BRITISH AIRMAN GIVING A 



Photograph by Central New 

 f PASS-WORD" SHOT TO HIS OWN MEN BELOW 



It not infrequently happens that anti-aircraft gunners mistake one of their own fliers for 

 an enemy. In such cases the aviator fires a smoke signal from this type of revolver to 

 identify himself as a friend. Today the signal may be two puffs of white smoke; tomorrow 

 it may be three. It is the "pass-signal" of the skies. 



that he was quite sure in his own mind 

 that the man intended ramming him and 

 thus causing death to them both. 



Many bullets struck Ball's machine, one 

 hitting an oil pipe, allowing the oil to leak 

 and splash over him. His face was cov- 

 ered with it and some of it got in his 

 eyes and he could hardly see. He closed 

 his eves and flew straight, firing as he 

 went, expecting every second to hear the 

 awful crash when they would strike. The 

 other man, however, when only about 

 twenty yards away, suddenly dived down 



and went straight to earth, where Ball 

 saw him crash into the ground. 



Upon looking back upon the encounter 

 Ball came to the conclusion that he must 

 have killed his adversary with an early 

 shot and the way in which the German 

 fell back in his seat must have just held 

 the machine in a level position for the 

 length of time while he came on straight 

 at him. Ball thought the man's fingers 

 must have remained on the triggers of 

 his guns. 



Ball managed to escape the remainder 



34 



