EXPLOITS OF AIRMEN.

Taihape Daily Times, 28 September 1918, Page 6

EXPLOITS OF AIRMEN.

ONE MAN ATTACKS THIRTY. ENEMY GENERAL KILLsED. LONDON, Sept 12. Mr. Perry Robinson, correspondent of the “Times.” recounting recent air exploits, says that a two-seater attacked 20 enemy planes and shot down two, but was itself almost shot to ribbons. It hid in the clouds, and then limped home. Its tanks were pierced, its engines damaged, and Its instruments smashed, and the observer had ten wounds. Several instances have occurred of air men climbing out of their planes and plugging holes in the tanks. One stayed on the wing and plugged a leak with his handkerchief till the machine landed. Another machine had both planes shot off. The observer hung out perilously over the side, suspending the Lewis gun so as to preserve the balance till the machine landed. A biplane that was flying at a grea* height dived and attacked 30 enemy machines. It shot down three before -being attacked, and got three more, when it re-asceUded and escaped In the clouds by clever dodging and spinning, Australian airmen added lustrous pages to their records during the Somme advance. The rapidity of tne progress made it difficult to maintain touch with the foremost elements by the usual methods, but the airmen flew forwards and backwards in the teeth of the heaviest machine gun fire, skimming the ground until the troop* were recognisable, and dropping ammunition so effectively that the Australian machine gunners frequently found piles of cartridges awaiting them. Every development was reported, and the enemy was closely watch-' ed. For instance, a flight-commander reconnoitred a German position to a depth of 12,000 yards, flying at 1300 ft, amid bursting shells, bringing in invaluable details.

Another officer, who brought down three enemy machines flew for two hours at a height of 200 ft. He was Incessantly fired at, but by recognising the troops he enabled a position to be established on the Bray—Corbie road.

The 12-day record of a famous flight commander is interesting. He first attacked with bombs and machine gun and destroyed a train going fo Armentieres. Descending to 200 rt the same evening he routed transports at Estaires, andTlbrought down an enemy two-seater at Bac St. Maur. The next morning he destroyed a scout, and caused casualties to troops and transports on the road. In the evening he brought down his second hostile ’plane. A few days later he attacked and killed many troops at Lestrem. Noticing the Germans salving a crashed aeroplane at Levantie,. he knocked over several and set fire tc? the machine. After that he bombed the Wavrin aerodrome, and on the eleventh and twelfth days led organised raids on two aerodromes, bombing and setting fire to hangars and aeroplanes, and firing 1200 rounds into parties of mechanics and gunners, causing many casualties. The great success of the raids was largely due to his brilliant leadership. The Vienna paper “Fremdenblatt” states that General Hugo Huhu was killed by an Allied airman near St. Quentin. The paper adds that on the same occasion British aviators shor the majority of General Huhn’s staff.