The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-08-03
Aerial Exploits Of the
British in Battle Of
Flanders Remarkable

BRITISH HEADQUARTERS IN
FRANCE AND BELGIUM. Aug. g
lBy the Associated Press. THE work
done by the British air service In
Tuesdays offensive has not been sur
passed In efficiency and spectacular
features since war began. More un-
Favorable weather for aerial opera
tions could hardly have been selected.
Al dawn. when the infantry advance
began. The whole coU:ltry was blank
leted by thick. low-lying clouds and
by afternoon rain had begun TO fall.
Despite these tremendous disadvan-
tages huge sQuadrons OF British planes
led the advance into the enemy terri.
tory and not only maintained constant
contact with their infantry bur. flying
at such low altitude that they often
were only a few feet from The ground.
they carried on a destructive warfare
Of their own with their machine guns.
Wonderful Heroism.
Wonderful hrroism WAS displayed by
the British airmen. who performed re-
markable deeds One typical instance
TAM work they carried out. A British
aviator crossed the Ypres salient just
as The infantry attack began at dawn.
For Il time he patrollpd the roads and
canals. now and then running the
gauntlet of enemy fire at height OF
20 feet in order to obtain information
for the guidance of the infantry in
their advance. During this patrol work
he came 10 German airdome. Owing
to the early hour one one enemy was
stirring outside the shed and he paused
in his ahlurionS cnly long enough TO
satisfy himself that the plane above
him evidently was one of his own.
The British airmen circled low and
dropped Il bomb squarrly on one of
the sheds. This brought numbers OF
Germans tumbling in panic from the
buildings. He turned his machine
sun on them and circlinC about The
field. bombed TWO other sheds with
disastrous effect. All the time he
kept up a steady stream Of machine
gun fire al The Germans. number
Of whom were killed or wounded
Puts Troops to Fight
The TeuInnS finally cot machine
gun into action against him but he
dived al twcnry feet silencPd it with
his own gun. Having put This gun
out Of action. he circled the field, f1r-
ing with his machine gun through the
doors Of buildings at the huddled en-.
envy within. Al one time his machine
touched the ground.
Leaving Tho airdrNmr tho British avi-
atnr attacked two German columns of
"hn troops and put them tn flight. A
litil" iHtcr hr encountered column ~
300 troops and swept along III" line
with his gun working steadily. The en-
tire column VHS dispersed and tlnd hy
devious wOyS To cover. leaving numbers
uf their comrades lying in the road.
Two German hnItl" planes appeared
on tn. scene. and TN" Rriton engaged
them bnth. sending nnr t. earth and put
ting The other to night. He pursued tn"
fleeing plane. but il was soon lost in the
clouds.
In III" meantime larg" body nf Co.
man soldiers had gathered around tho
machine which had been brought down,
The British dying man came sweeping
back from tn" miSts In which hn had
hidden. and accounted f"r several of
their number with his machine gun.
His next objective was n troop train,
Iin travelled along it's entire length
pumping bullets into Ihn crowded cars.
This completes the story Of one avi-
:.tnrS fights for III" day.