Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 February 1919 — FIGHTS 60 FOES WITHIN AN HOUR [ARTICLE]

FIGHTS 60 FOES WITHIN AN HOUR

British Airman Has One of Most Remarkable Experiences of World War. WAS OUT ON A LONE HUNT | Destroys Four Hun Machines, Disables Six, Suffers Three Crippling Wounds and Brings Back Machine- in Repairable ■ - ~ Condition. American I‘ress Headquarters, British Front The war over, a great many accounts of individual bravery will be heard for the first time, but none will excel this extraordinary tale, of a British flying major, now recovering in a hospital. Th e in a.ior . i n a f a st. sln gl e-sea ter scout.- was out over the lines on a lonehunt. Discovering an enemy two-seat-er machine at 21.4 W feet over the for- , est of'Mormal. the major began climbing sharply to overtake Ijim. got under his tail, fired at point-blank range" and saw ~.e two-seater break in pieces and fait, one occupant diving out in a parachute. While watching the two-seater crash, the major suddenly heard bullets snapping and hissing about him. Under : him was a Fokker biplane. Before he I could.make a turn he was wounded in l the thigh,the shock stunning him for ’ a moment so that his machine fell in an aimless spin. Surrounded by Foes. When he had recovered control he found himself surrounded by 15 Fokkers in attack formation. He drove at the nearest and the two were at once 1 I terrific manuevers that carried them through the other 14. Chance shots during these evolutions seiit dovVn two of the major's adversaries, and then at ten yards he “got on the tall" of the first Fokker, probably the 'Squadron ■leader, and shot hint down in flames. Then the major was wounded a second time, this bullet shattering the „bone of his left tie eh. Ln a dead faint, with his engine running at top speed, the Britftsber fell in wild sweeping 1 circles,, until he once again regained his senses and was able to pilot his scout. • y -— j' ' ' ? But the major was*again set upon by another squadron pf 15 Fokkers. He charged straight at the machine ahead of him; firing at the same time. The Fokker burst into .smoke and .fell. Then 'the other Germans now- centered

fire on him. riddling his machine and shattering his left, elbow' so that the arm hung useless. Again he was attacked by another squadron. Smoke came from his ma< chine and he believed himself on He used all his strength to try for a „e<flljsi'on once mor.e.and-was ,st i 11-a.ble to fire feebly. His success was repeated. A Fokker went down in flames at three yards range. As he was now too dizzy to see, h« dived to within a few thousand feet ol the ground, just over the lines, his en--ghn*~gqtng “futtout;* I 'TttrTtrffFTnrff miracle his machine stood the strain, an< 1 again he wa s a stack ed, thi s time by eight enemy scouts. The terrible descent seemed to brace him. British observers saw him go through the most amazing spins, spirals, zooms and all the tricks of the British scout fighter. In a 12-minute engagement he drove down two Germans out of control, broke free of the others and came h,ome skimming trees and trenches. He probably will pull through.