The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1919-03-04
CONQUEROR OF IS
FOE PLANES HOME

Capt. g. De Freest Larner. premier
ace OF the National Capital. returned
to his home. the Highland Apart
ments, today. He wore Distin-
guished Service Cross with bronze
oak leaf and Croix de Guerre with
two palms.
These decorations tell part OF the
story OF how Larner agot" thirteen
herman airplanes, being officially
credited with downing eight. The
rest OF the, story - one OF the MOST
interesting brought back from
France BY q Washington man.
Larners air career embraced 81
many life and death adventures that
4 Is difficult to select his greatest
Isat' but here ID how he won the
croix de Guerre:
Attacked Three Zee PIanes.
Larner spisd a patroI Of three Ger
man planes and attacked them. The
Germans scattered Larner selected
one 70 pursue and fight. LaFner at
lacked this lone German. got beneath
the Boche machine, and sent . stream
OF bullets upward until the German
fell In flames.
Larner won the first palm Of his
eroix de guerre for extraordfnarv
heroism In attacking two-ssafef
Boehe plane. an Albatross. over 3
railroad on the Disc river on March
p. He was flying Spad maehine.
and eircied many. times over fhe
heavier German craft. awaiting a.
opportunity to IRE. All the time be
was being fred at. Suddenly L.aruer
dived, killed the German observer
and sent the enemy to the ground
flaming.
Seeond PaIm fer Rescue.
He got rs second palm for leaving
his line Of duty to save two French-
men. he was plotting a French Off
Ger over the German lines when he
saw Eve Boehes attack two French
Spads. He dived to attack. Sudden
ly he was aware OF another enemy "a
the vicinity. A German had come
from the clouds and was Ia Larner's
rear. The others had scattered, anG
the two Frenchmen had gone back
TO safety Larner attacked the one
enemy and downsd him.
He was awarded his distinguishes
service cross for extraordinary he-
roism in action on September Is.
when he attacked and routed an
enemy patrol OF SIX machines, Fox
ker type, and fought against great
odds until he had destroyed one and
bronze oak leaf. which Is equal to q
second American cross. was awarded
for heroism IN the sector OF Mont
faucon, on October 4. when he led q
patrol Of four monoplanes, and at
tackled an enemy formation OF seven
planes BY skillfuI maneuvering he
crushed one OF the enemy machines.
and with the aid OF his patrol forces
the remainder TO withdraw
Many Narrow EseaVes.
Larner had many narrow escapes
from spending the last days OF the
war in German prison camps. He tells
Of one experience when ne was strait
ing q battery OF artillery. Anti-str-
craft machine guns were turned On
him, and, though he was not hit. when
he got away his motor stopped. In
vestigation proved that his gasoleue
feeding tank had been severed, and
Larner was about to voIplane to earth
in the German lines when he thought
Of his auxiliary gasolene feed and
turned IL on. Luckily IL caught, and,
just as he was about to make q fOrcel
landing his plane rose and carried
him safely to his own lines.
Captain Larner was called to the
United States by a cablegram from
the War Department. He had been
on the Engineering Peace Commission
in Europe since the cessation Of hos
tilities-
Larner was promoted to q eaptainey
two days before the war ended, and
has been recommended for a third
Croix de Guerre and the French Le-
gion OF Honor. He is only twenty
one years Of age, and would have bean
commissioned in the American army
when we declared war but for his
youth. He-went to France at the age
OF nineteen and Joined the Lafayette
Escadrilie.
He is a graduate OF Western High
School.
EINANoIRT