Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-06-10

were on constant patrol work, flying
low over the advancing lines Of infan-
try. constantly watching their move
ments, their progress, any temporary
reverse, any attempt to form counter
attacks, and all the while sending de-
tailed reports back to corps and army
headquarters The infantry COM
manders said 1t gave their men greet
comfort End great sense OF protec.
ton to have their planes flying 80
confidently above them and exchang-
Ing signals with them.
OF the fourteen planes lost during
the day OF the battle. majority
were these contact machines. They
had to fly through frightful storm
Of their own as well as the enemy's
artillery fire, and they succumbed to
chance blows from these exploding
missiles.
Late on the day Of the battle, when
the enemy machines had finally ar
rived from more distant airdromes,
there was some good hard fighting in
the air. some of 1t at close quarters
with collisions barely avoided. Twen-
ty enemy machines were accounted for
In the fighting, some Hopping about
until they broke up in the air and
others being driven down on their
noses in yellow buttercup fields so far
back of the fighting line that no shell
had ever marred the symmetry of the
Landscape.
Flew in Clouds.
One British pilot who returned to
his home station for new supplies of
petrol and ammunition, declared it
was the most dangerous days flying
he had ever participated in.
Because" he added, there are so
many of our machines you can hardly
find place for yourself"
One observer during the height of
the aerial activity likened the British
squadrons to clouds of mosquitoes.
Some of the most marvellous work was
done by artillery airplanes. One
squadron of these alone, acting with
several batteries of British heavies,
succeeded in silencing seventy-two
German batteries before 6 o'clock
on the morning of the attack,
which begun at $40 o'clock IN
the morning. These planes also d.
rected the firing on the enemy's guns
en- route to the front, some of the big
weapons being drawn by caterpillar
tractors. Wherever a thousand or
more troops were observed forming
for possible counter attacks. the ar
ullery planes directed Shoots" upon
them.
So complete was the British domi-
nation of the air along the front OF
attack that not single one Of the
British artillery observing airplanes
was lost during the week that the
Intensive bombardment was going on.
During the battle British airplanes
also attacked and silenced several en-
emy machine gun positions. They
also made their usual attacks upon
German anti-aircraft batteries.
Canadian Has Easy Day.
Both yesterday and today British
pilots have complained at their ina
bility to get any considerable numbers
OF Germans to come up and fight.
The spirit of these youthful df.redevils
Of the air is described by brilliant
Canadian flier attached to the British
troops who was told he must take a
day off yesterday after a week of
steady flying. He asked permission of
his commander to fly thirty miles or
40 down the line to lunch with friends
In one Of the Canadian divisions. This
was readily granted, but instead of
flying down along the British line. he
crossed over behind the German lines
and had eight fights on the way and
brought down two German machines \