Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1917-06-15
Most Dramatic Feature Of New
Warfare Developed on Eu-
rOpean BattIefieIds.
WRITER GIVES VIVID PICTURE
Young AvIators Take Deadly Risks
and % Work Of Terror in Same
Spirit Knights Of Old Went
Forth 70 Battle.

London.-Nothing that the great war
has developed Is more dramatic and
thrilling than a battle between ayia-
tors amid the clouds. II has come to
be q common occurrence for a detach-
ment Of airmen to ambuscade them
selves behind a cloud bank. sweeping
down suddenly from cover upon their
opponents.
A correspondent with the British
armies east OF Arras sends this de-
scrlptlon Of aerial warfare:
There have been hours when I
have heard overhead n continual tat
too Of Lewis guns and when a great
sweep Of sky has been racked cut with
white shrapnel clouds following our
flying squadrOns engaged hotly with
hostile machines. One cannOt follow
the progress OF these aerial battles,
II Is only rarely that one can distln-
gulsh an enemy machine from ours,
except by cloudlets Of u antl-alr-
craft barrage. But far and high one
sees the daring specks chasing
through the blue, touched sometimes
by sunlight, so that for a moment they
are all golden or gllstenlng or white
as snOwdakes, and down to one comes
the loud drOne OF engines and the lit
tie hammer-knocks Of Lewis guns.
Look Like Butterflies.
Our soldiers on the march stare up
at the war above their heads, so alOof
from them, so dreamllke, and the men
on the supply columns get their
glasses out and laugh when n Of our
kite balloons is hauled down sudden
ly with great haste. "Old Rupert has
got the wind up" they say "a BOche
plane must be sneaking round" 1t Is
no joke when a German alrman de-
scends out of a cloud and hOvers over
"a battery, signaling back to his guns.
/ was in such a situation the other
day, and had to crouch with the gun
ners below a bank while shrapnel bull
lets from our W Arches whipped
the ground about.
Red wings have come into the sky,
for the lev German fighting machines
have crimson planes, so that they look
Hht UulAtIulES Mntn AhE sun - Oh
them. Enemy alrmen have been try
ing to compete with our own by swoop-
ing low above marching troops and
gun teams and using their machine
guns I'm a way which adds new
pedls to war. But, though they fight
behind their own lines with great skill
and courage. they do not come over
80 nouNnNru In anu unnh nnnhnrg ne
our men invade theirs.
These bOys-for they are absurdly
young In the average age-take all
these deadly risks and do all this
work OF terror with the same spirit
as the young gentlemen of England
who rode out with Sir John ChandOs
and Sir Walter Nanny to seek com
bat with French knights many hun
dred years ago along the roads where
our modern men-at-Grms go marching
today.
German Tires First.
During this recent fighting one of
them challenged n German Albatross,
which accepted fight, and for an hour
they did every trick known to flying
stalllng, banking, side-slipplng, loop
lng-ln order to get In the first shot,
II was the German who tired first,
though he showed himself master OF
his machine.
There are boys In our air service
who have killed six or seven Germans
In single combat. A few have account.
ed for many more. and go of again
for a mornings hunting Of men as
though on a good adventure. Yet they
know the risks and the fortune OF war
They cannot have all the luck all the
time. When the turn comes It is quick
to the end or. II hit and left alive
they do amazing things up there Ia the
high skies to save the final crash.
A few evenings ago two Of oul
young officers were attacked by five
hostile aircraft, and both were wound
ed. one IN sever places, but they de
strOyed one Of the German Hirplane'
aud landed safely, though their owl
machines were pierced by many bul
lets.
On another evening Of the battle OF
Arrus two hostile aircraft were en-
gnged by one Of ours and forced t
land, though n OF our officers has
his c%OllHrbone broken by a machin,
gun bullet.