BRITISH IN VENETIA

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLII, Issue 11450, 1 February 1918, Page 2

BRITISH IN VENETIA

FIRST ENGAGEMENT IN AIR. FOUR’PLANES AGAINST TWELVE. Writing from Sir Herbert Plumer’s hoiulqnarters in Italy on December 3rd, Mr G. Ward Price says the lirst shots exchanged between the British Expeditionary Force and the Germans on the Italian front have brought success to our arms. It was an encounter in the air, and Royal Flying Corps opened this new campaign with-an achievement of good augury, tor the very first day th our airmen crossed the enemy lines they shot a German machine to pieces, and sent it crashing to earth on the banks of tne Piave. . Four of our four machines crossed over the German side of the river for a flight along the northern sector of the pi in. The little squadron had not gone five miles they were attacked by live German Albatross scouts. One of these enemy machines was immediately driven down in a vertical dive, but at 5000 feet it flattened out again. Meanwhile the flight wont on with tho rest. After 20 minutes ot continual minoevunng and occasional bursts of tire another of the oncmv was driven down. His British antagonist followed him in his drive, and as the German flattened out again the English pilot got a burst of 80 rounds into him at close range. Th :t ended the tight. The right wing of tho German machine collapsed and fell back along the fuselage. At once the Albatross turned over and fell, the rest of the right wing breaking loose es it crashed to earth. By this tune the enemy had received reinforcements, but for all that another of his aeroplanes was driven down out of control below 5000 ft. Then tho four British machines returned, having encountered in this lirst outing of theirs 12 German adversaries, of which they had smashed up one and seriously damaged two. Flying conditions here will bo very different for our airmen from those to which they woro_ accustomed in Franco, Mr Price remarks. For one tiling they will probably.have to c rry out reconnaissance flights above high mountains. Good Lmdiug places are very scarce, oven in the plain. Howevei hard conditions 11105- be hero, those pilots and observers who have hid experience of Flanders believe that there is no chance that their work will prove more arduous than it was in Franco.