erican Air forces trying to break through the German
defense over the Marne. In this engagement Lieut, Quentin Roosevelt was
brought down and killed near Chambry, then behind the German lines. He
was buried with military honors by German airmen, at the spot where he
fell. His grave was located later by one of his fellow air scouts.
AMERICAN AVIATOR GETS IRON CROSS
One of the remarkable feats performed by Yankee air men, was that of
Lieut. Wm. T. Webb Jr. of Buffalo, a member of an American squadron
which encountered a German battleplane while flying over the German
lines. The American flyers surrounded the German Fokker like a flock of
birds, and instead of shooting it down, which would have been easy,
they maneuvered their planes so the boche machine was forced toward the
American lines. The German airmen fought desperately, but in vain,
to break through, and was forced lower and lower to the ground. Upon
reaching the ground he refused to stop his motor until, after bumping
over two fields, a bullet was fired through his gas tank setting it
afire. The two Germans jumped from the machine to the ground uninjured.
Both wore iron crosses. Lieut. Webb landed his machine, jumped out,
grabbed an iron cross from one of the terrified Germans, and rose again
to join his companions.
EYES OF THE ARMY ALWAYS OPEN
Few civilians have any idea of the intense, close watch that was kept
upon the enemy throughout the struggle. Soldiers on "listening post"
would crawl out every night to and sometimes into the enemy lines and on
their return report what they had heard. By day, aviators came back from
flights over enemy positions and gave details of what they had seen.
Every hill, tree-top, church spire, tall building and captive balloon
watched every move of the enemy and reported it. These reports by the
ears and eyes of the armies enabled American and allied commanders to
plan their infantry and artillery attacks.
AMERICAN INFORMATION SERVICE CHART
Knowledge of conditions in Germany during the war was so accurate that
the American general staff had computed many weeks in advance almost
the exact date on which the breaking point would be reached. A chart in
Secretary Baker's office shows the fluctuations in the "morale of the
German nation" from August, 1914, to the month of November, 1918.
The chart shows how German morale fell and rose under the influence
of the military situation, the results of the submarine campaign, th
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