The patriot. (Glenmora, La.) 1918-1955, 1918-10-25

been cut efficiently. If it has been, all is Well
1t 1t has not it is necessary for the artillery TO
again strafe it, in order that an infantry regl-
ment may not start an attack only to ma 1sell
held up on German barbed wire. The saving OF
life by an efficient air force is absolutely colossal
The airpane must descend from the realm OF
mystery it has occupied in the public mind ana
assume its practical form. 1t should be looked
on as a machine designed to carry man through
the air for definite purpose, and that purpose
is to help those on the ground to go forward.
We have to rid ourselves of mistaken notions
The life of pilot is really far more comfortaoie
than is possible for his comrades in the lnfanTy
cavalry or artillery. The infantry when in the
trenches are shelled continually and often heav-
lily. They have to sleep in dugouts, some wet
and some dry They are at war the whole tlme
except of course when they are back at rest.
But the pilot though his period of fighting may
continue for weeks and months at time mas a
definite Job to do each day. He knows when that
Job is over he will return to clean house, a
clean meal and clean bed. His morale is excel
lent He is flying the best machine the govern
ment can supply He does not see the dirty side
of the war; He does not find in the air the gas
and the filth of the ground. 1t is not to be won
dered at that he is proud to be in the air division.
A certain type of person writes on the dangers
of flying and the way he prevented himself from
being killed. yet one-tenth of the untold stories
In the trenches WOuu make tue pHoIo sloiy
sound very small Yet the airman is all-import-
ant. II would not help much if America sent ten
millions of men to France if there was not an
efficient air service back of them.
Fortunately things are going well. The United
States has pilots of the right kind, and the ma
terial is now going overseas in the right way
have been fortunate enough to see good zeal
of American flying men, of the training which IS
going on in this country and of certain number
tax16F
have nothing but praise for American flyers and
those at home have nothing but praise for the
cadets there And how important a thorough
training Isl However well pilot may fly, how
ever good HIS machine may be- unless he can
XIII his opponent In the air. he is, to all fntents
and purposes, useless To do that he must have
a gun, use preponderance of fire. outmaneuver
his enemy and bring him down. There are sew
eraI means and ways of achieving this excellent
result Some Germans have been forced to land
without having been fired on; others have been
brought down by machine-gun fire in the air, and
a few by antiaircraft fire from the ground Again,
a very small number have been shot down by In
fantry gunfire from trenches The more Germans
brought down. the less sacrifices of life we have
on our side of the lines Say German airplane
has come over our side of the lines; say he has
taken photographs of our artillery position; say
he has photographed trenches where we are as
sembIing to attack--ft Is perfectly easy for him
IL not interfered with to take these back, have
them developed and issued to the artillery he
can also call up batteries by wireless and have
them train their guns on the infantry so assem-
bIed. Hence, 1t is absolutely necessary that every
hostile machine on side OF the lines, every
enemy machine In the air at all, shall be brought
down whenever and wherever possible. Only
BY this means can we save our own men on the
ground.
With the aIrman came the air-gunner. In 1911