Gilpin observer., 1917-05-24
Lieutenant in Scout Machine
Dives Into Squadron, Firing
as He Flies.
DARING STUNTS IN WEST
TeutonIc and Allied Aviators In Thrill
Ing Sham Falls Out Of Control
Work 10 Useful and
Vital.

Win Tic DIltiSu ARMY III FruuCe.-
The announcement that '.imprOved
weather conditions permitted increased
aerial activity along the entire front"
Is the laconic and prosaic way in
which the official communique dis
misses some of the most spectacular
episodes of the war.
To those who have once witnessed
this Increased aerial activity" such
an announcement conjures up at once
picture Of countless airplanes In the
air-scouting, fighting, diving, spin
ming, lowering over enemy targets and
calmly sending wireless signals
through the fountains of enemy fire,
photographing the enemy lines, bomb
ing his ammunition dumps and sheds
and supply columns, and otherwise
carrying on" in the sky in a manner
wholly bewildering to the onlooker, but
typifying in supreme degree the indis-
pensable part aviation is playing in
this war.
Work ls Useful and Vital.
In the aggregate the losses in the
flying corps are as nothing compared
with the useful and vital work the
wings" accomplish. Without them
the big guns would have no far-seeing
eyes to correct their shells. Without
them and the hundreds of photographs
they daily take the map makers could
not trace each detail of the trench po-
sitiOns. Without them the general
staff could not accurately know just
what is going on by day and night be-
hind the enemy lines. Without them
modern war would lose its most fas-
cinating phase.
The good flying" of a single day on
the British front alone may represent
day of hundred fights, day of
four-score airplanes in wing to wing
combat, day of thousand personal
incidents and deeds of daring in the
once strange strata of high, thin air.
1t might tell, for instance, Of how
Lieutenant A. in fast-fiying scout
machine encountered squadron of u
German ROlands. The odds were one
sided enough, but the young Britisher
decided to take chance. He climbed
swiftly and surely until he got far
above and to the rear of the hostile
craft. Evidently the Germans were in
tent upon some errand which they pro-
posed to carry out in force, for they
paid no heed to the khaki-clad airman
until he deliberately dived into them,
firing as he came. This threw the
IL into a panic, and their formation
was entirely broken up. Meanwhile
Lieutenant A. got beneath the near
est machine and fired an entire drum
of cartridges into it at yards. The
hostile machine collapsed and
CRASHED"
After seeing his particular enemy
"crash" Lieutenant A. drew Off to
think things over. He was somewhat
amazed to see still more hostile ma
chimes coming up in formation. But
he dashed ut the leader of the new
cOmers and sent him in a spiral nose
dive to "crash." This led to still
more complications. and the intrepid
little pilot soon found himself engaged
with three machines. His fight with
these was indecisive.
"For," says the official record, ''hav-
ing expended all his ammunition, Lieu
tenant A set Off for home"
A few days later, 1t is related, he
took running dive into formation
of 20 hostile machines with all the
self-assurance an eagle might have in
the midst Of flock of sparrows. Be-
fore he was through he had sent three
adversaries "crashing."
This time" says the record, "he re-
/ trrr IN nf g.,
more ammunition and returned to the
scene Of battle, where he engaged and
dispersed such enemy machines as re-
mainsd In the vicinity. One was seen
to crash upon housetop."
Alrmen Shamming Falls.
The Germans lately have adopted
the ruse OF "stalling" and shamming
n fall out Of control. 1t is thrilling
but not uncommon thing to see n Ger
man machine when closely pressed
turn its tail straight up in the mir and
dive toward the earth for II distance
of 1000 or 5000 feet, and just as the
uninitiated onlooker would expect n
'crash" 1t fiattens out and starts pell
nell for its own lines. One does not
always get away with this bit of aerial
strategy, however, as Is shown by the
Record of Captain B. After attack
ing three hostile machines he saw one
of them going down in spinning nose
dive. He suspected the honesty of
that dive and decided to do little div
ing ION his own" This dramatic
downward duel continued for full 5000
feet until the German was driven into
II spin "and seen to crash"