Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-09-20
Three VICTIMS IN
AS MANY MINUTES
That Is the Record of Guyne'
mer, Called king Of Aces"
FRENCHMAN'S DEADLY FIRE.
His Success Said to Be Due to Remark
able Coordination of Eye and Trig-
ger Finger-Has Been Frances Most
Successful Aviator, Yet He Was Once
Rejected.

1
Rejected.
i The amazingly brilliant record OF
achievement in the air made by the
/ man who has been styled by his coun-
| trymen as the D'Artagnan of the
| Clouds and by his comrades of the air.
| British and American. as the King of
| the Aces'-Captain Georges Guynemer
of the French army-really began when
he was rejected at his examination for
, military duty as unfit for any strenu-
GUS occupation. Today, according to
the most recent advices, the number of
German machines he has brought to
earth and of German aviatorS killed.
wounded or captured is rapidly ap4
preaching sixty.
Instead of moping because those
higher than he considered him unfit
for service. the valiant young French
man just three years ago. at the age of
nineteen, demanded employment in the
service of France, and. as luck would
have it, but rather as a last resort on
the part of those to whom he made
the great French aviation camps to
learn the mechanics of an airplane. He
was even told that he might, after a
long apprenticeship. master the tech
nical knowledge involved and become
full fledged mechanician
Three Victims In Three Minutes.
No aviator had ever brought down
three German machines in three min
utes. Guynemer had gone to the as
sistance of a conrade in trouble, hard
pressed as he was by five German air.
men. Two of the airmen were brought
down by bullets from Guynemers mi
trailleuse in two minutes. and. mount
ing high in the air, he overlook and
swooped down on the third machine,
shooting it tC earth in flames. He cast
about, searching for the other two, but
a bursting shell stripped the left wing
Of his machine of it's covering, and he
plunged to earth within his own lines,
unhurt
II gave myself up for lost he said
on this occasion, but after falling
5000 feet l thought / would struggle
all the same. The wind blew me over
our lines, and like a 1ash l had the
picture of my funeral and all my good
friends following the coffin. I con-
tinued to fall, and the levers wouldn't
bulge. In vain I pushed and pulled
right and left. l made last desper-
ate effort. all to no purpose, and then
/ saw the field toward which l was
dashing down. Suddenly something
happened. and my speed diminished
Then there were violent crash and
resounding shock. When l recovered
my wits l was in the midst of frag-
ments Of my machine, practically unin-
jured. How am / alive% l keep ask
ing myself. l believe it was the straps
which held me TO my seat which saved
me-"
His first fie.ht with an enemy air.
plane took place on July 10, 1915, after
he had left the ground in the parasol
biplane, with mechanician to act as
machine gunner. a signal flashed from
below told them that a German ma
chine had been sighted, and they went
to give battle. The enemy aviator,
Guynelner was about TO descend when
he saw another dot on the horizon.
This time the enemy scout was head
ed for the French lines, and Guynemer
followed him over the city of Scissors.
After the mechanician had fired i15
brllets at the enemy he was shot
Through the hand, and another shot
Lvazed his scalp.
To the surprise of the mechanician,
Guynemer took the machine gun in
hand himself and. with several shots.
struck the German fiier. who sank
down in his seat The machine took
fire a moment later and went hurtling
to the ground.
Dived to Safety Through Cloud.
"vieux Charles" (Old Charles) is the
name of the machine in which he has
accounted for so many of the enemy,
and it is due to the speed of this ma
chine that it's operator has been sew
eral times saved from death by the
proverbial hairs breadth. On Sept
80, 1916. he found himself twenty miles
within the German lines. when one of
the German airplanes. 4 fast Fokker,
rose to the attack. The reception was
being prepared when Guynemer sud-
denly discovered that his machine gun
had jammed. The Plussian had opened
fire and with 250 bullets, fred low, had
punctured the landing tires of "Old
Charles" At Il height of 1900 feet
Guynemer saw bank of clouds an.
proximately 1000 feet below. With his
engine racing at top speed he dived fol
the clouds. emerging ten minutes later.
On still another day he came into
collision with large enemy L. G. ".
machine. tearing away the best part OF
che left wing of his own. but this was
because his machine gun was frozen.
and to escape the enemy's fire he spun
around ION one wing and kept on go
ing just six feet below the L. G. "
The left wing of Guynemer's machine
engaged the right wing Of that of his