Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1918-08-07
AMERICAS FIRST AERIAL VICTORY
WILDLY REC0UNTED BY ITS HERO
Lieutenant WnsoW Writes in His Diary Graphic Story Describing
His Exploit and That of Lieutenant CampbeI-GWen
to Public by War Department Because of
Its Historical Value.

scrawny, poorly clad little devil.
dressed in Il rotten German uniform
1t was the Boche pilot Of the machine
/ had shot down. Needless to say, ]
felt rather naughty to come face to
face with my victim, now a prisoner,
but did not know what to say. 1t
seems lac would not believe that an
American officer had brought him
down. lie looked me all over, and
then asked me in good French if l was
an American. When ! answered, Yes
he had no more to say.
There was u huge crowd around
the wrecked plane, and the first man
/ ran into was our majUr-thc com
handing oflicer-and he was the hap
piest man in the world outside of me
ana Doug. i French and an American
general blew up in n limousine to
congratulate Us-colOnels, majors, all
the pilots, all the French officers,
mechanics, everybody in the town and
camp. All had seen the fight. One
woman, an innkeeper, told me she
could sleep well from now on, and held
up her baby for me TO kiss l looked
at the baby and then felt grateful to
my major, who pulled me away in the
nick of time.
Splendid Souvenirs.
81 had my mechanics take off every
thing available TIE machine was a
wreck, but l got some splendid SOU
vcuirs. The big black German crosses
from tie wings, his rudder, pieces of
canvas with holes from my bullets in
them, all his spark plugs, compass,
aitimeter, his clumsy signal revolver,
etc; it is 81 great collection.
Doug had set his BOCLc machine
on fire at 800 meters and it had fallen
in fumes, rolling over three times, and
then completely burning up. There
remained but Z chaTr2d WreckGge, like
the sacrifice of some huge animal The
BOChe pilot had been thrown out and
was badly off. Ills face, hands, feet,
noStrilS and lungs We're ali burned,
While his leg was broken. lie is now
in hospital and my Boche is probably
commencing his job of ditch digging
for the rest of the war.
ga Guerre est Fini Pour Moi"
"Thcy got much valuable informa-
ton from my man; the other couldn't
speak. lie was Il Pole; said he was
not an officer because he was a Pole,
although he had been an 'aspirant and
a pilot at the front for two years. He
said to me, with Il sort of sigh of re-
lief, throwing UP his hands at the same
time, 'Alors, Ii guerre est 1ni pour
mol
That afternoon my wrecked Doche
plane and the charred result OF DOug's
good work were exhibited in the pub
lie square Of the town, surrounded by
an armed guard and overlooked by a
French military band. 1t also was a
great day for the townspeoplc, and has
Lad q good moral effect. You can i'm.
agine it when you realize it took place
above their rooftOps, at only 800 me-
ters, and that they were able to see
the whole fight. The Americans are
indeed welcome in the town now, and
Doug and / can buy almost anything
half price. ,,S
GroundIing's Ear Punctured.
IAN amusing incident was thiS-the
fight was so near the earth that bull
lets were flying dangerously all about
the ground. No one was hurt save u
French worker in the field, who re-
ceived hole through his ear from one
Of my bullets and is very proud Of it."
Two days later the two aviators
were decorated by the French with
the Croix de Guerre with q palm, and
later were mentioned in general orders
and proposed for the American Dis
tinguished Service Cross.