Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-01-10
VIVID NOTES OF
AVIATOR LIFE
ARE RECEIVED
Well Known German Writer
Who Is Serving as Altman
Gives Graphic Description
of War Scenes,
lAssocIated Press correspondeneeD

hanover GefHlhnNt iiVt' A"' ~'liN
of the promising literateurs of Ger
many. who is now an army aviator.
sends home some vivid notes Of life on
the aerial fronts.
He writes.
The weather has been abomin-
able. one series of changes from ram
to snow and fogs and high winds
which keep some of us almost con-
tnually seasick. Notwithstanding, We
keep mp our flying industriously
"A few days ago | had an encoun-
ter with French aeroplanists which OF
the many | had is the one which | am
least likely to forget. Two ot the
French machines were shot down,
and third We forced to land.
Though the French aviators have
the highest respect for our anti-air-
craft pieces. they have recently an
noyed us more than we thought nee
essary. We decided to organize a
sort of aerial outpost service, the pur-
pose of which 1t was to inform us of
the coming Of the French 'steel-hirds.'
Battle in the Air.
zone dan we were told that squad
ron of five machines was coming from
the direction Of A. (possibly A.
rash. There was q rush for our ma
chimes, soon the motors snarled, then
hummed, and within one-half minute
of one another the craft got under
way
with the intention of teaching the
enemy lesson we started for altitude.
Everybody WAS armed to the teeth,
and in addition TO our bombs we car
red rapid fire guns on several of the
machines.
"Roaching the vicinity of A. we
noticed that the French flyers had
begun to cruise about. Double and
single deckers bent here and there
studying the ground underneath.
we were keeping in a single file
and for this reason the French m lst
have formed an erroneous conclusion
as to our strength At any rate they
soon saw us and in a few minutes
maneuvered for an attack on the first
of our machines, a Taube.
But its pilot made a graceful curve
downwards, then shot up again, keep
ing up the while a fire which must
have put the propeller of one of the
French machines out of commission,
OF sudden the machine in question
took headlong dive downward. but.
righted again as it neared the ground
Aerial Duels Are Fought.
Meanwhile we had deployed in
battle formation, and now began
battle of one machine against the
other. The French made every effort
to lombard us from above. Higher
and higher scared the opposing ma
chimes, trying forever to pass over
the other. but succeeding in little more
than keeping more or less on the same
level
THE wind being rather high and
tredcherous, sailing was none too easy
The machines pitched and swerved,
bucked violently as they hit a wind
wave, and fell from under us as they
struck an air-hole. To the hummlns
and suffering of the motors was add
ed the noise of firearms. Our motor
made such a racket that we could
hear the rifles and machine guns OF
our men and those Of the enemy only
as we passed them closely.
con my left one of our machines
was keeping up a heavy fire upon
one of the French craft, the rattle
of the machine gun keeping time w',h
the motor exhaust. OF a sudden II
man fell from the French plane,
shooting towards earth like an arrow,
"a
machine With that the second of
the enemy's craft had been disposed
Of
1T now got to be the turn Of our
machine. With a violent jolt IT laid |
itself to one side, and in the next in
slant our machine gun took the third !
of the French machines under fire, a |
large double decker, which by now
was virtually cutting our planes to
ribbons with a murdorous machine
gun fire. For but a few seconds did |
our antagonist manage to keep this !
up--his machine began to pitch and !
roll, and after n tremendous buck |
upwards ii shot to the ground head |
long
"By now the other two machines |
considered It best to retreat but that
did not end our labors. We became !
aware that we had drawn the fire II +!
the enemy on the ground, and felt il |
our duty to reply to this So up we
scared again returned to A and |
began to drop bombs, with splendid |
results The gas plant exploded and |
considerable damage was done to the |
two railroad stations.
Unfortunately, one Of our men was
obliged to land but our victory over
the French was complete. neverthe-
less"
The writer for his share in the epi-
soGe treated, was given the iron cross