HEROES OF THE AIR.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLI, Issue 11650, 19 August 1916, Page 8

HEROES OF THE AIR.

BRAVE BOMB-DROPPERS. A DANGEROUS SERVICE. Gilbert’s escape from Switzerland reminds a Paris correspondent that if.'the dashing pilots of the flying squadrons now get their full meed of praise and popularity, it is otherwise with the men of the bombarding squadrons, whose deeds are seldom mentioned. Investigation has convinced him that these gallant fellows are as worthy of the nation’s gratitude, and admiration too, as Navarre, Guynemer, and others whose names have now become household words. Mounted on heavy.'solid, and none too fast machines, poorly armed so that no lifting power may be wasted and the load of explosives carried raised to a maximum, the bombardiers sally forth on the most hazardous of undertakings with very little glory attached to them, but a very considerable amount of risk and danger.

MANY HAIRBREADTH ESCAPES Nearly all of them can tell of the most hairbreadth escapes, while not a few, alas! have gone out never to return. All have displayed the greatest heroism. More than once they have had an arm or a toot shot away, yet have cast loose their bombs as ordered and returned home with their machines.

Quite a number have been winged in hostile territory, have come down, effected hasty repairs, and “made port” safely again. One adjutant was unable to put things right, so after salving everything of value aboard, including the machine-gun, which he slung over his shoulder, be marched 40 miles back to the French lines, staler!™ his heavy load, and finishing np by negotiating “No Man’s Land” safely.' Dashing work. A quartermaster started (off with two other machines on an important railway raid. His companions were ehot down at the start;but he would not turn hack, although signalled everywhere and peppered with shot wherever he To make sure of blowing up what he had been told to destroy he skimmed down to only thirty yards above the railway track and blew it to atoms. The explosion nearly wrecked his aeroplane, but he steadied it, and, under a hail of fire, got clean away. Less than a week afterwards he was shot through the heart while on another expedition. Finally, here is the magnificent feat of Lieutenant Plock over Mulhouse. One of the new heavy Dreadnought planes of the enemy pounded him to pieces and enveloped him in flames. Turning short, be tilted full speed straight into the monster, and French and German both plunged downwards to destruction, locked in the vice of the death grip,