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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0478.PDF
MAY 17, 1917. " THE NAVY»THAT-FLIES." 1. THE Royal Naval Air Service found itself " over the otherside " about the time that the shells of the British monitors began feeling for the hidden batteries of the Boche behind theBelgian coast. " I can't see where they're pitching," said the Navy-that-Floats, referring to the shells of the monitors bursting 12 miles away. " What about spotting for us, old son ? "" That will I do," replied the Navy-that-Flies. " And more also. But I shall have to wear khaki, because it's doneout here ; by everybody, apparently. . Even the newspaper reporters wear khaki. Also I must have the right machines,and lots of 'em." '^Wear anything you like," replied the Navy-that-Floats," as long as you help us to hit these shore batteries. Only— because you wear khaki and see life, don't forget your'restill the same old Navy as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be." » The Navy-that-Flies added "Amen," and said that itwouldn't forget. It garbed itself in khaki, but retained the ring and curl on the sleeve, and the naval cap (with the eagle'swings in ptece of the crown and anchor in the badge), plus a khaki cap-cover. Wherever its squadrons were based theyrigged a flagstaff and flew the White Ensign at the peak. They erected wooden huts and painted them Service .grey,labelling them " Mess-deck," " Wardroom," " Gun-feom," &c, as the case might be: They divided the flights into port and starboard watches,and solemnly asked leave to "go ashore " for recreation. Those who strayed from the same stern pathos of discipline .suffered the same punishments as the Navy-that-Floats. And at the conclusion of each day's work the Wardroomdined, and drank to their King, sitting, according to the custom and tradition of the naval service. They filled in shell-hWes and levelled the' ground foraerodromes ; they ran up hangars and excavated dug-outs— whither they retired in a strong silent rush (the expression istheirs) when the apprehensive Boche attempted to curtail their activity with bombs. And by degrees the right machines came along. TheNavy-that-Flies swung itself into them critically, flung them about in the air three miles high, testing and measuring theircapabilities. Then they fought them, crashed them, im- proved on them, till they were righter still, and finally pro-ceeded (to quote another of their expressions) to " put the wind up Old Man Boche " in a way that helped the Navy-that-Floats enormously. But apart from spotting duties, which were necessarilyintermittent, the R.N.A.S. undertook a photographic re- connaissance of the entire Belgian coast from Nieuport to theDutch frontier. The work in progress at Ostend and Zee- brugge, the activities of submarines and destroyers inside thebasins :-locks, cfuays, arid gun-emplacements, and the results of bombs dropped thereon the night before, were allfaithfully recorded by these aerial cameras. The negatives were developed and printed, the resultant bird-picturesenlarged, studied through stereoscopic lenses, and finally given to the monitors " for information and guidance."Since it is not given to every one to recognise the entrance to a dug-out or a group of searchlights as they appear from aheight of 20,000" ft., the photographs were embellished with explanatory notes for the benefit of anyone unaccustomed tosuch unfamiliar aspects of creation. The Germans claim to bs a modest people. They w'ere asbusy as beavers, and they resented these importunate photo- graphers with all the fervour that springs from true modesty.Their anti-aircraft guns plastered the intruders with bursting shrapnel, and from every coast aerodrome Boche machinesrose like a crowd of angry hornets to give battle. Yet day after day •fresh plates find their way to the developing trays,and a comparison between the official reports of the fights— couched in a laconic terseness of phrase that is good to read—and the amazing results obtained, gives perhaps the truest measure of the work performed by these very gallant gentle-men. Not a spadeful of earth can be turned over, nor a trowel ofcement added to a bastion along the coast, but a note appears a day or two later upon the long chart which adorns the record office of this particular squadron. A crumpled escortingmachine may have come down out of the clouds, eddying like a withered leaf, to crash somewhere behind the Germanlines-; there may be somewhere near the shore a broken boy in goggles and leather lying amid the wreckage of his last flight.Such is the price paid for a fe* more dots added in red ink to a couple of feet of chart. But as long as the photographicmachine returns with the camera intact the price is paid ungrudgingly. The work of these photographic recorders, pilot andobserver alike, differs from all other forms of war flying. Their sole duty is to take photographs not haphazard, but of agiven objective. This necessitates steering a perfectly steady course, regardless of all distractions, such as bursting" Archies " and angry " Alb\tros " fighters. They leave the fighting to their escorts and their fate to Providence.The observer, peering earthwards through his view-finder, steers the pilot by means of reins until he sights the line onwhich the desired series of photographs are to be taken ; once over this, the pilot flies tthe machine on an undeviatingcourse, and the observer p'roceeds to take photographs. When all the plates have been exposed they turn round andreturn home, with what remain of the escort. On occasions the escort have vanished, either earthwards or in savagepursuit of resentful though faint-hearted Boches ; this is when the homing photographer's moments are apt to becomecrowded with incident. One such adventure deserves to be reporded. Tt happenedabout 12,000 ft. above mother earth ; the official report, typed in triplicate, covered some dozen lines, the actual eventsan equal numbsr of minutes, but the story is one that should live through eternity. . " While exposing six plates " (says the official report ofthis youthful recording angel) " observed five H.A.'s cruising." (H.A. stands for hostile aeroplane.) " Not having seen escortsince turning inland, pilot prepared to return. Enemy separated, one taking up position above tail and one ahead.The other three glided towards us on port side " (observe the Navy speaking), " firing as they came." " The two diving machines fired over 100 rounds, hittingpilot in shoulder." As a matter of sober fact, the bullet entered his shoulder from above and behind, breaking his leftcollar-bone, and emerged just above his heart, tearing a jagged rent down his breast. Both his feet were furthermore piercedby bullets, but the observer was not concerned with petty 'detail. " Observer held fire until H.A. diving on tail was withinfive yards." Here it might be * mentioned that the machines werehurtling through space at a speed in the region of 100 miles an hour. The pilot of the- " H.A." having swooped to withinspeaking distance, pushed up his goggles and laughed trium- phantly, as he took his sight for the shot that was to end thefight. But the observer- had his own idea of how the fight should end. " Then shot one tray into pilot's face," he says with curtrelish, and watched him stall, sideslip, and go spinning earth- ward in a trail of smoke. He then turned his attention to his own pilot. The Britishmachine was barely under control, but as the observer rose in his seat to investigate the foremost gun fired, and theaggressor ahead went out of control, And dived nose first in helpless spirals. Suspecting that his mate was badly wounded,in spite of this achievement, the observer swung one leg over the side of the fuselage and climbsd out on to the wing—figure for a moment the air-pressure on his body during this gymnastic feat—until he was beside the pilot, who, faint anddrenched with blood, 'had nevertheless got his machine back into complete control. " Get back, you ass ! " he said through white lips, inresponse to enquiries as to how he felt. The ass got back, the way he came, and looked round for the remainder of the" H.A.'s." These, however, appeared to have lost stomach for further fighting, and fled. The riddled machine returnedhome at 100 knots, while the observer., having nothing better to do, continued to take photographs. " The pilot, thoughwounded, make a perfect landing." Thus the report con- cludes. Dutch Recognise a Brave Deed.A SUBSCRIPTION is being got up, states the Gazette deHollande, for the purpose of presenting a testimonial to the British aviator, Lieut. Morrell, who, at the imminent risk of his life, dived into the sea from the pier at Scheveningen last Sunday and saved a Dutchman from drowning. The British Minister at The Hague has consented to make the presenta- tion. 478
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