Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-11-19
GERMAN AV|ATORS
HAVE HARD WORK
Battle of the Somme Has In
creased Demands on Air
men Very Greatly.
CONSTANT FIGHTS OVERHEAD
Thrilling Stories Told by War
Correspondent of Berlin
Newspaper.
CONSTANT FIGHTS OVERHEAD

Newspaper.
BERLIN. November lS.-Dr. Max Os-
born. war correspondent Of the VOC
sische Ieituns, sends the following
froon the Sonime front:
Come quick" says Lieutcnan, Won
$. as We reached the flying field. Come
quick. Wintgens is about to land
We went rapidly around "a few
houses. sheds. and workshops and
were now the broad. grassy field.
In the sky noatcd "A dark bird that
soon grew larger as II ncarcd us
Down OH the field everybody had
gathered. everybody who happened 10
be home" officers soldiers and
mechanics. in the midst the chief and
father OF the whole conclavc. Captain
F.. vino called out 10 US in pure
Swabian dialect. welcome: This is
great"
For several minutes We watch in
silence the acroplane sinking in a
lovely spiral glide. Presently Tic cap
tain cocks MS car and asks me softly,
Hear that The whole group be-
comes agitated They all whisper to
one another and ask US Hear it,?
Hear IT." We two strangers hear
nothing at FIRST. But then, all at once.
we catch something's curious snort
ins sound repeated at short intervals.
Il wonder has he really bagged an
other one?' says n young lieutenant
lie turns toward me. Then | pnr
ceire that h. has the blue Pour lie
Mcri,e' 1T his throat "Althaus," he
introduces himself to me. Bonner
wctter." l think to myself tina, mus,
be-
When he snorts that way with his
motor he always has shot one down:
that's his signal" says another Of
hcer. He Introduces himself as
herthoid'F bonner%etter. Althaus.
Berthold. Win;gens-Tve Dluadcred
into fast company
FANTASTIC FIGURE
RISES BEHIND Gus
The Fokker is near the ground.
While the one decker still, is rolling
along the ground a fantastic figure
rises behind the machine gun. swathcti
In a dark leather. and calls out:
Ihercs one more settled
he Climbs out. jumps down, and IS
III the midst. Greetings, handshak;nrs
laughing. concentrations. questions.
Where was it?'
Al Estrees," and the flyer turns up
the fur-lined flaps of his helmet, puts
on pair OF eyeglasses. throws off h!s.
coat ;" that on his throat, too the
four ic Merite" becomes visible. steps
hefore his captain. clicks his heels to-
gethcr and makes his report
~ was near Extraordinarily over the
hne-ffteen minutes ago Altogether
he had been away half an hour. Every
ming had gone with mad speed The
German had attacked the French Nyer
ana had hit him at once. The enemy
wavcred. futtered earthward and final
~ Sell. He had passed his dozen. and
now he is on the way to his thirteenth
or fourteenth.
Good work. That comes in handy"
says his captain Think of II, onl.-
yesterday Frank brought one down.
TOO That was his sixth | wouldn't
he surprised II he brought another one
down to-day as we'll
The captain hadn't finished his sent
ence when again commotion arose in
the group. y second bird swooped
down on us from the other direction.
AVIATOR ERIiNKL
BAGS HIS SEVENTH
II was really FrankI. and he ac,u-
ally had bagged his seventh The
enemy wanted TO flee, but he wouldn't
let him get away: put the Frcnchman
out of business and forced him to land
near the Biache Farm. southeast Of
Peronne. The French flyer had been
wounded in the chin. as a knitted can
with traces of fresh blood which
Frankl brought along. showed. hut not
dangerously, and now he sat some
where as a prisoner
The young flying officers themselves
made no great bones about the matter.
"Ach. Gott!" said one. the fellows
forward in the drumhre have to un-
dergo much more terrible things and
perform far more than We"
The battle of the Somme has in
creased the demands on the flyers
10 an immea surablc degree. In addi-
ton to the cuemy's heavy odds in guns
and infantry masses. there is the very
considerable numerical superiority of
the enemy in flying machines. against
which our air troops h:Svc to defend
themselves necessarily the strange
birds come over to bother our fight
ing troops, rs we'll as our %nole rear
ward system of communications
Wherever you approach the battle
front the struggle in the air con
tinucs unnt"rruptcdly. necessarily
the swarms of acrcplanes tlit across
the sky the antiaircraft guns bark.
the machine guns on high srutter. and
the falling she'll splinters whistle
The German pilots and observers
haust pull them selves together and
eRRloy all the cold -bloodedness and
prcsslice of mind, caution, and clever
ness aIi sureness of hand and eye tina,
is In Shem. But our fighting flyers.
thEnks-to their skin and luck. arc
able to- fhin the air ranks Of the
enemy.
The monday August sun burned
down on aus on the open flying field.
We went Unto the cool saloon Of the
abandoned French chateau, where the
afr Camp Is Qnartered. Only tho cap
taIit who for quite n while had been
manffcstly uneasy, remained outside