The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1918-06-21
HUN PLANES ERR;
DOWN EACH Other
British Lend Aid When
IL German Craft
Mix Up.

With The British Army In France,
June 11.-This is the story of bat
tie royal waged in the air between
two flights of German planes. 1t was
an unintentional but disastrous fight
between brother aviators, during
which British pilots joyfully and i'm
partially rendered assistance, first to
the one side, then to theother, until
so many of the emperor's flyers had
been destroyed or damaged that the
conflict could not continue.
1t was on June that this extraor-
binary engagement occurred, and it
began thus:
Two British officers in a fighting
machine were leading a patrol along
the lines, when they sighted a Ger
man Halberstadt two-seater, which,
upon their appearance, fired a green
signal light. The British leaders ex-
pected a trap and waited to see what
this unusual performance meant.
In a short time six German scouts
came wheeling out of the blue and
Joined the Halbersadt. Almost at
once six other enemy scouts dived Out
of the sun onto their comrades whom
they APPARENTLY mistook for British
patrol about to attack the Halbe.'-
stadt.
Pitch Battle Ensues.
What had happened was this: The
Halberstadt had been acting as de-
coy. and the green light had been
meant as a signal for assistance. But
there had been no expectation that
two flights of German planes would
respond at the same time.
Not being able to distinguish the
markings of their friends-and this
has happened not infrequently before
the newcomers Immediately began
a furious attack upon them. The Brit
ish leaders then guided their patrol
into this mad melee and took hand.
The Halberstadt was the first vic
tim and was shot down b ythe Brit
ish commanding machines. Another
British fighter in the meantime had
accounted for two more enemy scouts,
which were sent whirling to destruc-
tion below -.
All this time the German aircraft |
We're continuing their bitter pattle |
among themselves, and several OF /
them were seen to go down out OF
control before the engagement finally i
ended. The British leaders, by their
good Judgment, had led the Huns into
their own trap.
Six Planes Fight Forty.
This undoubtedly was unique oc-
currance. but there are always plenty
of thrilling incidents happening in the
air these days. Take for instance the
case of British patrol of about eight
battle planes which fought and van
ouished some forty enemy craft few
day ago. This British patrol, under
command of a captain, was escorting
a Dom DlHB SQuduIOH "hOh wv SNN'SS
enemy machines were encountered.
The British fighters and the enemy
Immediately raced in for the attack.
Within a few seconds fierce fight
was in process and the great fleet of
nearly half a hundred airships were
swirling and diving madly against one
another while their machine guns
Joined in the vicious chorus that
swept down to the troops on the
ground like the noise from scores OF
steam triphammers.
The British outmaneuvered and
outfought the enemy, and many of
the Germans were sent spinning
away. Whether they were merely
frightened or whether out of control,
ii was impossible to say, but at the
conclusion of the fight four German
machines lay in crumpled masses on
the earth, and another had gone down
in flames