The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-13

after SAUSACES
A Strafing Party for the Ger
man Balloons.
One Party Flew Low and Held
Huns Attention.
THE OTHER WENT OVER HIGH
Then Dived Down on the Sau-
sage Balloons.
Observers Went Down Quickly
in ParachuteS.

Copyright. 1918, by the United PressJ
With American airmen in France,
July 10 (by maiD "A sausage STRAIT
ing party is about as much fun as
real Hun fight among a bunch of
aviators. Our last one was a decided
success. We followed the plan of scar
ing Heinie to DEATH said Eddie Rick
enbacker, all-American ace and erst-
while automobile racer.
This was an organized strafing
party and was extra on our bill along
the front We did It voluntarily and
for the fun of it. 1t wasn't exactly
work
One Party Went High.
1--WE organized the strafing party
into two groups. One started out
early and got high altitude by flying
back and forth twenty minutes or
more before the second group started.
That first group was the strafing
party. Then the second party went
up and crossed the lines at a low alti-
tude. The Germans were evidently
surprised. Their establishment turned
into Amusement when the low flying
group of Americans began doing stunts
right over the German guns, loops,
side-slips and all safe stunts
The Other Held Huns Attention.
at was as big an insult as the Ger
man mind could stand and they turned
loose with vengeance Black puffs
were all around us, but we kept on
with motors at full speed, diving loop
ing, turning and making them still
madden.
Meantime the group which went up
first crossed the lines at a high alti-
tude, with motors off. gliding along.
They were unnoticed on account of the
racket of the motors of the stunt
group and succeeded in getting posi-
lions above half a dozen balloons be-
fore Heinie was the wiser.
Then They Owed on Balloons.
'Then they Owed, eacIr-s man
straight for a balloon, shooting as he
came. the guns being loaded with in
cendiaries
"Out of every sausage there came
an observer hanging on a parachute
and the machines on the ground fran
tically hauled in the boche sausa ges.
The whole flock of American planes
sped across the lines, having cleaned
the sector of German balloons with
one general dive.
'Heinie won't forget that little sur
prise party for while. 1t wasn't as
dangerous as it sounded. for his guns
are set for high altitude. AS a general
rule the German arches are more to
scare you than to bring you down It
is the shots from an opponent that are
most dangerous.
Machine Gun Fire Worst.
1--WE have become used to having
them pass around us and gimpeF
usually isn't scared by puffs around
him or the explosions, tho machine
gun bullets from a German piquing on
you are no joke.
There is one gimper in the crowd
VINO is the most punished of US all.
lie never fails to draw fire, for some
reason or other. He has rather poor
oversight and can't see the boches in
time. AS a result they're ALWAYS
piquing on him.
"One day he came down with seven
bullet holes in his fuselage and an
| other thru his boot. Another nicked
his ruGder controls. When he landed.
ne Jumped out of his plane and hoped
around like chicken to see what
| damage was done to the plane. think
ing nothing about himself.
More Bullets in Machine.
Just then an alert came in. He
Jumped in his plane in a fifty and
shouted, Let me at 'em. I'll get 'ern.
the sons of bochesl' Then he was off
nome, but not until he had some more
German bullets planted in his ma
chine.
TT takes courage of a special sort
to stand the arches and bullets. Capt
Norman Hall, who is now a prisoner
~ 1Si MANY, was di 1uedI aviator III
this respect. AS the boys say, He
wasn't scared of hell
"He was an idealist thru and thru
and was wounded seriously one time
while flying at the British front, he
concluded that he owed his life to the
fact that the bullet was not incen-
diary.
after that he refused to use in
cendiary bullets. Then the Germans
used them on him and he always took
them out of his belt. He said he new
er wanted to land a boche if he could
not do it fairly One of his favorite
games was doing stunts to make the
arches shoot at him. He maintained
it wasted valuable ammunition, since
it takes thousands of shots to hit
plane