The Washington herald., 1916-06-25
French and British Aviators
Refuse to Adopt German
Defensive Tactics, Though
Calling Immelmann a Star.

his own lines and wait Only his excel
lent engine permits him to climb such a
height and stay up there. After a time
II he Is lucky. he spies British plane
far below him, perhaps taking photoA
graphs or spotting for our guns. Our ma
Is compelled to go at a much lower level.
because he has his outward and home
ward journey to allow for and then PER-
haps his engine is not so powerful
hmm elmann's Real Chance.
Immelmann's chance has come, and he
drops almost vertically on his opponent
firing his fixed gun when he gets within
range and continuing his dive until he
reaches the ground So terrific is his
momentum, in planning down from such
an height with his engines full on, that
he cannot check himself to maneuver;
like some birds of prey, he swoops and
strikes once and II he misses he is
through. and his victim escapes
Undoubtedly Immelmann is great
airman. His great skill lies in judging
his opponents position and speed so that
In his drive he can pass near enough to
open fire, and that very few fiers can
do. But he is acting always on the de-
fensive, and never comes over our lines.
If we adopted the same defensive tactics,
II instead OF acting on the offense, our
best men stayed back here waiting for
the enemy, and II the enemy sent his
planes across our lines as regularly as
ours cross his trenches, perhaps some of
our men might have their strings of four
teen or fifteen victims
We had come out of the factory, and
the officer pointed to battleplane
standing alone in the middle of the field.
Waiting for the Bochc," he remarked.
when one of them does come over here
l go up in that thing and drive him off.
If we kept man as good as Immelmann
continually circling about here at a great
height he'd bag some. But we have
better work for our stars than a con-
tinued defensive
Never Got n German.
Did you ever bag one," I asked He
shook his head sorrowfully. You see,
I have to get started and It takes some
time TO rise" he said. land then I'm not
what you call a headliner. But you can't
imagine what sport this air fighting Is.
There is nothing like 1t in the world >
1 interjected something to the effect that
[ could well believe that, and he said.
1T seems dangerous. here on the ground.
and of course, 1t is. but You never think
of the danger, it's such Jolly fun"
Later the official figures for the
month of April were shown to prove the
contention that the supremacy of the
entente in the air has become we'll estab-
lished. April, I was told. was the most
active air month of the war. More air
work was done by both sides than ever
before, and more fights took place
especially between squadrons composing
machines of varying types, battles which
approximate to fleet actions at sea.
Forty-eight German machines were shot
down in aerial fights or destroyed by
anti-airCraft shells from the ground, and
during that time the loss OF allied
machines was twenty-five. Some of the
German machines. II was admitted. fell
in the German lines and may not have
been entirely destroyed, but in view of
the fact that most of the fighting took
place over the German lines, this was
inevitable, and does not vitiate the proof
that the command of the air has changed
hands again.
Angry Mt Germans.
Not among aircraft officers alone but
among artileryman and infantry officers,
a feeling of Indignation exists against
the Germans for Disgusting their planes
as French or British, by copying the
distinguishing circles used by the latter.
This is a ruse never adopted by the
allies, l was assured. who regard It as
unsportsmanlike. The ethics of war at
sea have been adopted for war in the
air. No warship goes into action, no
matter how she may have disguised her
self previously. without hoisting her
country's war flag, and the allies desire
to keep to the same standard in the new
warfare.