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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0976.PDF
SEPTEMBER 20, 1917. IN referring to the Air Service part of the United Statesactivities, Lord Northcliffe sums up as follows :— "..The enthusiastic outpourings of air amateurs and theircries of ' One hundred thousand aeroplanes ' have made a good many people sceptical as to American participation in theair fighting. But behind all that talk is already a vast accom- plishment. The solid foundation has been laid of an airservice, backed by practically illimitable man-power and machine-power. Its fruits will be shown as suddenly as cameconscription. The movement is going on as rapidly as possible having regard to the thoroughness with which everythingis beingjdone.'*-- There has been a complete liaison, with the air services of France and England. The models of the latestFrench and English machines are here. While no time has been lost, most careful consideration has been given to adefinite plan of campaign." How the best is got out of the recruits from civilian life nowbeing absorbed by the military machine, is drawn attention to in a letter from Mr. Percy Lea of Tamworth. Mr. Leaprotests thus :— " A man whom I know joined the R.F.C. a month ago as askilled mechanic and wood worker. Up to date, his wife tells me, he has done nothing except wash dishes and scrub floors.Tins in spite of advertisements for skilled men for the R.F.C. a few days ago ! » " This is almost as bad as the case of a qualified dentist Iknow who is in France and has been road-making ever since he went overseas. " I understand that dentists are urgently needed for theArmy." COMMENT is hardly necessary, but multiply this sort of caseby two or three hundred thousand and the criminal waste may be faintly realised which is going on under armyofficialdom, in misusing the nation's man power to the best purpose for bringing the Huns most speedily to the end oftheir tether. IT'S a pretty honourable record which attaches to thewar work of the Overseas Club, the members having already Lieutenant G. S. M. Insall, V.C., R.F.C., who hasescaped from Germany after twenty months. He was awarded the V.C. for conspicuous gallantry, skill anddetermination on a Vickers fighting machine on November 7th, 1915. This photograph is one whichwas taken in Germany and sent over last January by Lieut. Insall to his parents. contributed just on £500,000 for war purposes. In less thansix months the club has collected more than £13,000 for the two Royal Flying Corps hospitals which have been opened—one in Eaton Square and one in Bryanston Square. GENERAL SIR DAVID HENDERSON, who is such a keen andsympathetic supporter of these R.F.C. Establishments in a letter of thanks to the Club, specially points out that theOverseas Club has a strong link with the R.F.C., the Corps has already to thank its members for the presentation of over100 aeroplanes; while nearly 1,000 Britons from over-seas hold commissions in the Corps. In the near future, Sir Davidcontinues, they hope to open an up-to-date convalescent home, if possible by the sea, where the officers will be able to regainstrength under ideal conditions. He hopes, therefore, that we may count on the Club's continued help. AFTER all it would appear that the Captain Ball, V.C.,R.F.C., did not come by his death from the great German crack flyer Captain Baron von Richthofen, but from theBaron's younger brother. Up to the present, reports have given credit to the Baron himself, but now it emerges from acareful translation of the circumstances surrounding Captain Ball's death from the late Baron's book, The Red Battle Flyer,that he does not claim this honour. He enters into minute and boastful details as follows :— " My brother's twenty-second adversary was the famousCaptain Ball, by far the best English flying man. The equally well-known Major Hawker I had already taken to my bosomsome months earlier. It gave me special joy that it should be my brother's luck to down the second of England's champions. " Captain Ball was flying a triplane, and encountered mybrother alone at the front. Each one tried to grip the other, and neither exposed any vulnerable part. It proved a briefencounter. Neither of the two succeeded in getting behind the other. " Suddenly within the brief moment of mutual frontalattack both managed to fire some well-aimed shots. Both flew at one another ; both fired. Each had a motor beforehim, and the chances of a hit were very slender,the speed being double as great as the normal. There was really little proba-bility of either hitting the other. " My brother, who was somewhat lower, had banked hismachine too much, and he lost his balance. For a few moments his machine was beyond control. Very soon,however, he regained command, but found that his opponent had shot both his petrol tanks to pieces. To land was, there-fore, the only resource. Quickly ! Out with the plug or the body will burn ! 'The next thought was : ' What has become of my opponent ? ' At the moment of canting he had observed how the enemyalso had swerved aside. He could, therefore, not be very far from him. The question arose : ' Is he over or under me ?'He was below. My brother saw the triplane swerving again and falling ever more deeply. Captain Ball fell and felluntil he reached the ground. He was on our territory. " Both adversaries had in the brief moment of their encoun-ter hit each other with their powerful machine guns, and Captain Ball had received a shot in the head. *' " He had on him some photographs and newspaper cuttingsfrom his home country in which he was greatly praised. He appeared shortly before to have been home on leave." During Boelcke's time Captain Ball had destroyed 36 German machines. Now he, too, had met his master—or wasit a coincidence that a great one such as he should also die the usual hero's death ?" Captain Ball was without doubt the leader of the anti- Richthofen squadron, and I believe that now the Englishmenwill prefer to abstain from trying to catch me. ~ I am sorry for this, because thereby we are robbed of many a fine oppor-tunity for giving the English a jolly drubbing. " Had not my brother been wounded, I believe he wouldon my return from leave also have been granted his leave with 52 Englishmen to bis credit." . ' •'•-_:::• •••-^'V TEN YEARS AGO. '.'".,_ „ ' - Excerpts from the " Auto." (" FLIGHT'S " precursor and sister Journal) of September, 1907. " FLIGHT " was foundedin 1908. ; ... • THE GERMAN AIRSHIPS AT PRACTICE. '"" •No time is being lost in Germany in ascertainnig the ' capabilities of their aerial " fleet," and practical trials take 'place almost daily. Last week both the Parseval and Gross machines were sent aloft for a combined trial, the formertravelling to Tegel against a fairly strong wind, while the latter journeyed across to Spandau, and after returning .proceeded to manoeuvre over the parade ground, and ulti _ 976
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