Evening star., 1917-04-15
UPPER HAND IN AIR
REWARD OF VAL0R
British Aviators Garry Bulk of
Fighting to German
Side of Line.
EASTER SUNDAY BATTLE

GHS tIn SONOHi OH IL
From staff Correspondent of the Associated Press.
WITH THE BRITISH ARMIES IN
FRANCE, April S. via London. April 8.
Under blue Easter sky befecked
only here and there with bits of f1lmy
white cloud, British aviators by the
hundred continued today their work Of
re-establishing beyond ali question OF
doubt their supremacy in the air. They
carried the fighting wholly into the en-
emy territory. sought out their air
dromes, military headquarters, ammu-
milton dumps and concentration camps
and challenged the Germans In every
possible manner to come up and fight.
In one instance the British fiiers PEN
etrated fifty miles behind the German
lines. They fairly flew circles about
numerically superior enemy squadron
that sought to intercept them. Speed
and maneuvering powers are the great
qualities of modern airplanes scouts
and to have place with the elite of the
upper air the machines must develop in
the neighborhood of SO miles an hour
and be able to do tricks in flying that
no bird ever accomplished.
Clouds Helped Germans.
To the layman the weather seemed
ideal for flying, but the airmeR were
inclined to complain because some Of
the woolly patches of cloud had en-
abled several hard pressed German
aviators to take refuge in their mist
and escape immediate punishment.
Give US three or four cloudless days
L
a blow that they won't be able to re-
cover all summer. said an enthusiastic
wing subaltern to the correspondent
today.
The loss of twenty-eight machines In
two days bombing. lighting, photo-
graphing and observing is counted by
the airmen A small price to pay for
the work accomplished. considering the
number of machines engaged. coupled
also with the fact that all those opera
tions were within German lines.
Against the loss of the British ma
chimes must be placed fifteen German
airplanes actually seen to crash down
and thirty-one driven down damaged,
most of which are believed to have been
destroyed. The British will not official
1y announce a hostile machine destroy
ed unless two or more of their f1iers
actually see the falling plane ablaze
or watch it crash into a hopeless mass
of wreckage.
Not Shaken by Losses.
When fliers are engaged in fighting
the formation is twenty or more ma
chimes and when one begins to go down
there is seldom time to watch the COM
pletion of its earthward journey. I'm
der; such conditions a hostile machine
is not counted in the total enemy
casualties. However, the British hy-
ing corps is absolutely unperturbed
whesn its losses exceed those of the
enepiy. The men philosophtcally re-
gard this as the penalty necessarily en-
tailed in maintaining the offensive.
Technically. the Germans seldom have
a machine missing" for with the fght-
side fof the line all their machines
driven down can be accounted for.
Thdre is no comparison between the
amount of work done by the British and
Germkn machines. To aiFmen main
tenanfe of supremacy means ability to
ascend daily and accomplish whatever
aerial! work is desired. Although the
Germans have been more active in re-
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
discourages him, however. to such an
extent that the British believe solid
week of fighting weather will disaF-
range mis- flying plans for months to
come.
Swarm Over Enemy Lines.
The British have a great preponder-
ance of smachines. and at least thirty
of these probably go over the German
lines against one hostile machine flying
on this side of the trenches. This ae-
tivity within the enemy territory must
always lie set against the ratio of
losses. The maintenance Of great
number OF machines enables the Brit
fsh to carry on a preponderance OF ar
tiIlery fire, directing their shots. not by
hazard or off the map" but under the
actual eyes of the airplanes.
The constant aggressiyeness OF the
British flying corps and the willingness
of the splendid young pilots and OBJ
servers to take every manner of risk
means information for and protection
of the army on the ground to an ex-
paying their sacrifices. Under their
guidance on this Easter day the Brit
ish guns were roaring all along the
far-reaching battle lines. 1t was
brilliant day for warfare, as well az
air fighting.
Such a day developed incidents be-
yond measures. Planes could be seen
darting in and out of fleecy cloud
banks. glinting at times like bits Of
silver in the sunshine and flashing
away almost with the speed of a sun
beam itself The distant patter of
machine guns often told of fighting
behind a cloud screen or at such a
height that the machines were lost to
view.
The task of suppressing the German
Sairmen is greater today than 1t was
b year ago. but the British have set
about to accomplish 1t with all possible
speed.
DESPERATE APPEALS MADE.