The War in the Air.

Taihape Daily Times, 23 September 1918, Page 2

The War in the Air.

UNPRECEDENTED AIR BATTLE*. Aerial warfare entered on & new phase with the opening of the German offensive on March 21st. The story of the air battle of March 23-24 reads like one of the most extraordinary adventure tales ever written. The struggle began with squadrons of airplanes ascending and manoeuvring as perfectly as cavalry. They rose to dizzy heights, and descending, swept the air close to the ground. The individual pilots of the opposing sides now began executing all manner of movements, climbing, diving, turning in every direction, and seeking to get hito the best position to pour machine gun fire into enemy airplanes. Every few minutes a machine belonging to an Allied or German squadron crashed to the ground, often in flames. At the end of the first day’s fighting wrecked airplanes and the mangled bodies of aviators lay strewn all over the battlefield. All day on March 24 the struggle went on with unabated fury. The Allied air squadrons were now on the offensive, and penetrated far into the German lines. The German aviators counter attacked whenever they could, and more often than once succeeded in crossing the French lines. But at the close of the second day victory rested with the Allied airmen, and during the next five days scarcely a German airplane took the air , On the fifth day of this period of Allied air supremacy German machines began to appear once more, and with the organisation of new enemy squadrons the Allies’ ascendancy was no longer uncontested. Richstofen and other German air commanders came on the scene with their squadrons, and from March 30 onward there was continual air fighting between the opposing forces. Some days there was more intense fighting than usual, and such a day was April 12 when the Allies achieved the geat of destroying or bringing down 93 enemy machines. A brilliant exploit was that of French aviators on July b, which was briefly recorded in the French official report. Early in the afternoon the French airmen were informed that a large concentration of enemy troops was being made in the 1 valley of the Saviere. Owing to the configuration of the country they were sheltered from the fire of artillery, and it was evident- they intended to reinforce the German move west of the Forest of Villers Cotteret. Bombiffg planes were sent out. The effects o" the bombs were tremendous. The German soldiers broke headlong for cover, abandoning all thought of fighting. Ten minutes later a bombing plane group of the same strength arrived on the scene. At first no Germans were visible; then circling low the airmen discovered the enemy hiding in the horse shoe wood of Haurwisen on the “eastern side of the valley, Again the devoted hattaliop» were subjected to a terrible bombardment amid trees that gave no protection. Before the decimated ranks could re-form the squadron had returned with a new load, and once' more the wood was filled with the roar of .explosions. No human morale could stand , such triple strain. In vain the German officers tried to reform their terror-stricken men. Whcs* the French infantry counter attacked they had an easy victory over the weakened forces that had made the advance. The airmen's success again*?* the reserves had nullified an .advance that might have been dangerous. GERMANS FIGHT GERMANS. One of the most extraordinary episodes of recent aerial fighting was th^

battle waged on June 5 between two flights of German planes. It was an unintentional but disastrous fight between brother airmen, during which British pilots joyfully and impartially rendered assistance first to one side, then to the other, until so many or the German fliers had been destroyec or damaged that the conflict could not continue. 'According to eye-witnesses two British officers in a fighting machine were leading a patrol along tnc lines, when they sighted a German Halberstadt two-seater, which, upon their appearance, fired a green signal light. The British officers expected a trap, and waited to see what this unusual performance meant. To a short time six German scouts came wheeling out of the blue and joined the Halberstadt. Almost at once six o;her enemy scouts dived out of the sun on their comrades, whom they apparently mistook for a British patrol about to attack-' the Halberstadt. What happened was' this; The Halberstadt had been acting as a decoy, and the green light had been meant as a signal for assistance. But there had been no expectation ■ that two German flights would respond at the same time, not being able to distinguish the markings of their friends—and this has not infrequently happened before —the newcomers immediately began a furious attack upon them. The British leaders then guided their patrol into this mad melee and took a hand. The Halberstadt was the first victim, and this was shot dowrn by a British commanding machine. Another B'ritish fighter in the meantime accounted for two more enemy scouts, which were scut swirling to destruction. All the ■time the German airmen were continuing their bitter battle among themselves and several were seen to go down out of control, before the engagement finally ended. The British leaders by their good judgment had led the Germns into their own trap. But we can imagine the heated language of the surviving German ai--. men when they reached home, and the full significance of the occurrence had dawned upon them.