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-3-

I could not explain to him that it was the battery, not I, who was dawdling.  Anyhow we waited, just circling overhead.

Finally the first signal was removed and another put out.  To my horror it meant "Change to target #6".  I looked up # 6 on the list I had in my pocket.  It was on my aerial photograph, though a long way east of #4.  I sent a code radio signal that meant "Understood".  I had no inked lines on the photo to help me judge disatnces from # 6.  The worst of it was that I did not know enough French to explain to Denis about the change of targets.  I tried, and he shouted back something that in turn I did not understand.

A signal meaning "Battery ready" appeared on the ground.  I said to Denis "Allez" and he headed for our original target, number 4.  Being an expert pilot, he flew at an angle that gave me an excellent view, if I had wanted it, of target # 4.  He himself was watching that target, expecting to see shellbursts.  Meanwhile I was trying to see # 6, and managed to do so by leaning out of my cockpit to the right, in a strained posture.  At my command the salvo was fired, and I noted where the shells fell.  Then I said to Denis "Tournez!" and we returned to the battery.  On the way I sent down the corrections.  We made a second run in the same way.  The battery fired a second salvo, and again I noted the results.  But Denis still had seen no shellbursts around the target he thought we were shooting at.  When I directed him to turn he did not go back to the battery.  He obviously thought I had somehow goofed.  He went back and landsd at our home field.  When we got out of the plane Denis's face was flushed and he just glared at me.  I tried to speak to him, but he waved me away.

I went to our billets and sought out my English-speaking friend, Lieutenant Philippe.  I told him what had happened, and asked him to go to Denis and explain it.  I urged ^[[him]] also to telephone to the battery to verify my story.  Philippe went, and a little later came back to say that the misunderstanding had been cleared up.  At lunch that day Denis departed from his usual routine.  Instead of going directly to his seat, he walked around the table to where I stood.  He held out his hand, and for the first and only time he spoke to me in English.  He said "I am sorry.  You have...understood ..zem ?"  I shook his 

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Smithsonian: Keep it Simple Minimize the use of double brackets [[ ]] to describe what you see, think about readability and searchability.