THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



FRENCH HEROES WHO ARE AT HOME IN THREE ELEMENTS — EARTH, AIR, AND WATER 



After a plunge in the Somme, three French airmen and their squad physician brave the 

 camera. The tall officer, with the cap and cane, is Lieutenant Benois, now in America attached 

 to the French military mission. The officer on the extreme right is Capt. Jean Richard, for- 

 merly of the Storks Escadrille, but now detailed to artillery and stationed in Washington tem- 

 porarily. Lieutenant Raymond stands next to the physician, who wears the black bathing suit. 



Capt. Albert Ball, the conqueror of 

 Germany's star air fighter, Immelmann, 

 was himself killed in combat with Lieut, 

 von Richthofen a year ago, after having 

 amassed 43 official successes, at that time 

 the world's record. 



Not only does the British champion, 

 McCudden, surpass all his countrymen at 

 the front since Bishop's retirement, but 

 he leads the highest score in France, that 

 of Georges Guynemer, who went out for 

 the last time on September 11, 1917, hav- 

 ing at that time accounted for 53 German 

 aeroplanes. 



WHAT CONSTITUTES CONSPICUOUS 

 BRAVERY 



Let us see what constitutes "conspicu- 

 ous bravery," in the opinion of the un- 

 emotional custodians of the Victoria 

 Crosses in England. 



On two occasions McCudden has to- 

 tally destroyed four two-seater machines 

 on the same day ; on the last occasion all 

 four of such two-seaters were destroved 

 within one hour and 30 minutes — costing 

 Germany some $250,000, as the value of 

 aeroplanes and trained pilots is com- 

 puted, for this hour and a half of young 

 McCudden's time. 



On December 23, 191 7, when leading 

 his patrol, he attacked eight hostile aero- 

 planes. Two of them he shot down, the 

 others he drove deep into their own lines, 

 returning home himself only when his 

 Lewis gun ammunition was exhausted and 

 the belt of his Vickers gun had broken. 



The citation says : "As a patrol leader 

 he has at all times shown the utmost gal- 

 lantry and skill not only in the manner 

 in which he has attacked and destroved 

 the enemy, but in the way he has during 



