New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-06-03
German Airplanes Fall Apart
AS Soon as Shots Touch Them
Fault Believed Due Either Speed with Which They Are
Turned Out or to Lack of Suitable Material
Wings and Tails Often Fly of

From star Correspondent Of The Associated Pressl
With the British armies in France
via London, June 9).-Whilc overcast
skies have limited the aerial offensive
in the last few days, British pilots con-
tnue to bring IN accounts Of German
airplanes breaking to pieces IN the ar
shortly after being attacked. This ten
dency hes been notable for more than
a fortnight. Once shot out Of control,
the German planes have lost their
wings, tails and other gear 10 such an
extent that when they finally crash or
the ground very little wreckage can be
seen.
A day or two ago a British pilot few
at an enemy machine head-on. maneu-
wiring at the last moment just in time
to avoid a collision. One Of the wings
Of the British plane, however, scraped
one of the Germans wings, whereupon
the latter began 20 fall. The British
pilot Owed after him, and was startled
TO see the Germans damaged wing ny
completely of, while the tail dragged
as If it's back were broken.
Whether faultiness in so many Ger
man machines is due TO the speed with
which the Germans have to turn them
out TO meet the British. offensive or to
the lack Of suitable material is a mat
ter of no concern on this side OF the
line.
Floating Clouds Used
Recent attempts by the Germans TO
use floating clouds as screens for ar
plane raids have led to some rather
spectacular sky bombardments by Brit
ish anti-aircraft guns. These guns nave
occasionally driven the raiders from
cover and forced them 10 turn back
over their own line. German avlators
seem espccialiy trained in the de-
fensivo use of clouds, for during ar
battles if a bit of passing Vapor is
available they invariably DIVE or Sloe-
sin into it, This is but another Demon
stration of the German passion ior
digging in. such as first brought inc
world war to trench fighting. Inc Ger
mans die in OIL the land, in the air and
under the sea.
The artillery activity appears grad
ually 10 be growing IN intensity along
most of the British front, with raids
and counter raids going on first IN one
sector and then ln another lneSc
raids are the means that the armies
have Of keeping i'm touch with the
enemy and hayassing him. flrst lhlro-
duced I'm the British armies by the
Canadians. raids were taken up by the
French and Germans. The latter were
never very successful at the art, now
ever, although recently captured Ger
mans asserted their company conf
mandels promised them IRON crosses
and long leNCs Of absence u theF
brought back even one British prIsohe.
ia raid. i..
Strange working parties recently
have been seen just behind inc ('eII,lan
front line They labor under the eyes
Of German guards with bayonets fixed.
Tho workers are clad in a sort Of gray
,niforn,. hut wear straw hats. dcrbles
or civilian cans such as often are gwen
IN prisoners of war 1t has been re-
heated many times lately that the Ger
mans arc deliberately working BRUSH
prisoners il very close proximity to the
front line
Three Lost Britons Return
Three British soldiers who had been
given up as lost returned 20 their INES
Yesterday, after three days behind the
German outposts without food. The
trio became lost on patrol duty ana
discovered they were inside the Ger
man lines. They hid in she'll mole
during the daytime, and tried Tor three
successive nights To- return to the BRIT
ism lines before they finally succeeded.
Such experiences arc possible nova
DAYS with a ragged and irregular 'front.'
line for outpost positions as they exist
In the battle area east Of Arras. Inc
lighting there is more difficult In some
ways than when the armies we're ln
fixed trench positions. Then each side
became accustomed TO the others
trench habits. and the slightest Uhfa-
miliar move by day or night had an
easily defined significance. East OF
Arras at present there arc only snort
stretches Of trenches, with posts be-
tween them. but each shell hole a
potential strong point and may hold
nest Of machine guns. 4 chain OF con
nectcd shell cratcrs makes a first class