The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-06-21
AIR STORIES FROM FRANCE
Boys From School Are Registering Their Own Score Against the Roche -Tackling Hun Flyers for the First Time-With the Allied Ar
 mics in France.

1eW weeks.
 | Two fellows of a neighboring squad ron brought in a beautiful new "Go- tha" the other morning before the early 'strafe" began. They had "ta- ken off'' about half-past five on long reconnaissance duty-double-se fighter pilot and observer. Luckily, the observer was a good pilot, too. They climbed, passed 5000 feet above the enemy's lines, pressed on five miles, and had done some useful Hooking 1 down." when up came a solitary Ger man machine flying 2,500 feet below. In a moment the British bus dived at it, got under its tail and fired. Down went the Boche flattened out and landed in g. lonely field. Our men encircled him above.
 The morning was quiet and fine. Not a soul was in sight. The German machine was still. No pilot was seen to move. Our men landed with their machine guns trained. One had a revolver. They advanced. Nothing happened. The German had been shot through the neck. The Gotha was intact. In jumped the 'observ- CT" They came across the lines; but the Observer had devil of a time putting his "iron-cross' past our "Ar- chies." (Correction-it was not Co., tha. But we have it.)
 Of all the dangers-if dangers there be-the worst and most dreadful is to take fire after being crippled at, say, 5000 feet. Only a fortnight aga my first instructor, Captain C., one of the finest, coolest, and most able men among us, was shot down in flames. That's the sort of thing that makes a big impression. He had ma- noeuvred a Fokker, and another, a German bip1ane, when up came a third enemy machine, pierced his pe- trol tank, and his burning machine gliding down under perfect control, and his blazing body dropped through the fuselage.
 Our men avenged him. That Fox ker was spotted. Four fighting ma chimes went to the same spot early next morning, Three climbed high. One lay low at 1000 feet. That Fox ker spotted him. The Britisher came under the fire of the German "Ar- 'chies." He acted the goat" stall ed and circled as if crippled. Down Iswooped the Fokker. The other three then came on at. tremendous rush, fired a hail of lead and crash ed him.
 It is most noticeable that the Ger man airmen will not attack unless they are in superior numbers-at least three or four to one. They are cer- tafnly suffering terrific losses.
 We have been putting the wind up' them at their aerodromes, too, and thoroughly rattling their nerves.
 There is the case of Lieut.. D., over three weeks agS. With four oth- CT pilots he had dropped "eggs' on a big dump. On returning his engine went wrong. He "crawled" behind the others. Coming over the Ger man lines the "Archies'' put up all sorts of stuff at him. He tried all the tricks he knew. He was knocked Isenseless for the moment Down went his machine in dash unguided from 5000 feet. Barely 200 feet from the ground he recovered pulled her out, and landed. Another in stant, and he must have been killed.
 The rich draught of 1000 feet of pure air at 110 miles an hour, how ever, brought him round in the nick of time. I met him in the Strand this week enjoying London.
 We have been having some shock ing weather samples. I well remem- Der those long, dreary, "dud" days in the dromes at home in the far-off days when I was training. But "dud'. days weather or not, are not so frequent in France. Nearly three days out of four the wind has ween westerly, and fighting has invariably drifted over the German territory, making it diff cult for the "crippled to get back. We have had much fog, and one day one of our men flew half an hour } through whirling snow. He lost him : self and descended. Then the dis quieting thought came that he was on the German side. He set fire to his } machine, tore up his papers, and walked on to air his German lan- } guage with dreams of Ruhleben or Magdeburg during the next few 7 months. As matter of fact, he was 15 miles west of Arras. When I dis , cussed it with him-his remarks were not in German.
 Whats it like? It is the finest game of all just now at the front f Anyone of ordinary good health an6
 moderate courage can play the flying !, game. With the machines the Ali Board is providing. it is the safes
 job at the front.
 I And the joy of it is you can dc n such lot of damage and register i n as your own score against MT Boche v Mrs. Ellen S. Moves, of Verona, N y J., asked the borough council to make