Evening star., 1928-02-04
CHAPTER v.
Ingalls, Becomes an Ace.

feet. eScorting bombing squadron on
Its way TO attack BrugeS The heavy
6e Havilands were ploughing along 500
feet lower. weighted down with their
loads Of bombs. The convoy had come
in over the English Channel and had
reached the vicinity of Vissighem with
out incident. Bruges was only few
miles away and the pilots were already
picking their targets, when suddenly
a squadron Of swift German Fokkers
dove out of the sun to attack the bomb
ing planes.
ingalls, and his single companion at
tackled the FokkerS head-on. A bullet
through his pressure tank put Smith
out of action in the first minute and
he was forced to limp back to Dunkirk
With & suffering engine. ingalls, found
himself alone. surrounded by enemies
and bearing the responsibility of pro-
tcctmg the heavy bombing planes
against an overwhelming force of the
enemy.
ingalls, Scores Two More Victories.
Selecting a Fokker which was about
10 shoot down one of the de Havilands.
ingalls, ripped it to pieces with burst
of 100 rounds. fired at the long range
Of 100 yards. sending it spinning down
in flames Turning on another Fokker.
the raging Yank cut both his guns loose
az IS yards and sent that one spinning
down to join its mate. Swooping out
Of this attack. he swept his eyes around
in search of the remaining Fokkers.
only 10 discover that they were in full
fight for the horizon. The scattered
bombers reassembled and continued
their journey. bombing Bruges and re-
turning without the loss Of a single
ship, thanks TO the vigilance Of Ingalls,.
who herded his charges back across the
lines alone and unaided.
His report is terse and vivid. but
modest:
Observed four enemy aircraft head
ing toward D. Hs at about $500 feet:
Camels attacked head-on. Lieut..
pressure tank and he withdrew from
gals attacked an E. A., which was pur-
suing D. H. 9. fired 100 rounds at
100 yards range and E. A. dived verti-
cally. emitting white smoke Machine
last seen out of control very low near
Bruges. still smoking and descending
tConfirmed) Lieut.. ingalls, then at
tackled another E. A. at IS yards range
and E. A. turned on its back. diving.
and then spun slowly. II is thought
that this machine f1attened out very
low down. Remaining enemy aircraft
dived and spun away when Camels at
tackled
"(Signedl D. S. INGALLS,.
Lieutenant, L. S. n. r. F."
With his fourth confirmed victory.
the third IN five days. entered 70 his
credit, ingalls, wasted no time in swell
ing his list While making a test flight
on the Twenty-fourth Of September.
accompanied by Lieut.. Hodson Of the
Royal Air Force. ingalls, found material
for another Of his brier reports. We
will let him tell the story in his own
words:
AT l7h3o $3.50 p.m), when at $4,000
feet. observed enemy aircraft over
Nieuport, steering due east Camels
pursued and engaged over ST. Pierre
Capelle.
Lieut.. ingalls,. U. S. N. r. F.. fred
200 rounds at 100 yards range and
Lieut.. Hodson. 100 rounds at 200 yards
range. Both pilots followed e. A. down
70 5000 feet. when machine was OBJ
served 10 fall in flames.
"(Signed) D. S. INGALLS,,
Lieutenant, u. S. N r. r.
&c. S. HODSON.
Lieutenant, r. A. F."
The First Navy Ace.
With his fifth victory confirmed.
Lieut. ingalls, won formal recognition
as an ace-the first and only ace de-
veioped by the United States Navy in
the World War
Such detail did not interrupt the
career OF young ingalls,, however The
var vas still going on. although 1t was
(iy1r tn o. ta SnE~. u
show signs Of an early dissolution. Tn
able 10 find German airplanes 10 add
10 his score, the young Yank continued
MS work pounding German submarine
bases, cevoting his attention 10 a series
of the most spectacular bomb raids of
the war.
On September % he reached the apex
II his bombing career. when ne complet-
&c Tour raids on the same day Follow
Ing his usual tactics Of skimming the
ground so Low there was hardly any
possibility Of miss. he first dropped
Tour bombs on q train Of ammunition
wagons al HandZaeme. registering direct
nlts and causing a destructive explosion
u German cartridges. Going back for
fresh load Of bombs, he few 10 the
Ihourout Railway station. registering
tHo direct hits on the station building
5cucclng back 10 Dunklrk, he loaded
On four more bombs ana dropped them
on German ammunition warehouse al
Wefcken. setting the building on fire.
sot quite satisfied with his work at
tf41 point, he circied and dove down
" within a few feet Of the ground
shooting up" troops 10 hamper their
Efforts " eztinguish the fire
Ettur4ing with his load Of four more
bDfEba and accompanied by four more
planes he attacked and scattered a
me ~ supply wagons near GIFTS. kill
!i3g - men and - horses BY this time
. oafkne>S had descended and the Navy
ace called IL a day
Ihe next day. September 20 Nne day
~ Frank Luke's heroic deathJ. ingalls,
made one o! his ferocigus attacks on a
large camp of German reserve troops
/ at Si. Michel. registering direct hits
"lth every bDnib and infiicting heavy
H'h%. besides throwing the whole camD
III wild confusion
The wildcat Of the Navy.
Ihfee days later. on October the
"aFy "iidcat" broke out again with a
|i.eS u Icc~bDp bomb and machine
gun faieA. spreading confusion ana
GRAIN over d VIDE area Of The German
ita+i Ft Ilnee Es TINS time his peculiar.
~ Fi@'i'ai UtliH5Gs II attack had won
fil"t NE attention II the German com
u'aiic a. te had already Won tnat ot
ne English and Americans krit tne
Germans were uOt Offering him any
det]bfallDnA, unless II might b. that oi
the WDyGctI Croas
lie began his day by wfeckiug tya
railroad trains al LieALffye!de t,Iallon
"!th bofnhs ana then Shot up" horse
transport and supply uools around the
slatiDh uhtH ne ran oat of ammunition
IhElng On fresh Load of bombs and
machine gun cartridges. he attacked
barn near Coftematck. In which 211
German a3iGifTs had taken sheltAr ue
put aue bpyIib through the root of tne
barn. settlng IL on fire and Killing most
81 tIDe men inside. and then planted lue
] ptfasF three sfpjtA among the fupitlyrs
4 L--.-. 49,.