Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-05-11
Aviator, in Two Hours
Before Breakfast, Has
Merry Time Hunting Al
ba-trossesGer1rans Are
Sending up Many More
Machines, all Fantastical-
ly Colored-Mos Of Bat
ties are Fought Far Over
Teuton Lines.
From a staff Correspondent Of the
Associated Press.)

From q Stam Correspondent OF h
Associated Press.)
With the British Armies in France,
May 10, via London, May 1.-THE
ighting in the air has taken on an
entirely new interest recently because
their machines most grotesduo pat
terms.
One Of the most fantastic met in
the last few days had a scarlet body,
brown tail, reddish brown wings, with
white maltese crosses against . green
background. Ono machine looked
like a pear flying through the air.
1t had a pear-shaped tail and was
painted a rudy brown, Just like q
large ripe fruit.
Mass Many Machines.
Just al the Germans have thrown
In new divisions Of infantry and new
batteries of artillery to check the
allies offensive, so they have sent aloft
hundreds Of new machines to contest
for the mastery Of the air, ar I'M
portant phase Of modern war. More
than once the theory has been put
forward recently that this strangest
be decided deep in the sea or high in
the air. The best evidence Of the
way the air battles are going is the
fact that virtually all Of them take
place miles over the German lines.
Blow Up German Munition Dump.
! In n Of the half score Of raids
carried out last night by the British
not loss than Sc big bombs were
dropped on a single German encamp-
ment A tremendous German am
munition dump was blown up. the ex-
plosion being 80 terrific that one Of
the British planes 1000 feet above
was blown completely upside down,
and the surprised pilot had a busy
on an even and keep agin.
In the fighting yesterday the Brit
ish sent Six Germans crashing and
drove down eleven put Of control. AS
a result Of bombarding and fighting
only nve machines are missing.
1t is the custom to permit the better
known pilots to fly when and where
they will. in search of legitimate prey.
The before-breakfast exploits Of a
ing commission may be taken al typi-
cal Of the daily adventures and not
unusual. Taking the air about 8
O'Clock. he saw three British bombing
machines fighting i've German alba
Itross scouts. Maneuvering for posi-
ton he saw n Of the British bomb
ers diving steeply with q hostile craft
on his tail. flatten out Ind slip away.
He then climbed to 1000 feet, where
he fell in with another British iighting
machine where they were set upon
by seven German scout albatrosses.
There was rough and tumble night
ing for hve OF ten minutes when the
British scout, who was mounted on
. heet trt-plane, got within 20 yards
of one Of the Germans and fred point
blank into him and last saw him
spinning at 5000 feet.
Turning sharply, the t1-plane pilot
saw his companion heavily engaged
we'll below him, and was diving to
his assastince when one Of the Cor
man attacking machines nose-dived
into an inevitable crash. and the
others made off. The two Britons now
were Joined by four other friendly
fiters and cruised about some more,
until they were attacked by a for
nation OF nine German machines.
Again there was q general melee,
when suddenly a red albatross dived
on the t~ri-plane from out Of the sun.
The tri-plane's gun, which already
had seen much service. jammed and
the pilot tried to withdraw tenpor-
arily from tho combat. He could not
shake one hostile machine Of his
trail. One bullet shot the tri-plane's
pump away, 80 the pilot kept turning
oHu ose'tludlly 6ot F1Bnt uH0er the
German scout and stopped there. He
turned whenever the German turned.
and Owed whenever he Owed, and the
German could not md him. Mean
time, he got his gun cleared and
filled and fired al the enemy when the
latter was about 20 feet In front and
10 feet above him.
The German started to climb, but
stalled and began to dive, turning
slowly around until he disappeared
in the mist we'll below.