The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-11-08

lost The late afternoon sun made the
visibility very poor anyway and to
avoid getting over into German or
Swiss territory we kept getting farther
and farther to the west Finally Just
before dark | had motor trouble and
signalled that ! had got to land where
ever We might be- So / cut my motor
and started down 10 a field that we
had Kept in view for some time and
seemed the logical place to drop on as
the surrounding country was rough,
woody and billy withsh he Vosges noun
taius a little ahead and to the right
We were up about 100 meters and al
though my engine failed me entirely
on the way down we had no trouble in
hitting the field, which we found was
a combined French and American avia-
tioH camp (L.) and one of the biggest
in the region. Of course we knew it
was an aviation field by all the hangers
around the edge Must stop for din
ucr now and also TO read your letter
of Sept. 9th just i'm.
But to go back to our cross-country
trip: Well, we spent the night there
and the next morning | started out
alone for our destination with Leach
still with me. This destination was
the big town that We visited twice
before recently and written of to YOU
right close up to the front. We got
there all right in 90 minutes but had
30 watch out close for Bochc planes
that werc very active that day and
over rs all the time. OF course we
kept low, not over 500 metres, while
Boche seldom darcS to come down
below 5000 unless in a large formation.
We wcrCu I bothered any, however, al
though we could see the barrage up
above us and all kinds of planes around
but practically all French.
We landed on a big French flying
field and got a fine reception as we al
WAYS Go and then were taken down to
the town i'm one of their cars. We in
tended to come back that afternoon, but
the hour 5 change Of time misled us and
when we all four got TO the field we
found il too dark to attempt it, So l
took Leach up in the air and we went
through all the acrobatics we had time
for although of course the French are
used to everything in that nature, and
then some.
We did some tight spiraIing, re-
ycrsomeuts, nose diving and ''zoom-
ing, meaning a steep dive almost 10
the ground and then pulling up almost
vertically Just short of going clear over
and doing 4 loop. Loops are obsolete
over here and / don believe 1 We
seen dozen of them since / We been
flying. '..
Anyway, we started back Monday be-
fore noon on fine but rather windy
day and to get up where the air was
better kept climbing for q good many
minutes until wc got up to about 5000
feet il was much safer there any
way as the ground We flew over Yves
an mountains and deep valleys and in
ease of motor trouble YOU need q wide
cxpause of country to select landing
ground from.
From that height l could have glidcd
down to amy spot within a radius Of
- miles in any direction and although
above some loose clouds We could orient
ourselves without trouble. We had the
whole chain of Alps on our left all the
way anyway and got back TO camp in
time for lunch.
1t looks very possible now that the
war may end suddcnlv-and what then
for me- j II know pretty well what
/ m going 10 10, long before there is
any chance of getting back, even if it
is organizing an aviation service in
South America, or something. Too many
casualties in this branch Of Pcrshing s
army. through no fault of the pilots but
| due TO sad reasons that viii be known
/ publicly sometime. Recent killed are
/ Rhinelaudu, Manchester and Goodale,
all Of whom are in group photos / we
sent home from time TO time. Only
/ five pilots left out OF II who were in
my barracks ~ Tours in February.
Don I let this worry YOU amy more than
YOU would anyway, but it gets me mad
when hear Of things,