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although Kriegszeitung stated explicitly that Roland Garros set fire to his aeroplane, there was certainly enough salvaged for German technical experts to comprehend the importance of their lucky capture. They perceived that this was the very aeroplane with which Garros had shot down three German machines. If the French had successfully launched one such apparatus they might be planning to introduce any number of machines with a like equipment, and the consequences of such a move were unforseeable. And disagreeable to contemplate. Since the principle and the mechanism were so simple, the Germans decided to assume the worst: namely, that the French were preparing every single-seater they had in a similar fashion so as to launch a sudden aerial offensive that would sweep the German observation machines from the sky. Well, it was a two-edged sword. Since it was so simple, the Germans could arm every single-seater they had and meet the French on better than equal terms because the advantage of surprise would be on their side. The aeroplane was ready to hand: the Fokker M.5, the machine in which Tony Fokker had won the accolade of "master of the sky" from the German newspapers, and in which he had so impressed General von Falkenhayn, the Prussian Minister of War, just one year before. Fokker was immediately ordered to produce a copy of the Garros/Morane deflector gear suitable for installation in his monoplane. The unique mechanical genius of the Flying Dutchman finally came into the game. The pendulum completed its first stroke. A standard infantry machine gun was issued to Fokker, the first one he had ever seen up close, much less handled, but its workings were easy enough to understand. He instantly apprehended that the essential problem was how to shoot between the blades of the propeller. This business of deflecting bullets was not safe—the ricochets might go anywhere, they might damage the engine or even hit the pilot, and the hammering on the prop might throw it out of true eventually. That was particularly dangerous because a vibrating prop can tear the whole engine loose. Besides, the standard-issue machine gun cartridge for the French used a relatively soft copper-coated bullet, whereas the comparable German ammunition was jacketed with steel. A slug like that might smash the propeller, deflector plates and all. The trick was to shoot through the propeller by interrupting the flow of bullets whenever the blades passed before the muzzle of the gun. How to interrupt at the right time By causing the propeller itself to fire the gun. A small knob judiciously located on the propeller hub would strike a cam, and by a simple, direct mechanical linkage the firing mechanism would be tripped and the gun would fire—600 rounds a minute as long as the pilot held his thumb down on the firing button on the control stick. When the pilot let up his pressure on the firing button the connection would be broken between cam and trigger and the gun would stop. Splendid. He came up with the idea and the finished mechanism within 48 hours. Official demonstrations for the ordnance boards followed, Fokker himself doing some of the flying, and upon acceptance the new armament installed in 40
Fokker E II the M.5 monoplane was delivered to several Fliegerabteihmgen for operational assessment. Two machines, now bearing the military designation Fokker E I (E for Eindecker, or monoplane), were issued to Fl. Abt. 62 at Douai. Both machines were earmarked for Boelcke who flew them in alternation with twoseaters in which he continued to serve as a chauffeur for observers. The Eindecker was considered a military secret and special instructions were issued regarding its use, one such instruction being an injunction against flying it over the lines. It was hoped that specimens might thus be kept from falling into enemy hands. Boelcke's nature was to fight, however, when a fight could be forced, and since fighting at that time was mostly chasing, it followed that sooner or later he would chase somebody over the lines. Which he did. He shot down a Bristol Scout TEHffl
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*»&%gp&iiqfc THE MEN AND MACHINES
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Hanriot H-D 1 • France (here in B
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Photograph by Beverly Lebarrow
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COPYRIGHT © 1965 BY THOMAS R. FUND
Page 11 and 12: In acknowledging the help he has re
Page 13 and 14: the great war, as every schoolboy k
Page 15 and 16: perseverance have been beyond all p
Page 17: : ; o COLOGNE MAP Showing the Salie
Page 21 and 22: "A EUROPEAN WAR" "Never before the
Page 23 and 24: an American, Charles J. Biddle, of
Page 26 and 27: From 1300 metres the country is spr
Page 28 and 29: Pegoud
Page 30 and 31: In the autumn of 1913 Pegoud gave a
Page 32 and 33: In layout the new monoplane somewha
Page 34 and 35: Aviatik B I
Page 36 and 37: — — grudziadz is a town on the
Page 38 and 39: Stationed in home country near Bres
Page 40 and 41: Roland Garros *«« . •—;-*.;-
Page 42 and 43: twins jean and Pierre navarre were
Page 44 and 45: One day on a reconnaissance flight
Page 46 and 47: Pilot and observer/gunner in Halber
Page 48 and 49: in February of 1915 Roland Garros r
Page 50 and 51: so became enthusiastic about flying
Page 52 and 53: them disappeared in the direction o
Page 54 and 55: one of navarre's closest friends wa
Page 56 and 57: — CO. condemning the ship the men
Page 58 and 59: iefed their mechanics and packed th
Page 62 and 63: ehind the British lines near Arras
Page 64 and 65: Boelckc returned to Douai in Decemb
Page 66 and 67: artillery-spotting that they didn't
Page 68 and 69: an American ace who flew in British
Page 70 and 71: The same day two other men from the
Page 72 and 73: observer seized his Parabellum and
Page 75 and 76: "THE INEVITABLE RESULT" "As I have
Page 77 and 78: 21, 1916, the German Fifth Army beg
Page 79 and 80: — — * * * since the Germans hel
Page 82 and 83: among the flying personnel assemble
Page 84 and 85: on june 17, 1916, Navarre, Pivolo,
Page 86 and 87: — hnmelmann On June 18, 1916, obs
Page 88 and 89: en route to verdun the end of Febru
Page 91 and 92: 5- 3 a*i& rT& A striking demonstrat
Page 93: late in 1915 the Halberstadt Aeropl
Page 96 and 97: Seven such units were initially pro
Page 98 and 99: the quality of disinterestedness wi
Page 100 and 101: The results were uniformly nil, but
Page 102 and 103: 11,000 and about 7 p.m. saw a hosti
Page 105 and 106: British machines reached their obje
Page 107 and 108: y January 1917 von Richthofen had a
Page 109 and 110: During the summer of 1916, two Nieu
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Ball was awarded the M.C. for his e
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from the beginning of 1917 a warnin
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. The aeroplane he had destroyed wa
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Bristol F.2 "Brisfit." 99
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On this day he had just taken off w
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The Sopwith Triplane appeared in sm
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Naval Ten was formed in February 19
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It would appear that the raid was a
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1 "Collishaw led a (second) offensi
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fast as the three machines spun aro
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— Hermann becker was born in Treb
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gilbert sardier of Clermont-Ferrand
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— the storks— Groupe de Combat
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no. 20 squadron rfc was a two-seate
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122
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on the last day of July 1917, the T
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the last instant he would tilt his
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a powerful one, but that hardly mat
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in august 1917 Naval Ten switched f
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I "The Germans kept shooting at me
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mm me Caudion G.3. ktN erwe
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Commandant Brocard. 136
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Fonck was the best shot at the Fron
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"THE SUPREMACY OF THE AIR" "Despite
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"if von richthofen liked a man it w
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albert deullin was born in Epernay,
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tion, full motor and diving slightl
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Pfalz D III In the summer and autum
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was of the semi-monocoque method, i
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Nodding, von Richthofen turned to g
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when the battle of cambrai opened,
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Cerisy, a hamlet on the left bank o
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As the two machines ahead of him zi
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"Balloon strafing became highly dev
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eed Mckinley chambers was born at O
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On March 29, James Norman Hall arri
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Lufbery. Assuming command of the 94
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IN February 1918 Oberleutnant Adolf
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y the end of May both Douglas Campb
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— Brigadier General Everett R. Co
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Biddle.
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177
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of the 95 Congressional Medals of H
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Rickenbackei eddie rickenbacker's o
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when hellmuth von zastrow began fly
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In August 1917 Theobald was posted
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— On October 1, 1917, at five o'c
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Sam, over two feet tall and acquire
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— climb all the way to ceiling go
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A dispatch from the Wolff Telegraph
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Gibbons, Floyd, The Red Knight of G
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43,53, : : : Frantz: ix, 13, 15,26
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Spad 13 • France (here in Italian
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WAR

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