GREAT FRENCH AIRMAN.

Greymouth Evening Star, 1 July 1915, Page 6

GREAT FRENCH AIRMAN.

CAPTURKD BY GERMANS. Tlic Germans have captured the great French airman Garros, whose daring feats in l !iia w.ir have been the wonder and admiration of his colleagues at the front. hiiiL'l :-handed he has accounted for a consid'T.'.'.le nmnber of German machines, ami his loss to the French air service will he considerable. Garros was known, as a flyer before the war, and held the height r.-ford with a flight of dose, upon 17,000 ft. His greatest peace record was to cross the jNleditcrra lean, a feat which lias not been accomplished by any other airman. He flew a match near Paris with Gustav H.iinel shortly before the latter's <leath, and won most of tho contest sof the match. Shortly before his capture by tho. Germans Garros performed the following fine feat in the air:—A German aeroplane was reported shortly before 6 o'clock heading for the town of Dunkirk, doubtless for the purpose of bomb-dropping. It is one of Garros's specialties to give, battle tp tho enemy's aircraft aloft in the clouds. So he.was quickly on the track of this morning's invader, -an Aviatik. Beating it for speed, he Was able to jockey for position at his 'will, and finally swooped upon it from above and behind.

Reserving his lire with admirable coolness, he did not shoot until he was within 20yds of his ■prey..": Then he -fired with fatal precisjou. Two bullets took effect, ■and tho German- machine -dashed swiftly to earth. Both, the avaitor and his observer had been shot dead with the two bullets. Garros was alone, but just as in his fainqus Mediterranean flight; when, even among the dangerous air eddies above Sardinia, he was one of the first aviators to take his hands from his wheel to consult his maps and take observations, so now he shows himself a master of balance ;md automatic control. .Two Germans with two shots, I,sooyds up, is pretty fine sooting for anyone, let alone a man handling an aeroplane at the same time.