Connecticut western news., 1918-10-03
FORMER CANAAN BOY
FLYING IN FRANCE
Lieut.. Ivan A. Roberts Goes
Over German Line to Pro-
tect a Photo Plane

In an interesting article on avia-
ton work on the Vesle front, printed
in the Springfield Republican is an
allusion to a former Canaan boy.
second Lieutenant Ivan A. Roberts
of South Lee, son of George Roberts
superintendent Of the Acension farm
school at that place. Lieut. Roberts
formerly lived on Church street in
this town.
In telling the story of Donald Hud-
son, new ace, the article reads,
well, here is how he became an
ace. The telephone in the flight re-
corder's office rang, six chasse ma
chimes wanted to protect a photo
graphic plane Hudson himself,
Lieut.. Jerry Vasconcells and Second
Lieut.. Ivan A. Roberts of South Lee,
Mass, and three others were up in
minute and on their way to the obser-
walton center where they picked up
the big Salmson biplane and in n
few minutes were over the German
lines, if lines they may be called, for
the enemy was moving back. The
sky was thick with Germans. They
had come out in groups to try to hold
their front. Eight German Fokker
monoplanes attacked the Americans
as son as they had crossed the line
and made the first photographs.
Later on four more Fokkers rein
| forced the Germans. Vasconcella as
prearranged, dived and came up to
tect the Salmson. Hudson dived also
The German covey plunged and tried
to get in between the heavy photo
graphic plane and its protection.
Vasconcells, who was ahead, came
back and out in between a Hun and
one German out as he was going
the Salmson and shot him down In
smoke which taurned to fame as the
enemy fell. Lieut.. Roberts knocked
toward the photo plane. Hudson got
so close to one German that he noted
the checkerboard nose of the old
Richthofen squadron as he engaged
one of four which were ION his tails
and firing. He fell into a spin, came
out and engaged again. The German
turned to the left, dropped on his
right wing and burst over, while Hud-
son kept nearby and poured burst
after burst of machine gun bullets
into him from both Vickers. The
sGerman fell Two companions turnads
and fled as Hudson approached.
"After this first battle, says Hud-
son, 81 had one gun damned and
what was worse, my engine was
boiling. / was registering 100 and 4
had to keep pumping with the right
hand and driving with the left. Blu
even then my gasoline pressure wat
falling off, and here / was tire,
kilometers from our lines and los
ing height every second. BY exert
ing myself | could keep only bare
hundred meters off the ground, and
the German infantry was trying to
pick me off.
II was counting every second and
loking for place to land on our side
of the war and just when i passed
the railroad between Fere-on-Tarde-
nois and Sapanay, a two-seater
Rumpler passed me by to the right
He was so close / could see his OBJ
server. The pilot tilted his plane SO
that the observer could shoot me
quick. Well, / pulled up at once
you see, although hau no pressure
/ still could out-maneuver a big
plane-and came on the tail of the
Rumpler. circled to the right, shut
down the throttle, and passing 80
feet away, no more, fired my one
good gun between his upper and low
er wing.
~ noticed the observer in the
Continued on page 81