waged battle
uninterruptedly for eight months. Other escadrilles came to the rescue.
Altogether they were divided into two groups, one under the command of
Major Fequant, the other under that of Captain Brocard, appointed chief
of battalion. It becomes impossible to enumerate all Guynemer's
victories, and we can merely emphasize the days on which he surpassed
himself. September 28 was a remarkable day, on which he brought down two
enemies and had a fall from a height of 3000 meters. Little Paul Bailly
would hardly have believed that; he would have said it was surely a
legend, the golden legend of aviation. Nevertheless, here is Guynemer's
statement, countersigned by the escadrille commandant:

"_Saturday, September 23._--Two combats near Eterpigny. At 11.20 forced
down a Boche in flames near Aches; at 11.21 forced a Boche to land,
damaged, near Carrepuy; at 11.25 forced down a Boche in flames near
Roye. At 11.30, was forced down myself by a French shell, and smashed my
machine near Fescamps...."

These combats occurred between Peronne and Montdidier. To his father he
wrote with more precision, but in his usual elliptical style.

"_September 22_: Asphyxiated a Fokker in 30 seconds, tumbled down
disabled.

"_September 23_: 11.20.--A Boche in flames within our lines.

"11.21.--A Boche disabled, passenger killed.

"11.25.--A Boche in flames 400 meters from the lines.

"11.25 and a half.--A 75 blew up my water reservoir, and all the linen
of the left upper plane, hence a superb tail spin. Succeeded in changing
it into a glide. Fell to ground at speed of 160 or 180 kilometers:
everything broken like matches, then the 'taxi' rebounded, turned around
at 45 degrees, and came back, head down, planting itself in the ground
40 meters away like a post; they could not budge it. Nothing was left
but the body, which was intact: the Spad is strong; with any other
machine I should now be thinner than this sheet of paper. I fell 100
meters from the battery that had demolished me; they had not aimed at
me, but they brought me down all the same, which they had no difficulty
in recognizing; the shell struck me hard some time before exploding. The
Boche fell close by Major Constantin's post. I picked up the pieces."

The group which he had attacked was composed of five airplanes, flying
in _echelon_, three above, two below. The two which flew lowest were
assaulted by one of our escadrilles, and the pilots, seeing a machine
fall in fl