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valuable importance, dugouts sheltering a regiment of enemy troops had been located and destroyed by our artillery."
"August 11th Photo Mission" Pilot Lieut. Aldrich, Observer Lieut. Clark, 24 photographs taken but were not good due to broken mechanism in camera.
This is the story - The mission was of great importance, and of such great urgency that it was attempted as soon as received, altho it was too late in the day to arrange for chasse protection. Every previous mission during the day had seen many boche patrols and several had been attacked. Two other planes were to fly protection for the mission, but unfortunately both motors failed. As it was getting late Lieuts. Clark and Aldrich decided to make the attempt unprotected; as every observer knows, a photo mission without protection is one of the most dangerous missions that could be attempted, since it is of course necessary to fly for a considerable time inside enemy territory and during the time the observer is working he is too busy with his camera to have much time to spare in watching out for enemy planes, and the inevitable happened. They suddenly found themselves in the midst of a patrol of nine Albatros planes. The exhibtion of nerve and courage displayed by these men in the combat that then ensued was certainly one of the most splendid every witnessed. With his rudder controls shot away early in the fight the pilot cleverly managed to keep his machine in such a position that Lieut. Clark would have the best opportunity for using his guns without having to shoot through his own tail and at the same time maneuvered so as to make the hardest possible target for the enemy fliers. His dexterity, combined with the coolness of his observer enabled this pair to escape, and altho the plane was completely riddled, to return safely to their own airdrome. That this mission should fail on account of a defect in the camera was a tragedy and would have discouraged many a man, but we are proud to record the fact that this same pair went up early the following morning and returned with their mission completed.
Lieut. Erwin's story of his flight of August 1st follows: "After having come down from an early morning reconnaissance my Observer Lieut. Baucom (Battling Baucom as we call him now) and I started out at 7:00 A.M. August 1st for pictures just above Fereen-Targenois in the Chateau-Thierry Sector. The pictures had to be taken regardless of everything as our troops were to advance over that ground in the next day or two and the camera would have saved many lives by uncovering new battery positions and machine-gun emplacements and the lines. Arrangements were made by telephone for a Spad Squadron of a neighboring Pursuit Group to act as protection (for the Germans had an overwhelming concentration of air forces on our sector at that time, and sending out patrols of as many as forty and fifty machines echeloned in three formations but all working together.)
Attaining our altitude we were met by eight Spads and started out for the lines. Before reaching the lines two of the Spads developed motor trouble and lost the formation. When we reached the place we were to photograph we were at an altitude of about 3800 meters and the coast seeming clear, Lieut. Baucom started in. I was paying very strict attention to my course so that the pictures would be the best possible when I saw the leader of the Spads dive around my wind which was the prearranged signal that the Huns were in the air and about to attack. I yelled thru the speaking tube to Baucom, but he was already on the job (I think he can smell a Hun -- I know one never caught him napping). Pulling up into a chadelle I saw the party had already commenced, eleven Fokkers had dived out of the sun on the seven of us and a dog fight had commenced in earnest. One Spad climbed on a Fokkers tail and started down where upon apparently