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group concentrate on a single point from different directions. Each group had nominally 100 aeroplanes out of which about sixty ships were usually available for duty. In order to protect themselves from the bombardment, they were forced to rise and accept combat with the result that a succession of great air battles took place. These were all to our advantage, until, as the Germans developed their whole strength, we were greatly outnumbered; but, with our system of concentration, were able to inflict much more loss than we received. Lastly, although still outnumbered, we had obtained the upper hand over them to such an extent that our units were always confident of attacking anything that showed up. 

After the second day of the attack, a very serious congestion of traffic took place behind our centre, that is, the road leading north to Montfaucon, and, although there was some congestion in other places, it was worse in this area than I had ever seen on a battlefield. In addition, the troops immediately behind the front, being new at the game, built any number of fires in the woods which at once disclosed their positions. When I first saw it, it looked like the best target that I had ever seen for aviation on any field. The Germans, I knew, would not be slow to take advantage of it. For the next week, they made the most desperate efforts to get their aviation into effective operation both day and night against these elements of ours in and behind our centre army corps. We concentrated our aviation to protect it, and carried the fighting into their territory, with the result that, although they forced a few machines through from time to time, their formations were practically always broken up and badly mauled, particularly when they turned to go back as our concentration took place behind them. During the long forty-seven days of this battle, things such as I have mentioned above were of daily occurrence. A great deal of bad weather was encountered and there was hardly a day without either haze, mist, or rain.