The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1914-10-10
GERMAN AVIATOR DESCRIBES BATTLE
IN The AIR OVER HOSTILE ARMY
By RAYMOND z. SWING.


H. G. Wells The War Of the Air in
the person of FeldwebeI Werner, one
of the hundreds of German aero
nauts, who has the distinction of be
ing one of the first Germans to fly
| over Paris and to fight a remarkable
battle in the air with two Of the
enemy's aeroplanes. He was q pas
senger for a short distance in the
special car put at the disposal Of cor
respondents on their way to Liege and
told US a graphic story Of his expert
ences.
Werner's first assignment was to
find the English army near Mons
The army was about 100000 strong
and was retiring before a German
force of double its strength
Where Were French AViators7
Here, at the start, one wonders how
| the French could have allowed their
allies to be so misled about the
strength of the opposing forces
Where were the French aviators? I
know of a man who had been over
| the field and who told the war office
in France that at least 100000 Ger
mans were in the hanking army ad-
yancing through Belgium, but he was
told: Impossible! There is only
| cavalry"
The French were completely out
witted by this flank movement The
flower of their army was at the Al
SAGE frontier. Their mistake will cost
them Paris.
At Mons the English forces took
| up a strong position, filling houses at
!
machine guns and covering the road
/ of the advancing German troops
When the enemy approached they di-
rected a terrific fire upon them and
could be dislodged only at heavy cost
/ They then retired to a position be
| hind great mountains Of Stag behind
! the city, where the Germans we're
unable to dislodge them with howitzer
! fire.
Flyer Watches the Battle.
Again, they could be driven back
only by fanking movements from both
sides. This time our flyer, who
watched this battle, told US the Eng
lish retired hastily along the road in
the direction of lie Cateau-
The English have reached their
| new position successfully" said a
London report IN its account of this
| retreat. And out Of breath" added
| a correspondent on reading the dis
patch.
The fighting at Mons was furious
! and the Germans were enraged by the
British method of fighting, which
cover. Never had German soldiers
80
this foe.
Attacked by Two AlrshIps.
When the enemy retired Airman
Werner was assigned to the duty Of
| following and discovering their new
position. He found the army near lie
Cateau, where, at the edge Of a wood,
he saw them taking up a strong po-
sition in a semi-circle before the for
est. While watching these operations
from a height of LOO yards Werner
suddenly saw a doubIe-decker Bristol
| aeroplane coming down on him from
| the clouds. The Bristol is a faster
! but a less sure machine than the
| Taube which Werner was plotting
There was no safety in running away;
the Bristol could overtake him. He
could not aIight, as the English were
| underneath. There was nothing to
do but to face the worst and to fly
! gradually lower and lower in the di-
rection Of the German army AS the
Bristol came nearer Werner espied a
second aeropIane, little Bleriot, an
other swift f1ier, also bearing down on
him.
Revolver Battle in Air
The Bristol drew closer and closer
flying down upon Werner in large
circles, gradually getting within
! range With one hand on the wheel
the German officer drew out his re
volver and emptied his magazine at
the approaching foe But the Bristol
| continued, coming always nearer.
when they get over me they will
| drop a bomb" thought Werner, and
felt most uncomfortable. His OBJ
server reloaded Werner's revolver and
both kept on firing. But the Bristol
! kept always coming closer in its cir
cles. firing constantly on the German
monoplane The Bleriot had come
! close enough to fire also and bullets
punctured the wings Of the German
/ machine at intervals of seconds only.
There was no sound reaching the
! Germans except that of their own mo
tors. They only knew the English
and French pilots were shooting from
! the vivid flashes from their revo1vers-
/ But no bombs fell; 1t was evident that
/ the English and French were not
/ carrying them.
Escaped to the German Army.
/ Firing continued as Werner de-
4 seconded gradually. reducing his eleya-
/ ton from LOO yards to $50. always
coming closer to the German army.
| Every moment he faced the risk OF
being wounded or Of q bullet striking
! his steering apparatus.
! 1oHnaRre ~ HInE sEHFon