Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1917-11-30
LION CUBS SAVE
YANKEE AVIATORS
whisky" and "Soda" MaSCots
OF Lafayette EsCadriIle.
FIGHT ATTRACTS THE FLYERS
While Animals Scrap In Woods Ger
man Aircraft Drop Bombs, Wreck.
Ing Buildings and Destroying Air
pIanes--Puts Unit Out Of Action for
More Than Week.

More Than Week.
whisky" and "Soda," the two lion
cubs which are mascots Of the Lafay.
cite escadrllle, probably saved the lives
OF some Of the volunteer American avl-
ators flying with the French army, for
81 was because "Whlsky" and "Soda"
were fighting furOusly In wood near
the alrdrOme Of the Lafayette esca.
drlle on the Meuse river near Verdun
that all OF the pilots, their mechanl'
clans and even their cook rushed from
scamp and so escaped the bombs and
aerial torpedoes dropped few seconds
later by a squadron Of German bonn
harding machines which few overhead.
Flag First Time Under Fire.
Incidentally, this marked also the
FIRST time that the United States flag
has been directly under fire on the
western front as the Stars and Stripes
were floating from the fagpole at the
edge of the aviation field when the Ger
man raiders appeared. The hagpole
was struck by a shell fragment, and,
although II Swayed and toppled per
ilously, II did not fall and "Old Glory"
waved trlumphantly throughout the
bombardment. II was the presence OF
the American flag that denoted to the
Germans that that particular airdrome
hn 80 hA I 20
drille.
More than score of airplanes-
s. p. A. DIS Of the latest type-were
destroyed by the great hlgh-exploslve
bombs which the German Gothas
spr'nkled over the camp. The canton,
ments in which the pilots were housed
were blown to pieces and the cook
house and mess tent were also hit. The
American avators were lodged with O
French escadrille stationed nearby.
II was late in the evening-after din
ner-when the aviators heard the
snarllng and roaring of the lions. The
noise proceeded from patch Of wood
close by the aviation field. The avla.
tors ran to the scene Immediately
fearing that their mascots were chew.
ing up some dogs-mascots, perhaps
Of other units.
Instead they found "Whsky" and
"Soda' locked in their first real battle
since they have been attached" to the
Lafayette eScadrllle. Soon the whole
oscadrlIe was gathered around the two
biting, SnHrling splitting lion cubs, and
then there was the sound of a swish
and boom, and the first German
bomb exploded
The pilots looked up and deserted
half dozen great GothaS clrcllng over.
head at an altitude Of nearly 10000
feet. They were raining down bombs
and the huge projeCtileS were detonat.
Ing all over the camp The first bomb
dropped struck hangar and made
matchwood and scrap Iron out Of hall
a dozen of the fighting singleseatet
airplanes it housed The next bomb
struck the barracks where the avla.
tors slept The fraiI, temporary build.
ing collapsed like house of cards. The
next bomb hurled splinter into the
fiagpoe and set it swaying like a reed
Two more bombs then struck other
hangers, demollshing more alrpanes.
There was not a single casualty
however, owing to the fact that every.
body had left the camp and had rushed
10 the wood to watch the lions fight.
But nearly every airpane was a total
wreck.
The next day, however, the escadrIlle
shifted its position to another sector
of the front, near scissors. The unit
was inactive for more than week
through lack of machines.