FIGHT WITH SEVEN HUNS

Taihape Daily Times, Issue 220, 5 March 1917, Page 2

FIGHT WITH SEVEN HUNS

"Writing to a friend, a young Perth aviator serving in France describes His latest encounter with seven German machines. He has been awarded the D. 5.0., in addition to the M.C., and was recently shot in the lungs. Ho writes:—Two of us tackled seven Huns and my gun failed to. work. With his first -shots the Hun broke my propeller to pieces. Being rippled, I tried to reach the lines ten miles away. I was 12,000 feet up, so had a chance to clear the trenches easily. Two Huns followed me down. One kept diving and firing every few seconds, but I managed to fix my gun up and several times turned on the Hun, and got some shots into him. Having no engine power I was at a great disadvantage, and was unable to reach our lines. When I was about 000 yards from the ground a bullet entered my back and came out in the chest, piercing both lungs en route. The machine was badly smashed about by bullets most of the controls being shot away. So I smashed up on No Man's Land about 50 yards from the German front line and 150 yards from ours. I lay flat on the ground for a few minutes, and then rolled towards the trenches. About 25 yards away I came to a shell hole, where I lay hid for five hours. The Huns shelled nay machine soon after I landed and set it on fire. After sunset I crawled towards the trenches, and reaching the barb wire entanglements about ten yards from the front line, called for help. They came out and took me in. My partner in the fight never came back, and there is no news of him yet.