| Show 1 Aar eDD KER Published by arrangement with Ith t the rights rt n d Copyrighted Qt In tn Great Grent Britain McClure S 11 1919 Canada dl and Ind tn An-tn n lIa All ved for rorby br by the Frederick A A. A Sto company Copy Copy- FrAnC France Heat rum lum Ital- Ital Italy Spain rI right ht 1919 1915 t b by J Edward l-dward V. V All the countries My ly mechanics assured me mc that buth both Coolidge and Cook had returned Hastening Hast Hast- Hastening ening to the thc operations o office I mad I my report that no Hun trains were I coming comins- our wa way which General Mitch Mitch- Mitchell ell received with a simple God Godl Godi x On the following day which was October October October Oc Oc- I tober 1 I a large lurge formation of ot pilots from the crossed the lines JInes and I cruised about for tor nearly n arly t two t o hours in inGerman I I II I German lines without a fight We scared up one covey ey of butI but hut I ere cre unable to get them within range ranse Rick Hick E Wrecks Wreck Balloon I I Ch Changing machines 1 I went back alone lone late In the and hung I Ilone about the lines until it began to grow dusk I 1 had spotted a German balloon I down don on the ground back of or the Three Three- Fingered lake and was convinced that it would be bc inadequately guarded as asIt asit asit I it was not doln doing duty and a WAS as supposed supposed supposed sup sup- posed to be hidden from tram view lev Sure I enough when I arrived at its ils hiding place I found no antiaircraft gunners there to molest me mc It was too easy casy a job to be bo called a victory vietor for tor 1 I merely merely merely mere mere- ly poked down my nose fired rounds or so and the job was done The balloon caught fire Without any coaxInG coaxIng coaxIng coax coax- Ing and I calmly flew on my way homewards without molestation I I Without lt oUt molestation that Is Is t from j j the enemy I turned back across our lines at Vigneulles and nd there on our own side of or the trenches I 1 met the at attention attention attention at- at of or two wo searchlights a and d' d da a a. furl furl- us barrage of oC flaming p projectiles from our own guns The latter all passed well sell behind my tall a as as s I 1 could see them plainly leaving the ground and could trace their entire progress pros In m my i direction Tho The American gunners had hadI I not had the lung long experience of ot the Hun Arch Archy experts and I saw at ata a glance that they were all aiming directly direct direct- I ly at my machine Instead of ot the proper prop prop- er distance ahead of or me mc Thc Their r aim w was s so 80 bad that I did not oot eVen en r feel el Indignant at their o Later Liter I learned that this area was as forbidden forbidden for for- bidden to our aeroplanes and the he gunners gunners gun gun- ners ncr there had been ordered to shoot at everything that passed overhead arter after after art art- aft aft- er dark My successful expedition against the thc I balloon was known at the aerodrome when I arrived The glare of or Its fire tire had been bean seen een on the field and later telephonic reports froth from our observing post poste duly confirmed its destruction Am German American 1 Fight Hun That night around the mess one of or orthe I the boys bos read aloud d from the Paris Paris Herald that tho British independent air all force torce had nt a large Jarge formation of oC planes over O the on the night before and had dro hn d h d A d u MU u I V VJ J VU un rc s I J o of hea heavy y bombs Into Inlo the city j Jimmy captain of or i squadron was with us paying a visit i to lo the old squadron that he has always I considered his own WIt Jimmy appeared I to be pondering pondering- deeply o over o cr th the cadIng cad cad- ea ing of this particular news nes titi hon Lon hon It was finished he ho Gee Whiz I hope the they didn't kill m aunt She lives In For a moment everybody looked at Jimmy in astonishment Then we roared with lau laughter Jimmy l with his Gorman German na name e and his aunt in Colo Cologne ne had shot down don eight enemy ene- ene I m my aeroplanes How many such I alles must have ha amu amused ed our m mess s sI sa I halls now nou that American soldiers of or German ancestry found themselves I fighting against tho the former fatherland of ot their grandfathers 1 CHAPTER L X A A. Days Day's Work Work Six r Six rk-Six Six Vic Vic- Victories tories tones II the beginning of ot October the WITH I squadron took on a new phase o of air all fighting Ve We e Were ere taken I I aWil away ay from the general orders affectIng affect affect- Ing Ins the first pursuit wing wins and were I I I delegated dele l to patrol the lines at low alI al- al I I not exceeding 2000 feet This meant serious business to us for Cor not I Ionly Ionly I only should we bo be under more severe Arch Archy fire but we should be an easy I tar target ct for or tho the higher Hun formations which could pique down upon us at I their own pleasure These n new w orders were Intended to j pr provide ld a a means of defense against as the low flying enemy machines which came over O our lines Usually thc they were ero I protected machines narel Rarely did the they attempt to penetrate to any considerable distance back o of No Mans Man's Land Jand They came camo over to follow tho the lines Jines and see sec what we e were doing on our front leaving leaving- to their high flying photographic machines the thc Inspection of our rear On October 2 Reed Chambers led out the first patrol under th these se new or orden orders or- or ders den He lie had five machines with him and I went along on a a. voluntary patrol patrol patrol pa pa- to 10 sec see how the thc ne new scheme was Wn 1 going Komg to 10 worK ork TO act somewhat in ina a a j capacity I took a higher I level lc an anc an followed allowed th them m back and forth o O cr r r their beat at 2000 feet teel or m more ro ab c them The course courso of this patrol was be betWeen between between be- be I Im I'm tween Meuse Sivey euse and ne Wo Ve had tUrn turned d back towards the west I at hot the end of one beat and were nearIng nearing near near- Ing the turning point when I ed eda ll lla a tWo seater Hanover er machine of ot the enemy trying to steal across our lines behind us He was quite low and was already across the front when I discovered dis dis- discovered covered ered him To tempt him a little farther from his hh line lines I made no sign of noticing him but throttled down to my 01 10 lowest elt speed and continued continua d straight ht ahead with some Bome climb Tho The pilots in Chambers Chambers' Chambers Cham Cham- bers' bers formation were b below low me and had e evidently not seen the intruder at al atall atall all as yet et Gun Gunn Jam nt Moment Calculating the position o of our two to machines as ns we dr dra drow away from each cach I I other I de decided I could now cut off the Hanover r before he rea d d hl his lines even cven If he saw me the moment I turned Accordingly l I piqued swift swiftly back aiming at a point just behind our front vh where re I estimated our meeting I must take tko place To m my surprise hower however however how how- ever er the tho enemy machine did not race for or home but hut continued ahead on his ml mission slon Vas Waa this brazenness good g tactics mixed with abundant self con or hadn't the pilot and observer observer ob server erver seen me mo up above e thim I 1 wondered won won- d dered red what manner of aviators I had to deal with as I turned after them and the distance between us narrowed Continued |
