Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-04-28
GETS CROSS OfLEG|ON
: lying ON HOSPITAL BED
ny PAUL AYREs ROCKWELL.
Of The Sunday Stnl

ny PAUL AYRES ROCKWELL.
(Cerrespsndenee Of The Sunday Star
and the Chicago Daily News)
WITH THE FRENCH ARMIES. April
16.-French aviators continue to win
victories with rapidity due to their
skill and daring. Lieut.. Fonck, leader
Of the French chasing aces, has de-
stroyed his thirty-fourth German aero
plane. His nearest rival. Lieut.. Nun
gesser. has triumphed for the thirty
third time. On Saturday Lieut.. Heris-
son shot down his eighth German ma
chine, and Lieut.. Slade his sixth. Ad3t.
Garaud. who was wounded by q bullet
through his right lung after winning
his twelfth. victory. is rapidly recover
Of the Legion Of Honor as he lay upon
q hospital bed by the general COM
handing the army.
The story Of the fight in the course
worth telling. While flying he en-
countered a German Rumpler machine
and attacked it. At the first voiley the
German pilot was badly wounded and
med. But as the aeroplane fell in a
dead leaf spin the gunner repaired the
Garaud. fearing that his adversary was
only playing a trick in an effort to es-
down The machine gunner opened fire
and the French pilot was hit. Conquer
ing his pain, Garaud again opened fire.
hitting the boche pilot once more and
then landed, and the first question he
asked the soldiers who rushed to his
aid was: Did the boche machine fall
in our lines =" The answer was: Yes.
1t is smashed up and both the boches
are wounded"
Garaud exclaimed. Good. have my
Dozen" Then he tainted
Land Fighters Also Score.
Aviators are not the only ones in the
French army who capture or destroy
enemy aeroplanes. In the course Of the
week just passed three German aero
planes had their careers abruptly ended
by fighters belonging to Frances land
forces. About dusk April . a two
seated boche machine. homeward bound
after scouting within the French lines.
lost its bearings and descended in the
neighborhood Of FiAmes- With the pro-
peller still revolving the officer observer
sprang from the machine to look at his
maps and seek to fix his whereabouts,
leaving the pilot with his finger on the
were ready to resume their flight when
from the cleaning emerged the resolute
figures of four French territorial SOL
oilers. They were guardians Of a car
|rier-pigeon coop and were eating their
evening "soupe" when they heard the
noise made by the aeroplane motor and
came to make an investigation.
Seeing the black crosses marking the
aeroplane, they quickened their pace
across the field. They surprised the
German ohicer in the act Of climbing
into the machine and, hating, the ter
ritorials trained their rihes on him and
ordered him to tell his comrade to
surrender and descend from the aero
plane. The junker was furious. but
realized that resistance was useless
and transmitted the command to the
pilot. Thus the guardians Of the
pigeons captured two valuable enemy
onicers and. better still, latest model
observation aeroplane.
Rihemen belonging to the Same in
fantry division accounted for the two
other enemy planes. The first crossed
| the line at a low altitude. firing on
the soldiers. Instantly machine guns
and. rifles were trained on the aero
plane. which, vitality hit, crashed to
earth between tho lines.
The second German aeroplane, taking
advantage Of the mist on Sunday morn.
| ing. crossed the lines at q height of
sixty meters (1SO feet and began
shooting up the French trenches A
fearless corporal opened fire with q
machine gun. and after a short battle
the French flrst-line trenches.
The German pilot had q bullet
through his heart. The observer, who
was wounded in one OF his arms. was
captured and conducted to the d.
visional headquarters by the victorious
corporal. who was Immediately dec
grated With. the military medal and
IN h In do ri nj ~