat t skeptical dOU dough dough- hJ h- h J bo boy would admit after reflection that i an airmans airman's dally duties surround him every moment with the possibilities o of I death Comfort and dress entertainments entertain entertain- ments gents and good food tood arc are all nIl In our favor of ot c course courso urso But T I have yet et to meet a pilot of ot an any nation at war who does docs not try to balance this advantage tage tape with a a. whole admiration I for his less fortunate brother arms who does docs so much more snore than his I 1 share of ot th the dirty work Much of this thiN jeal Jealousy and misunderstanding rI r- r I standing results from the lt the theman theman theman man on the ground round can never ne see seo and never neer know anything of tho the things the airman Is doln doing for tor him It is a pity that such must be the case for while whilo rival rivalry 1 between different branches of tho the army urmy ma may be beneficial is not noL While sitting at dinner about sundown sundown sundown sun sun- down on the evening o of September 30 discussing the latest victory Ictor claimed that afternoon b by Lieutenant Kayo Kaye and Lieutenant Reed Recd Chambers who had destroyed a aeroplane over Romaigne an orderly brou brought ht me mea 1 a note from the C. C O. O of the group re reI requesting requesting re- re questing me to select two volunteers for tor a most Important mission and report re report report re- re I port at headquarters with th them m forth forth- with It was then and quite dark I We e were naturally excited at this sudden summons and I wondered what extraordinary necessity called for tor I aeroplanes at this late Inte hour I sel selected select select- ct- ct ed Ham Coolidge and Wierd Cook out of the men who volunteered for this unknown mission and setting off with our flying l kit In our hands wo we hastened hast hait- I ened over oer to Major Hartney's office Cut Off From Food There to our great surprise we I found Mitchell impatiently Pacing tho the floor while awaiting our our coming Ho Ile Immediately welcomed us usand usand and bC began an at once to explain the object object ob- ob of or our hurried summons Our troops were at that time lime en- en engaged In the atack Montfaucon and were advancing up the ten mile valley that runs between the edge of the tho Ar- Ar gonno forest fOTe l and the Mouse Meuse river Montfaucon ucon occupied the crest of ot the loftiest hill hm In this valle valley and was situated sit sit- sit d almost In Its exact center From this favorable spot the Crown Prince of Germany Germany- had viewed the battles for or Verdun and the country to the tho south during those fierce days daN of 1316 Later ter LaterI I visited the massive headquarters of or orthe the crown prince and ana marveled mar at th i extensive view of or the surrounding landscape one obtained from this site For four tour days our dou boys had harl flung lung themselves courageously upon the well weB prepared defenses r o of the enemy en enem enemy en- en em emy alon along this valle valley Costly gains were verc made and valuable territory was won slowly b by our victorious troops Between the old lino and the new line from Grand Gran Pre to the Mouses Meuse two different American divisions named the demo defile through which they had separately fought Death valle valley From their superior heights b beyond ond the Meuse Ieuse tho the enem enemy artillery swept their roads with a pitiless hall hail of or shrapnel An occasional rush was made lI by isolated isolated iso iso- so- so re regiments of our men which gained g them the shelter of or of intervening Intervening ing In hills And Ani thus Just under the crest of Montfaucon our aeroplanes had discovered a bod hotly body of or several eral thousand thousand thou thou- sand American lou dou boys who had been marooned for thirty six 81 hours entirely entire entire- ly h without food or ammunition except eXcept ex except eX- eX the small supply the they had carried In with them A thick curtain artillery artillery artillery artil artil- lery fire had been placed behind them b by tho the enem enemy cutting All the roads In several places and rendering ven c-ven even a retreat difficult Filer Sought for P Trip Major Hartney had alread already discussed discussed dis dis- cl cussed s erl with Will th our Ui group rup ca captains t the O 01 carrying to 10 inc u I troops troop by hy aeroplane on one on the morrow The arm army headquarters expected confidently confidently con con- that the they would be able tu to i break through h to the relief of or these II III I starving troops durin during tho night If It this failed ailed we should devote ote oUr ourselves to their by aeroplane beginning beginning be be- be- be I ginning at daybreak f fAnd And now General Mitchell had motored motored mo mo- motored over to Impart Imparl to toi i u us some startling news The army intelligence bureau had reported that eleven troop trains had left Metz at noon carrying carryIng carry- carry Ing to the Montfaucon front the fa famous famous fa- fa mou Prussian guard for an attack upon our entrapped dou doughboys doughboy hbo Immediate Immediate Immediate Im Im- mediate confirmation of or this fact was desired and late lato as It was aeroplanes were tho the only means of or obtaining this confirmation and the they must be sent Because of the darkness the flight would be extremely hazardous and only experienced pilots should bo be permitted permitted permitted per per- to go o The searchlight would throw Its beam up Into tho the night durIng during during dur dur- ing the entire time we were aWI away and we should be able to see its signal for many miles within Germany German It was wal imperative that the aviators should know mow the location of ot all the railway r lines leading to the front from Crom Metz and likewise necessary that the they should succeed with their mission and md return s safely with the desired mation He would not order an any in individual individual In- In to go bO but would be pleased to have two volunteers I replied that every man in the squadron was anxious to go I had selected Coolidge and Cook as ns two of m my best men and both w were re not only familiar with tho the enemy railroad lines but could find their way home homo if anybody could II Rick Flick Join Adventurer Yer Very well said the general beneral Strike the main railroad line on the I Meuse e follow It up as far ar as Stenay and from Crom there go to and ana andon anoon on to Metz Note Nolo carefully every ln thing on that route If you ou have I to toly fly ly as low as tho ho treetops Locate tho time and the place of or ever every train how man many cars caTS it has which way It ItIs Itis itis is headed anI and the nature of oC its load f if you ou can I will wait walt here until you OU return Three would be better belter than two 1 thought to lo tn myself sel as I accompanied I Cook and Coolidge c out to their machines machines ma ma- chines I saw them off and then ordered ordered or or- dered the mechanics to run out my or-I or A few minutes later I taxied down tho field turned and headed I for or our row of or signal lights The I motor roared as I open opened d up my throttle tie tic and sped swirl swiftly back for a takeoff takeoff take take- 0 off The tail tall lifted the wheels 15 skimmed skimmed skim skim- med the ground then clear cleared d it ft and I slightly slight elevating the controls I saw I Ithe the ground round lights disappearing under I Im m my lower wing T Continued tomorrow I |