Evening star., 1917-11-04
ally Work and DANGERS Of Wars Most Heroic Men

is some barrack where 1t is known that
considerable numbers Of soldiers arc
quartered The tracts" give the news
OF conditions in America. OF the nations
that have severed diplomatic relations
with Germany and OF the aims of the
allies The entry of America into the
war on the side Of the allies. with tho
promise of active military support. the
news OF the great war preparations un-
der way In this country-all were told
In the tracts which we showered down
on the heather.
=, Today the boche is kept in touch with
the progress Of the liberty loan and the
purposes to which the money is to be
devoted by his faithful paper carriers.
barrack the soldiers come scurrying out
by scores and hundreds to pick up the
papers which go f1uttering down. They
know well enough when their SEMI
slightest fear that it might be a bombing
party. But they are chary about being
caught with copy in their possession.
as they are severely punished for read
And what a reception the boche
gunners give US. The great burst
of paper from the sky is the signal
for an answering burst of shrapnei
the line. They display more ani-
mostly toward the paper carriers than
toward any other invaders of their
atmosphere. In form. these papers are
DQDnca1lOn0
of the name they bear.
+
brought back several copies OF the
various issues of both these papers,
and on letting some Americans
Uhough Of German BIRTH read them.
they unanimously declared them to be
eminently fair and de-oid of the malice
found In the propaganda of our enemies.
II there were more pilots in France
more attention could be paid to this
missionary work. AS it is. 1t has to
be carried on generally on a front that
is relatively quiet. where the demands
upon the aircraft are not heavy. This
work Is of utmost Importance, as our
foe proved in his attempts to corrupt
the press of France through Boio
Pacha.
All told. France has probably not
more than $500 pilots of all grades.
The losses vary according to the type
OF work in which they are engaged.
My own escadrille. MOP. a crack
Officially" downed to his credit, has
only lost three pilots in seven
eight 'offieial" % boches 'mneo IN Combat aen SS
eight official" boche. I mean a Hun
plane brought down back Of our
lines and seen falling by three or
more officers of the French army.
got into the official records can only
be estimated But Escadrille N-73,.fn
a groupe de combat. lost forty pilots
IN two months and half. practically
wipins. the organization of the rolls
three times. Two of the forty were
Americans-Oliver N. Chadwick OF
Lowell. Mass, and Julian Biddle-az
Philadelphia.
Right here is where America. I b.
ieve. Is going to be of the most as.
sistance. America can supply pilots
and machines in vast numbers and tho
side that can oyerwhelm the other In
the air and maintain its superiority
is the side that will win the war. For.
get not that France must withdraw
pilots from one sector to carry on an
attack in another. With American aid
this will not be necessary.
The Liberty motor is going to intro
duce new element into air fighting. too.
II, as have heard. it is noiseless 1t In
the staccator beat of the night bombef's
motor that betrays him to the bomhee.
All these night-hawks carry red and
green lights. signal lights. underneath
their wings and have to make the prop
er response to prearranged set of sig
nails (pass words) to get past our lines
without loosing the anti-aircraft guns.
But despite that precaution and the ter
rife uproar of the present motor they
get over now and then-in fact. quite
frequently.
On the Flanders front our camp was
near that of some British officers and
the evening before my departure for
America 1 went over to have a fare
well dinner with them. We were seated
in 4 marquee tent about 10 o'clock in
the evening when there came the deafen-
Iy,ey pf fI,A
every side. and the spitefui chatter OF
machine guns. Through all the uproar
we could hear the beat of 4 boche mo.
tor sounding like a Flat at the Grand
PriX.
Somebody doused the lights and we
went out. Such a scene as met our view
was undreamed of and impossible before
the war. The whole sky was alight with
electric beams from horizon to horizon
Away off on the channel patrol boats
were lingering the darkness and every
searchlight for miles behind the lines
was weaving back and forth. sweeping
ing-seeking.
Through the coldIy luminous dark.
ness that veiled the earth and the
brilliant glare that lit the sky came
bursts of flame as the anti-aircrafe
shells exploded by dozens. scores then
hundreds A million criss-cross Jets
of fire marked the course of the lum-
nous bullets from the machine guns
that went streaking across the whole
scene.
Shrapnel from our own guns was
raining down on US tick and fast, SO
We put on our steel helmets in a hurry
Still. above the h:deous din of the
snickering machine guns and the
clamorous ant!-aircraft guns which
was punctuated by the thudding boom
OF the bombs the boche was dropping
came the fnsistent drumming of the
motor.
At last searchIight found him and
by thrice repeated sweep signalsd
the target to the others. At once all
the beams converged upon one point in
the heavens and just for a moment We
caught a glimpse OF the boche. He
wasn't more tiian 1000 feet up, but
In an instant he had lost himself again.
Only his noise remained.
Recollection of that scene and of the
final escape of the boche despite the
handicap of his motor impels the most
profound respect for motor that 10
noiSe1ess.
1t is the tremendous racket that an
aeroplane motor makes. apparently
vastly increased at night. that has been
a potent factor in preventing the re-
taliatory raids that have been SO much
discussed in London. People forget
that in bombing London the boche
makes most Of his trip across the sea.
where he is not subjected to anti-air-
craft fire and can make just as much
noise as he pleases. During the entire
course of a raid on the English coast