Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-07-18
DAYS WORK IN THE AIR
HARAssINC HUN ENEMY
Never Mako a Report There Was
Nothing Doing" Because
There Always Is.
PILOT CROSSES THE TRENCHES
sails Out Over Foes Lines, Drops
bombs on Concentrated Forces.
Scattering the Command and
Leaving Motioniess Bodies.

Leaving Mottonless Bodies.
al. IN The minds of many peonle; and in,eli T.
sG'i .oS ae psef w,in ' ise rfes'
Ta be h Crane he ii !.s I position
sr5 5ne heenT Ta empire. so places them hat
{. '"aayement ~ i iinpo.sib!s 70 Inc sliies0
81 o. $n ns ,RaI Tho only
| q the air Cer;airIy with America IN the
F aua %1 aS fs '"F Fiat T q shy s he
Ter mighty aercplane production in
s sands i ma chimes and thousands, Of hys sH
wear ana i"ar.ths was,ase Of airplancs in in
1 S,sn,a DC inconceivable 10 the
Mns Ad' SII;.h professional ard
- has written tor US a matter:ef. Fact story
Ag S illHs,1.,,s ,his
l'W American production.
Especial to The Tinex -Dispatch]
PARIS. July 17.--when airplanes are
! cent To "harass the enemy" as the o.
/ ho!al communiqucs put H. il is fairly
| certain that the pilots will have good
'a!es TO tell on their return.
In this work pilots are sent out
"'th no definite orders; their sole OBJ
jeci Is TO annoy the enemy as much
. hs possible, destroy his stores. damage
ms communications and demoralize his
| personnel to the largest possible ex-
tent Generally the pilots concerned
manage to give q good account OF
! themselves. and rarely has an officer
nothing TO report
SIX machines of certain squadron
vent out to carry on tho good work.
n lT.f i -
70 a!s credit. and another with a fall
Ing engine. The four others had notes
20 record.
One pilot crossed the trenches at an
immense height. lodging Archie" and
keeping in the clouds until he was
wei over the lines. He then throttled
oack his engine. planned down TO a
Wueh lower altitude and looked for a
chance 10 "harass the enemy"
CHANCES ARE PLENTIFUL
AND EXCITEMENT GREAT
Chances are plentiful In the air. and
ne soon observed concentration OF
troops near u station. sold iers evidently
Just going up into the line. Two
bombs dropped from 500 feet In the
'densest part OF the mass caused the
enemy 10 scatter, Leaving several mo-
'ion!ess bodies on the road Following
up this with "A brisk fire from his ma
chine gun, the pilot obtained several
more hits and having completely dis
organized the whole parade. delaying
their entertainment and thereby causing
much anxiety in the hard pressed front
line, ne departed from the vicinity be-
fore Il became too hot for him
little later he saw battery of
guns In action, and I'D his share to-
wards helping the Infantry who were
suffering the bomhardment In the
trenches by diving 10 within leo feet
of he ground and driving the gunners
from their guns with hot machine
gun fire.
His next item was more in the
recognized line Of the air Having
climbed to a height OF some thousands
o. feet he saw below him "a British
machine trying to register a battery
on 10 an invisible target. and at the
same time lighting on an attacking
Hun. :. div. through the air. a long
/ last expended all his ammunition. he
vas forced TO return TO the aerodrome
I third pilot, who returned while
. the first arrivals were discussing The
days work. had encountered bad luck
! soon after crossing the trenches his
petrol tank had been pierced by a stray
Is ul!ei ana with failing engine he had
staggered home, where he obtained an
, other machine and again sci out.
I, y similar thing occurred on his sec
Jond trip, but this time he could not
reach the aerodrome. landing JUS, short
az II. unframed. Thinking II wise not
to temp; Providence too far, he did
not venture out again that day.
LAST PILOT LIMrs
LIKE WINGED DUCK
The last pilot 10 return l!mped home
across the sky like badly winged
duck. steering errat!cally, with aileron
Tapping and engine rafting like a
! tank He Topped down upon the
!! aerodrome. the machine collapsing As
I soon as earth was reached Out of the
! cockpit scrambled the pilot. unhurt
an6 CHEEKY.
i Old machine has done good many
hours, too"
Inquiries elected the information
! that he had flown over the countryside,
Tl7!ng at any troops he had seen, until
ne espied collection of huts which
aroused his curiosity.
Planning low. he had dropped two
bombs The resulting explosions sur
. passed all expectations. Huts seemed
! 10 leap bodily into the air, a sheet of
fame spurted up for 100 feet, and Il
dense pail of lack smoke spread over
tho wrecEage. Before this cleared
away violent fire from hidden
ARCHES" burst around the airplane.
So thckly was the air plastered with
shells that lodging was out OF the
question. The pilot put down the nose
OF his machine and went all out How
cnen he was hit ne did not realize I'M
til at last he got out OF range, when
lie found that his rudder controls were
cut, one aileron broken and hapning,
hurst from the Vickers gun, and the
Hum departed for home. crippled and
badly frightened while the British
two-seater carried on its work undis-
turhed.
This completed the first pilots work.
for his petrol was running short, so
he returned to his aerodron.e TO see
what the others had done.
He round two pilots Id returned,
in addition to the one with the falling
engine. Of these one had little to re-
port beyond having fred all his am
munition at troops in the support
trenches. but the other had enjoyed
quite an exciting flight.
ATTACKS MARCHING ARMY
WITH MACHINE GUN
Shortly after crossing the trenches,
where he fired a few shots just TO see
II his gun was working we'll he espied
infantry on the march, dropped q couple