Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1916-06-16
WINGED
A Yankee Boys Aeroplane
Experience In Belgium
By GEORGE BRENNAN
By GEORGE BRENNAN


When the big universe war broke
out in Europe, l. a Hampshire boy
living near the Canadian border. con-
cluded that would Ike to see some
Of it. l had listened from my baby
hood to my grandfathers stories Of
the war between the states and the
hairbreadth escapes the old gentleman
had experienced while serving in a
New Hampshire regiment I was eX-
actly the age my grandfather had been
when he enlisted to fight for the
Union and was 50 influenced By the
romance Of war that couldn't keep
out of the fight in Europe.
had no preference for either side,
but the fact that could easily enlist
on that OF the allies and could not very
well get to Germany decided me for
the former. Crossing the Canadian
line. | sought the nearest recruiting
station and, being in excellent physi-
cal condition. was accepted as re-
cruit. After a good deal Of drilling in
Canada and then in England I found
myself in Belgium.
BY this time il was winter, and the
two opposing armies had got into the |
trench deadlock. Nevertheless there
were occasional drives on both sides. |
and | soon saw all the fighting, or,
rather, the slaughter. | wanted / had |
found my grandfather's descriptions |
Of battles quite exciting These fights |
in Belgium appeared rather the |
marching Of men to slaughter, with |
the idea that the side on which most |
men were left was the victor. When |
/ saw the enemy advance for an at |
tack 1t reminded me Of wheat falling |
before moving machine.
Not seeing any romance In this kind |
Of warfare, thought l would like to |
enter the corps Of avtators. Not hav-
ing been educated to run a flying ma.
chine, could only volunteer to go up
with one who had as a fighting man
or bomb dropper. succeeded In
getting myself tried for this service,
and it was found that had the head |
for it. Not every person can rise TO a
great height without becoming dizzy.
and this Of course would render him 1
unavailable for the purpose The stock
OF English aeroplaDes had been In
creasing during the autumn of 1914.
and experts were wanted to man the
new ones and I'LL the gaps made By
those who were killed So /. having
proved my efficiency, was detailed as
bomb dropper
Ny first service was with a number
OF aeroplanes on an expedition 20 de-
stroy a mandatory Of munitions Of
war within the German lines. There
were a dozen machines, each bearing a
goodly supply of bombs. The machine
on which I served also carried a rapid /
fire gun.
The expedition started at noon. Our
machines had whirred for two hours
when we came in sight of the town in
which the factory we were to destroy |
was located. In order to drop bombs |
with any precision we must settle |
down to within a few hundred feet Of |
the object to be destroyed, which |
would bring us within range of the
bNho NhoA NOhAu &c DkOuAnk W pChT
upon us. The feet commander signal
ed that we would separate and then |
draw near enough to the town to OBJ |
serve the location of the factory, keep |
ing at a height that would be out OF |
range. Then we were to fly away, re- |
turning when night was coming on. |
make straight for a point Just above
~
away under cover OF the darkness.
Lieutenant Meeker, commanding and
guiding the airship on which served
steered II over the northern part OF
the town. He was engaged in driving.
while noted the position Of the fac
tory. As soon as 1t was plainly visible
directed his attention to 1t, that he
might be the better able to cover II
when the attack was made.
While the plan Of attack precluded
the possibility of a surprise, II facilitat-
ed escape after the bombs had been
dropped. But the attacking force
could not expect TO approach the works
In the day without being observed. and
a night attack on particular part OF
the town would likely fail from in
ability to locate It In the darkness.
There was one weak point In the plan
Twilight lasts longer above than be-
low, and the enemy would have a bet
ter view Of the aeroplanes than we
on the aeroplanes would have of the
enemy. But there is great differ
ence between aeroplanes and factory