Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-03-16
IMMATURE ALMANAC.

- - ..
sun rises. .6:l7 Evening 49,. s:53
them carefully noted for our gunners'
Information.
The buildings behind the encmyS
lines were crumbling and s!o;-torn-
the same those behind own
lines. and the roads began again from
nothing. assuming shape and form and
developing into fine highways "a little
way further in.
PuFFs OF WHITE: SMOKE
SHOW ENEMY'S FIRE
Iuns Of whit. smoke showed that
our machine was being hred a; by high
angle antiaii raj, guns. hut we were
not hit. We continued inward not
strai light ali 'ad. bu obliquely. 50 We
could vccr and double back the mo-
ment hostile lighting planes appeared
We couple or German two
scatter observing machines regulating
German artillery fire. They were about
our level. but they minded their own
business, and VIC paid no attention to
them.
Gazing ear,hward saw shells
coushcd up from the throats Of Amer
lean guns far behind saw them plum
into the cncmys position. burst. and
throw up clouds OF black and brown
dirt and smoke
Once, when we were furthcs, inside
tho enemy lines looked back toward
ihc German front line and saw several
flashes which I afterwards learned
were from trench mortars th-owin.
. over Aging pigs toward the Amer
lean lines. In all that journey ] had
not seen a single moving human being.
even through my glasses. despite the
; fact that the subtcrrancan positions
beneath tccmcd with armies Of nght-
: ing men. And in all advanced posi-
,ioaS on both sides | did not sec a
single moving vehicle, although far or
back Of The German lines I did see
dust clouds thrown up by conveys on
the move. We turned slightly, fitting
stccDly On one wind--and scared homo
ward. The pilot s;gnaled to me TO
/ look down. Staring through the floor
glass | saw another French machine.
much lower than Wa were. Almost a
the same time dull thud penetrated
, tho terrific noise OF the whirlinc mo-
tor. and the pilot motioned me again.
II saw duffy. white cloudlct Of anti
aircraft shrapnci-enemy gunners were
trying 10 lay the range OF our COM
rade beneath
INAuDIBLt: THuOS FOLLOWED
ny FLUFFY SHRAPNEL
There we're dozen almost inaudible
thuds, and | saw string of these
fuzzy shrapnel cloudiets hanging in
the mir along the pathway the French
machine below had been taking. But
he was far away-lle ''wingslipDcd."
turned and escaped entirely. Although
We were less than 5000 feet up in
/ this region. the enemy antiaircraft gun
ncrs did not choose us for a target.
and we recrossed mo mans land"
Again passing over the American bat
terry positions | saw ominous flashes
from the sun brooches, but did not
hear a shot fred and did not hear Il
shell whistlimg through the air.
We retraccd our way, apparently
no; moving. and fighting in the teeth
OF hewlng wind while the terrain
below slipped by imperceptibly. We
passed over an American observation
balloon and finally reached the avia-
! ton field. alighting at eighty miles
an hour.
looked at my watch. we had been
gone thtriy-ire minutes. but it seemed
ages. because of the persistent idea
''"' w i'au DccH Dat'ilnS against Il
headon gale cont nually.
Did you see that German single
scatter above us just before we turned
back" asked the sublieutcnant pilot.
hopping from his seat
II think lie saw we did not have a
! machine gun. and thought us easy
| prey. as he was on his way home and
then turned and chased us n little way.
. Otherwise | would have taken YOU
over TO another sector and shown YOU
the German post ions there with the
big guns mounted"