South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-06-03
Wings, Tails or Other Gear Fall
OFF on the Slightest Shot
From the British
Opponents.
TEUTONS Make GOOD Use
OF CLOUDS FOR SCREENS
When Attacked by English, Foe
Invariably Hunts for Cover
Behind Heavy VapOr
Formations.
Associated Press Service:

Associated Press Service:
FROM A STAFF CORR ESPON-
DENT OF THE ASSOCIATED
PRESS WITH THE BRITISH ARM
les IN FRANCE (via London). June
while overcast skies have limit
ed the aerial offensive in the last few
days British pilots continue TO bring
In accounts of German airplanes
breaking TO pieces i'm the air shortly
after being attacked. This tendency
has been notable for more than a
fortnight. Once shot out of control.
the German planes have lost their
wings. tails and other gear TO such
an extent that when they finally
crash to the ground very little
wreckage can be seen
Wings Drop on Plane.
A day or two ago a British pilot
flew at an enemy machine headon
maneuvering at the last moment
just in time to avoid a collision. One
Of the wings of the British plane
however, scraped one OF the German
wings. whereupon the latter began to
fail. The British pilot dived after
him and was startled 20 see the Ger
mans demaged wings fly completely
off while the tail dragged as if it's
back was broken
Whether faultiness in so many
German machines is due TO the
speed with which the Germans have
TO turn them out TO meet the Brit
ish offensive, or TO the lack of suit
able material, is matter Of no con
Germ on this side Of the line
Germans Hide Behind Clouds.
Recent attempts by the Germans
TO use floating clouds as screens for
airplane raids, have led TO some
rather spectacular sky lombard
ments by British anti-craft guns.
These guns have occasionally driv-
en- the raiders from cover and forced
them 10 turn back over their own
line. German aviators seem special
~ trained in the defense use of
clouds for during air battles if a bit
of passing vapOr is available. they
invariably dive or side slip into it,
This is only another demonstration
of the German passion for digging
in, such as first brought the world
war to trench fighting. The Germans
dig on the land, in the air and under
the sea.
Trench Raids Numerous.
The artillery activity appears
gradually TO he growing in intensity
along most of the British front with
raids and counter raids going on
first in one sector and then in an
other. These raids are the means the
British have in keeping touch with
an enemy and harassing him. First
introduced in the British armies by
the Canadians. raids we're taken up
by the French and Germans. The
last named were never very success
full at the art however. although re-
Gently captured Germans asserted
their company commanders promis-
ed them iron crosses and long leaves
of absence If they brought back even
one British prisoner in raid.
Strange working parties recently
have been seen just behind the Ger
man front line They labor under the
eyes OF German guards with bay
onets fixed. The workers are clad in
sort OF gray uniform but wear
straw hats. derbies or civilian caps
such as often are given TO prisoners
OF war II has been reported many
times lately that the Germans are
deliberately working British prison
ers in very close proximity 10 the
front line.
Three British soldiers who had
been given up as lost returned 10
their lires yesterday after three days
behind the German outposts without
food. The trio became lost on patrol
duty and discovered they were in
side the German lines. They hid in
a shell hole during the day time and
tried for three successive nights TO
return 70 the British lines before
they finally succeeded.
such experiences are possible now
adays with a ragged and irregular
front line for outpost positions as
they exist in the battle area east Of
Arras. the lighting there is more diff
ficult in some ways than when the
armies were in fixed trench posi-
tons. Then each side became &C
customed 10 the other trench habits
and the slightest. unfamiliar move
by day or night had an easily defined
significance