The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1919-01-02
MY FIRST SCRAP
By CAPT. OSWALD a Eow"-

s,o-<xs,oscp y, tho r>l-tcr. 81, shortly utter
s.rsiur.s WIS SEATED n, tsr> back scat OF
- Bristol fighter r-ady for the first trip
cver The Him CccsS
Beur machines hzsd BEN ouesttFrd soT
Ntss sob. which was to b. - peDto SHOW.
and Daily. my partner md / had oeS1'
s4rrsfrrcte1 b. the squadron corrrErsIfosr
NO take UP our posttrr ID Oe Een& VI
Ehe fouuatSon-
I As Cur zr,srchaee I'D not csEry n
S.eroera ve veto to art rs escort DO tho
lrffas and rsrr-vr-p THIN from bern
taken by SURPRISE TIC photos 10 De
rAexrrr were in clc cpvHrtcr battery area
i,znd IL would bc ncctSSn-y tn so into
ssFfuiaod n ttistacca Of ten miles
EStsr testing the engines Off 1zscfd
YOGI hadtr. followed IN SucceSSucur oy inc
x1,ree other machines At 1oDpo tT7'
,-abcs,e the af7,rumas tho leader fired q
ired light. this h!-r- the pre>-EorTSlntsetl
tsiSrsI for the r7-st o. rho MACHINES TO
nick 10. formation. Sill climbing a7td
IN fnrrr1tp-- VIZ then headed straight
Tor tl,> Hun lines
IT this height had no difficulty in
stndfnS objects I r'ldily rrcoSr!zt>cl al
tbbeks Lake prTrrd 10 b. IN excellent
landmark. and from Il SION found
rYures Arrnenrievcs and other places
Hhat had be,cn my hahItat when Es,s'
loot Struggling in the Infantry
In tl1csr ctrcys had always b""!n very
rurioQs to Se-a the country on thc cthf-
side Of TIN, Hum trenches but usually IN"
sJn1y view oni> ever got WIS t''" ono s'cfT'
,Yhrrurf, 4 r-rriscop.> r"rnch"r how
srIad WIS after tho V-Tncy show to BE-
HSS5e to stand on the crest OF thu ridge
and admire tho splendid view: ono got
from Their
tn, Hun courtry Ecokrtf much moro
fertile than the country We occupied.
which is easily explained. for tfrH British
gunner; shcl7.d only those places which
were, Of military Importance. Will" Fritz
with his ,,s1fot r-",,"h7:ct for destruction.
fired on every thing in th> nature oc n
bu;16iN-- vas never satisfied unit!
everything, WITHIN r2r@ce OF his; guns vas
RACE, 20 tho S-Trtrd. Up in ny sfr'>+fne,
however. .hc. Wow was..v; ordinary and
hyas quite. ct'-:.T.t - sat" ruE- starred
a;,pst;t. on ,ow;>4s. villages and woods.
which W 20 -H"o }1a.: only ss--a on my
mans Th> F:c=!.Sh c.tlrn"i WIS TO b.
seen on c,lr. lrf: ard just barely visible
the white. cliffs ot England.
I:v this TIM. Arrh:" had started hts;
hate. ard the sky vas soon oiackH':fN
with pl,frs of uSiy dark cn!ocrh smoke.
I had n:tnn watched ;tirpIan"S being
,Shcllcl. sometimes for hours II \ time.
sHnd rs I trtd newer ssafn on" Su'i'E Il
direct Int had figured th7et tn" danger
from un;iz aircraft hatrcrcs was nerli-
.glble, c,r,ceSnQus ntiy I WIS not 40 alarmed
as perhaps WIS expected I" b..
Being SHIELDED IN tho mir. was aEccT>-
,ebly surprised 70 f!nd out. id not alarm
50 much M t!e> 7SaIrrn rIsHr-"rr"e on IN"
ground. She'll fir OF terra firrrra had
always caused nay heart To act Tl'SeTlT
and occasionally X had taken away the
power Of speech. In tho air. however.
7 found that tho roar OF tho "7S1t" los
.seped tho nnis,, Of the explosion OF
The sheu to such m extent thai the
horror. ssrcrlcd t. b. gone.
We had kept going due cast md h1d
eer1te~cd well :nto lIunf1r1d and we pFSTH
;not kcepinc vslr,- good formation. We
:Hgere about q thousand f"''t below IN"
Others and had dragged far too much
hehirrd. \: that time lid NOT know
sthat It Is almost fatal to fnScsfo cEuatton.
errheu war flying.
Tho Hun pilots invariably wait Tor
xfstraSglers and th..l, poor fellows. genHr-
.sz1ly get attackrd with the odds against
sthe1n and usually ray the eNtrruo pen
kaNy- for their incS prrrslcn.
Z re<.iizo lecrSF t.rrr vas keep ne n
hpoor look ont. AS a matter OF fN;t
hesides e,,juyine thu view. vvslSs con-
hSrztulatinc myself on having made the
rranSfcr from tho infantry 70 Tho tying
icrps and thinking what u clach tn" Ike
Ev-,s corrnrr4, to the muddy existence
an.tfre trenches ;rrn 0n'r. after tasting
i7,oth branches 0s tho s.'ryicr, I St!li hold
,-ry- first and Ir.Stily formed opinion In
,ts,ncr branches nt tho flynn; gam" caS1I-
,n1+ies arr cxtr1.,n..lE h"clvr. while in
Others they :,ro ,nrrrstt ;v"ly light. md
dzr>- sly, taking ;h"rn all in all. they
~ers not a bit worse tl:L1 n" infantry
When thc tlys- IS Off Gut| h. generally
has q cler1r-rt moss 20 lorf in and also
htsrs much longer I.'rio-tS off duty.
In tho iyrfarlt-. ono Is sNi!CVn or duty
and comfort respectfully II 81" winter
;tturo Is unknown.
About this time mr. r"Eftatioas wrrt
;rudnly d:stlr-h.-l ~ Daily giving mo :
i7Fal,op on m" back "f ;hH head with his
fist. farming :lr,und ~ 500 tn" cause a.
such hostile fc"atrn"nt. I found hin
pointing dircc''T :ih'"td.
That on" gl:,nc" brought homo 20 III"
the fact that III r-ar w;t% $'itl on, For II
reyealad th-" Hun scouts. dir>c'lI
ahead. crossing or IN" pf flight. about
thre., hundr"d yrr'!S away. Aa ;h";
1,assed in FROM frtii:- HT"!I"d fir" viii
his gun hTt ar'i'a-7"::iy without effect
We ken, firing or N" Saryl" coi;-ss., ani
the Huns timed anG TnSs'd an "t:r r';C1'
about one hundred AID :!ctr ya7!s
r,,n as thcv raised hrr: ..vit"ntlv do
NOT allow enough G'f..,.:i,sn. for ny
h shooting did no. S'..:u :, bother them !,
: N. l..:tst F:an.dlt I "h"lt-"I -" rnrre
zine drum and p" -" :.:u' ihis j"h was
,ayya. Opened o." "itir IT, levi,
over. The Hans h:;s ':.h.' ~ :, :-.-.t;i.>r.
their wings ai;u'St t...~hinr ".:;'s' n$:"-r
Of us sltch'l.- :.h"y" and about "a