The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1917-12-21
AIRMAN AT GREAT
ALTITUDE FAINTS
AvISTORS on WESTERN FRONT
HAVE THRILLING FIGHTS
WITH ENEMY.

Behind British Lines in France
Nov. 2O.-Stories Of daring escapades
Of British aviators. exciting aerial
cpmbats from which the air-fghters
escaped alive seemingly only by mir
acIe and of brilliantly executed raids
upon German aerodromps and troops
behind the German lines are narrat-
ed in the reports OF the Royal Flying
Corps covering the activities OF about
one week. Iair-raising incidents OF
fierce conflicts above the clouds or
law over the German communication
lines are described in these succinct
reports without bombast, as tho these
narrow escapes from death were com
monplace and all in the days work OF
the air-fghter.
For example, there was the case
of a British aviation officer who,when
nearly a mile above the earth, was at
tackled by two enemy aircraft. He
shot down one OF them out Of control,
hut was himself wounded and faint
ed while still high III the air. Re
covering consciousness. he found his
machine upside down at an eleva-
ton of 1000 feet with one enemy
aircraft still firing at him. The Brit
isher. however, managed after a
struggle ito right his machine and
land safely.
Pilot Faints.
In somewhat similar instance. a
German scout attacked a British air.
plane carrying a pilot and observer.
One of the Germans bullets passed
thru the gasoline tank of the British
airplane and seriously wounded the
pilot The British observer. however.
pumped a fuii double drum Of bull
lets at the enemy scout at very close
quarters and the German went TO the
ground with a crash.
Meanwhile tho British Piist had
tainted AID fallen against the steer
ing stick in such a fashion as to
throw the airpiane into a spin. The
British observer climbed ever the
sid. and forward along the plane to
the pilots cockpit, lifted tae piist to
his seat ssd. still standing On the
wing of the plane, released the steer
ing gear. brought tho machine cut
of tho spin aud safely to the ground.
TIVE British officers were return
in: frsm an expedition ever the enc
my's lines to Locate hostile batter
les when their machine was hit N
Anti-aircraft ere and the engine dan
aged volsIanins, the machine lasd-
ed 800 yards from the British lines,
the airplane turned over and the syis
tors were hurled out on the German
side OF . canal. Running along the
beach under heavy are from rifles
and machine guns, tho aviators div
ed into tina canal only to find it full
Of barbed wire. but managed 10 reach
the British lines in safety.
Many Instances illustrstiA. the
reckless daring of tho British syia-
tors sent over the German lines TO ss-
iais Information, destroy sersdrones
ana harry tho German reserves ara
contained ia the Official narratives
One pilot who crossed tho lines at
Ypres threw off the attacking ma
chines bombed the Heuls aersdrsas
near Lille and was fred upsa by tive
machine guns. He dived at sao Of
them. firing with both sxss Of the
British sirpiane, drove the Germans
FROM their guns, fred upon the acre
drsms again, attacked ans scattered
a cslamn Of 600 German iafsntrynes
on tho road. A German tws-seater
airslsna was circIing soc feet sssVs
h;y for an attack. II zssmed up
nsssr its tail aud 6red int it, writes
the British aviator. ut crashed
down onto tho railway"
Another British pilot had fired
hussred rounds on German troops
on the march when he was Interrupt
ed sy two enemy airplanes. He at
tackled them aud drove both down
aaS then snished the Job of driving
tss German Infantry into trenches
ana sheil-h0les.
Flying at the height Of zoe feet a
British aviator engaged in a revolver
duel with two German officers Ia
motsr and while doing SO ran into
sauna lines OF telegraph wires, but
fortunately his machine cut them. A
few miautes later he attacked Ger
man infantry which escaped his gun
only by diving into a pond.