Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1918-07-04

VI B'"DdbiS Two HunQfeu miles al
hour, shooting all the time as fast al
possible. Their only chance lay IL
the possibility that the force of my
drive might break my wings. / knew
my danger in that direction, but as
soon as | came out of my dive the
Huns would have their chance to get
me, and knew l had to get them first
and take chance on my wings hold
ing out.
Fortunately some of my first bullets
found their mark, and 1 was able to
come out of my dive at about four
thousand feet. They never came out
of theirs!
But right then came the hottest sit
uation in the air l had ever expert
enced up to that time. The depth of
my dive had brought me within reach
of the machine guns from the ground,
and they also put barrage around me
of shrapnel from antiaircraft guns
and l had an opportunity to "ride the
barrage," as they call it in the r. F. G.
To make the situation more interest
ing, they began shooting Flaming on
ions" at me. "Flaming onions are
rockets shot from a rocket gun. They
are used to hit machine when it is
flying low, and they are effective up
to about five thousand feet Some
times they are shot up one after an
other in strings of about eight, and
they are one of the hardest things to
go through. If they hit the machine,
it is bound to catch fire and then the
jig is up.
All the time, too, 1 was being at !
tackled by "Archie"-the antiaircraft
gun. 1 escaped the machine guns and
the Flaming onions" but "Archie," the
antiaIEGraft fire, got me four or five |
times. Every time a bullet plugged /.
me, or rather my machine, it made
loud bang on account of the tension
on the material covering the wings.
None of their shots hurt me until
l was about mile from our lines, and
then they hit my motor. Fortunately,
l still had altitude enough to drift on
to our own side of the lines, for my
motor was completely out of commits
sion. They just raised the dickens
with me all the time 1 was descend
ing, and l began to think 1 would
strike the ground before crossing the
line, but there was a slight wind in
my favor, and it carried me two miles
behind our lines. There the balloons
I had gone out to get had the satisfac- '
tion of "pin-pointing" me. Through ;
the directions which they were able to |
give to their artillery they commenced
Smelling my machine where it lay.
This particular work is to direct the {
fire of their artillery, and they are I
used just as the artillery observation t
airplanes are. Usually two men are L
stationed in each balloon. They ascend /
to height of several thousand feet S
about five miles behind their own lines Il
and are equipped with wireless and a
signaling apparatus. They watch the +
BURST of their own artillery, check up
he position, get the range, and direct G
he next shot. fl
When conditions are favorable they ii
ire able to direct the shots so accu- u
ately that it is quick work destroying a
he object of their attack. 1t was such a
! balloon as this that got my position, c.
marked me out, called for an artillery
hot, and they commenced Smelling my al
machine where 1t lay. If / had got CT
he two balloons instead of the air N
lane, l probably would not have lost
ny machine, for he would in all proba- fl,
ility have gone on home and not both III
red about getting my range and caus w
lg the destruction of my machine. tn
l landed in a part of the country w
nat was literally covered with shell in
oles. Fortunately my machine was hi
OF badly damaged by the forced land WI
lg. leisurely got out, walked around tn
to see what the damage was, and
)ncluded that it could be easily re- to
aired. In fact, thought If 1 could he
nd a space long enough between shell lo'
oles to get a start before leaving the
round that would be able to fly on in
'om there. m;
/ was still examining my plane and on
the matter of a few slight WI
pairs, without any particular thought fol
n my own safety in that unprotected fu
,ot, when a shell came whizzing rig
rough the air, knocked me to the ale
ound and landed few feet away. th'
had no sooner struck than 1 made
run for cover and crawled into a cal
ell hole. would have liked to get ito
rther away, but didn't know where bee
e next shell would burst, and I ing
ought 1 was fairly safe there, so 1 str
uatted down and let them blaze pa:
1ay.
The only damage I suffered was
1m the mud which splattered up in
Y face and over my clothes. That
is my introduction to a shell hole,
d / resolved right there that the in
ntry c6Hld have all the shell-hole
hting they wanted, but it did not
peal to me, though they live in them E
rough many long night and had
ly sought shelter there for q few
nutes. @