GREATEST AIR BATTLE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIX, Issue 244, 12 October 1918, Page 15

GREATEST AIR BATTLE.

TIir.II.I.INC SOMMK ENCOUNTERS. Much the greatest air battle of nil time was. fought on August I.Vie; alone the I s<llllllll , , and the air communique reported I the loss of r,n planes on the tlrst day. Bnt perhaps this Is not a very large proportion i ..f the machines th:it neni out isays Mr Reach Thomas in Hie ■■I>ally Mail"), airt several hundred pitots-mndc two and three, or even four journeys in the day. The biggest casualties on both sides verrv over and nbmil the Somme. well behind the German lines. Our men flew as low us swallows in b£d weather to make sure of hitting with thrtr bombs the bridges over the river and othei I targets. The enemy were so appalled by the nnset that the whole of the retreat swung so,itli to avoid any crossing of the river. He knew very well what was cmIng. Ills fighting planes collected in scores, in !',ftles. in clouds above the river, nnd dived down continually on our venrtiresnme bombers, who bore a lnrge pro- ! portion of our losses. Here Is the bare i cist or the record of one squadron. Its j airmen destroyed 13 machine-suns, killing J most of the crews, one ami-Tank gun, three cannon, nnd many gunners, shot down several himdred Infantry. hit several bridges, broke up much transport on the roads, and exploded a big dump. Individual experiences Riirpnsa all records in variety. I'lunes rnme down to help nil arms of the service. Several In answer to signals, knocked out machinegun nests and cn.vMerl Tanks to proceed. One pilot fought on the ground himself. He first Iropped two honibfl on enemy infantry near P.caucourt then, descending Infantry round one of our fallen planes. These he bombed and scattered and killed. He was soon afterwards hit and driven down among our .-aralry patrols. Ueing ! unhurt, he took a rifle and went forward with the scouts, fighting hard, and finally borrowed a horse and rode back to his aerodrome. Another, after exploding n dump, which ! shook his plane and even tossed fragments on to him. thrice circled nnd dived at the enemy's troops massed In a gully a mile behind the front line, lie could see them falling by dozens to his machine-gun fire. A rOMIC TALK. Pome of the tnles are amusing, or at least amusingly told. Some touch the very depths of pathos, and here is a comic tale told almost verbatim: — "On observation work over R.ay I had a dog-fight with six hiplnne Fokkers. I managed to fire a burst at 100 yards into the leader, which soon afterwards crashed. I saw the remains while diving to do some ground strafing. A few minutes later 1 got behind another Kokker, and again fired a burst into it at JO yards near Suzanne. Then I dived for more ground strafing, and attneked n machine on the ground, killing several of the crew, at. 200 yds. Then I returned, being shot through the centre One pilot as courageous as his kinT dictated in hospital the story of a great fight, ending in the fall of a German plain-.. Mc hnd dived nfter it. bnt as the German pilot held both hands up he forebore to shoot him, and the man escaped, though the This gallant pilot was attacked by four planes on the way back, and shot mortally. Tie died almost a* he finished dictating his story in hospiur!. One flight attacked byclgrt enemy planes massed close together, wing tip to wing tip, with a succession of u.lleys crashed six of the attacking fleet without losing a plane. On the other hand, one bombing group met a fleet of 35 enemy fighters flying above them and lost heavily, as was inevitable. Exhaustion of his ammunition supply nearly ruined one pilot, but he escaped by firing Verey lights at the enemy.