The Lamar register., 1918-06-12

back again.
was ut height of $1,000 feet, con-
Siderably higher than the balloons
Shutting my motor off. | dropped down
through the clouds. thinking to find
the balloons at about five or six miles
behind the German lines.
Just us | came out Of the cloud
banks ! saw below me, about ii thou
sand feet, two-seater hostile ma
chine doing artillery observation and
directing the German guns. This was
ut IA point about four miles behind the
German lines.
Evidently the German artillery saw
me and Put out ground signals 10 at
tract the Hun machines attention. for
l saw the observer quit his work and
grab his gun, while their pilot stuck
the nose of his machine straight
down.
But they were too late TO escape me.
| was diving toward them at speed
of probably two hundred miles an
hour, shooting all the time as fast as
possible Their only chance lay in
the possibility that the force Of my
drive might break my wings knew
my danger in that direction, but ms
soon as / came out Of my dive the
Huns would have their chance to get
me. and knew had TO get them first
and take a chance on my wings hold
ing out.
Fortunately some Of my first bullets
found their mark, and | was able TO
come out of my dive at about four
thousand feet. They never came out
or theirsi
But right then came the hottest sit
uation in the air l had ever expert
enced up to that time. The depth Of
my dive had brought me within reach
of the machine guns from the ground,
and they also put a barrage around me
Of shrapnel from antiaircraft guns
and | had an opportunity to ride the
barrage," as they call ii in the r. F. G.
To make the situFtion more interest
ing. they began shooting FLAMING on
ions" at me. "F'laming onions are
rockets shot from rocket gun. They
are used To hit machine when 1t is
flying low, and they are effective up
to about five thousand feet. Some
times they are shot up one after an
other in strings of about eight, and
they are one of the hardest things to
20 through. II they hit the machine.
it is hound to catch fire and then the
jig is up.
All the time. too, was being at
tucked by "Archie"-the antialrcraft
gun. / escaped the machine guns and
the flaming onions" but Archie" the
antialrcraft fire. got me four or five
times. Every time a bullet plugged
me, or rather my machine. IL made II
loud bang on account of the tension
ON the material covering the wings.
None of their shots hurt me until
| was about mile from our lines. and
then they hit my motor. Fortunately,
| still had altitude enough TO drift on
to our own side of the lines, for my
motor was completely out of commits
sion. They just raised the dickens
with me all the time l was descend
ing. and ] began TO think | would
strike the ground before crossing the
line, but there was slight wind in
my favor. and II carried me two miles
behind our lines. There the balloons
/ had gone out to get had the satlsfnc-
tion of "pin-pointing" me. Through
the directions which they were able to
give to their artillery they commenced
Smelling my machine where 1t lay.
This particular work Is TO direct the
fire of their artillery, and they are
used just as the artillery observation
airplanes are. Usually two men are
stationed In each balloon. They ascend
to a height Of several thousand feet
about five miles behind their own lines
and are equipped with wireless and
signaling apparatus. They wntch the
burst of their own artillery, check up
the position. get the range, and direct
the next shot.
When conditions are favorable they
are able to direct the shots so uccu-
rately that 1t is quick work destroying
the object of their attHck. 1t was such
a balloon as this that got my position,
marked me out called for an artillery
shot, and they commenced Smelling my
machine where It lay. If ! had got
the two balloons instead Of the air
plane, probably would not have lost
my machine, for he would in all proba-
billty have gone on home and not both
cred about getting my range and caus-
ing the destruction Of my machine.
l landed in part of the country
,I,.t moe Ift,r,tT,- cnyprad with sbaII