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
“There was nothing left in the line of souvenirs, as the Tommies had
gotten to the wreck before I did. I carried off a piece of his props
and had a stick made of it. That night we had a celebration over the
first Hun I had brought down behind our own line since I became a pilot.
“Next day I went out to get another Hun to add to my collection. I was
in the act of crossing the Hun lines when, bang! to the right of me
came a thud, and my engine stopped. Revenge, I thought. I volplaned to
the ground, made a good landing in a field just behind our lines, and,
’phoning up the squad, I then had another engine brought out to replace
mine.
AVIATOR PRICE DOWNS THREE PLANES
“On my way to the squadron I witnessed one of the greatest air fights I
have ever seen. It took place above the cemetery of P——.
“Three Huns were aloft behind their own lines, and back of them was one
of our patrolling scouts.
“The Hun does not believe in coming over our lines if he can possibly
help it, and generally he will maneuver so that any engagement will
have to be waged over German territory.
“One of our men named Price, who was coming in from patrol, was pilot
of the scout, which was flying at the same height as the Hun aircraft,
about 12,000 feet. Price was well behind the Hun lines when they saw
him, and all three of them made for him at once. I happened to be at an
artillery observation post, which I had to pass on my way home, and so
was able to get a good view of the combat.
“The foremost of the Huns made straight for Price, and for a minute
it looked as though he intended ramming him. The combatants separated
again and began to fire upon one another, as the tut-tut-tut of the
machine guns told me. Of a sudden one Hun volplaned, while another made
straight for Price. I wondered what Price would do, but saw the next
moment that he had ‘zoomed’ over the second Hun machine, which just
then swooped down upon him. While Price was ‘zooming’ I noticed that
the first Hun was falling to the ground, having either been disabled or
killed by Price’s machine gun.
“Yet within a few moments the second Hun also crashed to earth, and the
third was now making for home as fast as his motor would carry him; but
Price chased and quickly caught up with him. It was an exciting race.
Price was working his machine gun for all the thing was worth, and
before long the third Hun went down.
“Just five minutes had been required for the fight. When I met Price
later I congratulated him. I remember wishing him all the good luck a
fellow could have. But that did not help, for within a month he, too,
came down in a heap.”
Roberts won his lieutenant’s commission and achieved the distinction of
Ace before he returned home. He was four times wounded in mid-air.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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