Air Service Boys in the Big Battle; Or, Silencing the Big Guns Read online

  CHAPTER IV. TRANSFERRED

  One glance at the bulletin board, erected just outside their quarters atthe aerodrome, told Tom and Jack what they were detailed for that day.It was the day following the arrival of Nellie Leroy at that particularplace in France, only to find that her brother was missing--either dead,or alive and a prisoner behind the German lines.

  "Sergeant Thomas Raymond will report to headquarters at eight o'clock,to do patrol work."

  "Sergeant Jack Parmly will report to headquarters at eight o'clock forreconnaissance with a photographer, who will be detailed."

  Thus read the bulletin board, and Tom and Jack, looking at it, nodded toone another, while Tom remarked:

  "Got our work cut out for us all right."

  "Yes," agreed Jack. "Only I wish I could change places with you. I don'tlike those big, heavy machines."

  But orders are orders, nowhere more so than in the aviation squad, andsoon the two lads, after a hearty if hasty breakfast, were ready for theday's work. They each realized that when the sun set they might eitherbe dead, wounded or prisoners. It was a life full of eventualities.

  A little later the two young airmen, in common with their comrades, wereready. Some were to do patrol work, like Tom--that is fly over andalong the German lines in small swift, fighting planes, to attack a Hunmachine, if any showed, and to give notice of any attack, either fromthe air or on the ground. The latter attacks the airmen would observe inprogress and report to the commanders of infantry or batteries who couldtake steps to meet the attack, or even frustrate it.

  Tom was assigned to a speedy Spad machine, one of great power andlightness into which he climbed. He was to fly alone, and on hismachine was a machine gun of the Vickers type, which had to be aimed bydirecting, or pointing, the aeroplane itself at the enemy.

  After Tom had given a hasty but careful look at his craft, and hadassured himself of the accuracy of the report of his mechanician thatit had oil and petrol, his starter took his place in front of thepropeller.

  "Well, Jack," called Tom to his chum, across the field, where Jack wasmaking his preparations for taking up a photographer in a big two-seatedmachine, "I wish you luck."

  "Same to you, old man. If you see anything of Harry, and he's alive,tell him we'll bring him back home as soon as we get a chance."

  "Do you think there is any chance?" asked Tom eagerly. "I wouldn't wantanything better than to get Harry away from those Boches--and make hissister happy."

  "Well, there's a chance, but it's a slim one, I'm afraid," remarkedJack. "We'll talk about it after we get back. Maybe there'll be amessage from the Huns about him before the day is over."

  "I hope so," murmured Tom. "If those Huns only act as decently toward usas we do toward them, we'll have some news soon."

  For it is true, in a number of instances that the German aviators dodrop within the allied lines news of any British, French or Americanbirdman who is captured or killed inside the German lines.

  "All ready?" asked Tom of his helper.

  "Switch off, gas on," was the answer.

  Tom made sure that the electrical switch was disconnected. If it wasleft on, in "contact" as it is called, and the mechanician turned thepropeller blades, there might have been a sudden starting of the enginethat would have instantly kill the man. But with the switch off therecould be no ignition in the cylinders.

  Slowly the man turned the big blades until each cylinder was sucked fullof the explosive mixture of gasoline and air.

  "Contact!" he cried, and Tom threw over the switch.

  Then, stepping once more up to the propeller, the man gave it a pull,and quickly released it, jumping back out of harm's way.

  With a throbbing roar the engine awoke to life and the propeller spunaround, a blur of indistinctness. The motor was working sweetly. Tonithrottled down, assured himself that everything was working well, andthen, with a wave of his hand toward Jack, began to taxi across thefield, to head up into the wind. All aeroplanes are started thisway--directly into the wind, to rise against it and not with it. On andon he went and then he began to climb into the air. With him climbedother birdmen who were to do patrol and contact work with him, thelatter being the term used when the airship keeps in contact throughsignaling with infantry or artillery forces on the ground, directingtheir efforts against the enemy.

  Having seen Tom on his way, Jack turned to his own machine. As his chumhad been, Jack was dressed warmly in fur garments, even to his helmet,which was fur lined. He had on two pairs of gloves and his eyes wereprotected with heavy goggles. For it is very cold in the upper regions,and the swift speed of the machine sends the wind cutting into one'sface so that it is impossible to see from the eyes unless they areprotected.

  Jack's machine was a two-seater, of a heavy and comparatively safetype--that is it was safe as long as it was not shot down by a Hun.Jack was to occupy the front seat and act as pilot, while Harris, thephotographer he was to take up, sat behind him, with camera, map, penciland paper ready at hand for the making of observations.

  On either side of the photographer's seat were six loaded drums ofammunition for the Lewis gun, for use against the ruthless Hun machines.Jack had a fixed Vicker machine weapon for his use.

  "Hope I get a chance to use 'em," said Harris with a grin, as he climbedinto his seat, patted the loaded drums, and nodded to Jack that he wasready.

  The same procedure was gone through as in the case of Tom. The man spunthe propeller, and they were ready to set off. Accompanying them weretwo other reconnaissance planes, and four experienced fighting pilots,two of them "aces," that is men who, alone, had each brought down fiveor more Hun planes. The big planes, used for obtaining news, pictures,and maps of the enemy's territory, are always accompanied by fightingplanes, which look out for the attacking Germans, while the other,and less speedy, craft carry the men who are to bring back vitalinformation.

  "Let her go!" exclaimed Harris to Jack, and the latter nodded to themechanician, who, after the order of "contact," spun the blades againand they were really off, together with the others.

  Up and up went Jack, sending his machine aloft in big circles as theothers were doing. Before him on a support was clamped a map, similar tothe one supported in front of Harris, and by consulting this Jack knew,from the instructions he had received before going up, just what part ofthe enemy's territory he was to cover. He was under the direction ofthe photographer and map-maker, for the two duties were combined in thisinstance.

  Up and up they went. There was no talking, for though this is possiblein an aeroplane when the engine is shut off, such was not now the case.But Jack knew his business.

  His indicator soon showed them to be up about fourteen thousand feet,and below them an artillery duel was in progress. It was a wonderful,but terrible sight. Immediately under them, and rather too nearfor comfort, shrapnel was bursting all around. The "Archies," oranti-aircraft guns of the Germans, were trying to reach the Frenchplanes, and, in addition to the bullets, "woolly bears" and "flamingonions" were sent up toward them. These are two types of burstingshells, the first so named because when it explodes it does so with acloud of black smoke and a flaming center. I have never been able tolearn how the "onions" got their name, unless it is from the stench letloose by the exploding gases.

  Though they were fired at viciously, neither Jack nor his companion washit, and they continued on their way, keeping at a good height, as didtheir associates, until they were well over the front German lines.

  Jack noticed that some of the other planes were dropping lower, to givetheir observers a chance to do their work, and, in response to a shovein his back from the powerful field glasses carried by Harris, Jack senthis machine down to about the nine-thousand-foot level. By a glance atthe map he could see that they were now over the territory concerningwhich a report was wanted.

  They were now under a heavy fire from the German anti-aircraft guns, butJack was too old a hand to let this needlessly worry him. He sent hismachine slipping fro
m side to side, holding it on a level keel now andthen, to enable Harris to get the photographs he wanted. In addition,the observer was also making a hasty, rough, but serviceable map of whathe saw.

  Jack glanced down, and noted a German supply train puffing its way alongtoward some depot, and he headed toward this to give Harris a chance tonote whether there were any supplies of ammunition, or anything else,that might profitably be bombed later. He also saw several columns ofGerman infantry on the march, but as they were not out to make an attacknow, they had to watch the Huns moving up to the front line trenches,there later, doubtless, to give battle.

  Back and forth over the German lines flew Jack, Harris meanwhile doingimportant observation work. As Jack went lower he came under a fiercerfire of the batteries, until, it became so hot, from the shrapnelbursts, that he fain would have turned and made for home. But orderswere orders, and Harris had not yet indicated that he had enough.

  Twisting and turning, to make as poor a mark as possible for the enemyguns, Jack sent his machine here and there. The other pilots were doingthe same. Machine guns were now opening up on them, and once the burstof fire came so close that Jack began to "zoom." That is he sent hiscraft up and down sharply, like the curves and bumps in a roller-coasterrailway track.

  By this time the leading plane gave the signal for the return, and,thankful enough that they had not been hit, Jack swung about. But thedanger was not over. They had yet to pass across the enemy's front linetrenches, and when Harris signaled Jack to go down low in crossing thelad wondered what the order was for. It was merely that the observerwanted to see what was going on there so he could report.

  They went down to within a mile of the earth, and several times theplane was struck by pieces of shrapnel or bullets from machine guns.Twice flying bits of metal came uncomfortably close to Jack, but he waskept too busy with the management of his machine to more than noticethem. Harris was working hard at the camera and the maps.

  Then, suddenly, came the danger signal from the leading plane, and onlyjust in time. Out from the German hangars came several battle machines.Harris dropped his pencil and got ready the automatic gun, but it wasnot needed, for, after approaching as though about to attack, the Hunssuddenly veered off. Later the reason for this became known. A squadronof French planes had arisen as swiftly to give battle, and however bravethe Hun may be when he outnumbers the enemy, he had yet to be known totake on a combat against odds.

  So Jack and his observer safely reached the aerodrome again, bringingback much valuable information.

  "Is Tom here yet?" was Jack's first inquiry after he had divestedhimself of his togs and men had rushed to the developing room the camerawith its precious plates.

  "Not yet," some of his chums told him. "They're having a fight upstairsI guess."

  Jack nodded and looked anxiously in the direction in which Tom was lastseen.

  It was an hour before the scouting airplanes came back, and one was sobadly shot up and its pilot so wounded that it only just managed to getover the French lines before almost crashing to earth.

  "Are you all right, Tom?" cried Jack, as he rushed up to his chum, whenhe saw the latter getting out of his craft, rather stiff from the cold.

  "Yes. They went at me hard--two of 'em but I think I accounted for one,unless he went into a spinning nose dive just to fool me."

  "Oh, they'll do that if they get the chance."

  "I know," assented Tom. "Hello!" he exclaimed as he noticed a splinteredstrut near his head. "That came rather close."

  And indeed it had. For a bullet, or a piece of shrapnel, has plowed afurrow in the bit of supporting wood, not two inches away from Tom'shead, though in the excitement of the fight he had not noticed it.

  There had been a fight in the upper air and one of the French machineshad not come home.

  "Another man to await news of," said the flight lieutenant sadly, whenthe report reached him. "That's two in two days."

  "No news of Leroy yet?" asked Tom and Jack, as they went out ofheadquarters after reporting.

  "None, I am sorry to say. It is barely possible that he landed insome lonely spot and is still hiding out--if he is not killed. But Iunderstand you two young men had something to request of me. I can giveyou some attention now," went on the commander of their squadron.

  "We want to be transferred!" exclaimed Tom. "Now, that Pershing's menare here--"

  "I understand," was the answer. "You want to fight with your countrymen.Well, I would do the same. I will see if I can get you transferred,though I shall much regret losing you."

  He was as good as his word, and a week later, following some strenuousfights in the air, Tom and Jack received notice that they could reportto the first United States air squadron, which was then being formed onthat part of the front where the first of Pershing's men were brigadedwith, the French and British armies.

  Du Boise, who had brought word back of the fate that had befallen HarryLeroy, sent for Tom and Jack when it became known that they were toleave.

  "Shall I ever see you again?" he asked wistfully.

  "To be sure," was Tom's hearty answer. "We aren't going far away, andwe'll fly over to see you the first chance we get. Besides, we're goingto depend on you to give us some information regarding Leroy. If theHuns drop any message at all they'll do it at this aerodrome."

  "Yes, I believe you're right," assented Du Boise, trying not to show thepain that racked him. "But it's so long, now, I begin to believe hemust be dead, and either the Huns don't know it or they aren't goingto bother to send us word. But I'll let you know as soon as I hearanything."

  "Is his sister here yet?" asked Jack, for Tom and he had been too busythe last two days, getting ready to shift their quarters, to call onNellie Leroy.

  "She has gone back to Paris," answered Du Boise. "There was no place forher here. I can give you her address. I promised to let her know in caseI got word about her brother."

  "I wish you would give me the address!" exclaimed Tom eagerly, and hischum smiled at his show of interest.