The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1918-08-03
OVER THE HUNS
LINES; HIGH UP

British Air Forces in France, Aug.
I2.-Brains and quickness of thought
are as necessary to the airman as
pluck, endurance and physical skill in
aerial maneuvers. The English pilot
of single-seater fighter of the latest
type, while cruising well over the Ger
man lines the other day, saw below
him three slow, old-fashioned enemy
machines steadily flying westward, as
though to- cross the line into British
territory.
Unfortunately, the Germans were
too far off to be attacked successfully,
and the British pilot figured that if
they realized his presence they would
fly for home and safety long before
he could get within range. He there
fore flew up into the clouds and then
turned in the direction in which the
enemy machines were moving.
Judging his time, he pushed the
nose of his machine downward, dived
out of the clouds to the Germans be-
meath, and, when close enough to be
fairly sure of his mark, pressed the
trigger of his gun A stream Of lead
lplayed about the German machines.
None of them returned his fire.
Once before the pilot had heard of
a similar occurrence. This flashed
through his mind, and pulling back
the control lever, he scared up again
into the clouds. He was only just in
time, for as he vanished into the va
por three enemy scouts appeared. The
slow machines were the bait and the
British airplane was the expected
prey, for its pilot was well-known and
feared by the Germans in that part
of the line.
Once he knew that the odds were
against him, he no longer hesitated.
Down once more out of the clouds he
icame, straight at the nearest scout A
short burst from his machine gun and
the hostile machine wavered, then
slowly fell into a spin, hurtling down
wards and crashing far below.
The odds were still five to one.
True, three of the enemy machines
were slow and old-fashioned, and TAX
en- alone might have been accounted
for one by one, but the addition of two
fast-fying scouts manuevered by skill
full pilots gave the matter a differ
ent aspect. The British pilot did not
wait, but no sooner had one machine
fallen than he few at the next, bank
ing, looming, sideslipping, ever try
ing to reach the vulnerable spot in the
enemy armor. All the time the sec
ond scout was trying to secure a fa-
vorable position to fire at the attack
err and the old three seatrs, were firing
long-range bursts as opportunity af-
forded.
For some minutes this competition
for position continued, each party fir
! ing short busts without definite re-
suits. Then suddenly the deciding
factor arrived.
Out of the sky doomed two-seater
British fighter of the latest type It
was proceeding on a special errand.
Before the Germans had realized his
arrival the new pilot steered his ma
chine into the midst of the fight. A
long burst from his rear gun caused
one of the Germans to stagger in its
fight, then drop its nose and leave
the combat. Evidently the pilot had
been hit. Then together the two Brit
lish machines charged the Germans. A
lshort skirmish ensued before the enc
my decided that discretion was the
better part Of valor, and put their ma
chimes into spins to evade their adver-
saries' fire in. the low attitudes close
to earth where the anti-aircraft bat
teries would protect them.