Luck on the Wing: Thirteen Stories of a Sky SpyHaslett, Elmer
History
Luck on the Wing: Thirteen Stories of a Sky Spy
Haslett, Elmer
World War, 1914-1918 -- Aerial operations; World War, 1914-1918 -- Personal narratives, American
Delving into this new game I indulged in certain psychological
conclusions which took my mind off of the thing that had been troubling
me; namely, the unpeaceful condition of my mind. This was most
interesting. They had fired about six or seven salvos and were coming
very near to the target, which was a cross-road. I thought it must be a
wonderful observer to guide the battery with such unfailing accuracy and
I looked forward to the time when I too might be a genuine sky spy and
with American batteries seek out the enemy and destroy him, for after
all was not the position of the aerial observer one of the most
dangerous of the army, the spy—for his greatest mission was to find out
the intentions of the enemy and if he succeeded in bringing back the
information without being seen all would be well, and if he was seen it
meant he had to fight for his life. Like the spy he, too, lived within
the lines of the enemy.
This was the gist of my thoughts when I suddenly looked down at the
panels and saw a huge “Y” displayed. I did not pay much attention to the
“Y” but I saw Jones’ plane taking a steep spiral toward the earth. I did
not call the attention of my pilot to it because I thought “Y” was
something usual, meaning, perhaps, that the signals were not understood
so Jones was going down low to get closer to the battery in order that
his wireless could be heard, but Jones kept going right on down near the
battery and finally kept circling around close by at about three hundred
feet altitude. I looked around and did not pay any great heed; I thought
Jones would soon climb up again. In a few moments I saw the battery take
in their “Y” and put it out again; take it in and put it out, as if to
attract my attention. Then I saw them running back and forth with
individual panels in different directions, which had a sort of cinema
effect. Then they brought out double panels and made a great, huge “Y.”
Then I thought “Y” must mean something if they were making all that fuss
about it, so I thought “Y”—“Y”—“Y”—“Y.” It was a memory test for me. I
felt I should remember some of those panels and here was the chance to
think clear and quick. I went through the various fake memory courses I
had taken and tried in every way to determine the meaning of “Y,” so
after trying to figure it out by the law of association, the law of
likeness of sound, the law of impress and five other such hopeless laws
I began to regret that I had paid so much for that memory course. Then I
casually took out my map chart to find out what “Y” meant. As I ran
slowly down the list of signals I came to “Y” and looking across it I
saw “Attention! Ennemi avion pres de vous,” which in English means “Look
out! Enemy plane close to you.” I thought I did not know French but I
certainly acquired it with the speed of lightning. I dropped my map
board like a shot, jumped up in my cockpit, grabbed my machine guns,
released the tourelle, and whether I knew anything about that tourelle
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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