The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1918-02-19
BRITISH A|RMEN D
SAVED THE DAY.
Single Machine Fought Back
Hun Drive, Escaping BY g.
e An Actual Miracle

ciated Press)-A stirring story Of how
one daring British aviator, like a guar
dian, angel, held up for whole day
repeated enemy attacks upon a weak
and erumbling British line at Cambria
in the height Of the desperate strug
gle there by using four airplaneS one
after another as they were torn and
crippled by enemy Are, has just come
to light.
II shows that some Of the most dar.
ing and dangerous airPIane work of
the past year has been in the new
feld of attacking enemy infantry from
the air
The Germans we're trying to recover
n portion Of the lost Hindcnburg line,
pushing with a great weight Of men
and guns at point where It was very
difficult for the British to bring up
reserves. The British battalion oppos-
ing the attack had gone to earth in
little isolated groups among the she'll
holes, Primly determined to hang on 10
the end.
Horde Swept On
The German masses had already
moved across No Mans Land into the
battered earthworks that once formed,
the British firing line. Other masses
we're moving up in support, and al.
ready the nearest shell holes were
heaving and boiling over with the
restless heads and shoulders of men
about to renew the advance. The bar
rage Of the British guns was heavy,
but at close quarters only infantry can
stop the progress of infantry, and the
fire from the British shell holes had
grown weak and struggling. II looked
as If the scanty British line would be
overwhelmed by sheer weight of mum
bers.
The fire from the Germans increased
until the air was alive with their bul.
let's. It was the concentrated FIRE which
always precedes the rush to close quar-.
tiers. The blue-gray figures were al.
ready beginning to appear above the
shell holes, their loose tapping un-
forms and hideous gas masks giving
them the appearance ,of demons, when
suddenly into the smbke and murk Of
battle there dived a British arplane..
Back and Forth
Fifty feet from the ground it fat.
tened out and skidded along the line,
dropping it's bombs among the bewild
cred Germans. Wheeling swiftly at
the flank of the attack, it came skim
ming back like q swallow charging q
swarm of flies, its machine guns en-
filRding, the advancing foe and driving
him back to his burrows.
A storm Of German bullets swept
through the planes, and a black flame
conferred burst of enemy shrapnel
smothered the airplane in vapor. The
watching infantry saw splinters fall
from its qpivering frame and the ,silv.
cry fabric of the underwings was torn
in several places by shell splinters. But
the daring pilot finished his course and
vanished into the smoke clouds, leav.
ing the panic stricken enemy elinging
to his shell holes too shaken and thin.
ned TO press the attack further.
Little by little. however, the German
supports came, advancing by short rush
rs over the open, reinforcing their com.
rades by twos and threes in spite Of
British fire. Scores and scores of their
dead Uttered No Mans Land, But gra.
dually the strength of the attacking
line was made good, and the shell holes
again began to heave and boil, as mer
rose from the lower cover and laid hold
Of the rims to assist them over the top.
Swept Them Back
Then suddenly they were over and
away, little spurts Of humanity belch.
ed out of the crater field coalescing
into s"cthing blue gray. rushing mass.
hOprlessv outweighing the handful Of
British defenders. But before the mass
could gain full momentum, familiar
snoring hum sounded above the din Of
battle, and out of the lOw-lyiDg haze
swept the covering airplane, a new ma
chine hut flew with the same pilot az
BEFORE His bombs dropped among the
advancing Germans. dispensing those
who escnpCd the flying fragments, and
his machine guns swept them out of
sight into the shell holes.
\ half hour passed, and again the
enemy attempted to attack. this time
hesitntin%ly and with diminishing spir.
it. Again the airplane appeared, and
the first rattle of his guns sent the
Germans into cover again. A German
airplanr dashed down to drive him
away, but another British machine from
the protecting patrol came down on
the German tail and sent him cart
wheeling behind his own lines. There
were other German machines in the of
fling. but the watchful British fighters
wade the enemy airmen shy Of losing
their altitude and the daring British
pilot kept his guard over the threaten.
cd line without further interference.
Escaped BY Miracle
MauV times he swept down on the
G"rmans that dav. crumpling up every
attempted attack with hiR fire, rend
ering portions of their positions uuten.
able with his bombs; often rocking mad
" in the air gusts from n barrage sal.
70, Just rs often performing wilder
U"uruverS TO confuse the gunners and
riflemru ho searched for him inces
sanity. Three times his airplane wa
~ h"h'r TarH "rh that he had to nurse
its failiu" STRENGTH back to his aero
dromr. Rr' enrh time he rcturnrL on
q new marhi"H. encouraging the Brit.
iSh iufuntrv bv his cNamnle and seat
earring death and confusion among Their
foes
He WIS fIving bis fourth machine
whru d"rku"ss Sattlel Go-~u putting
IN Crd 10 the rONAi"t with the Ger
mans securely checked
TIE