Tails Up

-behind-the-line, three to a mile. Double these estimates, and you have the total number of aircraft of both belligerents working in the air at the same time. The headquarters staffs of both British and German armies are employing reconnaissance and photographic craft for purposes of information ; likewise army corps and divisional commanders. Kite-balloons and aeroplanes are directing artillery fire. And, for their protection, fighting craft are skimming the clouds, or carrying out semi-personal " hates " and " strafes." There are no sign-posts or landmarks in the air ; neither latitude nor longitude. But, fortunately, some far-seeing map-designer has marked off the contour map-surfaces into alphabetical districts and numerical localities. By this method alone can the geographical positions of the " working" aircraft be decided. Scores of tiny shapes, thousands of feet up, against the blue sky will be located as being over A1.B2.s, or C3,A6.y. At B4,A2.8 on this particular day an R.A.F. pilot dived on to a German captive-balloon, through a considerable a-a bombardment, and brought it down in flames. Five miles to the south, another pilot, who had just bombed a railway with agreeable result, was wounded in the arm, and fainted. The dive of his machine brought him round. Again he took control, but shortly afterwards lost consciousness once more. Eventually, despite the pain and the loss of blood, he succeeded in making his own aerodrome The pilot of the co...