The Dickson County herald. (Dickson, Tenn.) 1907-1979, 1916-09-22
DARING DEEDS 4
PERFORMED BY
KNIGHTS OF AIR
Feats Of British Avlators In
Somme Campaign Related
by Correspondent.
GREAT HELP TO ARTILLERY
sIyine Men, Hinged by White Puff
Clouds OF Exploding Shells, Direct
Deadly Fire Upon Foe--Many
Musicians Among Pilots.

London. Philip Gibbs, y CORE
spondent with the British armies In
the field. sends 10 the Daily Chronicle
an interesting article dealing with The
British supremacy In the air aud It's
vital relation to the operations OF the
Somme. lie writes;
"All through the battle Of picnrdy
most OF us have kept CHANGING up into
the sky across the enctny's lines from
day to day and locking Tor Prussian
aeroplane. II is rare bird.
''Now and again when our flying men
are mol out because the clouds are ly-
Ing low and II Is 'iud day, ss they
call II, hostile machine sneaks
through the mist and drops few
bombs and goes full speed back again;
and more often. but not very often, a
flight Of PrusSians will come In a gang
through clear sky and attack one or
more Of our scouts II they can be sure
OF having all The odds In their favor.
Behind their own lines they are more
bold (snd there Is nothing wrong with
their courage az individual tightersD.
and lie In walt In the crossroads OF
the air like modern Black knights
with the Iron Cross AS their badge)
to defend their territory from all In
trudcrs-not, however, with any great
success---and TO provide exciting com
bats for our own knights errant. But
across our lines they venture rarely.
During the first week OF the battle,
which began Oh July /, the hostile ma.
chimes were Invisible, and YET during
all this time of ,fsEhiJng We eaaaot so
UP TO the tines without seotas eur own
aeroplaness1iying above the she'll fire
In Prussian territory.
Hinged by White Puff Clouds.
The Arches are firing at them.
ringing them round with white puff
clouds, which burst very close. SO close
that one holds ones breath or speaks
n whlsper--They'ye got him until
second later one can see the aeroplane
sEimming onward steadily and quite
careless OF these explosions which fol-
low on the trail of his wings. Below
these dying men Of ours shells are
crashing and smoke IN vomiting IN,
and villages are burning. and there Ia
NIL the tumult Of battle, but they circle
round as aloof as the winged gods
themselves, Ii seems, from all this
earthly strife~~yet not aloof. because
they help 30 direct the thunderbolts,
az some OF the old gods did.
so far from prowling on our side Of
the lines, these pilots and observers
make a daily habit OF going for far
Journeys into the enemy's xone, often
as far as Bapaume, which Is a dozen
miles beyond cur own trenches, and to
places like Martinpuich and Cource-
lette and Flers. A few days ago they
set Maranpuich on Gre. and II was still
burning when they dew over II again
next day.
On July Is four Of our aeroplanes
paid q surprise csil on Mons, the scene
OF cur earliest lighting two years ago.
and reminded the enemy Of our COO
,emptible little army' Of those days by
flying low and dropping bombs on the
rolling stock In the railway station and
apon sheds full Of munitions. They
were leisurely In their Greetings. and
stayed until fires had exploded at four
different points and much ammunition
had been blown up. Then they came
home TO dinner.
Every day and all day long they are
out and about. across the Prussian
lines. observing for our artillery and
directing the IRE Of our guns upon the
eBemy's batteries and other targets
which they have seen below with their