WONDERFUL AIRMAN.

Hokitika Guardian, 21 July 1917, Page 4

WONDERFUL AIRMAN.

THREE ENEMIES DOWN IN ONE FLIGHT. 4,000 FEET DIVE. (From W. Beach Thomas.) France, May 1 Stories of aerial enterprise apd gallantry are so many that one cannot record a tenth part of them. The accuracy of observation of our airmen so increased efficiency of artillery during the battle ol Arras that our gunners reduced the German barrage to a trickle and saved the lives of hundreds ol our storming parties. In illustration of the activity I will quote the rough diary of one single flight taken by a pilot of a fighting machine. Only a few words and phrases are altered or omitted. The story plunges into the middle of things at once, thus: I attacked enemy plane near Cambrai head-on at 8,000 feet. I saw sign of damage to enemy’s engine from my fire as soon as we closed on one another, and half looped to one side of him when he dived, leaving a large trail of blue smoke. I dived down to about 4,000 feet after him and fired 50 rounds, when he went down absolutely out of contaol. I was immediately afterwards attacked by three more German ! planes, which drove, me down to | about 200 feet. We were firing at ' one another whenever possible, j when at last I got into good position and attacked one from above, | 'one from right. I closed on..the [latter, turning in behind him, -and j j got so near that I could see shape i '! of pilot’s head against sight ot my ! | gun. The first shots were mortal 1 aud Ins machine.simply heeled over ' aud spun into 'ground. Other two /{ machines cleared off. i j During fight I saw two other enemy’s planes spin down. Then I j having lost sight of all other , machines and. being only 200 feet • front ground I decided to fly bogie ,' at that height. A company of . German cavalry going along small ■ road halted and fired and several ! machine guns opened fire. After flying west for about five minutes I was again attacked by another ‘ type of enemy’s machine. We manoeuvred against one another . for some while until within about j five minutes of crossing the line, ' flying against a strong wind. “ I LOOTED OVER HIM.” I. When he was about 150 yards 1 behind me I looped straight over ’ him 'and, coming out of loop, dived and fired a good burst, hitting pilot [ mortally in the back. He at once , dived straight into ground. ' j I then went over German trenches filled with soldiers and [was fired at by machine guns, : ! rifles, and small field guns, in and J! out of range. There was a lot of ' ! small artillery firing and shells ’ | bursting in and about German trenches. I landed at‘first aeroJ drome I saw. My machine was badly shot about. ; Such is the bare tale of one flight out of thousands in the Battle of ’ Arras. Oqr machines were among the enemy all the time, some observing, some fighting both other planes , and infantry, some even ' wrecking transport, some bomb- , ing.