The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1917-06-04
DESPERATE AIR BATTLES
Airmen Fighting More Than Three
ard Half Miles From the Earth
"A Thrilling Melee Described

Alrmen F1SnI1Hg MORE 1Ndu AuCS
ard a Half Miles From the Earth
A Thrilling Melee Described
The following thrilling account OF
battles in the air is given by a staff
correspondent of the Associated Press
on the British front in France un-
der cate of May 30:
The recent lull in the fighting has
had no effect whatever upon the
British aerial offensive, which con-
tinues day and night with unrelenting
intensity. In the last few days there
have been, witnessed some of the most
desperate air battles Of the entire
wa. One or two of these have been
fought at the unprecedented height
of i9 900 feet, OF more than three and
one-ha,f miles from the earth.
Recently there duel in which a
British pilot, having run out Of am
munition for his machine gun, got
close enough to his antagonist to
shoot him down with his revolver.
This incident served to recall the fact
tina. when the war began the only
weapons which aerial pilots had were
pistols and carbines.
Commenting today on the dazzling
attitudes at which many combats oc-
cur nowadays, pilot said that when
he first went to war in 1914 he flew
a machine which took an hour and a
quarter to reach 5000 feet.
"That's nothing" said one Of his
comrades. "The old bus I had could
not reach 5000. feet at ALL"
The airplane which could not nego-
tiato 10000 feet well under ten min
utes would be scrapped quickly now.
Toll of German Planes Heavy
The toll of German planes destroy
ed in May will amount far into the
hundreds. In last Sundays fighting
alone 80 were accounted for. FIT
teen were seen to crash to the ground,
IA were driven completely out Of con-
troll and one was shot down by artil-
lery.
One of the melees on Sunday, be-
tween six British and eight German
machines, was as thrilling as any
aerial battle ever fought. It was at
close quarters throughout; so close
in fact that wings scraped against
wings and fighting pilots could look
each other squarety in the eye. No
sooner would a British pilot swo"p
up to the tail O. che Of the German
machines than another German was
upon his tail. This German in turn
would almost Immediately have ar
other British pilot pouring bursts OF
machine gun bullets at him. At one
time seven machines were following
each other in headlong fashion toward
the earth. It was nearly 8 O'Clock
in the evening when the British Of
fensive patrol sighted the eight Ger
mans, we'll over their own lines. The
enemy machines fled, but were event
ually overhauled and brought to COM
bat. The commander of the British
formation dived at the nearest Ger
man but the latter turned sharply
beneath him and escaped the first
burst of fire. The commander then
attacked another machine just in
front of him, pouring in many rounds
at ranges shortening from SO to 20
yards. The German went down 1900
yards in spin, then turned ovel
and continued to fall, completely out
of control.
Twice Went Down in a Spin
By this time another hostile aircraft
was on the commanders tail. He triet
to shake off the German, but coule
not do so, ard deliberately went dowr
in spin. When he flattened out HI
found the German still with him
and so he again went down in a spin
The German was then attacked by /;
British pilot who had followed hin
down and sat on his tail, flooding
his machine with bullets until HI
went tumbling to earth, swaying bacl
and forth like a piece of paper in {
gale.
Spinning and diving, this remark
able feat was kept up until thre,
Germans had been shot down. TIL,
others having fled, the British patro
returned without a single casualty
The pilot who brought down a ms
chine with seven shots from his .au
tomato pistol already had accounts
for two other Germans, making
record of three for the day.
One of the most remarkable escape
from death which pilot ever had &C
Cured today. While over the Ger
man lines his machine was hit by
shell which tore hole through j
and exploded the egine, wrecking il
The pilots leg was fractured in tw
places but he brought his machin
back over the lines to within fly
feet of the ground, where he los
consciousness and crashed to eartl
The machine was SO shot about tha
the men who extricated the youn
flier had to pull him through the hol
which the shell had made.
!, Nightly British filters drop tons
bombs on military establishment
: back Of the German lines.
Morrison, son of the late J. K. Mo-
rison Of Statesville, has volunteers
, and been accepted as an ambutant