The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1917-08-03
GERMANS to- HOLD MEET
At BRUSSELS PRETTY SOON
AIRMEN ROUT TEUT0NS
One British Airman Routs Hun
dreds In Flanders.
Entente Flyers Bomb Troops, Tralns
and Guns and Direct Own
Artillery.

British Headquarters in France and
Belgium, Aug. 9.-The work done by
the British air service in Tuesdays Of
fensive has not been surpassed in ef-
lciency and spectacular features since
the war began.
More unfavorable weather for aerial
operations could hardly have been Sc
lected. At dawn, when the infantry
advance began, the whole country was
blanketed by thick, low-lying clouds,
and by afternoon rain had begun to
fall.
Many fights occurred between the
rival pilots, but the Teutons were COM
pletely outclassed, both in numbers
and skill, and were forced to retire at
most points after losing six machines.
The British lost three machines.
The British airmen performed re-
markable deeds. One typical instance
will indicate the nature of the impor-
tant work they carried out A British
aviator crossed the Ypres salient just
as the infantry attack began at dawn.
For time he patrolled the roads
and canals, now and then running the
gauntlet OF enemy fire at height of
80 feet in order to obtain information
for the guidance of the infantry in
their advance.
During this patrol work he came to
a German airdrome. Owing to the
early hour, only one enemy was STIR
ring outside the shed and he paused
In his ablutions but apparently satis-
fed himself that the plane above him
was one of his own.
The British airman circled low and
dropped bomb squarely On one of the
sheds. This brought numbers of Ger
mans tumbling from the buildings. The
Briton turned his machine gun on them
and, circling about the field, bombed
two other sheds with disastrous effect
All the time he kept up a steady stream
of machine gun fire at the Germans,
number Of whom were killed or
wounded.
The Germans finally got a machine
gun into action against him, but he
dived, and at 20 feet silenced it with
his own gun. Having put this gun out
Of action, he circled the field, firing
with his machine gun through the
doors of buildings at the huddled ene-
my within. At one time his machine
actually touched the ground.
Leaving the airdrome the British
aviator attacked two German mounted
officers and put them to flight. A little
later he encountered a column of 200
troops and swept along the line, with
his gun working steadily. The entire
column was dispersed and fed, leaving
numbers Of their comrades lying in the
road.
Two German battle planes appeared
on the scene and the British engaged
them both, sending one to earth and
putting the other to flight. He pursued
the fleeing plane, but it was soon lost
In the clouds.
In the meantime a large body Of
German soldiers had gathered around
the machine which had been brought
down. The British flying man came
sweeping back from the mists In which
he had hidden and accounted for sew
eral of their number with his machine
gun.
His next objective was troop train.
He Travelled along its entire length,
pumping bullets into the crowded cars.
This completes the story of one avia-
tors fight for the day, but he later
did valuable scouting work over the
enemy lines.
Numerous instances are related Of
pilots charging the anti-aircraft gun
ners and machine gun operators at q
height of thirty or forty feet and 81
lencing the guns.