THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



sacrifices. Each day aviation reaped new 

 honor and new glory. 



Once it is the Sergeant de Terline who 

 bravely enters a combat with five enemy 

 airplanes, and bringing down one, puts 

 the rest to flight. He pursues them, is 

 wounded, his machine-gun jammed. In 

 rage, unwilling to let go his prey, he pre- 

 cipitates his more rapid plane into the 

 plane that injured him and drags it in 

 flames with him as he rushes to his death. 



Another time it is two of my com- 

 rades, pilots who protect me as I take 

 photographs. An enemy machine comes 

 to attack me. Both hear the same voice, 

 the voice of Duty ; the two comrades hurl 

 themselves upon the enemy with such 

 force, so straight, that they collide and 

 fall in flames to the ground. The enemy 

 plane, seeing the two dive upon him so 

 fiercely, flees without disturbing me. T 

 cannot recall without the greatest emo- 

 tion the death of these two friends in 

 saving me. 



DARING ACHIEVEMENTS OE THE ACES OE 

 AVIATION 



Then again it is Nungesser, who climbs 

 into his machine at 9 a. m., remains on 

 the lines until 3 p. m., landing twice to 

 take gasoline. In the meantime he has 

 brought down an enemy balloon and two 

 planes, one of which was getting the best 

 of a British plane. 



Or again it is Heurteaux who brings 

 down a boche each fine day. I have heard 

 that he was gravely wounded in Flanders 

 a few weeks ago. 



Then there are Thaw and Lufberry, 

 the American "Aces," whose courage is 

 a daily topic. And Tarascon, who, in 

 spite of an artificial leg, brings down 

 seven airplanes in three months. 



And Captain Erard, an observer, who, 

 in directing the firing of the cannons thus 

 to protect the attacks of our infantry, 

 flies so low above the lines that his plane 

 constantly returns riddled with bullets. 

 He ends finally by being hit, and falls, 

 bloody, but smiling happily at death, in 

 the midst of the infantrymen whom he 

 has led to victory by sparing their lives. 



Then there are five pursuit aviators 

 who at each attack fire on the enemy, as- 

 sembled for the counter-attack, and dis- 

 perse them with heavy losses. 



And Captain de Beauchamp, who bom- 

 bards Essen at one time, Munich another 

 time, passing from France to Italy. He 

 has since fallen gloriously, a victim of a 

 combat above Verdun. 



Then there is Dorme, famous among 

 us for his skill, who plays with German 

 airplanes as with flies. But he loses one 

 day at this dangerous game, and in a 

 struggle with the enemy in superior num- 

 bers receives his death blow and fails in 

 the German lines. 



THE GREAT GUYNEMER 



Fallen also is Guynemer, fallen from 

 the sky of glory where he has written his 

 deeds in letters of fire — Guynemer, whose 

 name is on every lip — a pure jewel of 

 valor and sacrifice. 



"Fifty-four airplanes, 215 combats, 2 

 wounds." 



That is his last citation before dying. 

 It is quite sufficient to remind you of the 

 whole story of that gallant air champion 

 of liberty. 



I have lived near him. I have known 

 his intrepidity, his tenacity, his fascina- 

 tion. Duty of combat was for him a re- 

 ligion. He had an iron will. His pres- 

 ence alone so electrified his comrades that 

 the squadron to which he belonged pro- 

 duced more aces than any other. He was 

 upright as a sword, pure as a diamond, 

 and utterly absorbed in the struggle 

 which he carried on to the detriment of 

 a constitution already frail. This mere 

 child, who .was yet more than a man, suc- 

 ceeded in bringing down three enemy air- 

 planes in less than an hour. Chiefs and 

 comrades spoke to him always with re- 

 spect. He was of a finer essence than our- 

 selves, inspired with a sacred fire which 

 passed our understanding; convinced that 

 he could not always be victorious, having 

 already found himself several times in 

 awkward positions, twice wounded, he 

 kept at it furiously, never refusing com- 

 bat, rather seeking it. Incapable of re- 

 treat, he fought in spite of everything, at 

 any time, with any one, with any number, 

 with 10, with 20, only abandoning the 

 fight when wounded, without ammuni- 

 tion, or without gasoline. 



Guynemer fell in the midst of 40 enemy 

 airplanes, of which he had brought down 

 one; one arm was broken, a ball in his 



