The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-12-15
THRILLING TALES
OF ESCAPES BY
BRITISH In HOT
AERIAL COMBATS
Officer Attacks Two Ger
man Planes and Sends
Both to Earth
WORK OF AIRMEN
FACTOR IN BATTLE
Narrow Escapes by Airmen
Commonplace in Days
Activities 4

Behind British Lines i'm France.
Nov. 10. - Correspondence OF the
Associated Press. )-Stories OF daring
escapades OF British aviators, excit-
ing aerial combats from which tbs
air Fighters escaped alive seeming
ly only by miracle and OF brilliantly
executed raids upon German aero
cromes and troops behind the Ger
man lines are narrated In the reports
Of the Royal Flying corps covering
the activities OF about one week.
Hair-raising incidents Of fierce con-
fiicts above the clouds or low over
the German communication lines are
described in these succinct reports
without bombast, az though these
narrow escapes from death were
commonplace and all In the days
work OF the air-hghter.
For example, there was the case of
a British aviation officer who, when
nearly a mile above the earth, was
attacked by two enemy aircraft He
shot down one Of them out Of control
but was himself wounded and faint
ed while still high in the air. Re-
covering consciousness he found his
machine upside down at an elevation
OF 1000 feet with one enemy aircraft
stin firing at him. The Britiaher,
however, managed after q struggle
to right his machine and land safe
".
In a somewhat similar Instance, a
German scout attacked q British air
plane carrying a pilot and Observer
One OF the Germans bullets passed
through the gasoline tank OF tina
British airplane and seriously
wounded the pilot. The British OBJ
server, however, pumped a fun dou-
BILE drum Of bullets at the enemy
scout at very close quarters and the
German went to the ground with =
crash.
Meanwhile the British pilot had
tainted and fallen against the steer
ing stick in such a fashion as 20
throw the airplane into a spin. The
British observer climbed over the
side and forward along the plane 10
the pilots cockpit, lifted the pilot TO
his seat and. still standing on the
wing OF the plane released the steer
ing gear. brought the machine out
Of the spin and safely to the ground.
Two British officers were return
ing from an expedition over the en-
emyaa lines to locate hostile batteries
when their machine was hit by anti
aircraft fire and the engine damag-
ed. Volplaning, the machine landed
300 yards from the British lines, the
atrplane turned over and the avia
tors were hurled out on the German
side OF a canal. Running along the
beach under heavy fire from rifles
and machine-guns, the aviators
dived into the canal only 70 find IL
full Of barbed wire but managed 20
reach the British lines In safety.
Many instances illustrating the
reckless. daring OF the British avia-
WnF A..
obtain information, destroy aero
dromes and harry the German re-
serves are contained in the Official
narratives. One pilot who crossed
the lines at Ypres. threw OF two at
lacking machines, bombed the Heule
aerodromo near Lille and was fred
upon by two machine-R1ns. He
dived at one OF them. firing with both
guns Of the British airplane, drove
the Germans from their guns. fired
upon the asrodrome again, attacked
and scattered q column Of 200 Ger
man infantrymen on the road. Al
German two-seater airplane was clr@
cling 500 feet above him for an at
tack. II zoomed up under it's taiH
and fired into IT," writes the British
aviator. 1T crashed down onto the
railway"
Another British pilot had fred a
hundred rounds on German troops on
the march when he was interrupted
by two enemy a1rplanes. BE attack
ed them and drove both down and
then finished the job OF driving the
German infantry into trenches and
shell-hoieH.
Flying at the height OF 200 feet =
British aviator engaged IN revolver
duel with two German officers in q
motor and while doing 80 ran into
some lines OF telegraph wires but
fortunately his machine cut them.
A few minutes later he attacked
German infantry which escaped his
gum only by driving into a pond.