Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-09-29
OBSERVERS OFTEN CRAWL
OUT ON A|RPLANE WINGS
British Airmen Stop Up Bullet Holes
In Petrol Tanks With Fingers
or iiandkerchiefs.
CRASH MANY NIGHT BoNBERs
Planes Of German Machines Break
OF in Air During Fight, Indicating
Faulty Materials Used in Con
strucuon.
INV Associo,cd Prcss.l

-! NssoSieNcu tTtSS.J
WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN
FRANCE. September .+.-Amazing feats
by British airmen during the recent
nghtinE may now be mentioned. After
driving down in flames one OF two
enemy two-teaters, a British scout had
engine trouble. which compelled him
TO spin down. AS the machine touched
the ground German fired his pistol
at the pilot from fifteen yards. pune
turing tho gasoline tank. AT that mo-
ment, the engine picked up sufficiently
10 carry the pilot to the rear OF the
british lines. where he was forced to
come down again. Being under heavy
nre he removed the gun locks and
sights and all his instruments before
abandoning his machine. which could
not be saved.
a pilot and observer returning in
fell behind their formation because Of
engine trouble and were attacked by
Fokkers. The elevator controls were
server WAS badly wounded. but he con-
f rni,s to fight and shot down one
rocker IN flames and saw another
BY this time all the gasoline tanks
had been shot through, and the engine
hit In several places. An the instru-
oy enemy bullets Both rear guns were
3ammed and the observer was bleeding
badly. The pilot succeeded in getting
through cloud and reached the Brit
ish lines. The gallant observer was
found to have been wounded ten times.
airplanes lone British scout spun
downward. but on the way saw only
one. OF the enemy was following him.
Just above grove Of trees and caught
the enemy machine crossing In front of
him and shot 1t to tho earth, where
1t burst into flames
There are many stories. too, OF how
British airmen swooped back. and
forth over the German batteries play
ing their guns on the enemy until these
report winds UP by saying that Il scout
machine later crossed Il battery posi-
lion several times. put was not fired
on. all the gunncrs apparently having
Such tactics as these aided materially
IN making the recent British Victories
nm enemy sausage. dived and finished
OH Two German sentry planes. then fired
Sau,ed do@n ana a %hSh oG W
bombs sQuarely on the winch used in
raising and lowering the balloon.
There were many instances where
the observer crawlcd out on the wings
and stopped bullet holes In the gas
tanks with his fingers, n handkerchief
or glove. One machine had It's star
board ton and bottom planes broken
by antiaircraft fire. The observer
leaned over the side OF the fusilage,
holding n machine gun In his hands,
enabled the airplane to land safely,
although all tho controls except the
elevator were useless.
Another machine had its gas tank
punctured by a bullet and the pilot was
wounded in the leg. The fusilage burst
into flames but the observer KEEP, the
FIRE under control from Il great altitude
with small extinguisher until the
machine WAS brought to earth. where It
-blazed up, tho observer rescuing tho
wounded pilot just in time to save his
life.
There is an Increasing number of
cases in which British pilots have at
tackled enemy night bombers caught in
searchllght beams In every case re-
ported the enemy has been shot down.
During one fight we'll inside the Ger
man lines the pilot was wounded badly,
but the observer from the rear seat
leaned over and with his right hand
helped TO bring the machine safely
back, while with his left he fired occa-
sional bursts from his machine gun at
the pursuing enemy planes.
. Many times the wings OF German
planes have broken on in the mir during
a fight. indicating the faulty material
which the Germans now are forced TO
use in the construction OF their ma