Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-04-10
BRITISH AV|AT0Rs FLY
TO SUPREMACY IN AIR
Under Blue Easter Sky, Englishmen
Carry Fight Into Clouds Of
Hostile Machines.
DIRECT ARTILLERY FIRING
Flying Circles About Numerically Su,
perior Squadron, Allied Air War
riors Conquer Germans, and Feel
Confident OF Continued Success.
(From Staff Correspondent of the
Associated Prcss)

" "" a. S'eit Correspondent OF the
Associated PrcssJ
WITH TIE BRITISH ARMIES IN
FRANCE, April 8 (via London).-under
IL blue Easter sky. bchcctcd only here
and there with bits OF nlmy wb,,o
cloud, British nviators by the hun
drcd continued to-day their work or
re-establishinE beyond all question of
doubt their supremacy in the air Thev
carried tho lighting wholly into tho
enemy territory. sought out their air.
domes. military headquarters, ammuni-
ton dumps and concentration camps
and challenged the Germans in every
possible manner to come UP ana fight.
In ono instance the British flyers
penetrated fifty miles behind tho Ger
man lines. They fairly flew circles
about "A numerically superior enemy
squadron that sought to Inherent
them. Speed and maneuverinE powers
arc tho great qualities of modern air
plane scouts. and, to have place with
the elite of the upper air. tho ma
chimes must develop in the neiHhbor-
hood OF $50 miles an hour and be aba
to do tricks In flying that no bird ever
accomplished.
To the loymcn. the weather seemed
ideal for flying. but the airmen were
inclined to complain because some
woolly patches or cloud had enabled
several hard-prcsscd German aviators
TO take refuge In their midst and cs-
cape immediate punishment.
-,
and we viii hit the Boche airmen such
blow that they won't be able to
recover from it all summer" said an
enthusiastic wing subaitcrn 10 the cor
respondent to-day.
The loss OF twenty-eight machines In
two days bombing, lighting. photo
graphing and observing Is counted by
the airncn as small price TO pay for
the work accomplished. considering tho
number OF machines engaged. coupled
also with the fact that all those opcrat-
ing were within German lines.
FIFTEEN GERMAN AIRPI.ANEs
SEEN TO CRASH Down
Against the loss Of the British ma
chimes must be placed fifteen German
atrplanes actually seen to crash down
and thirty-one driven down damaged
most of which arc believed to have been
destroyed. The British Will not OH
cially announce "a hostile machine de-
stroyed unless two or more of~thcir
flyers actually zee the falling plane
ablaze or watch IL crash into hope
less mns3 OF wreckage
Technically. the Germans seldom
have machine missing" for, with
the lighting Eoins on almost entirety
on their side OF tho limo. all the ,;,a.
chimes driven down can be accounted
for.
There is no comparison between Tho
amount OF work done by tho British
and German machines. To airmcn,
maintenance Of supremacy means abii- =
tty to ascend daily and accomplish
whatever aerial work is desired. Al
though tho Germans have been more
active in recent weeks. they have ncver
interfered at any time seriously with
this work. In bad weather. In which
the British are unable to harass him,
the Boche generally starts prying over
the British lines. Two days OF nsht-
ing generally discouragcs him, how
ever, TO such an extent that the British
believe solid week OF lighting weather
will disarrange his flying plans for
months 10 come.
Tho British have great prepon-
derancc OF machines and at least thirty
of these probably so over tho German
lines against one hostile machine fyins
on this side OF tho trenches. This ac-
tivity, within the enemy territory. must
always bc set against the ratio OF
losses The maintenance Of great
number OF machines enables the Brit
ish to carry on - prcronderance Of ar
tiilery fire directing their shots not by
hazard or of the map" but under the
actual eyes OF the airplanes.
The task Of suppressing the German
airmen is greater to-day that 1t was Il
year ago, but the British have set
about to accomplish 1t with all pos
sible speed.