The Washington herald., 1918-03-19
BY HENRY 6. WALES,
stan Correspondent of the L. N.

stan Correspondent of the 1. N. 8.
With the American Army in France,
March L (delayed.-I have been two
miles inside the German lines today
at a height of $500 feet.
1 flew over the American lines on
the Toul front, crossed No Mans
Land and penetrated as far as the
enemy's second lines defenses.
1 saw some destruction inflicted by
bursts of gunfire by the American
batteries during the last forty-eight
hours, and even while over the Ger
man positions saw American shells
drop there silently. then explode
dustily. sending up an upheaval OF
brown dirt mixed with smoke.
Wins First Honor.
1 made the flight, which is the first
made by a civiIian-newspaper CORE
spondents or otherwise-over the
actual fighting lines since the outbreak
of the war, in one OF the English two
scatter observation biplanes used by
American observers regulating the
American artillery fire.
The machine was piloted by a French
sub-lieutenant, who usually takes up
American observers. The only differ-
ence was that the twin machine guns
were not emplaced for my trip as they
are when a combination of observer
and machine gunners goes up.
II was just after o'clock suntime
and the weather was excellent and
clear for observation purposes. The
mechanician strapped me to the bucket
seat deep down in the fuselage so that
just my head showed. and 1 looked
squarely at the pilots Uranium just
showing in front Of me.
MIIe-a-MInute Gait.
We raced down the field and picked
up a mile a minute gait, then rose
softly. The first 1 knew was that the
hangers and buildings were dropping
below. We circled over the field 8
while, banking steeply on turns sc
to make height, as the field is very
near the front and an airplane must
be high to cross the lines, other
wise it is dangerous business.
Mounting to 5000 feet, we started
toward the front, traversing roads
and villages I knew well from pass
ing through them daily in the CORE
spondent's automobile. iAs we gained
height and gathered speed, the latter
now two miles a minute, the wind
pressure became greater and II
seemed as though we were standing
stock still.
Gazing through the glass floor
plates at the objects on the earth
it seemed as IL we were barely creep
ing along, just making headaway
against some raging gale, though in
reality there was scarcely any breeze
But gradually we passed landmark
after landmark knew. and realized
we were really moving fast.
Sees French Plane.
Then, far to the right, I saw an
other French airplane at about the
same level, also apparently station.
airy, although in reality moving as
fast as we were. We were so far
above the earth's surface, one lost
all sense of movement except that
the air was rushing past, filling the
lungs with great gasps Of oxygen.
Scrutinizing the landscape below,
passed the rearmost army zone
which Is out Of danger except from
long range guns. Then gradually
the war zone crept in, almost i'm
perceptibly.
The first thing I noticed was the
tell-tale shadows invariably cast even
by the most skilfully arranged camou-
kage.
Then noticed how mere man-made
camoudage can't copy nature exactly.
no matter how hard the effort All
through this zone were defensive po-
sitions such as exist along the en-
tire front, on both sides of the line.
Soon, however, I saw the commence
ment Of the communication trenches.
Then, instead Of villages, saw
merely clumps Of ruined, shell-torn
houses, the result Of forty-two months
of intermittent artillery fire.
Always, however, the wonderful
French highways stretched clear and
clean-cut, ribbon-like, under the eye,
so could tell exactly where was by
their confguration from the pilots
map carried.
In No Mans Land.
And it was the roads that showed
first when we approached the actual
fighting gone. There the roads widen.
ed and lost their perceptibility-va
ished> like ribbons fraying tiny strands
at the end.
Thoroughfares gradually lost them.
selves in a wide, bare strip Of yellow
ish, brown. marking No Mans Land
between the opposing trenches. -,
Through powerful binoculars I look.
ed down upon a maze Of American
trenches INTERVENING and interlock.
ing. seated a considerable depth in the
earth, behind tiny, hair-like line that
marked the advanced firing trenches.
Then I could dimly make out,
-khrolfxh- the lenses liftlA evar- rows