The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1917-12-08
LION CUBS Save
YANKEE AV|ATORS
whisky" and "Soda" Mascots
of Lafayette EscadriIe.
FIGHT ATTRACTS THE FLYERS
While Animals Scrap In Woods Ger
man Aircraft Drop Bombs, Wreck
ing Buildings and Destroying Air
pIanes-Puts Unit Out of Action for
More Than Week.

"Whisky' and "Soda," the two lion
cubs which are mascots of the Lafay-
cite escadrille, probably saved the lives
of some of the volunteer American avn
atOrs flying with the French army, for
1t was because "Whisky" and Soda
were fighting f%uriously in a wood near
the airdrome of the Lafayette esca-
drille on the Mouse river ear Verdun
That all of the pilots, their mechani-
clans and even their cook rushed from
scamp" and so escaped the bombs and
aerial torpedoes dropped a few seconds
later by a squadron of German bonn
harding machines which flew overhead.
Flag First Time Under Fire.
Incidentally, this marked also the
first time that the United States flag
has been directly under fire on the
western front, as the Stars and Stripes
were floating from the flagpole at the
edge of the aviation field when the Ger
man raiders appeared. The f1agpole
was struck by a shell fragment, and,
although 1t swayed and toppled per-
llOuSly, II IN HUI ldll III Otu NlOIN
waved triumphantly throughout the
bombardment. 1t was the presence of
the American flag that denoted to the
Germans that that particular airdrome
was the home of the Lafayette esca-
drille.
More than a score Of airplanes-
8. P. A. DIS of the latest type-were
destroyed by the great high-explosive
bombs which the German Gothas
s%prinkled over the camp. The canton
ments in which the pilots were housed
were blown to pieces and the cook
house and mess tent were also hit. The
American aviators were lodged with a
French %escadrille stationed nearby.
1t was late in the evening-after din
ner-when the aviators heard the
snarling and roaring of the lions. The
noise proceeded from a patch of wood
close by the aviation field. The avia-
tors ran to the scene Immediately,
ing up some dogs-mascots, perhaps,
of other units.
Instead they found "Whisky" and
"Soda" locked in their first real battle
since they have been attached" to the
Lafayette escadrille. Soon the whole
biting, snarling, splitting lion cubs, and
then there was the sound of a swish
and a boom, and the first German
bomb exploded.
The pilots looked up and deserted
half a dozen great Gothas circling over
head at an altitude of nearly 10000
feet. They were raining down bombs,
and the huge projectiles were detonat-
ing all over the camp. The first bomb
dropped struck a hangar and made
m%atchwood and scrap iron out of half
a dozen of the fighting single-seater
airplanes 1t housed. The next bomb
struck the barracks where the avia-
tors slept. The frail, temporary build
ing collapsed like a house Of cards. The
next bomb hurled a splinter into the
f1agpole and set 1t swaying like a reed.
Two more bombs then struck other
hangers, demolishing more airplanes.
There was not a single casualty,
body had left the camp and had rushed
to the wood to watch the lions fight.
But nearly every airplane was a total
wreck.
The next day, however, the escadrille
shifted its position to another sector
of the front, near scissors. The unit
was inactive for more than a week
through lack of machines.