Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-05-05
u. S. AV|AT0RS FIND
sunny ITALY COLD
American Students Write About
Imaginative Combats With
Austrian Airmen.
LIKED By ITALIAN GIRLS
But Our Flyers Are Loyal to
Their Swccthearts
at Home.
tBy Associated Press. !

By Associated Press
AMERICAN SEAPLANE TRAINING
CAMP. CENTRAL ITALY, May A.
iia!y's coal shortage has been a severe
blow to this camp. the second aviation
camp for Americans Oh the peninsula.
When the camp was built By tho
Italian navy in m!i-winter right on
the edge ot big, deep inland lake. no
provision was made Tor heat The
Italians put UP two fine regulation
barracks, with concrete floors, wood
and concrete walls and picturesque red
brick roofs, and in these the Amer
leans livc--or rather they sleep there
at night because there is no other place
to go.
The Italian instructors were sur
priscd when the Americans began to
complain about the cold. az generally
speaking, the United States Is regard
cd as much colder than Italy But
one OF the curious climatic effects en-
all Americans is tho sensation Of cold
in so-calIcd sunny Italy.
Most Of the American students here
came down from Paris. having for tho
most part enlisted in tire aviation corps
fresh from the American Red Cross
or other ambulance and motor corps
AS they have had experience on the
front. they arc used TO making the best
OF bad job. and instead CT complain
ing especially about the c.ld. they
mcrel" keep on the jump during the
day and az night before going 10 sleep
they put on all their flying clothes
then pile Ave or six blankets on
bed and glide in under the hay" as
an Iowa country boy expressed it.
The cold. however has not had the
effect OF preventing them from writing
long letters home. None OF them have
yet caught the writer's cramp, accord
Ing 10 the officer who has tho duty of
censorinS their mail. IL is also pain
tul, but necessary cuty - inform their
home folks that the cold hasn't Grip
Piled their imaginative powers The
man who reads their mail says they
relate the most thrilling kinds OF ad-
ventures with Austrian airmcn. II all
the fights they tell about having while
ayinE came Of. there wouldn't be any
enemy aiPlncn left. ~s-e.5-~-,
They have not yet been permitted to
attack amy OF the enemy. for two rca-
sons: First. they arc not permitted 10
ny more than eighteen miles from the
.~hS' hh' II Au'y c. SO tutS VIII be
reprnanded The second reason is
mat there arc no Austrian sirmcn in
these parts. The Italian seaplane men
stationed along the Adria,ic coast At
tend to that little job. Once and only
once have .\us;rians flown across Italy,
and tina; was in an old Zeppelin that
bombarded Naples in carly March.
The folks at home know We arc
- md
them something to keep them inter
ested," laugh.ngly explained youth
from AN Eastern State. we have got
TO give them an idea that the job isn't
half 50 dangerous ~ they thinl. i, is,
so We always win those fights"
IT also appears that the aviators are
also good hamus at love letters
IF the girls al home knew how des-
pcrate arc tbs efforts made by the
Italian girls here TO win an American
husband. ii they knew the wiles cNer-
ciscd by some OF the American girls
in Italy TO accomplish the same end.
they would surely be jealous" said
one OF their officers. "Bu, If these
sc!f-same girls az home knew how des-
peratcly their swccthearts over here
fight shy OF these foreign girls, they
would be coiaforted. It's good thing.
too. for fellow with too many girls
on his mind is apt TO have accidents.
Somehow. they always prefer TO travel
in parties, wherever they go, ii it's
only for walk across country or along
the mountain roads, and it's a hard lob
to lasso 4 fellow unless he's alone"
The Italian language. Is also a handi
cap in this respect. as wcll in others
For this reason the Italian Navy DC.
partment has provided instructors who
speak English.