The patriot. [volume] (Indiana, Pa.) 1914-1955, 1917-12-08
LION CUBS SAVE
YANKEE AVIATORS
whisky" and "Soda" MaSCOtS
of Lafayette EScadrille.
Fight ATTRACTS THE FLYERS
While Animals Scrap In Woods Ger
man Aircraft Drop Bombs, Wreck
ing Buildings and Destroying Air
pIanes-Puts Unit Out Of Action for
More Than Week.

"Whisky" and "Soda." the two lion
cubs which are mascots of the Lafay1
cite escadrille, probably saved the lives
of some Of the volunteer American avi-
ators flying with the French army, for
1T was because whisky" and "Soda"l
were fighting furiously in wood near
the airdrome of the Lafayette esca1
drille on the Meuse river near VerdunI
that all of the pilots, their mechanic
clans and even their cook rushed FROM
"camp" and so escaped the bombs and
aerial tOrpedoes dropped a few seconds
later by a squadron of German bonn
harding machines which flew overhead
Flag First Time Under Fire.
Incidentally, this marked also the
first time that the United States flag
has been directly under fire on the
western front, as the Stars and Stripes
were floating from the flagpole at the
edge of the aviation field when the Ger
man raiders appeared The flagpole
was struck by a shell fragment, and.
although 1t swayed and toppled per-
ilously, 1t did not fall and "Old Glcry'1
waved triumphantly throughout the
bombardment. 1t was the presence of
the American flag that denoted to the
Germans that that particular airdrome
was the home of the Lafayette esca-
drille.
More than score of airplanes-
S. p. A. DIS of the latest type-were
destroyed by the great high-explosive
bombs which the German Gothas
sprinkled over the camp. The canton-
ments in which the pilots were housed
were blown to pieces and the cook
house and mess tent were also hit The
American aviators were lodged with al
French escadrille stationed nearby.
1t was late in the evening-after din
ner-when the aviators heard the
snarling and roaring of the lions. The
noise proceeded from patch of wood
close by the aviation field The avia-
tors ran to the scene Immediately,
fearing that their mascots were chew
ing up some dogs-mascOts, perhaps,
of other units.
Instead they found whisky" and
''Soda" locked in their first real battle
since they have been ATTACHED" to the
Lafayette escadrille. Soon the whole
escadrille was gathered around the two
biting, snarling, splitting lion cubs, and
then there was the sound Of a swish
and a boom, and the first German
bomb exploded
The pilots looked up and deserted
half dozen great Gothas circling over
head at an altitude of nearly 10000
feet. They were raining down bombs,
and the huge projectiles were detonat-
ing all over the camp. The first bomb
dropped struck a hangar and made
matchwood and scrap iron out of half
a dozen of the fighting single-seater
airplanes 1t housed. The next bomb
struck the barracks where the avia-
tors slept The frail, temporary build
ing collapsed like q house of cards. The
next bomb hurled splinter into the
f1agpOle and set ii swaying like reed.
Two more bombs then struck other
hangers, demolishing more airplanes.
There was not a single casualty,
however, owing to the fact that every
body had left the camp and had rushed
to the wood to watch the lions fight.
But nearly every airplane was a total
wreck.
The next day, however, the escadriIe
shifted it's position to another sector
of the front, near scissors. The unit
was inactive for more than a week
through lack of machines.
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