ch these brave fellows had to
pass, the forced inaction was maddening, and they were all the more
eager to fight when at last the welcome signal came in the early dawn
to go forward to attack.

Despite the discouraging weather conditions, which hindered
observation, large squadrons of British planes led the advance against
the German lines and not only maintained constant contact with the
infantry, but flying low carried on a destructive warfare with their
machine guns.

There were many air battles fought at a few hundred feet above the
ground, but the Germans were decidedly outclassed and had to retire
after they had lost six machines.

One British aviator doing patrol duty, and flying at a height of not
more than thirty feet, came upon a German aerodrome on which he
dropped a bomb with careful precision. As the Germans in the sheds
came tumbling out, the aviator turned his machine gun on them, and
circling around the field poured such a stream of fire into the
kaiser's men that they scattered, leaving a number of dead on the
ground.

The Germans having presently recovered, from their astonishment got a
machine gun into action and came back to attack the airman, who made a
dive, and when not more than twenty feet from the ground silenced
their gun with his own. Then he circled the field, firing through the
doors of every building he passed on the groups of men within. Leaving
this scene the British airman next came upon two German officers, and
his machine-gun working steadily put them to flight. A column of
several hundred troops encountered after this were dispersed when he
swept along the line, leaving a number of dead and wounded on the
field. It was now time to return to the British lines for more
ammunition and some slight repairs, but the gallant aviator
encountered two German war planes that engaged him in battle. One he
disabled by a well-directed shot and the other seized the opportunity
to hurry from the scene.

On the Aisne front during July 31, 1917, there was violent artillery
fighting south of La Royere; the French had won all their objectives
and more. The German advanced trenches were filled with dead and the
French captured 210 prisoners.

On the same date the Germans after heavily bombarding French lines at
Cerny and Hurtebise, attacked positions east of Cerny on a front of
1,500 meters with three regiments. French counterattacks immediately
carried out, drove the Germans back, their ranks s