OVER THE GERMAN LINES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3025, 12 March 1917, Page 9

OVER THE GERMAN LINES

♦ ON AN AIR RECONNAISANCE I ATTENTIONS FROM THE | "ARCHIES" (By "Wings," R.F.C., in the "Daily Mail.") "Contact, sir!" "Contact I" Click I The switch is ou, the waiting mechanic swings tho tig four-tladed propeller smartly over, and the engine startß with, a noisy, metallic olatter. For a minute or two tho clatter increases until it becomes a deep' roar as the pilot tests his engine, then, finding it satisfactory, ho throttles down and wares his left hand, tho "chocks" are jerked from under t¥o wheels, and tho machine moves gently forward. After glancing at a sentry who holds a green flag to show that the aerodrome is clear of other machines, the pilot "taxis" slowly_ across to_ a far corner, arid turning into tho wind opens tho tbrottle'full out. Tho.machine leaps forward, bumping ever tho uueven surface, until, gaining speed, tho tail slowly lifts, and after a run of a couple of hundred yards tho aeroplane skims ph*s!v off tho'ground. For another .fifty' yards tho . pilot holds her down, and then, with a rush and a swoop, up over ibe shods and away I After a circuit of tho aerodrcrao, on reaching a height of 800 ft._ or so, ho connects up the wireless instrument ansl motions to his observer that all_ is ready. Tho lattor sends.a fow signals to test tho working, and finding they are answered correctly, settles down to arrango Mb maps. Tho pilot, ono oye on his instruments and the other on familiar landmarks, steers the machino for the German lines, climbing steadily all the while. On reaching our battery positions tho gunners are called up, and before starting •work pilot and observer cross the linos to look at tho target from as near as possibte and get a nnccurato_idea of .its position. In this case it is a German battery about three miles over which is to receive the attention of_ our guns, and when it has been examined carefully they turn towards our own side again. At once— ""Wouff! Wouff! Hs-s-s-s- • 's-s-"—two swirling patches of- black smoke appear about 100 ft. away, a .little.above and to the.right. Tho ; pilot swerves to the right,, and sideslips a little, and when, a fow seconds, later, more -black, puffs appear, they aro. away 200 ft. to the left and well above, so that-although tlio bark of the shells, is still distinguishable tho hiss of the flying fragments is no longer audible. • Pilot and. observer grin at each other, their grins becoming broader as tho shooting gets worse, owing, to tho pilot's skilful' handling, of his machine. "Arctic", follows.them bac!» as far as the front-line trenches, and then: stops, leaving a trailing line of rapidly diffusing balls of black smoke across tho sky. Cood Shooting, Now tho work begins. After calling 'up his battery again.. tho observer sends the signal for "Fire," and motioning the pilot to fly in -a certain direction so that he has a clear view unobstructed by the pianos, ho glues his byes-on the four tiny'mounds far below, which are all that can be seen uf the Hun battery. . For about twenty seconds, an interval that seems au ago to tho waiting observer, nothing happens. Then a tiny puff of greyish smoke suddenly appears about, a hundred yards from tho. target. Ho turns'and signals the correction down to the gunners, and again sends ."Fire." This time the shell bursts fifty yards nearer the target, and so tho shoot goes on, until after a few more shots a burst takes place right in the middle of a pit. The pilot, seoing that all is going on well, passes over a slip of paper on which is written, "Good shooting. Am going to drop my bombs," and onco more heads tho machino towards Hunland. ' About five miles ovor ho spots a storago dump near a railway siding, and steering straight over it releases his two bombs. They both crane over the side watching the smooth tapering bodies getting smaller and. smaller as they hurtle down, and tho pilot flies in a wide circle, so ns to keepthom in view. They are going to miss. No—yes; they have missed. A big mushroonvshaped cloud nf smoke appears in a field . about 150 yards from tho dump, and the pilot is jnst turning away disgusted when there is. a second bright flash and a greyish-black" cloud suddenly obscures the target. Tho smoko of the burst soon blows away, but ; some still seoms to oomo from the siding with occasional flickers of flamo. _ The second bomb has fallen in tho middle of somo inflammablo goods and a fire started. The pilot waves his arms with delight, but his joy is short-lived. Wouff! Wouff! Bang! Hss-s-s-s. Bang! "Archie" is thoroughly annoyed this time, and his second shot tears a jagged hole about Bin. square in ono plane. A startling series of sideslips, nosedives, and quick turns follows, and then, having put tho "Archie" gunners off for a moment or so. the nilot pushes the nose of his machine down and goes "hell for leather" for the British linos surrounded by writhing patches of black smoke. The Hun's Bluff Dive. Suddenly, when about half-way back, tho "Archie" fire stops, and for a moment all is quiet. The observer looks round suspiciously, and thon in a_ flash twists round, and, kneeling on his seat, begins to sight his gun. Tut-tut-tut—tut-tut-tut—tut-tut-tut —tho stutter of a machine gun breaks I out. Glancing back over his shoulder tho pilot sees a big, longbodied _ machine with narrow-swept back wings, adorned with black crosses, diving straight down for his tail, with the '■ winking flash of a machino gun, very much alivo, coming from the passenger seat. There is a harsh, tearing sound as tho bullets rip through the fabric of the planes, and then the enemy machine has gone, diving away underneath, but not before our observer has fired a drum into'it at close rango. As the Hun swoops away below, the pilot pushes the noso of his own machine down and opens firo on him with his gun whon ho appears again in front. The black-crossed planes lurch sideways, the tail goes up, and down goes the Hun, diving vertically earthwards. Pilot and obsorver watch him breathlessly, but after going down a couple of thousand feet he flattens out, and, with his exhaust pouring out smoko and sparks, "streaks off" into Hunland before they realise that his divo, seemingly out of control, was only a bluff.

Two more swift black shapes suddenly nisb past, and tho last thay see of ■£ho German machine is a dim speck in liio distance, hotly pursued by two British "scouts."

'file "Archie" soon starts again

more viciously than ever, and tho pilot Kerids for the Hues once more, manoeuvring his now rather battered maebino mora gingerly than boforo in caso extra strain should break somo already damaged p.irt. A good deal of height had been lost during the fight,

and now they are only about 2500 ft. up. Oil reaching the tranches tlio Stutter of Viuaehiuc-guu again starts, but no other acroplano is in sight. This time tho bullets como from the

ground, as tho Gorman infantry, furiousat tho repulso of their machino, try their own hand at bringing down the conqueror. But tho shooting is had, and tho machine is not hit, and reaches our lines in safety.