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Show MtE FliS flULEBSJF I Pursuit Aviators Render Great Aid in Advance and Rout Enemy. WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY NORTHWEST OF VERDUN, Friday, Sept. 27. (By the Associated Press.) American pursuit aviators played their part fully in the latest offensive, notwithstanding not-withstanding greater enemy activity than usual, and came through the first two days as undisputed masters of the air in this region. They went out in pairs, singly sin-gly and in small groups. They fouc'ht and vanquished enemy formations ranging In size from seven or nine to twenty-three machines and rendered incalculable aid in the advance. Aerial patrols left their airdromes Thursday before dawn and were over the sector of attack by sunrise. They began their operations by launching a successful raid against, the German balloons, bal-loons, six of which were brought down during the day. Other aviators directed the continuous barrage throughout the day all the way from C hauti Hon -Sous-les-Cotes to Lamarazeo at an autituJe never exceeding 1000 yards. I "lying at this low height these patrols were able to protect the observation airplanes who were doing wor k f o r the In i a n t ry . Our pursuit group engaged in twenty-three twenty-three combats with enemy airmen, destroying de-stroying two machines and bringing down out of control a number of others. Other Americans flew over the German lines to as far as the Moselle southwest of Metz. They found few Germtui machines, but drove back all they chanced to find. The work of the observation airplanes was virtually undisturbed by the enemy machines. A series of deep raids into enemy territory terri-tory was made during the day. The fir?t of these resulted in thirteen combats, in which ten German airplanes were destroyed. de-stroyed. The second was made at a low altitude for the purpose of bombing concentrations con-centrations of enemy troops and convoy.. Three German planes were engaged and one probably was destroyed. A third raid was made in conjunction with a bombing g-oup against The railroad rail-road Junction at Eta in, east of Verdun, and resulted In the successful bombardment bombard-ment of the objective. The Americans met German tilers during the borr.blr.ff operation and are believed to have destroyed de-stroyed three of them. L-ons: -distance re-connoitering re-connoitering flights also were carried out and valuable int'orrntion obtained concerning con-cerning German troop movements. |