FEATS OF THE AIRMEN.

Taranaki Daily News, 27 November 1917, Page 6

FEATS OF THE AIRMEN.

SHARE TN BRITISH ATTACK. MAClllKli-CUXS AM) BOMBS. Airmen are now taking a definite part in British attacks on the Western front, and some of their exploits have been 1110,>t remarkable. On one occasion rain and low-lying clouds rendered them useless for scouting in their usual positions high above the advancing armies, so they fought the Germans in the mud instead of in the air, and were the faithful messengers of victory from the troops that reached their goal. Heedless of '•Archies," machine-guns, revolvers, and wild barrages by rocket batteries, they sailed low over mudstained infantry, noted their position, and came back with their accurate sketch maps of ground which had been hastily pencilled in the cloud with blind shells orackihg all around. But most wonderful of all were the duels with motor-ears on the roads, German troops in column, aerodromes, and miscellaneous units discovered by these keen-eyed scouts in the Flemish fields and villages behind the enemy's battle-front. It must be remembered that the weather was extremely bad, with cloud ■banks only f>ooft to 1000 ft above the plain. Yet despite conditions which could hardly have been worse, one formation alone flew for 396 miles one day, fired over 11,000 rounds of machine-gun ammunition, all at ground targets, crashing down six German aeroplanes, and setting alight one balloon. beseiging'an aerodrome. Here is the experience of one fighting pilot. He started at four o'clock in the morning, at the beginning of the battle, when the light, was stili bad. and flew over canals and roads in the invaded territory to a certain German aerodrome. One workman was walking 'across the ground, and he paid, no attention to the sky, evidently confident that it was impossible for a hostile machine to attempt an attack. Lieutenant X. dropped a bomb neatly on one shod. Men appeared lunning in all directions. The niachino sailed along one side of the aerodrome low enough for the pilot to fire his machine-gun into the open doors of the sheds as he passed, then swerving across 'to the other side he bombed a second shed. Hardly had the bomb exploded before the pilot was back again, bombing a third shed opposite. Lieutenant X. aimed a bomb at a. fourth shed, but the release lever did not work, so he went up into the clouds and leisurely adjusted it, dropping a few moments later into clear air just above the aerodrome. His fourth bomb fell between a shed and a railway train, damaging both of them. By this time the Germans had recovered sufficient presence of mind to bring a machine-gun into action, so the aeroplane flew angrily at the gun, firing in reply, and scattering the enemy crew in all directions. GERMANS ASTOUNDED. Another "Cavalryman of the Air" left the British lines while it was still dark, crossed the trenches at a height of 1000 ft dropped to an altitude of one hundred foot in order to attack an aerodrome, and tried to bomb six new sheds. The mechanism which released his explosive jammed. nnd for 20 minutes he flew round and round the aerodrome, trying to fire nt it, without, the slightest regard for the "Archie" barrage. Finally lie lost patience with the enemy gunners, turned on his own machine-gun, and silenced the German anti-aircraft batteries within a minute.

There were many other exploits almost, as thrilling and as effective. The German prisoners have frankly confessed .their amazement at these" daring attacks. and have described the confusion which they caused among troops of all kinds who found themselves helpless against- these sudden raids from the sky. The German aeroplanes could not retaliate in any way. Comparatively few machines attempted to beat back the bombers, and those that did make the attempt appear to have been forced into the air against their inclination, for in no instance did they put up a determined fight.

Great damage was done to the enemy air depots. They were bombed repeatedly with the same thoroughness during many of the nights which preceded the battle, stores of ammunition were set, ablaze, and aerdplanes wore destroyed in their hangars. British airmen had complete and constant contact with the infantry! during the advance. They were ,able to furpish fuller-, reports with less delay than during any previous attnek, and information about positions, which at the moment was unprocurable in any other way, was invariably accurate. Some of the machines came back liter l ally riddled with bullets, but with their occupants unhurt, and, although the great work of the corps naturally entailed some casualties, these wore' light considering the dangerous character of the various missions undertaken.