AUSTRALIAN AIRMEN

Evening Star, Issue 16629, 11 January 1918, Page 6

AUSTRALIAN AIRMEN

LIEUTENANT AIOWLE’S EXPERIENCES. The first Australian aeronaut to fight on the western front—Lieutenant A. W. AI, Alowle, son of Mr W. S. Alowle, clerk of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly—returned to Sydney last week. Lieutenant Mowle left Australia, in October, 1916, and, after making a number of flights at an east coast centre, was given Iris “ wings/-’ by the Royal Flying Corps. Before leaving Australia he had made a few flights at Point Cook, Victoria, and made a close study of various types of machines. In all lie has flown 26 different types of machines. While in England Lieutenant Alowle was very much impressed with the type of young men who enlisted in the R.F.C. “They were mostly men who had just reached military age,” he said, “ and, among other attributes, tho R.F.C. selectors insisted upon, a man being in possession of a certain amount of selfconfidence, less than 12 stone weight, good eyesight, .temperate habits, clear-headed-ness, quick wits, and a knowledge of internal combustion engines. Flying in Franco under present conditions is such a dangerous and nerve-racking business that the medical examination of candidates must bo made a very stiff one, but there are any number of applicants in the United Kingdom, and I can recommend any young man who likes an exciting career to join the Flying Corps. Tho excitement is guaranteed.”

“ One of tho most exciting experiences I ( had in France,” said Lieutenant Alowle, was an attack I made on a German sausage balloon. Immediately below the balloon the Huns had a group of ‘ flaming onions/ These are about the size of an ordinary soccer football, and can be sent to a height of B,oooft. They are tied to strings, and the object of the Huns is to sling them over the wings of British machines and bring them down in flames. In order to attack a balloon it is necessary to descend to much less than B,oooft, so the danger of being hit by a Hun onion is very great, ‘ I was engaged continuously for two months on deep offensive patrols, and was never lonely for a ‘ scrap.’ The Hun will not fight if there is an alternative, but when opportunity offers he will sail in, and somebody is bound to be hurt. He has mastered the art of disguising his machine by means of camouflage, and it is very difficult at times to discern his machines if there are any clouds about. On one occasion I and four others wore doing a patrbl ‘ stunt ’ when we ran into 27 German machines. We started to attack, but to our surprise the Germans turned and raced for home after firing a k>t of ammunition at us. AVe concluded they were short of ammunition.

“Zeppelins have proved a failure after over three years’ trial, but I think the bombing of Berlin is a practical proposition, and will bo done as soon as the carriage of a bigger petrol supply is brought about. Of course, we are bombing Gorman towns every day and every night. In my opinion, the French are tlie beet all-round fliers. As ‘ stunters ’ (theatrical fliers) they have no equals, but when it comes to the real thing the British have no superiors. They fight anything in the air. The Hun is a good flyer in a good machine, but his warmest admirer would not accuse him of being fond of a fight if he can get out of it.”

Lieutenant Mowle, who was wounded severely in four places at a height of 10,00 ft in July last over Douai, had one of the narrowest escapes from death. Asked to relate his experience when hit, he said ; “ I was over the Hun aerodrome at Douai —the place where Captain Bishop won his V.U.—having a smack at three Huns, when I shot one down out of control. I saw him disappear, and beghn to fight the other two. I do not remember anything else. About 105 hours afterwards I regained consciousness behind the lines at Arras, in a casualty clearing station. I was wounded in the' face, right thick. left arm, and left knee.”