The Benson signal. [volume] (Benson, Cochise County, Ariz.) 1915-1921, 1918-09-21
United States Marine.
Borrows Plane and
Does Amazing Stunts
He Wings Five Foes Captures Prisoner Saves Wounded Man and
Gets CaptancyWhIe Trying to Adjust Engine Trouble He
Sees Two Britons Attacked by Twelve Huns He Dives
Into Melee and Shoots Down -Four of Foe.

and | started up to join the buZzard
dance above, where it was ten to two
against us. The eleventh German was
sitting high. He: evidently was the
leader and was watching for some one
to slaughter.
"My two companions were darting
this way and that, trying to force their
way out of the circle, but the Huns
were maneuvering so as to tighten the
circle. They didn't see me as I flew
into the hazy sunlight just over their
circle.
GAS two went for my companions
went for them, nose down, with the
vertical engine. full on. I got the first
one in thirty yards with twenty rounds
from my one working gun. He blew
up and went down burning.
Second Goes Down Burning.
GAS I lodged to miss him the second
enemy turned square about in front Of
me, and I got him with burst of
twenty-five shots at, twenty yards. He
spun about, with flames leaping over
the machines. The pilot jumped out.
''Then my engine commenced miss
ing. I looked around and saw five
coming at me, including the leader, in
mellow gray Albatross. l saw my
companions go after Hun apiece, and
each got one. One went. down burning
and wing fell off the other one.
''Then my engine stopped full, and
the HunS came after me in twos, and /
dove vertically for a second, pulled
/ into loop without power, and kicked
into vertical side slip at the. top.
"There directly under me was a
| desperately moving Hun, but [ had
him. He went down with dropping
wing in fantastical spin.
"Then I went after the four remain
| ing Huns The leader was first. He
pulled powerful wing over at me,
| but I got the idea first We met head
on. I fired the last thirty rounds
and was piled up myself with bullets
going by like hail. I looked out and
there was the leader diving on his
back, hanging out of his machine,
evidently hit. The others reported
that he hung as if dead.
II turned desperately, having no
more shots left. saw my companions
attacking the three remaining Huns,
who were making off in wide circles.
| The other two Huns had disappeared,
while French bombers crossed our
lines safely.
Score, to o.
"Three of us attacked by twelve shot
four down in flames, two completely
out of control and one engine out of
control.
"Odds, twelve Huns three allies.
"Score, seven Huns down; allies,
zero.
"After ] had gone quite way back
east my engine went bad and kept get
ting worse. The other two, like typi-
cal British soldiers, stayed with me
until near our lines when the engine
died. I was getting all the archie
and machine gun fire from the newly
established enemy lines. My compan'
ions could not assist me.
II saw / couldn't make our lines in
the deep woods, so I dove onto the
Hun troops, coming behind their lines
Having fixed my other gun after the
fight, I scattered them with hail of
bullets. / then landed on a sloping de-
preston near the wood an eighth of a
mile beyond the enemy outposts.
II was in wheat field about 1OO
yards from some trees, which were