The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-10
A NARROW ESCAPE.
American Flyer Had Lost One
Wing in Fight.
German Was After Him and
About To Get Him.
HELP CAME UP JUST IN TIME
The BOche Was Hit and
Crashed to Ground.
Then Crippled Plane Had An
other Close Call.
HELP CAME UP JUST IN TINE


With the American Airmen in
France, July 10 (by il).-'9rhere
was one day in the history Of the
gimper squadron we'll never forget,
especially Jimmie Meissner, one of the
best gimpers. It-was Jimmie Meiss-
ner day, I guess, and If he wasn't
scared to death it's because Jimmie
doesn't know how to be scared"
Lieut.. Eddie Rickenbacker figured
prominently in Jimmie Meissner day
as he saved Meissner's life twice in
side an hour. Hence he is qualified to
tell the story.
Jimmie and were out waiting for
some home coming English bombers,"
separated somehow. The Englishmen
came along all right and 1 spotted
them first Then I saw a squadron of
German planes harassing the English
men.
Saw an American in Danger.
Il dove off toward the flock of Ger
man planes and just as I began to
pique on one of them 1 noticed an
American plane diving on one German
with three more Germans diving on
him I could see he was in danger by
the stream of bullets which passed on
all sides of him.
$50 1 piqued on the most danger
Gus bOche and got him. but as ] did
so I saw the American plane fall, ap.
parently out of control. for it was one
of the best leaf falls have ever seen.
You can't stop when something
goes down. so began flying for alti-
tude. 1 felt like piquing on some Hun
after seeing the American plane drop.
Had One Wing Off.
Il was feeling pretty sore when I
saw an American plane with one wing
torn off struggling toward home He
har 90
losing speed all the time, as well as
getting lower and lower. It was a
pathetic sight to see a gimper in such
a fix and be unable to help him.
I went up near and waved my hand
TO encourage the gimper and he
waved back. Then 1 looked around
and saw German biplane bearing
down on the damaged American ma
chine, which was going slower and
slower and could not go any way out
of a Decline for home. other than
down. Down would have been N
Germany.
so 1 maneuverd for position and
got it. Just as 1 let the German have
it he opened fire on the American.
who was Jimmie. and 1 could see by
the stream of bullets that the German
was going to get Jimmie if didn't
get him
Got the German.
Fortunately, 1 did, and he went
era ASKING to the ground, leaving Jim
mic struggling along, always lower
and lower and with a regular cloud Of
black German archie puffs all about
him. 1 lowered and did some loops
and turns over the German gunners'
heads. The ruse insulted them and
they turned most of their arches my
way, which did no harm since l had
plenty of speed and was in little dan
ger. But it saved Jimmie, who was
now going terribly slow, and the fact
that Germans are so easily insulted
helped a lot.
Just as Jimmie was crossing the
lines. 1 noticed another American
imagine why he would pique on a
gimper who was in such a bad plight
and I made effort to attract his at
tention.
Nearly Got Own Man.
u Later we learned this gimper was
a man from the squadron. He saw
Jimmie with one wing torn of and
tn ought he was a German. He wa:
just about to let Jimmie have it wher
he noticed the coquards on Jimmie'f
tail. So Jimmie had another Close
squeak that day.
I'VE all got back all right--Jimmie
by nothing short of a miraele--and
felt lot better about it. We didn't
straighten the story out for severa
days, when by an accidental bit OF
gossip at the table learned the boch,
I first piqued on that day was the I
which was after Jimmie. The Ameri
can plane which went down out Of
control also turned out to be Jimmie
who was doing a falling stunt to fos
the Germans. 1t was a pretty piect
of work, for I surely gave the plane
up for good. He had flattened ou
near the ground, come up for altitude
got in a fight, collided with a German
who crashed and was struggling home
when I ran across him the secont