Show I WHISKY AND SODA SAVES U. U S S. S FLIERS It Is Not a Drink but Names of Two Tv Lion Cubs With Escadrille Cy Ey International News Service PARIS Dec 20 Whisky Whisky and Soda tho the two lion cubs which are mascots of oC the Lafayette escadrille probably saved the lives of some of oC the r American American American Amer Amer- ican aviators flying with the trie Wench ranch arm army for it was because Whisky and Soda were fighting furiously Curiously in a a. woo wood 1 near the aerodrome of ot tho the Lafayette escadrille on the Meuse near Verdun that all of ot the pilots their and ven even their their- cook rushed from camp and so escaped the bombs and aerial br- br torpedoes torpedoes tor tor- dropped a few seconds later by bya a squadron dron of ot German bombarding ma ma ma machines machines chines which flew overhead Incidentally this marked also the first time that the United States flag has teen been directly under fire on the western front as the Stars and Stripes w were re floating from the flagpole at the edge of the aviation aviation aviation avia avia- tion field when the erman raiders appeared ap ap- ap- ap The flagpole was struck by a ashell ashell ashell shell fragment and although It and toppled perilously it did not fall fail and Old Glory waved triumphantly throughout the bombardment It was the presence of ot the American flag that denoted to the Germans that that tint particular particular particular par par- aerodrome was the Ule home of the Lafayette escadrille More 1 than that a score of aeroplanes So S. S P. P A A. Ds D.'s of ot the latest type were type were destroyed by hy the great high explosive bombs which the German sprinkled over the camp The cantonment in which the pilots TV were ere housed were blown to pieces pieces- and the cookhouse and mess tent were also hit The American aviators a v e wele e lodged with a French escadrille stationed nearby It was late In the evening evening after after dinner when the aviators heard the snarling and roaring of the lions The noise proceeded proceeded proceeded pro pro- from a patch of wood close by the aviation field The aviators ran to the scene immediately fearing that their mascots were chewing up some do dons dogs s mascots perhaps of other units Instead they found Whisky and Soda locked in their first real battle since they have been attached to the Lafayette escadrille Soon the whole escadrille was gathered around the two biting snarling spitting lion cubs nd md then there was the sound of a swish and a boom and the first German bomb exploded The Tho pilots looked up and decried half halfa a dozen great circling overhead at atan atan atan an of ot nearly 20 feet The They were raining down bombs and the huge projectiles were detonating all over the camp camp The first bomb dropped struck truck a hangar and made match wood and scrap iron out oit of ot half halt a dozen of ot the fighting single-seated single aeroplanes It housed The next bomb struck the barracks where the aviators slept The frail temporary building collapsed like a house of cards The next bomb hurled a splinter into the flagpole and set it swaying like a reed Two more bombs then struck other hangars demolishing more aeroplanes There was not a single casualty however however however how how- ever owing to the fact tact that everybody had left the camp and had rushed to the wood to watch the lions fight tight But nearly every aeroplane w was wasa aa a total wreck The next day however the escadrille shifted its position to another sector of the front near Soissons The unit was inactive for more than a week through lack of machines however |