The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1918-03-02

Longtime Fighting at the Front
and often Fall Easy Prey to Fresher
and Less Experienced Men-Many
Able Germans Downed-French Lose
Thirteen "Aces."
The autumn of 1917 has been excep-
tionally destructive for the fighting
''aces'' of the warning aviation corps,
many of the greatest and most famous
flyers in both the allied and the enemy
ranks having fallen. A great number
of them had been flying for two and
even three years, and were almost
deemed invincible. 1t is my belief that
after a man has flown and fought at
the front for a long time he becomes
exhausted, and unless he takes a rest,
which few devoted ayiators will con-
sent to do, he falls an easy prey to
some fresher though less experienced
man, writes Paul Ayres Rockwell in
the Chicago Daily News. AT the head
of the list of fallen airmen comes the
glorious Frenchman, Capt. Georges
Guynemer, who had, by official count,
destroyed 90 German airplanes, and
who had surely accounted for at least
twenty others. He was killed in aerial
combat above P%oecapelle, September
II, by the German Lieutenant Wisse-
mann, who was slain a few days later
by Second Lieutenant Fonck. Guyne-
mer was the finest and most romantic
figure this war has yet produced. His
final citation in French army orders
follows:
Georges Guynemer, captain COM
manding escadrille N 3; died on the
field of honor September II, 1917. A
legendary hero, fallen in the full
heaven of glory, after three years of
ardent struggle. Will remain the most
pure example of the qualities of the
race; indomitable tenacity, ~tireless en-
ergy, sublime courage. Animated by
the most unshakable faith in the vic
tory, he bequeaths to the French SOL
der an imperishable souvenir, which
will exalt the spirit of sacrifice and
provoke the most noble emulations."
Another great Frenchman who will
fly no more is Captain Nation, who
shot down nine enemy machines. He
did not return from a flight over the
German lines on September 10. Later
it was learned hat he had been wound
ed, captured and taken to a prison
camp, where he died. These are the
only French "aces' who have been
killed, though several valuable pilots
are no more.
Many Able Germans DoWned.
Now read the long list of German
losses: Capt. Baron Won Richtofen,
commander of the notorious tango
escadrille and credited by the Wolff
communicates with 81 victories, has
been forced by serious wounds to give
up active flying. He was last men
toned in the enemy's communique of
September 3, which chronicled his six
ty-first triumph. Shortly after, he was
reported killed in action, then a British
prisoner. An Amsterdam dispatch Of
October % reported the baron's mar
rage to the daughter of a multimillion-
aire munition maker and stated that
the kaiser had given the noted "ace'
a place on his staff as inspector of all
German aviation schools.
Won Richtofen made his first appear
ance in the enemy communicates on
January "a, 1917, when his seventeenth
victory was chronicled. Why had he
never been spoken of before? Ber-
thOldi's fifth victory, Wintgen's fifth,
Baldann's fourth, Hohndorff's fourth
were cited, the same for Mulzer, LET
fers. Won Althaus and many other
Boche "aces." Yet, although Won
Richtofen was a nobleman, a fact rare
among the German "aces," and in con-
sequence standing an unusually good
chance of being signaled, his debuts
were passed over in silence. Jacques
Mortane, the French aviation writer,
is of the opinion that Won Richtofen's
first IS victories were invented for
him owing to the fact that when he ap-
peared on the scene in the communique
the Boche authorities were sorely in
need of faces" to convince the Ger
man public that their aviation was
superior to that of the allies.
Big Losses in 1917.
Lieut.. Werner Voss Crefeld was
killed September "a, along with his fif-
teenth victim. Lieutenant Gontermann,
who had destroyed 80 allied airplanes
and observation balloons, was killed
accidentally early in November. Lieu
tenant Wolff was slain in an air fight
September Is, after he had triumphed
over SO allied machines. Lieutenant
Dostler, mentioned as having shot down
26 allied airplanes, was killed in COM
bat in mid-November. Lieutenant Ba-
ron Won Richtofen, brother of the noted
captain. vas reported killed by the
British in September. But a later re-
port from Germany indicates that he
was only wounded. He was credited
with t%wenty-four victories. Among his
victims was the wonderful English fly
er, Capt. Albert Ball, who fell May Z,
1917, after having gained 43 victories.