Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1917-01-29
Members of the Corps, Mostly
Boys, With Improved.
Weather Conditions, Re-
sumo Activities.
ARE EYES OF BIG
GUNS BEHIND LINES
Pretended Falls to Prevent
Attacks From Anti i-aircfaft
Guns Are Thrilling Incidents
g Often Ending Fatally,

Cey MORNING JoussAL SPECIAL LtAsyp WIRE
With the British Armies in France
Jan, 2S.-The announcement tha
improved weather conditions per.
mitted increased aerial activity along
the entire 'front.' is the laconic and
prosaic way in which the official com.
munique dismfsses 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
q picture OF countless aeroplanes in
the air--scouting, fighting, diving
spinning, 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
wholly bewlldering to the onlooker
but typifying in supreme degree the
Indispensable part aviation is playing
in this war.
With candor often uncommon in
times of strife, the British commun-
ique may end from day to day with
the simple statement that one or two
or three or four "of our machines
have not returned This means they
have either been hit and forced to
land in the enemy lines. or have been
shot down to fate more certain. II
is no child's play to circle above a
German battery observing for half an
hour or more. tortured by exploding
shells and black shrapnel puffballs
coming nearer and nearer like the eX-
tending finger tips of some hand OF
death. But they are little more than
children--these mere boys who arc
bringing the luster of everlasting fame
to the British aviation service. Some
are scarce Is. 1t is rare to find a fly
ing man over 25.
Are Eyes for Big Guns.
In the aggregate however. the
losses in the flying corps are as moth
ing compared with the useful and vital
work the wings accomplish. With
N'' hi'Aii 'hV bib suns "o"i' It'NN NV
lar-seeing eyes to direct their shells,
without them and the hundreds of
photographs they daily take the map
makers could not trace each detail of
the trench positions. without them
the general staff could not accurately
and night behind the enemy lines.
Without them modern war would lose
its most fascinating phase.
The good flying" of single day
on the British 'front.' alone may repre-
sent a day of a hundred fights, a day
of four score aeroplanes in wing-to-
wing combat day of a thousand
personal incidents and deeds of dar-
ing in the once strange strata of high
thin air
1t might tell, for instance, of how
Lieutenant A in a fast flying scout
machine encountered squadron of
twelve German Rolands. The odds
were one-sided enough, but the young
Britisher decided to take a chance. He
climbed swiftly and surely until he
got far above and to the rear of the
hostile craft. Evidently the Germans
were intent upon some errand which
they proposed 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 twelve Germans into
a panic and their formation 'was en-
tirely broken up. Meantime Lieu
tenant A got beneath the nearest ma
chine and fired an entire drum of
into it at fifteen yards. The
hostile machine collapsed and crash
ed" That is supreme word in the
lexicon Of the flying corps, A ma
chine may fall, or dive, but until 1t is
actually seen to crash" ii Is not
counted as an enemy Casualty.
Surrounded by Air Craft.
After seeing his particular enemy
crash" Lieutenant A drew off to
think things over. He was somewhat
to see still more hostile ma
chimes coming up In formation. But
he dashed at the leader of the new
and sent him in 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
.hese was indecisive.
For" says the official record,
having expended all his ammunition,
A set off for home.'
A few days later, it is related, he
,ook a running dive into a formation
IF twenty hostile machines with all
he self-assurance an eagle might
nave in the midst of flock Of spar
'ows. Before he was through he had
sent three adversaries Crashing.
This time" says the record, "he
'eturned to one of our aerodromes for
more ammunition and returned to the
scene of battle, where he engaged and