nder the
exploding shells and calmly took them off. Then he placed the machine in
a position of greater safety, but broke the propeller on a pile of hay.
During this time a crowd had come running and now surrounded the
victors. Artillery officers escorted them off, sentinels saluted them, a
colonel offered them champagne. Guerder was taken first into the
commanding officer's post, and on being questioned about the maneuver
that won the victory excused himself with modesty:

"That was the pilot's affair."

Guynemer, who had stolen in, was willing to talk.

"Who is this?" asked the colonel.

"That's the pilot."

"You? How old are you?"

"Twenty."

"And the gunner?"

"Twenty-two."

"The deuce! There are nothing but children left to do the fighting."

So, passed along in this manner from staff to staff, they finally landed
at Compiegne, conducted by Captain Simeon. No happiness was complete for
Guynemer if his home was not associated with it.

"He will get the Military Medal," declared Captain Simeon, "because he
wanted his Boche and went after him."

Words of a true chief who knew his men. Always to go after what he
wanted was the basic characteristic of Guynemer. And now various details
concerning the combat came one by one to light. Guerder had been half
out of the machine to have the machine-gun ready to hand. When the gun
jammed, Georges yelled to his comrade how to release it. Guerder, who
had picked up his rifle, laid it down, executed the maneuver indicated
by Guynemer, and resumed his machine-gun fire. This episode lasted two
minutes during which Georges maintained the airplane under the Aviatik,
unwilling to change his position, as he saw that a recoil would expose
them to the Boche's gun.

Meanwhile Vedrines came in search of the victor, and piloted the machine
back to head-quarters, with Guynemer on board seated on the body and
quivering with joy.

With this very first victory Guynemer sealed his friendship with the
infantry, whom his youthful audacity had comforted in their trenches. He
received the following letter, dated July 20, 1915:

Lieutenant-colonel Maillard, commanding the 238th Infantry, to
Corporal Pilot Guynemer and Mechanician Guerder of Escadrille M.S.
3, at Vauciennes.

The Lieutenant-colonel,
The Officers,
The whole Regiment,

Having witnessed the aerial attack you made upon a German Aviatik
over their trenches, spontaneously app