Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1918-03-25
y
: HEROIC WORK BY
y FRENCH AVIATORS.
By HENRY WOOD.
UNITED Press Correspondence

(Oullcu IicSS wi lcSpOuuSuI.J
With the French Armies, Feb. II
(By Mail. y-These are the two great
, est stories in the history of French
. aviation.
Both took place in the early year:
OF the war but have never before beer
told.
Competent authorities in French
, aviation circles declare that in thu
whole brilliant era of military avia
ton that has followed with all it:
startling development and active
ments of aces, there are but two
single exploits that equal these. The!
are as follows:
Story Number One.
Lieutenant d. Amecorut, who hat
already made reputation for himself
by taking photographs of the German
trenches and Notifications from very
low altitude, and Machinegunnel
Weller who had become equally ia
nous as machinegun sharpshooter
went up together in the early part OF
October, 1915 to take photos and made
a reconnaissance of the Champagne
battlefield
Hardly were they over the German
Inns, when their machine, one Of the
early French types was slow and
cumbersome, was attacked by a
German Fokker. The later was one
of the newest and fastest types with
a motor that made some $50 revolu-
lions to the minute The victory for
the German promised to be an easy
one, and the two Frenchmen knew it
as well as did the German.
Easily outclimbing the French ma
chine, the German rapidly secured
the ascendency necessary for attack
and rained in hail of machinegun
fire on the French machine. With
everything his own way in the matter
of speed, vancouver and control he
then came down to level to see how
much damage he had done.
He found the French machine, al
though plainly riddled with bullets
still fighting and flying. With a ges-
ture to the two Ffenchmen that
meant "I'll get you this time" he
again climbed quickly upward, secured
the ascendency and rained in another
hail of bullets.
Again he descended to level of the
French machine to see if the latter
was out of business, and again he
found it still further damaged but
with both d'Amecourt and Weller
gamely fighting. Another gesture
| from the Boche aviator, another climb
upwards, another hail of fire, and
another descent to ascertain the dam
age he had inflicted
The performance was repeated time
after time, Weller feeding his ma
chinegun constantly and d'Amecourt
manouvering the "old bus" the best
he could in the face of the speedy
Fokker.
With every volley from the Boche
plane the French machine became
more and more riddled until finally
all of the supports of the machinegun
were shot away and the latter fell into
the bottom of the gun compartment.
Almost simultaneously, the German
aviator made another descent to see
il the French machine had enough.
Equally simultaneously Weller dis
covered that he had only four cart
ridges left in his machinegun.
Without an instant's hesitation he
snatched the latter up from the body
Of the car and in the absence of tri-
pod or any other support clapped it
into the shoulders Of d'Amecourt who
was at the pilots seat.
"Sit tight" he yelled, "and steer
straight into the Boche. I've only got
four cartridges left and I'll save them
for sure hit"
The German came down to the level
of the French plane to look it over.
D'Amecourt drove straight for him,
and when at close distance, Weller
with the sureness of craftsmanship
for which he was famous, opened fire
with his last four cartridges.
Before the fourth cartridge was
fired the German aviator was pierced
by one of them and his machine
careened to the ground.
Story Number Two.
A double -motored biplane Of
French Aviation Squadron C-65 had
taken the air piloted by mere cor
poral and machinegun operator. Their
task was to observe the fire of bat
terry and regulate each shot OF the
latter by wireless messages from their
biplane.
Hardly had they begun their task
when they were attacked by Fox