BRITISH HEROES OF THE AIR.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 141, 4 February 1916, Page 4 (Supplement)

BRITISH HEROES OF THE AIR.

By PHILIP GIBBS.

British General Headquarters, Nov. 11. Our airmen are eyes of the Army, and it is mainly due to their audacious vigilance that we are able to obtain quick information of the enemy's movements of troops from one part of the line to another, of gun positions, of trench geography, and of our artillery results. Unfortunately, the enemy has the 6ame service, carried out with not less valor, so that here, as in most other .aspects of this war, neither side can claim a supreme advantage. Of the courage 01 these men of the Royal Flying Corps it is impossible to write too much praise. Scores of times I havt seen them in flight above the German lines with shrapnel bursting all round their planes, so that they seem to be sailing to certain death. They escape, by their own skill, or by just the fluke of luck, time after time, but it is not work which looks more dangerous than it is—a spectacular exhibition with little risk.

Tlie danger is constant and real, and these men know that every time they get into their saddles for a reconnaissance within range of the enomy's guns, they are playing a game of hide-and-seek with death. Take the German losses over the period of a few months, and the risks of the air service in war are apparent. The official returns for the air squadrons alone were in June of this year 53 killed, wounded, and missing, in July 43, in August 89, in September 79.

Ido not know our own figures—l believe tliey are as nothing compared with the enemy's losses —but the skill of our men in manoeuvring and the cool courage with which they engage in aerial duels do not eliminate the hazards of their adventures. The number of hairbreadth escapes, even in one month's work, would make a long and thrilling record. A typical episode happened on November 4. A flight captain and a second lieutenant were engaged in artillery observation when they were attacked by a large hostile pusher machine, that is, a machine with its engine and propeller behind the wings—closely followed by three tractors—or machines with forward engines and propellers. Our officers immediately opened fire upon them, using one drum containing the cartridges of the Lewis gun. The pusher was hit and flew off at once, followed by two others. The remaining one engaged our aeroplane, chased it in full flight, and then while it was manoeuvring for position, dived underneath its wings and fired as it passed. The flight captain was wounded in the right arm and the petrol tank was pierced. Two other flight officers of ours on patrol duty saw the machine mentioned above closely pursued by a German monoplane, and they made a steep dive towards it like a stooping hawk. The Germans saw their danger, and, making a swift turn, flow straight beneath the wings of the Brit'sh aeroplane, passing at about 30 yards below.

Half a drum was fired at them, but they turned again and spiralled three times round our men, while both machines were dropping rapidly. Suddenly the Germans decided to make off, and flew away at a great pace, but they were followed at about 80 yards distance by our machine, which fired the remaining cartridges m the drum.

Some of these shots were aimed true. The German monoplane turned righthanded and banked steeply, then toppled upside down, and plunged to earth just inside our linos. The pilot and observer were both killed. A TIGHT CORNER —IN THE SKY. On the same day in a different neighbourhood two of our flight lieutenants had a very close shave, and in spite of the great spaciousness of the sky, found themselves in a tight corner. They were making a reconnaissance as a matter of ordinary duty, when a Germnn Albatross came out of the clouds and passed them at a range of 200 yards. They were on the "qui vive" for an attack from this particular bird, when suddenly they heard firing behind them. They turned sharply to the right, and discovered another Albatross. At the same time, as if two were not enough, a hostile aeroplane bore down swiftly with a continual rattle of bullets from its machine gun. The two flight lieutenants got their Lewis to work and drove off the monoplane, but the Albatrosses manoeuvred round and round in a most sinister fashion, and for nearly 20 minutes fired continually at our machine. Fortunately their shooting was not so good as the skill of the British officers in manoeuvring out of the range, and after this long duel the hostile aeroplanes swooped away, leaving the British machine alone and untouched.

Two sergeants in one of our flying squadrons had a perilous time when they were dropping hand grenades and flechettes (steel arrows) over a town occupied by the enemy. A German monoplane gave chase and one of our men was hit in the hand, and had his face grazed. When reaching out for bis rifle he was wounded in the other iand.

The pilot made a steep dive towards our lines, closely followed by the enemy, and at this critical moment he was hit by a bullet in the leg, and another shot put the engine out of action.

For a moment or two the situation may have seemed hopeless, and death certain, but with steady jierves the pilot succeeded in landing within our lines, and a British biplane appeared in sight and drove off the enemy. Out of all the experiences of these air combats continual proofs of the stability and apparent safety of the new types of aeroplanes emerge in a most startling way. Often when I watch our military machines setting off from their grounds with the regularity and assurance of motor-cars from a garage, my thoughts go back to the days—only a few years ago —when the first feeble tentative flights were made, and when I saw so many brave pioneers of flight dashed to earth by a sudden slight gust. Even now they look such gossamer things up here above the battlefields of Flanders when the wind is moaning and through the smoke of artillery bombardments. Vet they make audacious swoops and dives and turns with b rd-like grace and ease, and men •i)l)00ft. from earth or more climber upon those thin struts and canvas planes, in moments of peril, as though this insubstantial structure were "a racing yacht and the air as buoyant as the waves.

When, for instance, a c.rporal in one of our air squadrons was followed by two hostile aeroplanes, he shifted his gun from its position in the front to the rear mounting, from which lie could fire at Irs pursuers. This was done in full fliriit when the enemy's machine made tv downward swoop upon our own aeroplane from the prodigious bright of 11,000 ft., firing through out men's propellers. The handy alteration of the gun position secured a quick result.

After firing half a drum of bullets the corporal saw the leading machine tail-glide for a fraction of a second, and then plunge to earth in a vertical nose-dive. The pilot watched the machine go down in this way for several thousand feet, and then it fell among some trees, and a cloud of dust was evidence of its fate. The other machine gave up the fight and disappear--6(1. One of the most remarkable and gallant examples of changing the weight and balance in a machine happened 011 October 26. Two of our flight officers taking photographs over the enemy s ground were attacked by a Fokker at a height of about 7000 feet. While getting his gun ready the observing officer was hit in the left hand so that lie could not use the weapon. The pilot kept manoeuvring to avoid tlie fire from the enemy's aircraft, but was hit in the arm and shoulder, and Inst consciousness. Greater danger can 1 hardly be imagined. High up, and without a guiding hand, the machine rocked and swayed about in a giddy spiral, which was the first sign to the observing officer that h s companion was out of action. Seeing the pilot limp and senseless, the other officer climbed over between the two back strut* antl caught hold of the control lever. He moved this about, but nothiryr happened. He then tried to close the throttk\ This did no good, the wire apparently having been broken. Finally he turned (if the petrol, and, getting the machine under control, managed to land it behind the J ( rench reserve trenches. It was a rough landing, and the machine was flung over, so that the wounded pilot was thrown out. He lay there in a pool of blood un--11 assistance was brought by the observing officer (who climbed out safely) from the French Red Cross. The aeroplane was still under fire, however, and another observing officer who happened to be with lm machine in the neighbourhood, managed to reach the scene and rescued the Lewis gun and instrument board.

CHIVALRY IN THE CLOUDS. Although there is no mercy on either side during aerial combats, the battle of the air is enlivened by some of those little touches of chivalry and gallant humour which belonged to old-fash-ioned warfare. Most of the German flight- officers arc young men of good social standing, all the observers having the rank of officer, also. There is a great aeronautical school at Berlin through which many of them pass before qualifying for active service. The training consists of flying observation, use of machine-gun. bomb-dropping, photography, wireless telegraphy, and a special course of shoot.ng in the air on hostile aircraft. All.observers have to pass a standard test before be:ng sent up on reconnaissance. The courage of both German pilots and observers is admirable and our men would be the first to pay a tribute of praise to them for both skill and valour. At the same tinie it is fair and true to say that, in s.ngle comiiat, our men are more daring, rnd, as a rule, more successful. Again and again their pilots break off the fight and retreat to '-'ieir own lines, even when they iire on'y one antagonist.

FIGHT WITH FIVE MACHINES. Our men will often fight with two. More than this is too much, even for the most audacious, and certainly few men have had the luck of a certain young officer who on October 28 had a series of combats.

Going out in a Moranc "Parasol" on escort duty to a photographic reconnaissance. and flying at 10,000 ft., he saw an Aviatik 500 ft. below, and dived towards it as he fired his machine gun. The German turned towards his own lines, hut the Moranc was then attacked in the rear by two more Aviatiks. wh'cli opened fire at 150 vards.

Nothing daunted, our airman fired at them both, and made them beat a quick retreat. A fourth Aviatik now opened fire from above and swept past the Moranc into its own lines with its propeller stopped. Even this was not the last of that hostile flight of birds, and when the officer was going back to the aerodrome he met still another Aviatik, which he chased for about 1.1 minutes until it escaped over its own lines. All these adventures happened during the last few weeks. They belong to the daily routine of the Royal Flying Corps, which has done 15 months of splendid service.—"Daily Chronicle."