Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1918-09-18


of the machine guns from the ground,
and they also put barrage around me
of shrapnel from antiaircraft guns
and had an opportunity to ''ride the
barrage," as they call it in the r. f. @.
To make the situation more interest
ing, they began shooting flaming on
ions" at me. "Flaming onions" are
rockets shot from a rocket gun. They
are used to hit machine when it is
flying low, and they are effective up
to about five thousand feet. Some
times they are shot up one after an
other in strings of about eight, and
they are one of the hardest things to
go through. If they hit the machine,
it is bound to catch fire and then the
jig is up.
All the time, too, was being at
tackled by "Archie'-the antiaircraft
gun. I escaped the r1achine guns and
the Flaming onions" but "Archio. the
antiaircraft fire, got me four or five
times. Every time a bullet plugged
me, or rather my machine, it made a
loud bang, on account of the tension
on the material covering the wings.
None of their shots hurt me until
was about a mile from our lines, and
then they hit my motor. Fortunately,
I still had altitude enough to drift on
to our own side of the lines, for my
motor was completely out of commits
sion. They just raised the dickens
with me all the time / was descend
ing, and I began to think l would
strike the ground before crossing the
line, but there was a slight wind In
my favor, and it carried me two miles
behind our lines. There the balloons
I had gone out to get had the satisfac-
ton of "pin-pointing" me. Through
the directions which they were able to
give to their artillery they commenced
Smelling my machine where it lay.
This particular work is to direct the
fire of their artillery, and they are
used just as the artillery observation
airplanes are. Usually two men are
stationed in each balloon. They ascend
to a height of several thousand feet
about five miles behind their own lines
and are equipped with wireless and
signaling apparatus. They watch the
burst of their own artillery, check up
the position, get the range, and direct
the next shot.
When conditions are favorable they
are able to direct the shots so accu-
rately that it is quick work destroying
| the object of their attack. 1t was such
balloon as this that got my position,
marked me out, called for an artillery
shot, and they commenced Smelling my
machine where 1t lay. If l had got
the two balloons instead of the air
plane, probably would not have lost
my machine, for he would in all proba
bility have gone on home and not both
cred about getting my range and caus
ing the destruction of my machine.
I landed in a part of the country
that was literally covered with shell
holes. Fortunately my machine was
not badly damaged by the forced land
ing. / leisurely got out, walked arounc
it to see what the damage was, ant
concluded that it could be easily re
paired. In fact, I thought if l coult
find a space long enough between shell
holes to get q start before leaving thu
ground that would be able to fly OF
from there.
l was still examining my plane ant
considering the matter of few Sigh
repairs, without any particular though
for my own safety in that unprotectet
spot, when a shell came whizzin
through the air, knocked me to tn
ground and landed a few feet away
It had no sooner struck than l mad
run for cover and crawled into
shell hole. I would have liked to ge
} farther away, but I didn't know wher
the next shell would burst, and
: thought I was fairly safe there, so
squatted down and let them blaz
away.
The only damage I suffered wa
, from the mud which splattered up i
my face and over my clothes. Tina
was my introduction to shell hole
and 1 resolved right there that the ii
fantry could have all the Shell-hol
fighting they wanted, but it did nc
$ appeal to me, though they live in ther
l through many long night and l ha
? only sought shelter there for fe'
? minutes.
5 After the Germans had completed
E demolished my machine and cease
t firing, I waited there short tim
t fearing perhaps they might send owe
: lucky shot, hoping to get me afte
ali. But evidently they conclude
S enough shells had been wasted on Oh
0 man. crewled out cautiously, shoe
r the m1d of, and looked over in tt
t direction where my machine had on'
been. There wasn't enough left for
: decent souvenir, but nevertheless e.