The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-11-24
AVIATORS FRIENDLY
BELLlGERENT ARMEN COUR.
TEOUS TO EACn OTHER
FACE COMMON Dangers
The Editor of the London Aeroplane
Cites Many Instances of Chivalry,
Exhibited When an Enemy Aero
plane Comes to Grief-Personal
Papers Often Returned.

p Papers Often Returned.
c. G. Grey, editor of the English
magazine, Aeroplane, writes that the
belligerent aviators were mutually
chiTalrous:
Some little time ago, says Mr..
Grey, some one somewhere comment
ed in print on the curiously chival-
rous way in which the aviators Of
the different belligerent flying corps
behave toward one another and re-
marked that there Is always a certain
amount of fellow feeling between
them because, although they are at
enmity with one another, they all
have a common enemy in the air it.
self and have, previous to the war,
all been engaged in the conquest OF
the air.
It certainly is true that the op-
posed aviators do behave decently to
one another. They may do. their
duty scrupulously in the matter OF
endeaVoring to shoot one another
down il they meet in the air, but
over and over again it has happened
that when British or French avia-
tor has been brought down q German
aeroplane has come over the aero
drome and after perhaps dropping
few bombs on troops or villages on
the way has merely dropped into the
aerodrome parcel containing let
ters from the captured aviators or
note saying that they have been kill
ed or wounded.
In como no coc Gorrn hoc NJ 4
ly dropped the private papers of a.
dead aviator into one of the Allies
aerodromes; and one story from
Paris-which, however, is not abso-
lutely authenticated-said that when
poor little Pegoud was killed a Ger
man aviator dropped a wreath near
the place where he fell, as a tribute
to mis- bravery.
These courtesies have OF course al
ways been returned by the French
and British ayiators, though on one
occasion there was a somewhat dou-
ble-eGged intention when q British
pilot flew over German aerodrome
and dropped a note thanking the Ger
man flying corps for sending infor-
nation about couple of captured
aviators, and added that the sender
Of the note would be pleased to do
the same for the Germans on many
occasions.
Z This chiva1rous method Of making
war may certainly be partly due to
certain amount Of fellow feeling for
any aviator who is in danger either
from weather or from gun ire; in
fact. one or two expert flyers have
definitely said as much; but the feel
ing probably arises, originally from
the fact that the man who took to
flying before the war is primarily
sportsman, and ever if the same man
had to do his fighting on mis- feet he
would still in all probability act in
sportsnanlike way.
So far from the air now being con-
sidered IN enemy to be conquered
the more experienced flyers in these
days regard it as their friend. One
Of our aviators the other day put 1t
that but for the air he would prob
ably now be digging holes in the
ground and sitting in them to De
shelled, whereas, although he gets
shelled fairly heavily when he hap
pens to pass over q bunch Of the
enemy's guns, he is at any rate fair
ly free from interference when once
he passes certain definite spots.
Also if the wind happens to be
blowing at all hard it is frequently
very present help in time Of trouble
when passing over the enemy's guns,
for a fast acroplane assisted by
strong wind moves across the sky at
such a terrific pace that it is almost
impossible to hit it, and so the avia-
tor actually stands a better chance
than even cavalry "galloper' or
motorcycle dispatch rider who has to
cross fire-swept zone with messages.
To the artilleryman, of course, the
air Is a very good friend indeed, be-
cause, thanks to artillery observation
by either aeroplane or kite balloon,
he is able to make far better prac-
tice than was ever possible IN pre-
vious wars. The infantryman also
can thank the air for tightening his
work, at any rate to some degree, as,
for example, when the air scouts give
him, or rather his commanding Off
GERS, exact information as to the
enemy NOV elHeHlS SO Liidt AS Se-I
take steps to Illustrate them. Also
by destroying bridges, railway juno
tiors and ammunition trains the aer-
oplane bomb-droppers help him very
materially by holding up the enemy's
reinforcements and supplies.
Perhaps the only fighting man in
the army who can not find something
for which to thank aircraft is the
cavalryn1an whose job as scout has
practically been usurped by the avia-
tors.
So. taking it all round, it seems
that the air is very far from being an
enemy in these days. and although it
is not absolutely conquered it is be-
coming at any rate very useful II
somewhat undisciplined servant.