The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-08-12
new men SCARED
First Flight Over Lines Too
Much for Them.
One Hit for Home When the
"Archies" Cut Loose.
SAID HE HAD SHELL SHOCK
Another, Frightened, Flew
Clear o Switzerland.
He Thought His Own Patrol
Were Germans.
Copyright. 1918. by the United Press.'

(COpyr1g1t, hS1S, Dy the OH4Ieu EEeSSJ
With the American Army in France,
July 10 (by mail) Showing the new
flyers around before they become
gimpers is one great outdoor sport
among the gimpers of the hat-in-the-
ring squadron" according to Eddie
Rickenbacker, all-Amerfcan trained
ace, and former speed king in the au-
tomobfle racing world.
You never forget that first trip
over the lines and it takes a good man
to stick by an experienced gimper."
he continued. Usually we just take
the boys over and go up and down the
lines few times. OF course the Ger
man arches shoot all the time and the
first time they come near, you feel
like looming it off for home.
The "Archies" Are Scary.
"It is not an uncommon thing for
the Germans to waste 500 shots on
one of US during a trip up and down
the sector we cover. So far they have
never seriously injured or bothered
any of the gimpers. But when the
first one you've ever heard explodes
with a grunt near you, it's scary. tho
it may be considerable distance off.
You think it's gone thru your en-
CINE or some vital part.
~ remember one chap we took out,
who has since become used to them.
We were not spotted by the Germans
until we were over nest of arches.
Then they let US have it, dozens of
them on all sides. 1 kept leading the
new man on, until one exploded be-
tween US.
He dived straight down and then
went homeward. When last seen he
was going south full speed. forgetting
all about our formation. The rest of
us went home after finishing the pa
troll but he had not come back. We
began to get worried.
A Case of "ShelI Shock"
Forty-eight hours and no word from
him. Then telephone call came in
from a city about twenty miles Off
saying he was safe and wanted a truck
to come over after his plane, which
was damaged in landing. We asked
him why he had not called up before
and he replied, Well, it took me some
time to get over shell shock We had
good laugh, for he was a comical
chap and the life of the squadron.
Another time another gimper and
1 took up a new man, little chap who
had just come out from school. He
did pretty well, despite the arches,
and we were coming home when he
suddenly niqued on a plane with our
own coquards on the wings.
TT was another of the gimpers. Or
/
on another for fun, it is all right, but
| for a new man to do it, is bad form
| So the gimper who was being piqued
on, said to himself, as he reported to
us later, You youngster, I'll teach you
to pique ON a gimper.'
Gave New Man a Surprise.
HE turned on the new chap who
! and gave him a volley of shots a little
TO one side of the wing. A good shot
| can do that without risking hitting the
machine coming at him.
| IL was surprise to the new man,
| VINO OWED straight groundward, flat
/ tened out and headed due south. I'VE
! wondered where he would stop and
/ heard nothing of him for a day. Then
| a telephone call announced he had
| landed when his gas gave out, Just
this side of Switzerland. His version
of the story was that three boches
where he landed. His scare is one OF
| the squadron stories.
Chums Nearly Got Each Other.
| Another of our real gimpers, when
| he first started, got into duel with q
plane behind our lines. For half an
hour they Unanswered for position
and finally our gimper got it, between
his victim and the sun. He was diving
| and just ready to shoot when he no.
| ticed the American coquards on tho
machine he piqued at. AS he put it
his mouth was watering to let the
boche have it, when he saw it was ar
American. He pulled off and the two
planes came down.
"Once on the ground in an aviation
field, the two fighters looked eacf
other up. Imagine their surprise or
each finding the other an old chun
from the south, where they had beer
schoolboys together. Neither knew
the other was in France, since the!
came from difference aviation camp:
and only Providence, that looks aftel
aviators, prevented their shooting eacl
other"