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Show AIRMEN'S EXPLOITS SUPEHBFOH NERVE Encounters at Great Heights Thrill Participators as Well as Spectators CHIVALRY IS STRONG Individual Strategy Exhibit ed in Maneuvers m Air Sometimes Wonderful Special Cab e to The Tribu e BRITISH HE DQU 4.RTERS France Dec 11 "Modesty and personal efface ment are a strong tradit on in the Br t ish Royal Flying corps The folio ving typ cal explo ts all of wh ch ha e been carried out with n the last few weeks would go far toward lllustrat ng the daring and resonrce of the Br tish air man An a rman and observing officer when flying 10 000 feet in a Morane parasol on escort doty for photograph c reconna sance not cea an av atik oOO feet below them s soon as the di ed toward it and began to open fire the aviatik turned toward its own lines The MoraDe was then attacked from the rear by two more aviat ks which opened fi e at loO jards. The fire was returned and the two German machines then d ved in oppos te direc tions yad made off Meantime a fourth av at k opened fire on the Br t sh a rmen from above and gl ded into the German lines with ts propeller stopped Finally as the Br t sh were returning home they met and cha ed a fifth aviatik wh ch, after about fifteen m nutes was compelled to seek the safety of the German lines Maneuver Like Birds Another fight agamBt odds occurred on November 4 when one of the Br tish machines engaged in an artillery obser vat on fl ght was attacked by a large pusher ' machine and three tractors Te pusher after receiving one drum from the British gun, flew off with ftno of its companions The British Elane maneuvered for position, but e German machine followed dived under the Brit sh and succeeded in vounding one of the latter tw ce in the nght arm and in piercing the petrol tank "Meantime another Br tish aeroplane Sad not ced the engagement and flew to the rescue As the new antagonist swept down the German turned and flew di rectly underneath at a distance of about thirty yards The German airman made three circles round the Bnt sh machine and then d ved toward h s own lines The Bnt sh fired at a range of about e ghty yards and the German aeroplane was then seen to turn r ght handed with a steep bank roll over on its back and plunge to the ground ins de the Br t sh lines The p lot and observer were killed Fight Without Damage On the same day another engagement against odds was reported The Bnt sh machine first encountered an albatross, whieh passed m front of it at about 00 yards range Firing was then heard m the rear and the Bnt sh a rmen turn ng sharply around found that they were being attacked by another German machine of the same type Simultaneously a Fokker monoplane passed to the r ght of the Br t sh firing a machine gun Th s aeroplane on re ce ving a drum from the Br tish ma ch ne gun at once flew off The two albatrosses however ma neuvered and fired for nearly twenty minutes before they finally d sappeared The Bnt sh aeroplane was not h t, and apparently the two German machines were also undamaged A British aeroplane escorting a reconnaissance saw a hostile machine at about 5000 feet In the pursu t thev lest in a cloud both the enemy and their own f r ends They therefore turned back and on the way home were attacked by two Fokker mach nes which swooped down from 11 000 feet The Germans in the rear had fired through the r propellers The Bnt sh observer returned the Are and after ,18. ng about half a drum saw the lead rrg pursuer tail glide and go to earth in a vert cal nose d ve Airmen Chivalrous The p lot watched the maeh ne go down several thousand feet m th s way and the observer could subsequently see the German aeroplane fall among some trees, wnence what appeared to be a cloud of dust then arose The second Fokker d scont nued the combat The German a rmen by the common consent of Br t sh officers have played the game and thus there ex sts be t veen the two rival flying corps the ch valrous sp r t wh ch has unfortunate ly been, crushed out of existence elsewhere else-where When an aeroplane of e ther army is forced down a machine of the oppos ng s de takes earl est opportun ty of let t ng the enemy know what has been the fate of the r comrades whether they have been k lied or wounded or have escaped unhurt Recently two Br t sh off cers were do ng photography when they vere at tacked at a he ght of 7000 feet by a Fol ke aeroplane The Br t sh observ er wh le working h s gun was htm he left hand and incapac tated from us ng the weapon aga n Some ma neuver ng followed and then the Br t sh p ot was h t n the arm and shoulder and lost consc ousness Superb Nerve Shown he n ach ne began to sp n and the mn led obser e see ng that h s com jde was actuall h t clambered over tv.ee the two back struts he su b ne c of the man s almost ncred e a 1 aught hoi 1 of the contro lever I e mo ed t about to no pur pose and so he tned to close the throt tie Th s aga n proved fut le as the wire had apparently been broken Final ly he turned off the petrol and gett ng the mach ne under control brought t to earth The trials of the two men were not even yet at an end The machine turned over and the p lot was thrown out However, the observer managed to as 8 st h s fr end and both men were soon afterwards attended to by men of the French Bed Cross And the a rmen who happened to be near by immed ately crawled out to the aeroplane under f re and saved the mach ne gun and in strument board An equally warm recept on was given by two Bnt shers who were dropping hand grenades and steel arrows on a town toward the end of last month The obser er was almost at on e h t n the hand and 1 ad h s face grazed Wl en gett ng out h s gun he was then h t n the othe hand and the p lot d ed fo our 1 nes The Ge man ma nine tol lowed and the p lot was then h t n the leg wh le a bullet put the engin out of act on Anotl er Br t sh aero plane arr ed at tl s i ncture a th hostile machine gave up the pursuit |