Evening star., 1917-09-24
Sunlight a Factor.

In planning the trip there were sew
eral important details to consider. 1t
must be made in the morning, when the
sun was in 4 position to throw into re-
lief those dugout entrances. From a
study of maps of the German battery
positions and from experience We knew
the location of the anti-atrcraft guns
that would be likely to give US the most
trouble and planned to cross the lines
and take our photographs at such points
that we would be between the sun and
the guns. In an ordinary reconnofs-
sance at 10000 or 10000 feet this latter
precaution would not be necessary or
possible, but working at one-tenth that
height we had to be careful. The COM
mandant offered US two fast machines
as protection against attacks OF hostile
aircraft, but we passed them up. Three
machines would attract too much atten-
ton We figured that at such low
altitude the Germans would not have
any patrols and that we could manage
things much better alone.
The exact course we would follow we
laid out on the map. From calculation.
checked up by experiments behind our
sun lines. We knew how much ground
could be covered with one photograph,
and we laid out our work accordingly.
Our plans worked out beautifully and
exactly as scheduled. We rose to the
necessary height over our field and
added ] 900 feet between there and the
lines. In crossing we came in Tor sttn
rife and machine gun fire. but once we
were half a mile behind the battle
trenches that ceased. We kept straight
on, the pilot following exactly the
course we had laid out on the map. A
little wood four miles back was to be
our turning point. Over that we re-
ceived another dose of machine gun fire,
but the batteries didn't once open up
on US. nor did we see hostile aircraft.
We made very steep turn, losing
about 200 feet of our extra height, and
headed toward our own lines. Then the
hard part of my work began.
1 would signal; the pilot would cut
the motor and head the machine down.
and as the railway embankment would
come into the line of sight l would
work the shutter While l was chang
ing plates he would bring the machine
up to level then / would signal again
and we would repeat the maneuver.
BY the time five plates had been COW
cred we were down to less than 900
r,Js tagged hir that lhe work
was finished" and we dug for home.
We then had only a mile to go to pass
the lines.
It was a good thing 1t was not more,
for the Germans were beginning to get
the motor we could hear the whine OF
the bullets and the rattle of machine
guns below. Every few seconds little
pieces of canvas and splinters of wood
would fly up. showing where the wing
had been touched.
Just as we were passing the lines
the anti-aircraft gunners woke up and
sent half dozen shells but they all
exploded well above Us. Once over our
own lines things quiete,i down, and in
six minutes more we were gliding down
on our own field. Before the motor
had stopped a photographer had seized
the plate holders and was rushing them
off to the darkroom. Another reset the
camera and loaded the plate racks to
have them ready in case il should be
necessary to repeat the mission
The pilot and I went up to the
"popote" to get our morning coffee
Before we had finished q photographer
brought word that the results OF (the
first mission were satisfactory and that
~" apparatus was ready for another
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