Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-07-08
PER|LOUS DUTY
GIVEN TO A|RMEN
They Must "Sit Over the Tops"
:, Of Enemy Airdromes on
Battle Front.
MANY GOOD PILOTS LOST
Expected to Shoot Down Hun
Machines as They At
tempt to Arise.
MANY GOOD PILOTS LOST

LONDON, July Tn recent British
attacks on the west front, writes a
British airman, one Of the duties of
the English aviators was to 'sit over
tho tops. Of enemy airdromcs a about
a height Of 1000 feet and shoot down
any mechanic that tries to rise. while
every kind Of German gun available in
the vicinity blazed away at them. He
continues:
Now 1000 feet is an uncomfortable
height at which to fy; 1t ia much too
low. Almost all classes of war air
feet to 10000 feet up. and at 1000 feet
a pilot feels an II he we're going TO
knock tho trees out Of the ground
there Is not enough showroom.
II was useful work. however, for it
blinded the Hun commanders: indeed.
At times not n Hun machine was to
be seee In the air. But II was ex-
pensive work, too-we lost a lot Of
good pilots. One scheme the Huns
evolved was to get up bit earlier
and get out of sight. and then dive on
our machines as they circlcd above
their airdrones.
J.. This meant stiff and sharp fghting
Modern machines travel anything from
one to two miles a minute level. and
much faster when driving. They are
practically invisible at about two miles
distant Consequently there is little
time TO act once an assailant Is upon
you
PILOT IS ATTACKED
BY THREE AT ONCE
In one such offensive action, n pilot
found himself attacked by three at
once One was diving on him in front
TO the left; one was diving on his tail,
and one was coming up from the aero
drome below. They were all firing at
him. He was flying. a fast but clumsy
machine He dived straight at the
machine below him and fred into the
pilots back. Then he pulled the ma
chine up and ''zoommed" straight up
at the one on his front and blazed at
that Sweeping straight on up and
over In n sideways hoop, he brought n
side-guh TO bear on the one behind,
and again fred into the pilots back
Another form of offensive most Wig
orously carried on was continual bomb
raids, 100 miles and more over the
lines. That is where good plotting
comes in. 1t Is not easy thing to
lead squadron over unknown ground.
greatly altered by the developments
OF war, for two hours or more, and
set thcm to a prearranEed spot-say.
an ammunition dump (Which. OF course,
will be carefully conceaied--and then
bring them back again without losing
the way.
/. Some pilots have almost an instinct
Tor this sort CT thing. One man led
his squadron for two hours over clouds
which blotted out all landmarks. There
were the usual troubles with side winds
which vary in strength and direction at
different heights. None the less when
they saw him descend through the
clouds they knew their objective was
ut hand-and there IL was. about five
miles away. three minutes flight Pilots
follow such men anywhere.
To make more sure Of getting d.
rect hits IT was a common practice
with some squadrons TO descend 10 500
feet over the place to be bombed If
bomb hits dump from that heigth
the machine that threw II gets tossed
about like feather in n cyclone one
pilot just missed shed that it was
not really in the orders to bomb News
came to hand afterward that il had
been packed full of high explosive,
II am sorry / missed it," he said.
1T would have been one of the big
gest things OF the war-but / expect I
should have witnessed it from heavcn!'