Arizona republican., 1918-06-12
HUN BATTLES HUN
 IN AIR WHILE HIS
 ENEMIES LOOK ON

WITH THE BRITISH ARMY IN FRANCE, June 11.-This is the story Of battle royal waged in the air between two flights of German planes. It was an unintentional, but disas- trous fight between brother aviators, during which British pilots joyfully and impartially rendered assistance first to the one side, then to the other. until so many of the emperor's flyers had been destroyed or damaged that the conflict could not continue.
 It was on June that this extra ordinary engagement occurred and il began thus: Two British officers in a fighting machine were leading a patrol along the lines, when they sighted a German Halberstadt two scatter which on their appearance fired green signal light. The Brit ish leaders expected trap. and waited 10 see what this unusual per formance meant.
 Green Light for Assistance
 In short time six German scouts came wheeling out of the blue and joined the Halberstadt. Almost at once six other enemy scouts dived out of the sun onto their comrades whom they apparently mistoOk for British patrol about to attack the Halberstadt
 What had happened was this: The Halberstadt had been acting as a decoy and the green light had been meant as a signal for assistance. But there had been no expectation that two flights of German planes would respond at the same time.
 Not being able to distinguish the ma arkings of their friends-and this has happened not infrequently before the newcomers immediately began a furious attack upon them. The Brit ish leaders then guided their patrol into this mad melee and took hand.
 Huns in Own Trap
 The Halberstadt was the first Nic- tim and this was shot down by the British commanding machine. An other British fighter in the meantime had accounted for two more enemy scouts. which were sent swirllng to destruction below.
 All this time, the German aircraft were continuing their bitter battle among themselves and several or them were seen to do down out of control before the engagement finally ended. The British leaders, by their good judgment. had led the Huns into their own trap.
 This undoubtedly was a unique oc- currence. but there are always plenty of thrilling incidents happening Tn the air these days. Take for instance the case of a British patrol of about eight battle planes which fought and van quished some forty enenmy craft few days ago. This British patrol. un- der command of captain, was escort 1ro score enemy machines were encount- cred. The British fighters and the enemy immediately raced in for the attack.
 Four German Planes Fall
 Within a few seconds a fierce fight was in progress and the great fleet of nearly half a hundred airships were swirling and diving madly against one another while their machine guns joined in the vicious chorus that swept down to the troops on the ground like the noise from scores of steam trip hammers.
 The British out -maneuvered and out-fought the enemy, and many of the Germans were sent spinning away. Whether they were merely frightened, or were out of control, it was impos- sible to say, but at the conclusion of the fight four German machines lay in crumpled masses on the earth, and another had gone down in flames.
 Almost daily one hears of experi- ences in which airmen have fought a magnificent battle against heartbreak- ing odds Such was the case of a pilot and observer, who while flying in a battleplane, were cut off from their patrol and were attacked by four enemy machines.
 Observer Shot and Killed
 The British pilot fired two hundred rounds into one of the hostile planes which was seen to crash. His observer also got in a good burst of fire at an- other German at close range with q similar result. That left two of the enemy and they were joined by a third scouting machine, which began firing al the British plane from above. The observer was shot and killed.
 The pilot spun his machine down tC a height of two thousand feet with the scout still on his tail. At that height the British aviator turned and at tackled the German so fiercely that the latter was driven off. The British pilot then succeeded in getting his ma chine 10 his own lines, with his dead comrade strapped in the seat.
 The other night British flyer brought down an enemy bombing ma chine, by the aid of searchlights oper- ating from the ground. Night fighting is supreme dangerous thing. which is seldom practiced. and the corre- spondent can recall no other case of ar enemy plane being shot down along the front under similar conditions since the war began, although the defenders of London have accomplished this.
 German Blinded by Light
 The British aviator in question was member of patrol and saw Hun plane which had been picked up by a searchlight. The Briton climbed to- ward the enemy-the operators of the searchlight meanwhile keeping the Ger man carefully covered while the Brit ish machine was left in darkness. The German was blinded by the brilliant glare and the attacking plane got with in 25 yards before it opened fire.
 At this distance he poured a stream rocked about in distress a moment and then dropped. As it fell, flames broke out and it shot across the night sky like great meteor.
 Rights Plane in Fall
 Collisions in the air have passed the stage of novelty but they still are rare enough to excite comment even among the flyers. A few days ago a British and a German machine crashed into each other during d fight, and the German was entirely destroyed. The British pilot had dived down unto a formation of enemy scouts and after shooting oue out of control turned tc attack another. which was on his tail He manuevered until he succeeded, ir turn. in getting on the enemy's tail and firing at it at close range. The enemy turned to the left and then sharply tc the right, causing the British machine to collide with it.
 The ton of the German plane was