Evening star., 1918-08-18
THE FIRST PATROL.

NV oAhNo fu0u catu tbS 4VN
dianapolis lad
The lieutenant from Missouri said
nothing. He was lying on his little
cot In the officers ward and speaking
was very difficult for him.
what happened to me was that I
got lost" continued the Indianapolis
aviator. you at least got back. to
your base?'
''Yes." finally replied the Missouri
lad. Il got back all right. but I'll stay
out all night next time rather than
come back that way" =
He spoke in a. strange voice, for
his latest experience had resulted
fortunately In only slight injuries. but
unfortunately in bruised lip. which
made his speech, hardly human. Lieut..
Max o. Perry was the visitor. He 10
the Indianapolis fiier. Before he en-.
tered the game he had been to Now
York and for while was One of the ~
Washington Square Players. His
father Is the automobile manufac- 4
turer. Lieut.. Leroy Prinz was the
patient. His home is st. Joseph. No.,
and he represented a rubber company
in st: Louis and Kansas City before
he took up aviation. 4.
Both aviators have story that has
one point in common-each got sep
arated from his fight commander.
Perry's compass had gone wrong. He
had crossed the line with two sx-
per!cnced hiers and was continuing
on what he thought was the proper
course. enjoying his first real look
into Germany, when the German anti
aircraft battery began to concentrate
on him. He looked about for his
leader and found no one. He turned
back to his home. or in the compass
direction for home. and at more than
100 miles an hour continued into Ger
many. /
He found neither a battle line nor
q familiar sight. He did find German
north, south. east and west Of him.
He was attacked all the time. He
was absolutely lost in the sky \
A sudden thought made him sus-
suspicion and altered his direction.
But four German aeroplanes barred
his way. They got "on his tall and
let's He lodged and dipped. ioopsd
and fell and rose again. and for half
an hour he fought the four and
gained distance. There was never a
happier man in the air than Lieut.
Perry when he saw again the German
and allied trench line stretch out like
rut in road beneath him.
BY this time he was out of gasoline,
so he made the first landing behind
the allied line. a quiet green field near
a hill. He was just congratulating
himself. when s.
There was a whirr overhead, q loud
explosion on the ground near by, and
he found himself and his plane under
German long-range fire.
He found shelter, gained a tele-
phone post and communicated with
his flight recorder. That night q party
of mechanics saved the plane. s
coming separated. but not lost. 1t
was his first patrol. and he thought
he was doing finely, when he beheld
two German albatrosses above him.
Now, no aviator cares to have any
thing above him except the sky-the
ceiling" he calls it-so he turned to
see who would help hin, attack.
There was no one. =.
Prince therefore turned again. and
ran. The one on the left, mean-
while. attacked him. He turned and
attacked the one on the left. It fed,
him. - -,
He flew straight, and the Germans
did not attack.
Prinz saw through their German
strategy. The two were afraid OF
one American machine, but between
them they could keep him from
crossing into allied territory. They
wanted him to land in Germany.
They almost succeeded. After
flying "over half Of France" as
Prinz puts 1t, he succeeded in getting
a machine gun burst" on one Ger.
man, which scared him SO badly that
.Prinz broke through and sailed for
home. 1t Is one of the little irouiee
OF the aviation game that despite
such good luck, Prinz did run out Of
petrol and came down without his
propeller on. He made fair landing.
but hole in the ground capsized
him. His head hit the windshield
and he was taken to hospital.
These are typical stories of first
flights. Experienced aviators never
tire OF laughing over their, early
blunders, and no matter how old a man
becomes at this boys game the thrill
OF first flight over the enemy has been
80 deep that 1t can be and is recalled
many time.
For civilian to hop across an
aviation field usually supplies mar
rative for years. For the fightinr
aviator the calmest thing a first
flight may mean, II no Germans are
encountered. is r. splendid sight of
the battle. the bursting shells in the
field. the blasts from the cannon