our airmen since the beginning
of the war amounted to 87,000 miles, an average of 2,000 miles per day,
the total equaling nearly four times the circuit of the world. The total
time spent in the air was 1,400 hours.

There are many points connected with the fighting methods of either side
that may be of interest. The following description was given by a
battalion commander who has been at the front since the commencement of
hostilities and has fought both in the open and behind intrenchments. It
must, however, be borne in mind that it only represents the experiences
of a particular unit. It deals with the tactics of the enemy's infantry:

The important points to watch are the heads of valleys and ravines,
woods--especially those on the sides of hollow ground--and all dead
ground to the front and flanks. The German officers are skilled in
leading troops forward under cover, in closed bodies, but once the
latter are deployed and there is no longer direct personal
leadership the men will not face heavy fire. Sometimes the advance
is made in a series of lines, with the men well opened out at five
or six paces interval; at other times it is made in a line, with
the men almost shoulder to shoulder, followed in all cases by
supports in close formation. The latter either waver when the front
line is checked, or crowd on to it, moving forward under the orders
of their officers, and the mass forms a magnificent target.
Prisoners have described the fire of our troops as pinning them to
the ground, and this is certainly borne out by their action.

When the Germans are not heavily intrenched no great losses are
incurred in advancing against them by the methods in which the
British Army has been instructed. For instance, in one attack over
fairly open ground against about an equal force of infantry
sheltered in a sunken road and in ditches we lost only 10 killed
and 60 wounded, while over 400 of the enemy surrendered after about
50 had been killed. Each side had the support of a battery, but the
fight for superiority from infantry fire took place at about 700
yards and lasted only half an hour. When the Germans were wavering
some of them put up the white flag, but others went on firing, and
our men continued to do the same. Eventually a large number of
white flags, improvised from handkerchiefs, pieces of