Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-07-10
THRILLING STORY 0F
BATTLE IN THE AIR
Lecture Tells Of Battle Be-
tween German Fokker and
Two Aeroplanes

How German Fokker aeroplane
brought down French and also a Bri-
tish machine in Il thrilling air fight was
told to journal reporter this after
noon by Lieutenant C. w. Niemeyer,
who will lecture on 1.-THE European
War" in the Grand opera house, Sa-
lem, on Tuesday, at S;l5. "Dawn was
just breaking when we saw German
Fokker machine accompanied with an
other and larger aircraft making their
way rapidly towards the British lines.
For several minutes they hovered and
circled above our heads, apparently en-
gagged on reconnaissance, as no bombs
were dropped. All the time our own
anti-aircraft guns were barking, their
bursting shells all around the enemy
machines. The big, white puffs of
smoke looking really pretty as they
showed up against a perfect deep blue
sky. All eyes were focused on these
tiny objects perhaps 10000 feet up in
the air, when suddenly from about
three miles to our rear three allied ma
chimes were seen to rise together and
proceed towards the German. Everyone
realized tina we were likely to see one
of those rare air battles. Before the al
lies machines had travelled far, one of
them, judging from the noise of its en-
gine, seemed to have some trouble and
was forced to come down. One of our
own machines circled above it for per
haps 30 seconds before proceeding on
its way to give fight to he hawk of
aircraft. The enemy machines seemed
to disregard the oncomers and continued
with their observations, while our ma
chimes gradually climbed higher and
higher. When nearly the height of the
Germans the Fokker wgent out to meet
one of our machines. Although you
could see no signs of firing, one could
easily see by the manouvering of ma
chimes that something was going on The
big German machine rose above the
Immediately hit the French machine
which for short time came down
steadily, but when about 1000 feet
from the ground took fire and plunged
down to earth. The British avators in
the one machine made some uncanny
movements. At times, like bird, imi-
tated being hit, only to suddenly swerve
and take up the fight again. Alas! 1t
was not for along, for our pet was bad
ly hit, and she came down one thick
trail of smoke and flame fully 10000
feet, and as she hit the ground there
was hardly a sound to be heard all
along our particular part of the front.
For several minutes even the artillery
stopped its roaring ,as the gunners could
not resist watching the duel. And the
minute or so that it took the British
machine to reach the earth gave the
watchers even worse sensation than
that war of sensations is able to give.
For were not two men, the bravest of
the brave, being flashed through the air
amid mass of flame to the earth from
which they came and to which the little
that would be left of them would be in
but a shart time returnedl Two small
wooden crosses mark the spot where
they are buried, and on each is laurel
wreath dropped in our lines by German
airmen as a tribute to their gallantry.
One of the few signs in the war that
there is still left in the German en-
pire traits of the "Kultur" so greatly
vaunted by the despot kaiser.