The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-03-12
Ill
I Few Adventures of the Royal
Flying Corps. <

combats from which the alright
efs escaped alive seemingly only
by miracle. and of brilliantly exc
cated raids upon German airdomes
and troops behind the German lines
are activities of about one week.
Hair-raising incidents of fierce con
flicts above the clouds or low over
the German communication lines
are described in these succinct re-
ports without bombast, as though
these narrow escapes from death
were commonplace and all in a
days work of the air-fighter.
For example. there was the case
of a British aviation officer, who,
when nearly a mile above the earth
was attacked by two enemy air
craft. He shot down one. Of them
out of control, but was himself
wounded and tainted while still up
in the air. Recovering conscious
ness, he found his machine upside
down at an elevation of 1000 feet,
with one enemy aircraft still firing
at him. The Britisher. however,
managed after a struggle, to right
his machine and land safely.
In another case a. German scout
attacked a British aeroplane carry
ing a pilot and observer. One of
the Germans bullets passed
through the gasoline tank of the
British aeroplane and seriously
wounded the pilot. The British OBJ
server, however, pumped double
drum of bullets at the enemy scout
at very close quarters and the Ger
man went 70 the ground with a
crash. !. y. :
Meanwhile the British pilot had
tainted and fallen against the steer
ing stick in such fashion as to
throw the aeroplane into a spin.
The British observer climbed over
the side and forward along the
plane to the pilots cockpit, lifted
the pilot to his seat and, still stand
ing on the wing of the plane, re-
leased the steering gear, brought
the machine out of the spin and
safely to the ground.
At another time two British Off
GERS were returning from an expe-
dition over the enemy lines to To-
cate hostile batteries, when their
machine was hit by anti-craft fire
and the engine damaged. Volplan-
ing the machine, landing 800 yards
from the British lines, the aero
plane turned over and the aviators
were hurled out on the German side
of a canal. Running along the
beach under heavy fire from rifles
and machine guns, the ayiatOrs
dived into the canal only. to find IT
full Of barbed wire, but managed
to reach the British lines in safety.
In other cases it shows the dar-
ing of the British aviatOrS sent
over the German lines to obtain in
formation, destroy aerodomes and
harry the German reserves. One
pilot who crossed the line at Ypres,
threw off two attacking machines,
bombed the Henl aerodrome near
Lille, and was fired upon by two
machine guns. He dived at one of
them, firing both guns of the Brit
ish aeroplane, drove the Germans
from their guns, fired upon the aer-
odome again, attacked and scat
tered a column Of 200 infantrymen
on the road. A German twoseater
aeroplane was circling 500 feet
above him for an attack. He
zoomed up under its tail and fired
into it, and it crashed down onto
the railway.
Georges ciemenceau's Speech to
the A. E. T.
81 feel highly honored at the priv !
ilege of addressing you. know
America well, having, lived in your
country, which | have always ad-
mired and | am deeply impressed
at the presence of an American
army on French soil in defense of
liberty, right and civilization
against barbarians.
my mind compares this event
to the Pilgrim Fathers who landed
on Plymout Rock, seeking liberty
and finding it, Now, their child
ren's children are returning to
fight for the liberty of France and
the world. 5..-- Il
You men have come to France