The St. Charles herald. [volume] (Hahnville, La.) 1873-1993, 1917-06-09
Like Hornets, They Attack En-
emy Formations, and Drive
Survivors Home.
FOE UNWILLING TO FIGHT
From the Front Come Wondrous Stor-
les of Dauntess Deeds and Feats
Of Aerial TiIting-Britain Now
Commands the Air.

WORTH uf adventure, have come WITHIN
the last few days still more WondrouS
storit, of dauntleSs deeds and fents OF
aerial tilling to spread the welcome
llnmO,.r of romance over the more snr-
did side of the war. Above the BRUSH
lines and far within the enemy terri
tory the blue spring skies have beeh
filed with daring planes that seem 10
flash in and out among the bits OF
floating cloud with the speed OF the
very sunbpams that sparkle and play
upon their silver sides and all Dut
transparent wings.
Virtually all the visible machines
hear the red, white and blue markings
of the allies, 1t is seldom that hostile
battle birds with the Maltese cross up
on their spreading wings venture
across the fighting lines.
The British aviators report that IL
is difficult Just now to get the Ter
man aviatOrs into close fighting. lhev
say that the Germans appear unwilling
| 70 engage in that sort of warfare ana
| continually attempt to break off the
| combatS.
Two fast British machines far IN
! the enemy'S domain saw what APP
peared to be q great flock OF Gerilah
planes headed toward the British INES.
| The two British airmen climbed cou-
ple of thousand feet TO have a better
| look at the strangers. They then saw
that it was a formation of II machines
composed of fighting scouts and heav-
Ter two-seaters, probably intent upon
bombing raid. The odds were rather
heavy against them, but the British
t1iers decided to have q go at the nos
tile airmen.
Two Rritons Rout IA Germans.
Having faster and better maneuver-
ing machines than anything in the Ger
man formation, the young br1tohs
nIayed about their ii enemies IKE
pair of giant hornets. They dived AT
them time and time again, firing burs1s
Of machine-gun bullets as they passed.
With superior speed and climb, the
British machines were able to adope
such tactics as suited their purpose
and from the moment of the first at
tack the formation of the German ma
chimes began 10 break up
After two of their machines had
hcpn SET on fire and destroyed ana q
third sent spinning down to an I'M
doubtedly fatal crash, the hostile
souadron was completely disorGanized
the surviving machines turning aDou'
and making for home.
Another story has to do with the
narrow escape of young British naVa
airman who sailed on recent br1gh'
afternoon TO "strafe" German balloon
that he saw in the afr some distance
hack of the enemy's fighting lines.
Nowadays whenever a British plane
. CROSSES the lines within q mile or TIVE
of n German balloon station IS. y. >.
signs ascend and the balloon is hauiet
down as fast as motor-driven Winche
can drag it. The pilot was not to d.
thus foiled, however. When he arrived
near the balloon it was only 70 rec
from the ground, but he dived for II
notwithstanding the protecting ma
chine guns that were sending up htera
fountains of steel-jacketed bullets.
The balloon began to smoke in sew
cral places, and the British airman wa
diving at it again when his engine wa
hit The navy chap managed to re
: himself home. like a wounded plgeof
e nevertheless, crossing the hShtlh2 me
e ot loss than 30 feet. Being nav;
e man he officially described his nome
coming as "limping into port.
Several other aviators recently a
tackled German balloons on III
J. Ground. The correspondent spent mo:
S of Sunday on the battle front, but sa
o no German balloons up after brltls
r airmen had destroyed two early IN tf
, morning.
s Attacks Howitzer Crew.
- On Saturday afternoon brlus
q fighting scout was just taxing the d
3 whom he saw an ''archie" battery n
;n, Of q German machine high In II
he c,ouds. The Briton deliberately oeet
h m climb through this fire to engage u
Re onamv hut the latter saw him comm
Of na streaked for home. The British
I'd fn,,owed him for several miles, nf''
n oil the while, but finally ran OUT
CT ammunition.
I'd One pilot described the sensation
It. nassing through firing zone as simii
TX RI that received in small boat roc
ir ing upon the swell Of q fast-passil
10 steamer.
often the pilots of artillery obser
l's inr machines have been able to cat
NJ e,impses Of the slow-moving, hea
NJ howitzer shells. 1t is related of o
Is. british pilot that some time ago
Ks. saw a big German howitzer shell co
ill ing apparently direct for him.
OIL whizzed by harmlessly, however b
.ss the pilot was so angry that he spott
that particular gun, dived at 1t a
,ss fired an entire drum Of nachine-g
he bullets ut the crew. He had not III
ur 70 stop to see what damage, if n
his vengeful act had caused.