The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-31
AIRMEN PAVED WAY
FOR ALLIES DRIVE
Weeks Of Reconnaissance
Work Done Before Big At
tack Was Launched.
% COMBATS IN SIN DAYS
Special Correspondence 10 Tur srx.

SDcC'0f ' OFTCSpOUdFTcS 10 IWF StNs
LONDON. Oct. I6.-Thc fighting in
Champagne and the great British attack
at Loos apparently marked the Gull
minatins poin. OF weeks Of long recon-
naissance work on the part Of the allied
armies. Hence the twenty-scven air
combats In six days which sir John
French had reported las, week. nine
occurring on September 10. when the
German high command evidently had
become apprehensivc.
The French attack in Champagne was
the sequel TO the long series OF French
%aeroplane raids on German bases and
lines Of communication which had been
proceeding for some months.
On Wednesday II was reported from
Holland that tw%cn,y-one allied airmcn
appeared over A'x-la-Chapeilc and
dropped a large number Of bombs. The
industrial village Of Rotccrdc. about fvc
miles from AK, situated on the line to
Cologne. was get on fire. Its military
Importance Is that II liz the point where
tn. lines Of 0ermany's western strategic
sI'rN tHt oEuIldEy lhc W
Cologne. There also are great steel
works there.
One OF the most vivid descriptions Of
German artillery fire directed against
the British airmen appeared in the letter
Of a soldier published In the Morning
Post last week.
"Distracted Hon B~atteries."
These airrhen are n new race Of
human beings" he wrote. give Of the
'superavian' birds yesterday evening
utterly distracted the Hun batteries
along our front. The air spaces above
were spotted with s%hrapnel pufYs reg
ularly in the proportion Of currents TO
a well made 'plumdun' II can think OF
no other better iilustration), and back
and forth passed the hawks with the
most perfect and practical Indifference
You hear the mufflcd 'plop' UP aioft
about eight seconds after you have even
seen the sparkling lash OF the bursting
shell you have even seen the graceful
rounded curl Of the shell smoke form
and change shape before you hear the
'plop.'
when the batteries are really busy
you see fash upon fash away UP there
four and fve together. and soon the
flashes merge into q Wild confusion OF
irregular 'plops.' The hawks. II Low
down and In great danger. dodge the
shells by continually shifting their angle
Of flight. darling about here and there,
and II must needs b q cool head and
hands and fsse which work automsti.
caiiy up there. -ss.r.
I'VE have. sssn Sights where Il seemed
impossible for the hawk to miss . shell
and then when the hawk had reached
safety We have seen him deliberately
turn back and return to the same danger
o II looks like bravad0. but IL ID
moi. That hawk had not finished the
task that he had set himself to finish,
40 he went back. One hawk did this
Ave times while We watched from the
front trench. and when he finally decided
TO 70 home 10 roost and regained safety
IL was a great relief to cheer him and
! hope he heard that bottled up explo.
sion OF relief We CAV him.
in the evenings. after shutdown. by
twilight and against the sunset pinks
and yellows. the hawks. from all points
OF the Hun front. come home to roost
Gliding in with engines stopped they
swoop in lo.ig gradual slants. And wher
you think what they have been through
your thoughts break dow in a shamed
confusion. 1t does not seem fair In your
ignorance, complete and dense. even te
think OF their dangers.
Talk about mastery Of the air! TIT
air IL like the sea, In its unknown dan.
gers which call for certain Unborn quail,
ties. and tho master Of the one can bt
a. easily master Of the other. That Il
Just my belief. At any rate our bird.
men treat the Hun birdmen with al
much inborn superiority 40 our seamer
, do the Hun seamen. II a German hawt
ever passes over us ne Is a hunted and
harried unhappy thing which very soor
'scoots for home and laGerland. You
never see them at their sass and
serene"