Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-24
A BATTLE IN THE SKY AT BETHUNE
Account by Eyewitness of How German Taube Dropped
Bombs on the City, Outmaneuvered Four Hostile Air
craft Destroying One and Escaped in Safety.
By E. RICHARD sCHAYER

TN A broad, open field on the outskirts of
i Bethune, the ancient capital of French
Flanders several thousand new British
troops were drilling. A group of us Army
Service Corps men leaned against the fence
and watched the maneuvers with the salts
faction of those whose days work Is done
One of the nearest of the drilling squads
came to a halt and stood at ease for briet
rest Suddenly we noticed a stir In their
ranks and several hands pointing upward
toward the eastern sky. The word passed
swiftly-an aeroplane, probably German,
coming from the east.
Coddling of our party, little Cockney
hostler, was the first to pick out the narrow
little black line floating in the upper regions
of the air
81 got 'er, Lor' lummy," he cried, point
ing high into the blue vault with stubby
forefinger.
One by one following the direction of his
aim. we succeeded in focusing our straining
vision on the distant speck,
Back of the drill ground stood the tents of
a British aeroplane station. From that di-
recton came the sudden roar Of flying
machines propeller.
''It must be a German and they're going
after him!" shouted some one in our party
and instantly we all went on the double
around the field to watch the Royal Flying
Corps get busy. We reached the edge of the
aviation field just in time to see them loose
one of the fiiers. With savage snarl 1T
sped past us. The pilot was guiding with
one hand, while with the other he adjusted
his helmet. AS the bplane swrled by us
its tail planes tilted and up she scared until
it appeared high above the roofs of the
town. Then It circled, climbing on in steady
n fp ntaf1t her got
ting another machine under way.
"He's Bombarding the TOWN.
Before the roaring sputter of this second
machines flight had died away to the dron-
ing, sawmill note there came dull explo-
sion from the direction of the town, fol-
lowed by, dense cloud of black smoke over
some Of the housetops, Almost Immediately
there came a second shock, and another col
umn of smoke and debris darkened the sky
line.
TITS a German all right, and he's bonn
harding the town." some one shouted
There they go after him!'
Sure enough, the first and second British
hiers, Joined by two others, apparently
French, from the other side Of the town,
were circling steadily skyward, while far
far overhead that almost invisible visitor
from the heavens slowly swung in a great
arc over the town. His progress was marked
by a succession OF heavy explosions in the
town.
Between the bomb explosions there
sounded the sharper boom of some sort OF
small cannon Looking upward at the tiny
speck causing all this disturbance. we saw a
cluster Of little white balls burst into bloom
all about IT, One by one these little balls
OF cotton wool would burst out against the
blue sky, above and below and on each side
OF the aerial raider, They were the burst-
ing shells of the anti-aireraft guns.
But mark like that German Taube made
was almost impossible to hit, save by
chance BY this time the visitor had climbed
TO height OF at least two miles
Higher and higher climbed the pursuers.
swinging in graceful spirals, until they, too.
were but black dashes against the sky.
Then the enemy machine began TO draw
toward us once more
Hes planning down. he's falling" some
/ one shouted
| There was no doubt about il. The German
was shooting straight toward our ield in
one tremendous volplane
outwitted His Pursuers
His dive brought him straight down
through the spirals OF his pursuers. who,
caught on the upward incline, were help
less 70 close in on the Zoe as he dashed al
most headlong toward the earth From the
sky there came the sharp crack OF rifles,
unanswered by the foe.
We were just wondering II the German
was going to land in our held when with
a beautiful tilt OF his wings, bringing him
almost end up, he made an abrupt turn and
straightened out for the town again. this
time hying less than 1000 feet high
The pursuing planes had meanwhile swuns
about IN our direction. diving straight after
their quarry Caught second time un-
awares by the Germans maneuvsr, they
passed almost directly ever him Ia the op-
posiie direction IS ho sped back toward the
town. There came another yollay Of shots
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