El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-10-19
YANK SQUADRON
DEFEATS HUNS
IN AIR FIGHT
Slow Moving Photograph
ing Machines Beat the
Speedy Hun Chasers.
ONE ENEMY PLANE
is SEEN TO CRASH
By HENRY C. WALES.

MYTH the American Army. Oct. 10.
w A certain squadron OF Ameri-
can two-seater airplanes is mighty
proud Of a certain exploit. 1t volun-
teered to fly over the German lines
between the Vesle and the Afsne some
time ago. TO make sure whether the
crown prince was organizing any
'Hindenburg line" in that terrain or
whether his resistance was chiefly
based on machine gun strong points.
The observing planes being two
seaters. are not so fast nor such rapid
climbers as chasse planes. the single
scatter fighting type. And the Boches
had plenty Of chasse squadrons in the
sector, including the famous Check
erboard Escadrille." SO named because
a checkerboard insignia OF black and
white squares adorned the fuselage of
the machines. and the outfit was for
merry led by the baron Richthofen-
BOches Dive at Americans.
As soon as the American two seat
ers. flying strictly in formation,
crossed the Nesle near Braine. the
enemy's fighting planes began TO
harass them. But the American pilots
held their wedge shaped formation so
closely, despite the enemy's attempts
to break It up, that the BOches had a
hard time in attacking safely Mean
while. the American observers were
swapping photographs as fast as they
could change the plates
Two Boches finally dived straight
on one American plane, and the pilot
held his position in the formation and
the two Germans kept coming so long
that il seemed as though there must
be a triple crash. Then the American
e ia -
a gap in the N-shaped group in which
the squadron had been ryling-
one of the BOches pulled up straight
on the same level with the American
ahead Of him and opened fire with
tracer bullets, firing straight through
MS tail He brought the American
two scatter down. but. meantime. the
American machine following the
Boche opened an accurate fire. the OBJ
server being able TO bring one Of his
guns TO bear on brOadside burst. and
the German machine which had just
scored a victim burst into flames and
dropped like a stone
German Crashes
Then II was discovered that the sec
ond Boche single scatter which had
assisted in breaking into the forma-
ton by diving steeply on the Ameri-
can two scatter. which it had forced
out OF alignment. was topping down.
rolling over and over through hav-
ing lost one of its wings The Ger
man pilot had dived too far and &C
cumulated 10 much momentum. When
he tried TO pull up like his companion
the tension was too great for the in
feriOr wires the German manufactur-
ers are forced to use. and a wing came
off. The machine was seen TO crash
The American observing plane
which had been forced out OF forma-
tion maneuvered back into position.
and for the rest OF the reconnaissance
the American squadron held air tight
formation and not a Boche could
break into the wedge. Many tried TO
attack them, but had 10 veer off when
the American pilots stuck grimly to
their positions. knowing that the
American machine following them
would get a fair and square target at
the Boche If he persisted in following
right into the formation. The two
end men Of each leg Of the wedge
were protected by the man in the
sun" flying at a much higher alti-
tude and circling about ready TO dive.
The American observers got hun
dreds OF photographs Of German pO-
sitions and battery emplacements as
well as interesting pictures OF
bombed Aisne bridges and German
troops and supply trains on the march