Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-02-19
| ACES UP! - z355z zz3z
The Fact Story of American Aviators in the World War
Part 1.-The Air Force of the A. E. F.

lo". Roou pllot ana WTIteT Oh Soou
stories:
September 26, 1918.
Time. :25 pm; locality. Cambria
road: height, 1000 feet; E. A., Fokker
biplane.
Lieut.. Springs flight dived on two
FokkerS, who dived toward six other
Fokkers l led my flight down until
the six other Fokkers turned cast and
then leveled out to keep my height. al
though two Fokkers were chasing Lieut.,
Springs flight. After seeing Lieut.,
Springs flight did not turn back led
my flight down upon the two Fokkers.
TIL, other six at once came into the
fight. / saw Lieut.. Creech go through
the clouds close onto a Fokker and a
few seconds later I drove an E. A. down
into spin. firing until he went through
the clouds l did not follow him
down."
A Magnificent Fight.
| Then classic fight, including air.
planes ground machine guns and a
final battle in the clouds without am
! muIition:
September 81, 1918.
Time. 9:20 am; locality. Marcoing-
Noyelles: height. 800 feet.
AT 9 am. dropped bombs on railway
south of Marcoing. where transports
were seen. Then with flight attacked
balloon near Noyelles sur lEscaut
Continued to fire Until balloon took in
my whole sight. Had only 200 rounds
of Buckingham. which were gone be-
| tore balloon was punctured. Both OBJ
servers jumped and they pulled the ball
! loon down Immediately. At 9:05 am
attacked troops on the ground. OBJ
served one of our ground machine guns
firing east and thereby located an
enemy machine gun. which attacked
and silenced from a height of 600 feet,
At 9:l0 climbed west to about 1000
| feet and started for another machine
gun emplaccment when tWo-seater
attacked me with his front gun. He
started west with me under his tail at
| 80J feet. After a few rounds he burst
into flames. was then at so low an
altitude that I cannot pinpoint where
/ he crashed. At 9:25 am. noticed two
| tanks of ours and troops near beet root
! factory east of Flesouries. At 1910
ar, Lieut.. Clay attacked five two-seat-
! erS. which l and another of my flight
attacked from above. They turned
east. Their mission was evidently
ground Strafing Three times they at
! tempted to cross and each time they
were turned back.
! Owed on two E. A. without any am
munition. However. they turned east. d"
| There are more Of these reports, a bit
dim after their l0-year sleep in the
! files of the Army Air Corps. Every on"
OF them is in effect the same Each Is
a record of daring and yet conscien-
tious workman going about his Job
without thought Of risk or death or any
other factor than the work that lay
before him.
! Field kindley's praises have not been
sung In any mighty chorus. but TO those
who know the air this young man. who
came from the box Office of an Arkansas
movie theater TO play his part on the
hard stage OF war is one of the out
standing inspirations OF that war. This
belief is well expressed in two more
documents copied from the flies at
Washington. The first tells with mill
tary briefncss why he was awarded the
Distinguished Service Cross. 1t reads:
| "Kindley, Field E.. first lieutenant.
! l48th Aero Squadron. Air Service. Near
Bourbon Wood. France. September "a
1918. he attacked a formation OF seven
| hostile planes type. Fokkcr, and sent
one crashing TO the ground"
| The other document Is longer. be-
cause 1t has longer story to tell.
iCopyrsht 1881
| Tomorrow-Read the end of Lieut.
/ Field kindleys story His service 10
l f,iS cotfnfrv did MT end With the w