Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-01-15
Shaffer's Last
Flight

IL any Huns were floating around
would certainly be protected. Not
to be taken unawares, however,
glanced around above and below as
continued on my downward course.
None did | see, so with that weight
of my mind, for 1 dislike being dis
turbed when l am aiming my guns.
l gave all my attention to the bal
loon. l was getting closer all the
time, and now things were growing
clearer as the earth-and archies-
flew up to meet me. Once again
began to feel the joy of running the
gauntlet of the fire of innumerable
guns with nary doubt that that
! guardian angel that Dad claims
protects me on all my ventures, fool
ish and otherwise. would turn aside
all bullets headed my way.
The First Mistake
l was now at 1000 meters and
was able to see the object 1 was
diving on quite distinctly. What it
actually was will remain a mystery
to my dying day. One thing was
certain, it was not balloon and as
that was all was interested in at
that particular time l wasted no
time, or altitude, on learning
| whether it was q camouf1aged bar
racks or n shellhole. Immediately
I L
up and had a quick look around
for a real balloon. Surely there
were some up, such a beautiful and
, clear day and the French on the
! offensive, too.
While l was at 1t, kept an eye out
! for Boche planes for by this time |
was some eight miles on their side
of the lines, and coming down all
the time. AS l have remarked be-
fore, when in action with an air
plane, things happen quickly, you
see things and understand their sig
niticance in relation to you quickly,
| and naturally your brain tunes it
self up to the same speed. Then,
| no sooner had 1 pulled up and saw
my mistake, on looking around for
q real balloon. saw a whole line
of them to the right of me. Having
dived SO far for no other purpose
but to attack balloons couple
miles further in made little differ
ence to me. Besides, 1 had the
| fever then. / was going to shoot
something up before l went back or
know the reason why, for naturally,
after falling over 5000 meters only
to find the balloon had been diving
on turn out to be q hole in the
ground, or something else equally
unshootable. did not put me In a
very good humor.
Half n Dozen Balloons
, So l promptly headed for that line
of balloons-there must have been
half a doZen-looking all around
for protecting Boche planes DIS 1 did
so. Also seeing that both guns We're
loaded and ready, the motor work.
ing without hitch and trying all
my controls to see that they worke ed
easily.
Apple Pie Order
Everything was working in apple
pie order, including all the Boche
guns in that vicinity, the latter
being a bit distracting, but being a
part of war I tried to forget it in
aiming my guns, for the big black
and white cross on the balloon was
becoming very distinct now, ant
when l can make that out very
easily it's time to start shooting
Using the black cross as a target
got a good bead on it and attempted
several bulleyes. Whether 1 made
any / don't know. Surely they hit
the gasbag, for 1 saw them hit the
whole three of them. Yes, l said
three. Three shots only came out
of that doggone balloon gun and
then it jammed, and still diving al
that black-crossed gasbag of kultul
l attempted to fix that jam. 1t was
no go, for it was one of those kind
of jams that require q hammer and
two strong arms to fix and all L had
was one hand.
Close Sailing
With such an inefficient substi.
tute l had very little leverage strap,
ped into n seat. Occupied thus, tc
Z f1tn ~. 30 ali nte -
run into the balloon l was so ben
on burning. for L looked up from
my gun just in time to see my pro.
peller and black cross shake hands
Naturally L pulled on the Joy
stick" and motor, "toute de suite
But not to mount, for l was BEN
on getting that balloon, and Civ.
ing up hopes of fixing my specia
balloon gun, / made q half turT
around the balloon and opened fire
with the other gun, thinking, o.
course, that it had incendiary bull
let's in it. Unfortunately, such wa.
not the case, it being loaded fol-
combat work-four bullets will
steel balls, then a tracer, four bull.
lets and a tracer and SO on.
You can see how untitled for bal.
loon burning that was. 1 had one
mighty poor one, but being dowr
there 1 used the poor tools l hao
and tried to burn 1t anyway. Had
the machine been my own such
would have not been the case, fol
1 always saw to 1t that both my
guns were ready with balloon bul.
lets; but that morning my motor
would not work so I was given the
plane of a lieutenant He had 6
balloon gun aboard his plane also
and incidentally. it was this plane
with which ] had shot down my sec.
ond Boche plane. It had worked
perfectly then and thereafter l flew
many times with 1t. The motor
worked fine and SO did the guns and
l had every confidence in 1t; but
this particular time seemed to be
its off day. Even as l made the
half turn for the second attack
was still endeavoring to fix thai
ballIy piece of mechanism. Incl
dentally, all this time the Boches
were irving their darndest to III