| Show N Navarre aValle Twins by Daring W ol Are Talk Tal o of f France Mere r Y Youths Uth as Air Pilots Succeed in Destroying Many ManyI I German G r na Battle Aeroplanes Mentioned a ip in Army Orders I P. P PARIS IS June Jupe 10 10 The The Navarre arre a twins tins a as aviators a are arc for the moment moment the 1 talk of France Several Sever l times both ot of them have hae been mentioned in iIi national national ord orders rs one in particular on account of his wonderful wonderful won won- success in de destroying tro ing German battle aeroplanes I Jean Navarre who has hitherto been the the best best known as Adjutant Navarre where adjutant is not the equivalent of adjutant In the American acceptation acceptation tion of the wor word but corresponds correspond to sergeant major Is now a sub lieu tenant It was was not Jie he however as erroneously er er- er erroneously understood by the German newspapers but the other twin Pierre who recently challenged the successful German aviator Lieutenant Immel- Immel mann to a duel in the clouds which the latter refused While Georges continues to be the hero of the French schoolboy on account of his extremely youthful appearance and his delicate boyish face the Navarre brothers have at attracted attracted attracted at- at wide attention in a most surprising surprising sur Bur i degree as they are eq eqUally youthful being only 20 years old and andas as they had already been noted for I their general ability as amateurs in infield infield infield i field sports They are small vigorous bright and vivacious I They had been in the military service service ser ser- vice only a few weeks when both ser ser-I be began began began be- be gan to receive decorations Jean was the first to become an airman and thus far has the advantage over his brother of having already destroyed a sufficient sufficient number of enemy machines to warrant wan his name being used with each fresh exploit an art honor which has not yet been accorded to his brother Pierre for aviation work as his deeds in the air are alluded to without the name being given Pierre already has hag b been en mentioned by name however for tor other military service Mere Boys Become Aviators But it is not merely the popular in interest interest interest in- in terest which the two young men have aroused that makes their cases cases' interesting interesting inter inter- esting but th the fact that the military regard the advent of the young men into the h aviation service as an event of the greatest importance and as proving that mere boys can make great aviators One man like Jike Sub-Lieutenant Sub Navarre Navarre Navarre Na Na- varre are Sub-Lieutenant Sub can upset the entire arrangements of the German general staff when the latter latter latter lat lat- lat lat- I ter prepares a surprise movement and and- guards its lines Jines of operations b by scores of fighting aircraft in iii the hope of ot insuring secrecy for tor all movements Both Navarre re i and have spoiled well laid schemes to the east and west of the Meuse river vel since the battle of Verdun began on ozi February 21 As the war goes on the services of ot highly skilled aviators is regarded as asmore asmore asmore more and more important and when the occasional man with the special genius for the most important part of the work which the aviator can render comes forth the French authorities are very prompt in him recognition and in setting him up as a model for forthe forthe forthe the other air fighters So SQ much has been published of late in the fhe press of Europe regarding the Navarre twins and so much confusion has arisen with regard to the Identity of one or the other as as' performer of certain certain certain tain exploits that Jean Rogier decided to call upon the proud mother of the two young men at her residence at Oullins a suburb of Lyons to obtain from her details regarding them She is the mother of ten children five boys and five girls and is the daughter of ofa ofa ofa a major of artillery Her husband belongs to an old Fr French family and is isa isn a n paper manufacturer I IThe The Mothers Mother's Vi View w What shall I say about Jean she is quoted in the Petit Parisien as say say- Ing There is no story to tell he Is simply Imply my Jean He never speaks about his exploits and it is only from the newspapers that I learn of them Jean and Pierre were born at Joul- Joul sur sur Morin They are good little boys bos They have alwa always s loved and worshiped each other They were always t together gether and had the same tastes and inclinations and we spared no trouble or expense in their education They devoted themselves them- them l selves AO to all kinds of sports sp and are magnificently healthy It is true that Jean is more mote or less undisciplined and does not understand much about obedience not through wickedness but because he is made that way for tor his Is a lovel lovely character His father desired to prepare him himor or jor a commercial career but the idea of having having having hav hav- ing to obey so many superiors was Irksome irksome Irk irk- some to Jean and after he took his bachelors bachelor's degree at college he attended an athletic school at Rheims and en entered entered entered en- en the aviation school at Paris Jean had always shown a taste for aviation As children a few years ago he and Pierre had bought a little motor and had constructed an aeroplane aero aero- plane In all an the letters which they wrote us at that time hardly anything was mentioned except phrases about aeroplanes such as the curving of the wings the stabilizer the steering from below and all sorts of technical terms They thought of nothing but aeroplanes and were already alrE-ady aviators In the month before the war began Jean with the authorization of his father went to Crotoy to become trained as an air pilot He had not time to begin his work when the tho hostilities hostilities hostilities hos hos- began and Jean had to come comeback comeback comeback back to Lyons Was Rejected at First He lie made ever every effort to enter the army both ht here re and at Bordeaux but could not succeed as he ho was too young You are too small a boy to fly they told him invariably and poor Jean was heart broken but he is of an obstinate nature and he induced Senator Lacroix a friend of the famil family to obtain for him admission to the aviation service at Saint CyrA CyrA Cyr Crr A few da days s 's after his arrival there however the school was transferred and Jean was again in trouble By new exertions he succeeded In being sent Bent to Bron Broil but he be found there was no activity whatever and finally at Christmas he was allowed to go to the front He Ire was given a few weeks' weeks training with an air squadron and then thenon on his very first flight he brought down a large German machine Since then they tell me that air fighting ha has been a daily matter with him and that his exploits are almost innumerable and that the military au au- officially given him credit cred cred- it for the destruction of eight enemy machines as careful investigation had proved that at least this eight have been entirely destroyed as a result of ot his work I no longer tremble for him I i realize that the death which he might meet In this waytis way Is not nOl dreaded or even feared France will be all the dearer to me me even if r have hae to lose my bo boy in his present work They say sa that it is the cradles which attach us so closely to our country No it il is not the cradles but the tombs One can carry off the cradles cra cradles cra cra- dIes into hito other countries but the tombs remain I do not tremble for my son but I 1 have a certain feeling of or pIt pity for those whom he brings down dOVin Pities the Victims One day I said to the twins twin The poor devils sp speaking aking of ot the enemy Jean simply shook his head without saying anything but Pierre corrected me by saying the I saw Jean recently in Paris where he had gone to get a new aeroplane We went out for a walk and as he wore all his decorations people looked at us and I was very happy I said to him Tell me what you do at Verdun What hat can I tell you mother he replied and that was all he said about his aviation work Jt It t is from the machinists machinists machinists ma ma- that I obtained the news re regarding regarding regarding re- re garding all his movements and al although although although al- al though I have more love for my boys than pride in them still stUl I must admit that I am very proud of Jean and of Pierre Of Pierre people have not yet heard as much as of Jean because he e has followed a rather different line since the war began He was acc accepted as asa asa asa a volunteer in the infantry service at atthe atthe atthe the very beginning and he was awarded award award- ed a de decoration for tor a brilliant deed which he performed in the early days at Ypres Volunteers had bad been called caned for to remove the debris of a house which had been shelled and which had buried a number of officers Including a general Pierre offered himself and under a frightful shelling by the Germans Germans Germans Ger Ger- mans he helped to bring out the victims victims vic vic- tims safely Again at Notre Dame de Lorette Lorett he obtained this m mention in army orders Of a a. remarkable bravery and full fun of spirit he be led infantry troops which had been deprived of all their officers Then later in order to be near Jean he succeeded in obtaining a position in the aviation service Recently he went out with an air squadron sq to o chase enemy He pursued and brought down an ad adversary adversary adversary ad- ad but as he was coming back backe he be e saw suddenly come up behind him hima a powerful German machine which began be be- be began began gan to fire on him with a machine gun at close range Pierre Pierro Is Wounded Before he be could turn and face the enemy he received a bullet in the arm which cut an artery As it was Impossible impossible impossible im im- Im- Im possible for him to continue the fight he headed downward losing blood rap rap- idly He succeeded d in landing near where his brother was and fell ex ex ex- hausted Some soldiers carried him to the ambulance Jean at the time Was was in the air all alland and after h he had finished the career of ofa ofa ofa a large German aeroplane he descended descend descend- ed and learned that Pierre had been wounded Almost crazed with grief he obtained an and rushed to the ambulance and found Pierre Pi in inthe inthe inthe the receiving station in the rear of the Verdun Jh lines es and he took him in the automobile to the hospital at Bar le Duc Duo Then he went back and within a couple of hours performed one OD of his most brilliant exploits In the theair airA alrA air A colonel who knows Jean told me that he met him the theother other day In Paris and touching him on the shoulder shoulder der said said- Jean the they cant can't give you OU anything more mOle You have the military cross with seven bars the military medal and the Legion of Honor lIonor Really there is nothing more that you can re re- re You are going to live Jive on now without any prospect of reward No replied Jean that is not my view It is time true that they may not have bave anything more to to give me but I r Ii on my part palt can still go on working to tobe tobe tobe be more deserving deserting of what they have already given me Was as not that a charming remark for a boy who Is fighting for his country country coun coun- try asked the proud mother of the most talked of airman in France r I |
