Have been here with the division for two days. As I had no observer
along, Wilhelm has commandeered me. Of course, I like to fly best with
Wilhelm, since he has the best judgment and practical experience. As
he already knows the country fairly well, he doesn't need a map at all
to set his course. We flew over the enemy's positions for about an
hour and a half at a height of two thousand eight hundred meters, till
Wilhelm had spotted everything. Then we made a quick return. He had
found the position of all the enemy's artillery. As a result of his
reports, the first shots fired struck home.
When I reached the aviation field the next afternoon two of the
planes had already left; Wilhelm also. For me there were written
orders to locate the enemy at certain points. At my machine I found
the non-commissioned officer who had come with me from Trier; he said
he was to go up with me. This seemed odd to me, because I really
should have been flying with Wilhelm. I got in and went off with him,
since I knew the country from my first flight. We had quite a distance
to fly and were under way two and a half hours. I flew over the
designated roads that ran through past the Argonne Forest, and with a
red pencil marked on the map wherever I saw anything. Above T., at a
height of two thousand five hundred meters, we were under heavy fire.
I was rather uncomfortable. To the right, below us, we saw little
clouds pop up; then a few to the right and left of us. This was the
smoke of the bursting artillery shells. Now, I think nothing about
such things. They never hit as long as you fly over 2,500 meters high,
as we do.
At 7:10 I landed safely here at our camp. And what was the thanks I
got for having sailed around over the enemy's lines for over two and a
half hours? I got a "call down." I had hardly shut off my engine when
Wilhelm came racing over to me. "Where were you? What have you been
doing? Are you crazy? You are not to fly without my permission! You're
not to go up unless I am along." And more of the same stuff. Only
after I had given my word to do as he asked, would he let me alone.
Wednesday evening we had a fine surprise: two of our "missing"
returned. They had been forced to land behind the enemy's line because
their motor had stopped. They were hardly down when the "Pisangs"
(French peasants) came running toward them from every direction. They
managed to get into a nearby woods by beating a hasty retreat. Behind
them they heard the yelling of the men and women. The woods was
surrounded, and they had to hide till night fell. Then they escaped
into the Argonne Forest, under cover of darkness although fired on a
number of times. Here they spent five days, avoiding French troops.
As they had only berries and roots to eat, and could only travel at
night, they were almost ready to surrender. But on the morning of the
seventh day they heard someone say, in German, "Get on the job, you
fool." Those were sweet words to them, for it was a scouting party of
German Dragoons. Thus, they got back to us.