Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-06-24
Somewhere In France.

/
ceiving two letters from you--with
the enclosed money. Yes. I'm get
ting 1t quite regularly and they solve
many economic problems indeed.
Thank YOU so much for the picture,
for did want one of you. so you
can believe it was appreciated. And
/ think II very good indeed, in fact.
your beauty seems to cling to you
and age has no effect whatever.
wonder, and keep wondering why
everyone sends me Pat O'Brien's"
stories. One girl from Allentown.
one from Harrisburg and several
from other towns-and now you.
keep sending me his interesting ac-
counts of his daring experiences, Is
1t knock at my own unexciting let
ters, or hint to do better? Yes, I'm
quite aware that the Boches travel
in squads of and S planes,
ought to know for one evening not
long ago l was out over the lines and
saw three groups, one of six. one of
seven, and one of five. Incidentlly
that was another time lost my re-
igion, for l was way above the group
of five and started down after them
when my motor began sounding
queerly. Being in a Morane with
a new motor still untried, pulled
up out of the dive and went home
Yes indeed. 1 am quite aware how
the Boches use their efficiency in
the air but it is also a known fact
that their Chase" planes cannot
maneuver above 1000 meters, and
many a big, clumsy French plane
mas escaped that way-by climbing
to 5000 meters. From my own ex-
perience, the Boche are always
found at height of between 5000
and 5000 meters. and even at that
helght as soon as attacked they i'm
mediately dive for lower altitude.
Many of my school fellows have
oeen killed lately. the manner there
or proving that it is not always the
survival of the fittest in this game.
Luck, fate, or Providence seems to
play big part also. One of the best
myers l knew in school lost a wing
While on patrol-there being no
clouds to step out on ii was natural
ly, finish" And there is my room
mate, Putnam, very good fellow
indeed-but lucky! Gee whiz! As
he remarked himself after he had
accidentally gone into a vrille at
zoo meters and came out at 10. I'm
always doing some fool thing and
getting away with it. A volume could
be written of his adventures. but he
is so doSgone modest no one ever
gets details of his combats. Once
while at Pau his motor quit work
and he fell 10000 feet, smashed the
1 plane to sticks, and his only in
juries consisted of two broken teeth.
1t was so unbelievable that when
they printed the story in his home
paper the editor cut OF a cipher.
Even 1000 was hard to swallow, but
!
lost while bringing a Morane to the
escadrille. after flying around until
his essence" was all and his motor
stopped he found himself over
wood. down he came, hit a tree with
one wing, naturally taking it off, and
all he got was a bump on the head.
| Once he was attacked by 4 biplane
! Boches and fought with them for
so minutes. then he had to quit be-
cause his gun stuck and his car
\ tridges were all. Speaking about
Boches travelling in large numbers,
| here's another fight of his to prove
it. Fifteen Boche planes were fly
ing high and underneath them were
more. Putnam jumped on one of
| the three. Got one. and then
started back home-and then the
whole fifteen dropped on him. He
got away, however, but when he
tried to get official confirmation of
the one he brought down. the OBJ
| servers said so many were falling
that they didn't know which was
who. Just the other day 1 heard
of another of my school fellows who
was killed by running into a Boche
plane while in a fight. You will un-
derstand why traffic rules got mixed
when 1 say there were 5S airplances
in fight. 1 guess that's travelling in
big numbers, Ell? But, of course,
that was in the big battle, on the
Somme. This being a quiet sector
nothing comparing to that is ever
seen here. In fact, Boche planes are
very scarce indeed. And to make
things sadder l am not flying, and
fear won't be up among the clouds
before June.
Here's an incident which proves
how important honesty is in a
Chase" pilot. He is all alone, his
own master. and if he gets IN a COM
bat, the authorities have to take his
word for it. Many pilots have been
undeservedly decorated for bravery,
while the one that actually did the
deed never was cited at all. Two
men started out to get a Boche ball
loon. They both attacked, but one
pilot only shot 4 shots and then
started nome. Ihe balloon was still
intact, so the other pilot continued
shooting until it went up in flames
and then he too started home. Then
II was he saw his parrner far ahead
with three Boche pressing him hard.
This tickled him, seeming a Just
punishment for running away-and
then his enjoyment of his comrades
plight was cut short by five Boches
who jumped on him. After that he
had troubles of his own, but when
he got back to camp his partner
had told of the burning of the bal
loon-and had claimed the credit.
What's more, he got it, Twice this
happened to this modest, unassertive
flyer, and then he was mad enough
to quit the French army to fight
for the Germans, and 1 don't wonder.
Please send some sugar and choco-
late, as it is very hard to get here,
and you know how necessary it is
to me as for war bread. I hear you
are eating it too, and 1 was looking
forward with so much pleasure to
eating pure white bread too. 'Tis