Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1918-02-08
Artillery r
Great Aid
To 'Shll|a|:ll:rps'
American Aviator Who Shot
Down German Plane was
inexperienced.
German Machine Fluttered
to Ground a Wreck from.
$4,000 Feet.

With the American Army in France,
Thursday. Feb. 7.-(By the Associated
Press)-American artillery and infan-
try have succeeded in cleaning out q
majority of the snipers who caused
considerable annoyance from the time
the sector was taken over by the
troops. Snipers posts in buildings
have been destroyed by knocking
down the shelters over the heads Of.
the Germans with shells. Shippers
have been routed by American sharp.
shooters. Night patrols have succeed
ed in locating some Of the positions
and the Germans in them have been
finished off later. --,
Last night a small patrol entered an
advanced German trench in search OF
a nest of snipers. A lieutenant, q cor
poral and two men left the American
wire and returned five hours later.
They walked acoss No Mans Land.
Reaching the enemy wire they crawl
ed beneath it cautiously and ap-
preached the most advanced enemy
trench. The men looked down into
the trench, which apparently was
abandoned but they were sure snipers
were there. They dropped down noise
lessiy and found a place where the
trench bottom showed fresh foot
prints. On the parapet the corporal
discovered rife, loaded and pointed
In the direction Of the, American
trenches. There was not a German
around ssiN
+ Bring Back Rife.
r The corporal brought back the rife
to the American lines. II is q typical
weapon made in Berlin and in good
condition. 's1'-..--7.T :
At another point enemy snipers
were discovered in a shell hole. A
few we'll placed shots from light artil-
lery ended their career. At another
place hail of machine gun bullets
was effective. s
posts are still in front Of the Ameri-
can positions but they are not likely
to be there long.
Aviator Inexperienced.
The young American lieutenant who
had the honor Of shooting down, his
first German airplane while accom-
[panying a French escadrille on a
bombing expedition Tuesday night,
had never operated a. machine before
in his life while in fight and never
before had been over the enemy lines.
He got his man over the German city
of Saarburg.
-
Saarburg and in the act of dropping
bombs when enemy airplanes were
seen approaching rapidly BY the
time the bomb dropping had been
completed the enemy was close at
hand and the French formation Of
which this American and another
American aviator had accompanied as
gunners was at an altitude Of 1900
feet 4.
The lieutenant who is a Missourian
took OFF his gloves so that he might
operate his machine gun more effec.
lively when he saw an enemy plane
driving in from the side and firing its
gun. The bullets whfzzed close to the
French machine before the American
acting as gunner could get his piece
Into action. Then he turned stream
Of bullets into the enemy and before
the first drum was exhausted the
enemy machine toppled and started to
spiral. Then 1t Topped and huttered
down with flare of smoke and fame
in its wake. It crashed to the ground
short distance from q German city.
Not So Lucky.
The other American, aviator, also q
lieutenant was not SO lucky as the
Missourian. for the machine he pick
ed out to engage lodged away quickly
and he was unable to get in any es-
fective Shots @ ~
When the squadron returned, the
Missouri lieutenant's hands were swoI-
len to twice their normal. size from the
cold, he having lost his gloves during
the encounter. Otherwise he IL today
Just about the happiest ohicer IN tho
American expeditionary forces. He.
has been in France oniya short tin1s
things may happen to = hier. The
tNiaRo1,ri 1iAiltAnQI1t had M ftn,s v1S< ~