Arizona republican., 1917-08-03
BRITISH A|RMEN SHOW HERO|SM IN
 GREAT OFFENSIVE
Republican A. p. Leased Wire1 BRITISH HEADQUARTERS

BRITISH HEADQUARTERS IN
 FRANCE AND BELGIUM, Aug. D. (By the Associated Press.)-The work done by the British air service in Tuesdays offensive has not been sur passed in efficiency and spectacular features since the war began. More unfavorable weather for aerial opera tions could hardly have been selected
 At dawn, when the infantry advance began, the whole country was blanket ed by thick, low-lying clouds. and by afternoon rain had begun to fall. Despite these tremendous disad- vantages huge squadrons of British planes led the advance into the enemy territory and maintained constant con tact with their infantry, but flying at such a low altitude that they often were only a few feet from the British, they carried on a destructive warfare of their own with their machine guns l Many fights occurred between the rival pilots and the TeutonS were com pletely outclassed both in numbers and skill. and were forced to retire almost at all points.
 The majority of these air battles
 were at height of 200 feet or less. and | in at least one instance the two oppos- | ing pilots battled to within 50 feet of l the ground, at which height the Ger l man side slipped and crashed to the | earth
 The British planes were under con- stant and heavy fire, particularly from rifles and machine guns, owing to the | low altitude at which they were flying, 1 but through all this hurricane of lead
 and steel, all but three came safely. l These are reported missing and there l is no indication of what befell them. | Wonderful heroism was displayed by l the British airmen who performed re-
 markable deeds. One typical instance will indicate the nature of the import ant work they carried out. A British
 aviator crossed the Ypres salient just as the infantry attack began at dawn. | For a time he patrolled the roads and l canals, now and then running the gauntlet of enemy fire at a height of 1 30 feet in order to obtain information 1 for the guidance of the infantry in their
 advance During this patrol work he | came to a German airdrome. Owing 1 to the early hour only the enemy was stirring outside the shed and he paused in his ablutions only long enough to l satisfy himself that the plane above l him evidently was one of his own. 1 The British airman circled low and
 dropped a bomb squarely on one of the sheds. This brought numbers of Germans tumbling in a panic from the l building. He turned his machine gun on them, and circling about the field, bombed two other sheds with disast
 rous effect. All the time he kept up a | steady stream of machine gun fire at the Germans, a number of whom were 1 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 enemy within. At one time his machine actually touched the ground
 Two German battle planes appeared on the scene and the British engaged l them both, sending one to earth and putting the other to flight
 His next objective was a troop train He travelled along the 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 gum
 ners and machine gun operators at a
 height of 30 or 40 feet and silencing the guns.
 Pistol duels between the British