The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-07-14
VAST ACTIVITIES IN CAMPS OF
BRITISH BEHIND FIGHTING Line
Thousands Upon Thousands of Motor Lorres in Constant
Streams Supply Fighters at Front With Munitions
Flyjnq Corps Enjoy Most Thrilling Experiences
of Any Soldiers in France.

his returning But to these dauntless
young fellowS--mOSt Of them are quite
young-aviatiOn with all It's deadly
risks is the grandest sport ever con
ccived by man.
They 60 out to seek battle, In de-
fiaut challenge to all the most per
fcctpd BOche resources of defense and
attack, and they undoubtedly meet the
most wonderful and thrilling individ-
ual experiences of any men engaged
in this war. No sooner do they get
within range Of the German lines
than shrapncl begins to burst all
around them.
In the distance the shrupnel bursts
seem to be in bunch so close 70 the
plane that you hold your breath with
anxiety. expecting TO see 1t dashed to
the earth. But these young sports
men are skilled as we'll as dauntleSs
| They vancouver with amazing cool
| ness amid the missiles hurled at them,
and as the British now have machine
| that gives no points to the best the
! BOche can put in the air either IN
swiftnesS or hardness, they eXtricate
! themselves from what seems like GER
| tain death time after time.
Presently British shrapnel puffs
we're to be seen bursting slightly to
our left. and away up at tremen'
dous height, so that 1t looked like
white pigeon, BOche plane was dis
| covered in the blue between the NY
ing clouds. 1t looked to be flying al
twice the altitude the British aviators
reached when taking their hazardous
course over the German lines.
AS the shrapnel was scattered or
all sides of 1t and two British planes
were rapidly making their way up
ward to engage it, the Boche plane
dashed into q cloud and was lost fol
a minute. Then it emerged again
coming right over our heads, and g!
the shrapnel puffs continued to pur
sue it we found 1t prudent. though w
had our steel helmets on. to place our
selves conveniently to former HUI
dugout In case the splinters came ou
way.
German Filler Fiees.
The situation had now evidently be
come too hot for the taste of tn
German flier especially as three Brit
ish planes were approaching, so N
turned about and plunged behind
great cloud and made his way home
Mt least we did not catch sight of hin
any more.
This was the only Boche plane tina
came within reach or ventured owe
the British line during the couple 0
hours we were on the battlefield, Will
in the same time British planes wer
sailing over the German positions II
the teeth of death every few minutes
On this battlefield we visited tn
ONLY disabled tank that was to b
, found. though the Germans seem {
have claimed several. The cause Q
, It's dIsablement was plain. It was nc
direct German gun-f1re, but such
rare complication of deep craters On
, ruptured trenches that its travelin
bands could find no sufficient hold, S
that it was forced to a standstill.
The track of its caterpillar fee
was visible for hundreds OF yard
back, and the obstacles 1t oveTcam
seemed hardly less formidable tina
those that proved its undoing.
: looked as If twenty-foot-down Gel
: man dugout, already penetrated b
British shell fire, had caved In unde
:, its weight.
: Every tank has his day, and TN
, one evidently ended up In the thicke:
y of the fight, judging by the frightfull
: contorted condition of the ground
around It, Full justice has been don
by the cinema to these grotesque IN