Deeds of heroism and bravery : $b The book of heroes and personal daring
History
Deeds of heroism and bravery : $b The book of heroes and personal daring
World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives
That tenth plane exploit, by the way, was memorable. Lufbery was alone
at an altitude of 18,000 feet when, at a distance, he saw a formation
of seven Boche machines. Two of them were two-seater observation
machines, the others were the protective escort. He flew into the sun
to wait for a chance to attack. Soon one of the seven cut loose from
the others, and immediately Lufbery dived for it and began firing,
taking the enemy by surprise. After thirty shots or so his gun jammed,
but no more shots were necessary. The enemy machine wobbled, shifted
and began its downward plunge, and as Lufbery volplaned away he saw the
wrecked machine crash into the German trenches.
In an article written for the French publication _La Guerre Aérienne_,
Lufbery describes an encounter he had one day when he was sent scouting
over the Vosges, the panoramic beauty of which had so enthralled him
he flew in sheer delight of the vision, nevertheless “all the time on
guard.”
Suddenly an enemy appeared a little below and behind him. He wrote:
“It is a little one-seater biplane of the Fokker or Halberstadt
type. A glance around assures me that he is alone. I am surprised at
this, for it is certainly the first time that a machine of this sort
has deliberately placed itself in a position so disadvantageous for
fighting. Perhaps it is a trap. One never knows! If it only may prove
to be a beginner, lacking experience, who listens to nothing but his
courage in his purpose to become one of the great Aces of his country.”
ATTACKS A MASTER OF HIS ART
“However that may be, the wind keeps blowing from the west and carries
me farther and farther into the lines. It will not do to allow the
Boche to have this advantage too long: I decide to begin the attack
without losing another second.
“An about face, followed by a sudden double spin, carries me a little
behind my adversary. Profiting by this advantage I dive upon him, but
with a remarkable skill he gets out of range of my machine gun. He has
anticipated my maneuver and parried the blow before it was struck. I
am now aware that I have to do with a master of his art. This first
encounter has proved it to me.
“Making my machine tango from right to left, I saw him again below me
but much nearer than before by at least forty yards.
“Suddenly he noses up as if to begin a looping, and in this awkward
position fires a volley at me which I dodge by a half turn to the
right. A second time I attack but with no more success. The wind
carries us to the north of Mulhouse, and I begin to ask myself if I am
not playing my adversary’s game for him in delaying longer.
“At this moment I chanced to glance in the direction of Belfort, which
was about twelve miles within our lines. I perceived in the air little
white flakes. Evidence of the presence of a Boche.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account