El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-01-07
INADMAN' 5 TRIP
INTO THE AIR
Texas Youth Brings Down
Three German Planes in
q Stolen Machine.
By CORP-OBsERYER u. G. BROOk.

e
He halls from the Galveston district
OF Texas, and although now only q
years OF nge, has been on active ser
vice since the first month OF the war.
He had bird's-eye view Of the events
which he describes and in the FLOW
ing article no more thrilling episode
Of the war has been written.b
! Galveston. Texas. Jan. When the
kaiser and his optimists reached the
/ conclusion that the proper moment
had arrived for the subjugation OF the
whole earth. I was attending college
with my brother Albert az Brooklyn.
Is. Y.
Flying has always exercised pow
erful fascination for me. and ! had
made several flights as a passenger
in America before the outbreak Of the
war, SO when FASTENED TO France to
Join the foreign legion at the age Of
us, I sought the aviation corps.
Ny Day Of Adventure.
In March. 1915, ! was transferred
to the royal flying corps Of the Brit
ish army, Of which body / am SIN con-
It was on the 4th Of August. 1916.
i that I had the most exciting time OF
my life, and came within an ace OF
] losing it
/ The memorable battle Of the Somme
I had been in progress for four days.
/ The ground was all c-uJtered up with
/ Germans who had shouted ~Deutsch-
Hand U5er Allies for the last time, and
the bayonets Of the grimly-grinnins
Tommies were not so spick and span
Z as they once had been
Il was about o'clock when 7 reached
what I shall always look upon as the
crisis of my life. a report went the
rounds that squadron OF German
battle planes was flying Ia the di-ec-
ton Of the British lines
They were eager TO discover the dis
position of the British troops and
Euns-a desire IL was our duty 10
squelch as speedily and effectively as
possible.
I suddenly felt It was up 70 me %
have a go at the enemy on my own
account. only on two previous Oc--s-
ions had I acted as the man behind
the steering apparatus OF flying
machine. And these flights had been
amateurish and Of triflirE duration.
7 had never driven q machine IN the
actual war zone. Nevertheless. I de-
termined to ascend alone in scout
Ing machine sud try what / could co
in the way of putting the fear OF death
and the devil into the hearts OF the
foe.
Shot Up like Rocket.
Fate favored the mad project A
beautiful little scouting machine
single seater-was rOostinS at the
rear Of the aerodrOme. and il was
upon this that ] cast my eyes.
1 wisely neglected TO tell the major
Of my plan, but I coufided 70 the cars
Of an amazed mechanic, my secret.
and persuaded him 20 assist me To
make a start before he realized that
I must have been suffering from an
attack Of self delUsiOn with regard 10
HHHT Hn HlHr % HH
ern and materialistic type.
I went NJ like rocket, through
an area that simply reeEcd with
shells Ny guardian angel must have
perspired during the few minutes that
elapsed before I attained height Of
she was a fast little thing. that
scouting machine, and we must have
been going about 100 miles per hour
when / caught sight of a German bat
tie plane approaching me
7 pulled my revolver and prepared
20 give the iuterlOper reception. the
main characteristic Of which should
Je warmth.
Space IS rapidly eaten up by air
1lanes travelling in opposite direc-
eiOns, and under such circumstance q
pllo- has no time TO devote 70 the
-beeus that never We're. He
must jump into the hard realm Of
action, and = is generally the man
who jumps first who escapes filling
the principal role Of a burial party.
'-Life' With n Vengeance.
The German machine was TO the left
IF me. and about so feet higher. and
my revolver and his machine gun
started talking almost at the same
moment. I fired five rounds. and /
believe I got the pilot
learned afterwards that the
enemy machine collapsed to the
ground, so that ] must have struck
something-more by good luck than
good aiming OF course. I had no
time 10 stop and investigate; and
that is one Of the drawbacks TO aerial
combat, more especially IL YOU do not
happen TO be an expert capable o.
looping the loop and writing your
name on the sky. 4
It was the life" with q vengeance. /
Quite unconsciOusly I jerked al the
steering lever and pulled Il so far
back that the nose Of the machine
started on g bee line for that point
OF the heavens which was directly
a5Ove my head. /
For 500 feet or so I shot upwards
ike an arrow. and I might have
broken the aerial record for height
had I not accidentally collided W III
another German battle plane, with the
esult that the LETT wing of the enemy
machine was completely torn Off
I need scarcely add that this cpl
sue A-AA-1AAN4 LAlE career OF the enemy
plane, II being against all the conOus
Of aviation TO attempt to fly with q
solitary wing L can't be done Ma
lure and the laws Of gravitatiOn
won't sand for ii.
Ny own machine had not ESCAPED
without injury Its right wing had
lost considerable portion Of It's
symmetrical beauty. and a cold shive-
played hide and seek along my spine
as / dumhlv Eazed NJ the threateuiu-
transformation
COllides With German.
Ny machine was gradually drifting
d0Wnwards, and instiuctively I gath
cred that It would not be long before
OLD Mother Earth and I renewed ac-
quaintanceship, probably for the last
time.
A thrill Of JOY passed through me
as observed q German flyer scud-
ding In my direction. The enemy
machine, / judged. was travelling re-
markedly near the ground. not more
than 500 feet, and 7 was sailing along
at double that height
I want the reader to thoroughly I
understand that in deciding 20 collide
with the German outfit my mental
apparatus was Obsessed with the
conviction that I was doomed TO die
anyway / was certain that ! could
not possibly make a safe landing. ow-
ing 10 the damaged condition OF my
plane.
And It was this belief that made
ne shut off my engine and nose
dive towards the German.
Il was slim. attenuated chance
but 90 came off for thar was nv won