The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-05-08
YANKEE AIRmEN
COMPEL SPECIAL
HUN RECOGNITION
Keen American Fighters Make
BOche Look Up.
Enemy Now Resorting to
Tricks To Deceive.
CAPTAIN HALL LOST IN FIGHT
After Thrilling Battle He Drops
Out of Sight.
Germans Out in Force After
Americans Now.
CAPTAIN HALL LOST IN FIGHT
After Thrilling Battle He Drops
Out of Sight.
Germans Out in Force After
Americans Now.
BY FRANK ]. TAYLOR.


With the American army in Lor-
ra1ne, May 8.-The American aviators
are keen fighters and their successes
nave led the boches to bring special
aerial fighters to the Toul sector, in
an attempt to punish them.
The Germans are using new tricks to
deceive the American flyers. sending
out one or two German planes to
cause an alarm and following them
up with. reinforcements greatly out
numbering the Americans who ans
wer the alarm
Another maneuver is to send over
one low flying German plane to lure
American planes far into Germany,
where a German squadron drops on
them from the clouds.
A Thrilling Battle.
tBy the Associated Press.)
Tuesday, May AFTER thrilling bat
tie with enemy airplanes ten miles
north of Pont-a- Mousson, Captain
James Norman Hall. one of the lead
ing American aviators made a spiral
dive for the earth and was last seen
close to the ground apparently trying
to land. His subsequent fate is I'M
known. Captain Hall, with two others,
was patrolling this morning between
st. Mihiel and Pont-aM ousson. When
enemy Albatross airplanes, painted
with black and white stripes were
seen.
The Americans attacked Captain
Hall singing out one of the enemy
and driving him downward while fir
ing with hissmachine gun. The pair
made a spiral dive from six thousand
meters to four thousand. when the
German suddenly reversed his ma
chine and started to rise.
Then a Quick Turn.
In a quick turn he poured a steady
stream of machine gun bullets into
the bottom of Halls machine. Captain
Hall promptly came out of the spiral
and made a dive for the earth. He
was last seen attempting to complete
this maneuver.
In the meantime the enemy ma
chimes that the other Americans had
engaged dropped toward the ground.
1t is unknown what happened to them
but two of them apparently were in
distress. No credit for victory is
given the Americans because official
notification of the destruction of the
enemy was impossible
Captain Halls machine had painted
upon its side the first American air
plane insignia to appear on the battle
line. 1t was in the form of hat in
the ring" sign, showing starry
striped high hat usually pictured on
Uncle Sam, surrounded by golden
ring.
Despite the bad weather. German
machines were out in force. Alarm
after alarm was answered by the
Americans. Lieutenant Cunningham
engaged one machine when five more
of the enemy Joined in. The lieuten-
ant kept up the fight until his ma
chine gun jammed. when he returned
to the American lines with ten bullet
holes in his plane.
The usual German game was to
have a small number of planes appear
near the American lines while a re-
serve of four or five machines re-
manned out of sight until the Ameri-
cans came into action. The reserves
would then swoop down in an at
tempt to wipe out the Americans. The
American aviators met this by answer
ing alarms with twice the number of
machines it was reported the Germans
had.
Out Taking Pictures
American aviators used Newport
pursuit machines as their fighting
weapons. The Americans engaged in
photography and artillery regulating
work. also had to fight. Two Ameri-
cans protecting photographing ma
chine were attacked by two Germans.
The fight lasted for half an hour and
ended when one German went wob-
bling to the ground about three kilo-
meters within the German lines. The
fight took place about two kilometers
behind the German positions.
AS a result of todays activity it is
believed the Germans sent some of
their best flyers to this sector to at
tempt to annihilate the American fly
ing force.