AN AIR FIGHT WITH A HUN.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 5, Issue 175, 19 May 1916, Page 1 (Supplement)

AN AIR FIGHT WITH A HUN.

"*""" By AN AIR PILOT.

To-day our especial delight lias been a, bombardment from enemy aeroplanes They came over about noon and aroused the fearful and subdued the proud while we were all at lunch. They circled overhead for about five minutes dropped a dozen or so bombs, then cleared off hurriedly before our own men had time to get away. One man here had a most Ingenious 7unl<-hole" for aerial bombardment. He utilised o largo stone drain-pipe for this purpose. And it was his custom when enemy aircraft were reported to be in sight to craw) into this thing, take a book with" him, and calmly read until they had taken their departure. He advertised this comic shelter one day a 9 A novel bijou residence, completely detached, every convenience, within easy reach of the firing line. Bullets' and bombs pass

the door every few moments. Figuratively speaking, our mission was target-registering. But having previously heard that the "mother" fnaval 9.2 in. gun) with which we were to have worked was incapacitated, and the afternoon being fine and sunny, we determined to seek adventure farther afield, and turning her nose in a south-easterly direction kept straight on. "Am making for Dixmude to sec if we can raise a Hun or two." This latter by means of a note passed over my shculder by t':o pilot. And here let it be said that a proper understanding between pilot and observer is one of the essential feature* of war flying. What tho latter misses the former often picks up. for when flying at high altitudes of over 10.000 ft. field-glasses for observation purposes, with the excessive vibration of the engine, are at first very difficult to manipulate.

C.'r machine, one of the Tales*. scouting types, was ft beauty. She climbed rapidly and had a great turn of speed through the air. concerning which latter feature there always seems to exist in the lay mind a deal of misapprehension, especially concerning the possibilit'es and peculiarities of the various types. The aeroplane is a most curious and a most difficult machine to build up, as in the construction thereof so many different factors have to be taken into consideration. If It be constructed for speed work it necessitates a large engine and hence more weight, and with its limited "lifting'* capacity, some other feature has to be sacrificed, very probably petrol tanks, thus cutting down duration in mid-air. Similarly speed would have to be sacrificed for duration. If a great factor of safety be required the weight will oftentimes be trebled, and whereas the machine with the lesser factor, being lighter, would reach an altitude of 3,000 ft. in five minutes, the safer machine would take probably eight minutes to attain the same height. Thus it will be seen that an aer;> plane can only specialise in one feature and cannot possess, at one and tin same time, speed, lift, safety. Hi inning power, and long durability. The alpha and omega of the adventure was that we were within certain limits free to do what wo pleased. This added a certain amount of vim and interest epsecially so when compared with target-registering. Engaged in the latter business <?. Ie ia often up for over an hour on end, vaitirg for the guns, without their flWng tx s'tr-'le shot; then, landing in disgust, cno is promptly sent up again for another hour, because at l.v.fc they are ready for business. As we sail alcng the blue sky over r.reen field and steepleti city my eye rrnstant'y roams round in search of enemy aircraft, but thus far with not much luck.

Tic firing linos are ;iow far behind us, rind we are well over into the mi'.iny's country. One would have thought thai before now we should have encountered a stray Avlattlc 01 or a patrolling Albotrcss. At last! In tho far distance and coming towards us at a great speed "down wind." is a white-noser" mneb. Ino, which 1 distinguish as "IMts.' Fritz is a single tractor biplane, n hybrid of the Albatross and Avht'k types, fitted with a 22. r >-h.p. Mercedes engine, that gives 00 miles per bout. It b.as a range of ton hours' flight, and crrries two IMnx'm guns-—ono i ; i front but only firing sidovnys, :r.v! one behind the pilot. Immediately thruarhts of nn aer'al combat flash across my mind. 1 bad never taken pnrt in one befoic, but luc" often watched thorn fi»).*n the comfortable sor-'rily of terra firtnn. During that first moment I had a bad at lark of "cold feet."

A vi-ion of many a hard-fought battle In mid-air came. ncTnrn my eves. With tlio oppp*!:ig n'.nr-hinos darting above and below one another l'ko two great, birds, the sun glistening on the whitened planes ay they turned Mini tni-tc'. while nil round and silhouetted against the deen blue sl.-v vpro the little Hack rnd (lame patches of the burpMiig shrupri"!, if vr*" a. glnrioiislv s ;, ;'if. The uncertainty h-!d one *pollho'.iiul. Fuddcnlv one of Mm rwV incs would put down her nose and descend like a stone to cart' 1 , for •■ moment cue':! hsviVf. van !n on"'* r:-n(]. until sre would r'clJ b"'.:.-|f

?:!■:! r'fruh i<;i into fhe fr.iy. ?(.:i!(-tini(<r! Vw-v wonderful baffle* ".r,u!(l !•>}.■ | r-.r n.-. ]n-\ r ; :,?. fortv »r'n•''ew •''ew or a'.i fio'T. un'il one or (he n|v- *? would crash down Ibcusands of feet fo the earth below. Tt, r ttrtrfarp of long-rmso r-rtillorv nni fhr- scientific sicrr' for c r an li-v'-i'Mo f->o -umv miles »c~" w-.-,.,^

hnnd-tc-lnnd combat was practically unknown, these, duels in mid-air were a delight to fr'epd and foe alike, for they, and they alone, were favoured

with the old-time romance of wrry daring, and adventure. Men in the trenches would leave their rifles, forget the enemy, and gaze with wide-open eyes at what was going on overhead, drivers of .iromunition waggons would pause «on their way in the middle of the road, craning their necks, the while redhatted staff officers would order their cars to he stopped until the fight was over. Those two little black specks suspended thousands of feet above werethe cynosuro of .ill eye?, and when the stricken machine came low enough for her nationality to he distinguished, if it were a black cross on either wing a shout of sheer joy would burst forth from many an anxious heart; if, on the other hand, it were the three circles of red, whiteand blue a sigh would go down the lines like the rustic of the wind through the trees. She is .ilmost up to us by this time. I let fire with the machinegun, but she ia still beyond range. Oh, those moments of expectation! Would she fight or turn ail and run? She elected to do the former and clinibed quickly above us, her pilot opening fire with his machine gun. The bullets whizzed past our ears,, dangerously near. We climb in turn and lose sight of her for a "moment or so. It is .a complicated game of blindman's bulT. We get up with her at last and both let. off simultaneously. There is a language spoken in that act, a language that has neither stops, commas, letters, characters, notes, or images. Jt is the language of unbounded hatfc. Hate to the de.ith! We get above he? and "<!own wind" this time. Luck is on our side. Another tray of cartridges for the gun quickly! That's got her. She drops sharply. Her pilot must have been hit and lost control of his "joystick." We are right on lop of her now and let the whole tray of ammunition off Into her back.

Suddenly down goes her ncse. She rushes earthwards with a very fair speed to waft her pilot to paradise. Faster, faster she trave's. Fainter, fainter does her vision Income! Down helow the hundreds are waiting anxiously, already glorying in the prize. She's down at last!

Mc?t thankfully we turn for home