An Aviator's Field Book Part 8

It is lying, a wreck, five hundred meters west of A.

OCTOBER 22, 1916

11:45--Several of my men and I headed off two enemy biplanes coming from the east. Both fell. The one I attacked was shot apart.

OCTOBER 22, 1916

About 3:40 in the afternoon I saw an English machine attack two of our biplanes. I attacked immediately, and forced him to land, although he tried to escape.

Southwest of the forest at G. he landed in a huge sh.e.l.l-hole and broke his machine. The pilot was thrown out.

OCTOBER 25, 1916

This morning, near M., I brought down an English B.-E. biplane.

OCTOBER 26, 1916

About 4:45 seven of our machines, of which I had charge, attacked some English biplanes west of P.

I attacked one and wounded the observer, so he was unable to fire at me. At the second attack the machine started to smoke. Both pilot and observer seemed dead. It fell into the second line English trenches and burned up. As I was attacked by a Vickers machine after going two or three hundred meters, I did not see this. According to the report of Group A., at A. o. K. 1., a B.-E. machine, attacked by one of our one-man machines, had fallen. This must have been mine.

_FROM THE LAST LETTER_

... Mother does not need to worry about me; things are not so terrible as she pictures them. She just needs to think of all the experience I have had at this work, not to mention our advantage in knowledge of how to fly and shoot.

Telegram from the front.[B]

"October 28, 1916, 7:30 in the evening.

"Prepare parents: Oswald mortally injured to-day over German lines.

"WILHELM."

[Footnote B: To his sister.]