Charlevoix county herald., 1916-06-30
"BuIIetin des Armees" Tells How
French Fliers Risk Their
Lives.
HAVE NO RULES TO FOLLOW
Success Is Won by the Fighters Aer
ial Virtuosity and the Superiority
OF the Machine He Flies
Some Flights.


prints an article on aerial duels. AS
this publication is official, being is.
sued solely to the troops, the details
given may be accepted as literally
correct and free from the exaggera.
ton often lent to aviation stories.
In April" the writer begins, our
aviators brought down thirty-one Ger
man aeroplanes, while we lost only
six. In March the numbers were thir-
teen lost on our side and thirty-five
by the Germans; seven, including
three Fokkers, in one day. Our bonn
harding squadrons make attacks on
the German rear lines almost daily.
1T is often asked how aeroplane
fighting is carried on, whether any
special tactics exist for attacking an
enemy or for defending oneself
against an adversary who suddenly
comes in sight. The answer is mega
tive. Aeroplane fighting is impro-
vised to suit the conditions. No de.
fined method is employed. all being
left to the pilots presence of mind,
GOODNESS and decision.
Success is won by the fighters
aerial virtuosity and the superiority
of the machine he flies. Individual
qualities make the conqueror.
Drops on His Foe.
"A German champion, like Immel-
mann, the 'super-hawk,' over whom
German papers wax so enthusiastic,
has but one trick up his sleeve. He
mounts as high as possible and turns
round above his sector. Then when
he catches sight of an adversary he
lets himself fall upon him in a
straight drop, and fires his machine
gun as he passes. The fight is then
over for him, whatever the result may
have been. He makes off to his own
lines and begins the same maneuver
over again.
"Navarre's way of fighting is alto
gether different. He harries his en-
envy from every side. He envelops
him in unexpected evolutions. To pre-
vent him from attacking, Navarro car
ries out the most fantastic leaps,
swerves, and twistings, and then at
the right minute pours in a stream
of bullets from his machine gun. He
has no special tactics, but a marvel
Gus variety Of attacks and feints.
He never leaves an enemy until he
has brought him down, unless some
unforeseen circumstance intervenes.
And Navarro is not alone, he has
many a competitor in the service.
The fighting aeroplane in our
squadrons is one-seated, while the
Germans almost always have two men
in theirs.
I'm an aeroplane the sense of hear
ing is useless, the din of the motor
deafening both pilot and observer.
Birds can detect an aeroplane by it's
sound from afar and display fear, but
the human bird has to depend upon
sight, and woe to the man who is
taken by surprised
Fight at Close Range.
"Aeroplane fighting is at close
range, fifteen to twenty-five yards, if
one wishes to make sure of hitting
the mark with quick firer. OF course
there are exceptions. Navarro at Yer
dun, when at a height of $4,000 feet,
saw very fast German aeroplane es-
Gaping and fired at 200 yards distance,
almost in scorn, not expecting to
touch his enemy. But down came the
German machine.
Generally, however, Navarro tries
to get as close as possible to fight.
One day the wind was blowing a
tempest from behind and a Fokker
was fleeing before him. A twenty-five
mile chase took less than ten min.
utes, Navarro keeping exactly in the
wake of his foe, repeating every I'M
forseen move that he made.
"All the time the fleeing Fokker
kept up rearward fire from its mi
Navarro, but none touched him, his
motor alone received scratch or
two Then, when near enough Ma.
varre, who had not fired, opened with
his machine gun and when twenty.
five bullets had sped the German fell.
"As fighting is carried on so close.
ly IL sometimes happens that adver.
saries get caught together An enor.
nous three-seated German machine
was recently out for its hundredth
flight. 1t came across a French bi.
plane-an observation, not a fighting
machine-and determined to demolish
1t; not a difficult job, as the German
machine was heavily armed and more
rapid than the French.
"The Germans rained bullets on the
biplane, which soon took fire. The
two French aviators, recognizing that
they must soon fall to inevitable
death, threw their machine on the
big German machine and there were
five victims instead of two"