Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-09-26
Escadrille Squad IS.
SeCteur Pastal 240.
G.. c. %,
Aug, 6, 1918.

Aug. 6, 1918.
Dear Mother:
Well we've got the hole in the
line straightened out at last-to hear
me say that one would think l ac-
tlally was some help, which was not
the case at all, unless letting the
German army use me for a target
could be called helping. They did
that several times and incidentally
scored a few hits-not on me for
tunately but on my machine. And
while this pushing back the Hun
was going on lots of things Were
happening, here and elsewhere.
One of the most hair-raising hap
pened to my commander, who at
tackled seven of the new Boche
"Fokkers." He sent one tumbling
to earth, and then attacked another,
but as he did so his propeller stop
ped, owing to loss of air pressure
on his gas tank, caused by his quick
diving and maneuvering, and he fell
right among the remaining six. l
imagine they were six nightly pleas
ed Huns at such an opportunity 10
shoot down a big lace" but he did
not give them much time to shoot.
because ne promptly went into Il
''vrille," coming out at 800 meters.
Two Huns were still on his tail, so he
went into another "vrille" and came
out of that one at thirty meters.
Lands in Woods
There was nothing under him but
a woods and since he had no motive
power he had to land. Sitting down
on the Top of a forest in this way
he naturally smashed his plane to
kindling. oh yes, he got away with
hai,,r lr,lriSad hOlt the legs
q little.
I'll bet there was rejoicing in that
Boche escadrille that night as they
told how they had brought down the
famous French ace. And won't
they be one surprised bunch when
they see him in his red machine
come tearing over the lines as dead
~ as ever before?
Machine Turns Over
One of the Lieutenants turned
upside down as he was taking Off
(running along the ground prepara-
tory to jumping into the air) the
other day; another Lieutenant's mo-
tor stopped and he came down i'll the
woods near the barracks; while l
just to keep the jinX on the Lieuten-
ants, nearly ran into another one
who was taxing" along the ground,
while l was taking Off" At the
angles we were going we surely
would have hit, but fortunately the
Lieutenant seeing me slowed up and
turned. AS for yours truly he pull
ed on the rest of the gas and jumped
into the air. Incidently for allowing
me TO start while another plane was
rolling along the ground.
Had two more letters from you
yesterday which were very accept
ed. 1t certainly is a crime the way
YOU are spreading around that in
flattering picture of me. The good
old proverp is being proved again
that love is blind" for no other
away can I understand why anyone
Wants that picture.
Helen Miller with the sunny smile
has not appeared, and I'm tired of
the gloomy view. Last night we had
n young concert with a violin and
guitar. The musicians all played by
ear, which made it very nice, as any
one with a favorite needed but to
ask and it was played. Frenchmen
you know arc noted as singers, not
artistically always, but like sketch
ing, nearly every one of them can
make u pretty good stab at il. so
several members had rendered a bal
lad when they called on me, 1 being
the only American there, for a song.
Want a Solo
Unfortunately We were in a tent,
so / could not sink through the floor
as I wanted to. They coaXed quite
a while but l absolutely refused to
spoil perfectly good concert by any
vocal effort. 1t wouldn't have been
an effort. 1t would have been a
fizzle.
To get over the disappointment
they had another drink all around
and that with the music. making
them feel playful, they resurrected
a roulette wheel ( 1 guess that's
what it was) and made a candle
into a ball and proceeded to gam
BILE away sous at an enormous rate.
One l think lost nearly 20, equal
to 25 cents and he was considered
the star plUnger. Me? oh, l
lodged the drinks by saying [ was
sick, and when the gambling started,
1 eased mp beside the guitar player
and wheedled some more music out
of him.
Have heart and don't mention
dances so often in your letters. 1t
makes me wild! What 1 can't un-
derstand is why France had to stop
the pleasant recreation-but of
course, you don't look at it that
way.
Grandpa is surely a patriotic boy.
going back TO work at his age-and
now 1 wonder if it isn't the girls in
boomers that are the attraction.
-zz.......