Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1915-03-02
Battle IN THE AIR
German Journalist Describes
Thrilling Fight in France.
kaiser's Airships Defeat French Az
Fleet In Spirited Engagement
Vietors Then Throw Bombs
Causing Great Damage.

F4TT, '.r
Berlin.-A German journalist serv
Ing in the kaiser's aviation corps on
the %battlefields Of France, sends q
vivid description of a spirited battle
in the air in which he participated. He
was decorated with the Iron Cross for
the bravery he displayed In this spec'
tacular conflict.
1.-The weather was miserable during
the last week." he writes. I'VE had
rain, snow and fog. The air was very
u%nfavorable for aviation. Gusts OF
wind made it difficult to navigate and
gave one a feeling similar to seasick'
ness.
However, we kept up u practice
and tried to do as much damage as
possible to the enemy. Our opponents
were very daring and l must give them
credit for the bravery shown in their
flights above our ranks. They were
not afraid of our batteries and a
aged to escape the hail Of shots d.
rected at them.
so we decided we would have to
fight them in the air. We organized a
system of espionage and n day we
received word that five machines OF
the enemy had arisen in the neighbor.
hood Of A. and were coming our way.
At a moments notice we got our ma.
chimes in positions, the motors were
whirring and in intervals of one-half
minute each we rose in the air.
Immediately we took our course In
the direction of A. and tried to reach
a greater height than the French, de.
termined to send them to the ground.
We were armed to the teeth, so to
say. We not only carried. bombs. but
also machine guns.
I'm the neighborhood Of A. we saw
the French machines cruising. Ma.
chimes of the single and double decker
type were flying around in open for
nation taking observations Of our po'
sitions. As we were flying in close
formation it seems they did not recog.
nize how many we were. So they went
for our first "taube" in a body.
"But this little 'dovey' ducked and
rising again sent a shot at n Of the
French double deckers which seemed
to put its propeller out Of commission.
At. least, we saw the ship gliding
gracefully down to the earth
I'm the meantime we had made
ready for business and now began a
fight Of one machine against the other.
The French tried their best to get
above us, In order to drop bombs upon
us. But we frustrated their game by
following them up higher and higher.
Il saw my colleague Lieutenant NJ.
about 600 yards to my left, finish his
adversary. He must have received
serious injury, for he went down like
an arrow. The second one was also
put out OF business very soon.
''i7''Then came my own and my COM
panion's turn. A powerful double
decker was firing furiously at us. A.
great number Of bullets cut holes in
our CANVAS wings, when my companion
signaled TO me:Hith his arms to make
r. sharp turn to the lett.
Cur apparatus came to an almost
perpendicular position sideways; and
then our machine gun began Its dead.
" work. Within two seconds the en-.
emy's machine began to shake and
shiver, then it rose like q horse on
his hind legs and finally 1t turned a
somersault, going down very fast, head
hrst. When We looked around again
the rest Of the enemy. two machines,
were ii full flight.
In the meantime We had been DIS
covered from below. They opened fire
ppon US and We had to rise higher in
order to get out Of their range. Still
We were determined to reply to their
greetings. We circled above A. and
dropped a number Of bombs which did
good work, as We could observe with
the aid OF our field glasses. First the
gas works were hit and blew up. Then
we attacked two railroad stations and
left them ! mass Of debris. am
sorry to say one Of our machines was
forced to land. but Is a whole our ex'
petition was = huge success"
g. fr ..#H" g.