The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1917-04-25
FORTY GERMAN
A|RPLANES SHOT
Greatest Battle of the Air
Fought at an Altitude of
$4,000 Feet
-ONLY TWO BRITISH
MACHINES MISSING

Mo-c Than 100 Aviators Took Part in
the Engagement Fifteen Machines |
Actually Seen to Crash and IS Others
Collapsed
(From staff Correspondent of The
Associated Press
WITH THE BRITISH ARMIES IN i
FRANCE, via London, April 25.-The in
tcnscly bitter ground fighting of the past
two DAYS has been reflected in the air,
and the British Royal Flying corps Mon
day established 4 new record by bringing
down 40 German machines. Fifteen OF
these were actually seen TO crash, while
p collapsed or fell in spinning nose
dives, completely out of control
| The fights took place $4,000 feet in the
air, from which distance il is barely pos
Siblc To see the ground, and wholly inn
possible TO see an adversary crash unless
the pilot deliberately follows down. Such
a course Is not feasible where the fight
/ ing has taken on the character of a gen
cral melee. a. is nowadays often the
case. \ remarkable part OF Mondays
performance i, that only two machines
are missing.
Ii was the finest day for war flying
that the young khaki pilots ever had,
and Yesterday they have been at il again
since sunrise, but the full reports Of their
exploits are not yet in. 1t is known,
however. that one intrepid Young flicr,
failing To lind a single German ob9erva-
tion balloon aloft, sought out one in its
ihangar on the ground; divcd at it and
set the big gas bag ablazc from stem TO
stern.
British machines were everywhere
along the battle front and far behind the
lGerman lines. Bombing raids were car
lrled out ~ miles back, the machines de-
llberately living over ground where bat
! ties were raging with the greatest fury.
German trains rushing reinforcements
{ 10 the front were attacked and transport
Icolnans on the roads were bombed AMI
completely disorganlzed In several in.
stances the British machines came low
!, lover the lighting lines and poured ma
chine 9lln fire INTO the German ranks In
, dol /; this. machines have deliberately
, crossed the fire OF their own as we'll a,
the enemy's guns.
t The greatest fight Monday, oddly
! enough, WAS drawn battle One OF tn,
, British pilots met brilliant German fiel
1 and for full hour they Unanswered in
{ most marvellous manner without bcin.
: Iable~to bring his gun 20 bear ON the 9th
or. They rolled, Topped twisted deliber
Iatciv stalled their engines and, standin.
S the machines on their tail Slid backwar,
{ through the air, but all TO no avail
: was probably the most wonderful nj
duel the war has yet seen.
e The British pilot reported that sevcra
times he felt sure he would get his nd
!, versary between his sights, but the lat
= ter invariably wrigglcd out of the line o
8 fire. The British fiier himself was KEEP
: busy avoiding the German. and once b
y had to dive almost perpendcularly Tn
J. combat did not break OIL until both pilot
had fairly exhausted themselves an
= their petrol.
5, Strangely enough, later in the dav al
5, other British pilot encountered the sam
u German machine. The Britisher va
y. winging his way home after 4 hard day
i work. but he iockcyed with the Gcrina
r. Tor nearly quarter Of an hour befol
- flying on.
8. In strange contrast to this was the Q,
=. perioncc of one British pilot, who SOM
II what peevishly complained that nigl
-. that L only got rabbit" He eXplant
M this by saying that while his opponel
al had good machine he was ii clumsy fe
- low and couldn't fight at all, and W:
= sent spinning with the first burst of GU
he fire.
IT, Still another pilot mounted fast he
I'd machine and deliberately allowed &c
48 man to get on his trail Then he sudde
= ily looped behind his adversary al
-, caught him just within the sights. 4
.u' burst OF fire killing the German instan
- ~ The machine swerpcd and the de-
So man pitched out 10000 feet from t
IN ground.
III The fighting was all within the enen
: territory. Several British machines h
bullet holes through their wings, b
sailed home unaided and took the !;
ct again the next morning.