THRILLING TIMES IN THE AIR

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 12, 9 October 1917, Page 7

THRILLING TIMES IN THE AIR

WITH A BATTLE RAGING BELOW. During one of the recent big battles in Flanders, an air observer in a fighting reconnaissance machine had a thrilling experience; The 'plane was attacked by five Albatross scouts. The British machine drove down one of its assailants, which crashed, and sent a. second nosespinning out of control. Then the pilot lurched forward in his seat as a bullet struck him. Emptying the drum of his Lewis gun at his enemies, the observer leaned across the figure of his stricken comrade, and although he had very little knowledge of pilot's work, succeeded in landing behind tho British lines. One of our scouts saw . anti-aircraft 6holls bursting at a. great height, and dashed to see what it was all about. Ho found that the "archies" were peppering a Hun airman, who was flying very high, as" Hun airmen generally do on tho rare occasions that they venture to cross our lines. The Britisher stalled his machine, that is to say, he tilted it and let it drop back, so as to/bring his fire to bear. • Tho German in a few monients swooped headlong and crashed within our lines.

One of our fast machines ambushed an enemy reconnaissance machine which had crossed our lines,, and opeoed fire. The German at once turned east, but had not gone far when the pilot of the pursuing machine saw a white handkerchief fluttering. : On this tho gunner ceased firing, but as the Gorman continued to mako for his own lines, ho soon began to blaze away again. In tho end tho German descended within his own terrain, and it is more than probablo that he, was wounded when ho showed tho whito handkerchief.

An exciting experience befel tho occupants of one of our observation balloons. They were attacked by an enemy aeroplane and the envelope caught fire. The obvious thing to do was to get out of tho car as soon as possible by the parachute. But a mishap befel one of tho men, and for a few breathless heart beats eternity stared him in tho face. Then, like a flash, he grabbed at his comrade, who clutched him, and tho two safely descended on tho one parachute.