The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1918-05-19
WHOLE SHOW
Allied Planes Are il
Lead Again in Spec
tacular Air Battles.
BRITISH WIN RAIDS
Austria Submits Her
Own Military Plans to
Those Of Prussian
Militarists.
BRITISH WIN RAIDS

London. Nav fS.--Aviation was
again the whole show In thu
west during the last twenty four
hours. Again the allied planes.
up I'm great focks. sent n LARGE
number of German machines
crashing earthward or "wtnvedr
them 80 badly they tunbIed down
out of control.
The British carried ont a con.
pie Of successful raids cue south
Of Albert. the other below HUI.
1uch. Otherwise there was no
infantry action Of consequence.
Heavy gun dueis ragged all night
and day. how~ve-. and toni~ht's
report from Field Marshal Hatr
records an increase In the Krupvs@s
activity this morning around VII
1ers Rretonneux. nine r,iies enU
OF Amiens. the first place the
fserInans will have to take " they
mean to renew their frontal drive
on the big base
From Bucharest. via Zurich I'LL
came late tonight the news That's
GERMANY and Austria Hungary
have unified their co..-rand IN
that theater Of wnr. This means.
IL now the central mowers rcn-
cr"lissimo. hoId'n~ the .ame M
s'tion In the foes caysen that
Foch holds with the allies. It
r,esns further. observers think
that Austria has been obliged to
subordinate her own military am.
hftions and plans to those Of her
siiv. thus placing her armed
forte< I'm German hnnds che
did long since with her political
rnd economic fortunes.
From r. military standpoint the
news Is not overim portant since the
agreement merely confirms In a for
NAL way what has long since been In
existence, except that appearances
have kent up and thA Austrian stats
was at least nominally in control Of
its army's destinies
A hot sun is drying the roads IN
the west. making the movement Of
heavy guns increasingly easily. The
weather even includes the morning
mists which are Ludendorff's new pet
opening for an offensive.
There is considerable curiosity
everywhere as to WHY the revival bat :
tie is so long DELAYED. The Berlincr
Tageblatt admits Germany has been
obliged to call up the 1920 class and
all other reserves before starting the
new offensive.
Americans Down Two Planes III
With American Army in France,
May ls.--Our aviators reported today
that they had shot down two more
hoche airplanes northwest of Toul this
morning. Late yesterday afternoon
a boche flyer was brought down BY
CAPTAIN Peterson
Captafn Charles T Riddle ~ AudaI,s.
STA, Pa, member of the Lafayette Es4
cadriile. is reported missing He la
the second Biddle to be lost to the
American aviation corps. the other be-
ing Julian C. Biddle. of Philadelphia.
who was killed recently.
Eddie Rickenbacher's second air vie.
tory yesterday morning may put an
end to the early rising habits OF this
German aviators opposite our sectors
northwest of Toul.
For several mornings the German
nyers had been taking advantage. ct
the exceptionally fine weather. leav-
ing the ground promptly at daybreak
and patrolling our lines. Yesterday
morning the famous former automohilA
driver and several of his comrades arr
rived at our hangers before daylight
ready TO nunish the enemy,
Promptly at dayhreak Rickvnbach~r
went roaring off toward the lines n
response to the alert" signal HA
spied three German machines at An
altitude of 5000 meters, about thre4
kilor- tiers tneariy two milesl behind
the German line. Two enemy planes
were skimmng along together and tha
other was slight distance away.
The American singled out the tone
German lver. climbing above him This
enemy pilot began slowly beating
SLOWLY downward WREN one OF his twa
comrades darted to his aid. The Sec
ond German machine attemnted to get
on Rickenbacher's tail by the familiar
trick of going In under the Amert-
can. then dartinv inward In a sort *
loon the loon. He came rushing down
at Rickenbacher with his y1achtne gss1
pouring lead But he n,sjudeed ~
distance and on the upturn collidkM
with the Americans left wing.
The German machines tail was ccYnS
rletely torn of by the collision aa4
Rickenhacher's left wing was badt(
damaged. Rickenhacher dropping y
thousand meters b~tnre regatrine rnNx
troll Of his plane. The German atartAd
nose dive and fell to within sAA NJ.
tiers Of the ground when he suddenly!
hattened out when last seen M wA3
doing a sharp dive earthward behtnA
some woods. II Is certain he crAsh<9
to the ground. though possibly the pil&t
escaped with injuries, III