Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1917-04-27
Allied Airlnen are
Gaining in Glory
German Aircraft Not Equal
to French. and British
in Fighting
d = !

PARIS, April 25.@--- The intense
ground fighting of the last two
DAYS has been reflected in the air, Snd
the British royal flying corps yester-
DAY established a new record \oy
bringing down 40 German machines.
Fifteen, of these were actually seen
to crash, while 25 collapsed or fell On
spinning nose dives. completely out pf
control.
The fights took place 1900 feet IN
the air. from which distances 1t Is
barely possible to see the GROUND, ans
wholly impossible to see an adversary
crash unless the pilot deliberately fol-
lows down. Such course is not Teas
ible where the fighting has taken on
the character of general melee, as
Is nowadays often the case. A remark
able part of yesterdays performance
Is that only two British machines are
missing. -
Il was. the finest day for war tying
that the young pilots ever had, and to-
day they have, been at it again since
sunrise, but the sfull reports OF their
exploits are not yet in
Dives ut Balloon.
Tt Is known. however, that one fn-.
trepid young flier, failing to find q
single. German observation balloon
aloft, sought out one in its hangar
ON the ground. dived at IL and set the
big gas bag ablaze from stem to. stern.
Since Sunday the British airmen
have been revelling In weather they
| have long desired. T. Not cloud was
| in the sky today behind which Ger
man could find shelter. Deprived OF
| that means of digging themselves In,
II thef German fllers were Tar zscarcer
than usual and very difficult to find.
| British machines. we're everywhere
| along the battle front and far behind
| the German lines. Bombing raids
were carried out As miles back, the
machines deliberately flying over
| ground where battles were raging
with the greatest fury.
German trains rushing reinforce
ments to the front were attacked and
transport columns on the roads were
| bombed and completely -uisc- Ssnfzed.
In several inGances the British
machines came low over the fighting
lines and poured machine gun fire into
the German ranks. In doing this.
Imachines ehaves deliberately crossed
the fire Of their own4as well as the
enemy's guns.
Yesterday one British pilot. after
tbringing down two Germans and with
} all his ammunition gone, descended.
/ loaded, filled up his petrol tanks
and took to the air again. Within half
l. an hour he had brought down his
third machine for that day. Another
r i.pilot felled two machines, while the
Vi other 36 were divided among a similar
number Of British pilots.s ~
) Wonderful Air Duel.
The greatest fight yesterday, oddly
enough, was drawn battle. One oi
| | the British pilots met q brilliant Ger
Z man flfer and for q full hour they
Y Unanswered in most marvellous man
/ nerl without either being able to ibrinf
his gun to bear on the other, The.
i rolled, looped, twisted, deliberately
Z stalled their engines. and, standing
7 the machines on their tail, slid back
Z ward through the air, but all to M
Z avail. II probably was the most won
Y derful air duel the war has yet seen.
= The British pilot reported todal
y seYerai times hesfelt sure he wQui,
4 get his adversary between his sights
. but the latter invariably wriggled on
Z of the line of fire. The British file
!! himself was Kept busy avoiding tn
= German, and once he had to dive al
= .m9st perpendieularly. The comha
y did not break off until both pilots ha
n fairly exhausted themselvesEand thei
Z petrol.A tlSYG 4S4 3S1
y Strangely enough. later in the ds
another British pilot encountered tn
= same machine. The Britisher wa
81 winging shis way home after har
fday's work, but he jockeyed with tn
- German machine for nearly a quartz
~ OF an hour before flying on.
ssOnly Got Rabbit"
nj sIngstrangss contraststo this was tn
ts experience of one Britisher who some
Il what peeyishly complained last nigf
IL that IA only got a. rabbit" He Q,
IL planned that by saying that while hi
IL opponent had q good machine he va
" / clumsy Fellow and could not fight &
ala andy was sent spinning with tn
first burst ofsgunfire. Still anothe
pilot mounted q fast new machine an
- deliberately allowed a German to q
on his trail Then he suddenly loope
behind his adversary and caught hil
sinst within the sights, the burst of fir
J Killing the SGerman instantly. Tt
machine swerved and the dead ma
pitched out 10000 feet from Il
ground.
The fighting yesterday was a
within the enemy territory. Sever
British machines had bullet hol'
s Ithroughe their wings but sailed hon
unaided and took the air again tn