a single
unit and been placed at the point of the greatest danger--the Verdun
sector of the front.

The formation of the Franco-American Flying Corps was formed by
Frazier Curtis and Norman Prince, after many unsuccessful attempts
since December, 1914. At the time of gathering the scattered Americans
into a single corps there were about thirty experienced aviators in
the group, but the number has been greatly augmented since then, and
in the latter part of July nearly a hundred are reported to have been
gathered in the aviation corps near Verdun.

The first American aviator to fly over the Verdun battle field since
the beginning of the great battle still raging in that sector, was
Carroll Winslow, of New York, who piloted one of the Maurice Farman
speed planes. Previous to the beginning of that battle, Lieutenant
William Thaw of Pittsburgh and Elliott Cowdin of New York had crossed
the battle field repeatedly.

CHAPTER LVI

AERIAL COMBATS AND RAIDS

February, 1916, because of foggy, stormy weather, did not furnish many
thrilling aerial combats. With the exception of a Zeppelin raid over
England and an attack on Kent by two German Fokker aeroplanes, in the
course of which bombs were dropped on Ramsgate and Broadstairs, few
events worthy of chronicling occurred on either of the big battle
fronts. In Egypt, early in that month, an officer of the R. F. C. flew
from Daba, railhead of the Mariut railway, to El Gara and return,
without a stop. The entire trip was made in eight hours, covering 400
miles. It was one of the most splendid pieces of reconnoitering work
accomplished by a British aviation officer.

On February 25, 1916, announcement was made in the British House of
Commons to the effect that the total loss of life in the twenty-nine
great and small Zeppelin raids up to that date had been 266.

On March 1, 1916, an Aviatik aeroplane, piloted by Lieutenant Faber,
and containing Lieutenant Kuehl as observer, succeeded in wrecking the
leading truck of a motor transport train on the Besancon-Jussey road.
The bomb struck squarely and blockaded the road for a considerable
time, causing confusion and delay in the transport. While the drivers
of the trucks endeavored to straighten out the tangle, the aviators
poured a withering fire from their machine gun into the crowd of men,
while circling over the truck at low altitude.

Four days later an extensive Zeppelin raid was directed at the east
coast of Engla