WAR

artillery-spotting that they didn't think to look around to see who else was sharing
the air with them. Now it was different. Flyers who didn't look around constantly
didn't last long.
The caporal pilot was a frail,
weak-looking youth, whose obvious immaturity
was offset by the astonishing fire in his eyes. He never looked at anything, he
glared at it; he never walked, he ran; he never waited, he fretted; he never tried
anything without overreaching. The escadrille to which he was posted was M-S 3,
commanded by Capitaine Brocard, a sturdy, broad-shouldered son of France
whom even the most reckless unconsciously deferred to because of his commanding
aspect. Brocard was to make the name of his squadron—the Storks—a synonym
for Ace. The caporal pilot,
whose name was Georges Guynemer, was to make his
own name legendary.
That, however, was in afteryears, when a generation of French school
children were taught that the aviator who disappeared on September 11, 1917,
had flown so high he could never come down. Between this July day of 1915 and
the end in September 1917, was a struggle so arduous that it consumed him.
Guynemer and his gunner fussed over the machine gun that had jammed,
and had thus allowed the Boche to get away. They cleared the gun and continued
patrolling, hoping to get a second chance. Over Coucy, they spotted an Aviatik
headed toward Soissons. They followed, gradually overtaking the two-seater.
Guynemer put his parasol into a shallow dive to pick up speed and approached
to within 150 feet, slightly above, behind, and to the left of the Aviatik. His
gunner, a mechanic named Guerder, squeezed off the first salvo, the Aviatik
lurched and pieces flew off of it. The observer in the Aviatik fired back with a
rifle. One bullet whistled through the wing and one grazed the hand and head of
Guerder. Guynemer held the shallow dive, placing his parasol directly under the
Aviatik and Guerder fired another burst that went straight up into it from a
distance of about 60 feet. The Aviatik fell in flames between the trenches.
Guynemer and Guerder landed immediately behind the lines to get a confirmation.
The entire 238th Regiment had followed the fight and the Colonel
wanted personally to interview the flyers.
"Well, really,
the pilot did the whole thing," said Guerder, to whom Colonel
Maillard had addressed his first questions.
At this point, Guynemer, skinny, gawky, entered the tent carrying his flying
togs.
"Who's this" asked the Colonel.
"My pilot."
"Really How old are
you"
"Twenty," said Guynemer.
"And the gunner"
"Twenty-two," replied Guerder.
"Bon dieu, don't we have anybody but children left to fight the war with"
The following day, Colonel Maillard sent a message to Commandant Brocard,
saying how much the regiment had enjoyed the fight.
46
The war in the air was still only a side-show for the infantry.