The uncertain wait at Luxeuil finally came to an end on the 12th of
October. The afternoon of that day the British did not say: "Come on
Yanks, let's call off the war and have tea," as was their wont, for the
bombardment of Oberndorf was on. The British and French machines had
been prepared. Just before climbing into their airplanes the pilots
were given their orders. The English in their single-seated Sopwiths,
which carried four bombs each, were the first to leave. The big French
Breguets and Farmans then soared aloft with their tons of explosive
destined for the Mauser works. The fighting machines, which were to
convoy them as far as the Rhine, rapidly gained their height and
circled above their charges. Four of the battle planes were from the
American escadrille. They were piloted respectively by Lieutenant de
Laage, Lufbery, Norman Prince, and Masson.
The Germans were taken by surprise and as a result few of their
machines were in the air. The bombardment fleet was attacked, however,
and six of its planes shot down, some of them falling in flames. Baron,
the famous French night bombarder, lost his life in one of the Farmans.
Two Germans were brought down by machines they attacked and the four
pilots from the American escadrille accounted for one each. Lieutenant
de Laage shot down his Boche as it was attacking another French machine
and Masson did likewise. Explaining it afterward he said: "All of a
sudden I saw a Boche come in between me and a Breguet, I was following.
I just began to shoot, and darned if he didn't fall."
As the fuel capacity of a Nieuport allows but little more than two
hours in the air the _avions de chasse_ were forced to return to their
own lines to take on more gasolene, while the bombardment planes
continued on into Germany. The Sopwiths arrived first at Oberndorf.
Dropping low over the Mauser works they discharged their bombs and
headed homeward. All arrived, save one, whose pilot lost his way and
came to earth in Switzerland. When the big machines got to Oberndorf
they saw only flames and smoke where once the rifle factory stood. They
unloaded their explosives on the burning mass.
The Nieuports having refilled their tanks went up to clear the air
of Germans that might be hovering in wait for the returning raiders.
Prince found one and promptly shot it down. Lufbery came upon three.
He drove for one, making it drop below the others, then forcing a
second to descend, attacked the one remaining above. The combat was
short and at the end of it the German tumbled to earth. This made the
fifth enemy machine which was officially credited to Lufbery. When a
pilot has accounted for five Boches he is mentioned by name in the
official communication, and is spoken of as an "Ace," which in French
aërial slang means a super-pilot. Papers are allowed to call an "ace"
by name, print his picture and give him a write-up. The successful
aviator becomes a national hero. When Lufbery worked into this category
the French papers made him a head liner. The American "Ace," with his
string of medals, then came in for the ennuis of a matinee idol. The
choicest bit in the collection was a letter from Wallingford, Conn.,
his home town, thanking him for putting it on the map.