Brother Enemies by Frank Blighton Read online

aviator, whom the whole corps of flying men

  whose velocity forbade more than one

  attached to the army group of the Crown occupant; the remaining five were the slower Prince before Verdun both despised for his

  type of Rumpler “dove” biplanes, with their

  nationality and feared for his prowess, was not characteristic aileron on the upper wing

  based upon any ignorance of Rockwood’s shaped like the tip of a pigeon’s wing, for antecedents or exploits.

  greater stability and swifter response in

  The amazing accuracy of the German

  maneuvering, although at far less average

  secret agent is proverbial; in this, as in all

  speeds than their Fokker comrades. Each

  other branches of the service, the passion for

  Rumpler machine carried a pilot and an

  detail and completeness is no less in evidence

  observer or machine-gun operator.

  than in the other classifications of the

  Sixteen intrepid and devoted airmen

  Germany army organization.

  flashed from the earth into the teeth of the

  Ten days before, within a hundred dawn on that ever-memorable morning; flying yards of the mound at which he was now

  eastward, instead of westward or northward—

  standing, the commander of the Verdun where the enemy aircraft were usually found.

  aeroplane base had been hastily summoned to

  East and south they flew, on the wings

  receive a messenger from no less a personage

  of the morning, in a slight haze which made

  than the division commander on the Meuse

  their departure invisible to the skulking enemy sector, ranking next to his royal highness. The aircraft from the Verdun fortress, who, as

  message which was given him on that usual, were abroad at that hour.

  occasion was of such tremendous significance

  And east and south they flew for many

  that Colonel Imman immediately summoned

  a weary league, until, in the hour when the

  all of the aviators whom he could possibly

  August sun bleached the tenuous, dewy

  spare from the front that day, including curtain of their concealment into nothingness, several youths who had not yet received their

  the eleven were hovering far in the rear of the brevet, but whose skill must now be relied

  German lines in Alsace and Lorraine—

  upon for crucial test, if he was to comply with circling like buzzards who scent a cadaver.

  the imperative demands suddenly made upon

  The low-lying clouds which blanketed

  his already attenuated corps of flyers.

  the peaks of the ranges where France and

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  Switzerland join, however, once gained, “bed rails” of the lowest wing of the biplanes, served to further aid the lurking airmen to

  at regular intervals: and the method of

  make sure the ambush which they had dropping them was controlled from the prepared; and when seven battle-planes from

  fuselage by the observer, who, when over the

  the enemy lines had groped their way through

  munition supply base, or the railway station,

  the cloud-hung dawn, following the lead of

  or the town which was the objective sought,

  three high-speed machines which acted both

  he could, by Simply jerking a cord, release

  as scouts and pilots, ere they could demolish

  each projectile in turn, so that it would drop

  the munition depots far, far behind the upon its intended target.

  German trenches on this remote corner of the

  All of which, in detail, was known to

  five-hundred-mile battle line, Flight-

  the German commander; all of which was

  Lieutenant Imman and his comrade aviators

  communicated to the aviators who had been

  pounced down upon them.

  hurriedly despatched to head off and disperse,

  The numerical superiority of the one

  if possible, the other machines, after they had machine which the Allied aviators faced was

  crossed the German lines in the darkness.

  more than compensated for by the armored

  The furious onslaught which

  construction of their own heavier battle-

  immediately followed, therefore, had not

  planes; in fact, the battle in the air at once took alone for its object the disabling of the Allied on an analogy not unlike a combat at sea; in

  biplanes by the usual method of killing the

  which swift but sparsely armored cruisers pilot or shooting the propellor of the enemy engage the slower-moving dreadnaughts.

  machine to bits or disabling the engine: any

  There was one exception, however, to

  part of the aeroplane offered rich possibilities, the comparison—an exception which Colonel

  if one of the bombs they carried could also be

  Imman, even in his haste, had not failed to

  struck.

  make plain to the men he was despatching to

  In that case, the terrific explosion to

  meet and drive back the raiders. That follow would surely demolish the aircraft, if, exception was the character of part of the

  indeed, it did not blow the pilot and his

  “useful load” with which the slower Allied

  defender out of the machine in fragments.

  biplanes were carrying that morning—

  There is a strategy of the air as well as

  consisting, in part, besides the usual of the sea: and this strategy, to no small complement of machine-guns and ammunition

  degree, consists in the advantage which an

  in the fuselages of each machine, of numerous

  opponent secures when he is above his

  large bombs, upon which the major adversary.

  destructive power of the raiders depended.

  Hence, Flight-Lieutenant Imman and

  These bombs were of a type known as

  his ten machines came swarming down out of

  “percussion contact bombs,” a term signifying

  the clouds, in “fan-formation,” blazing death

  that they would explode upon contact with

  and destruction to the Allied machines below,

  whatever object they struck when dropped.

  at their first volleys.

  For convenience, and also to facilitate the

  Three of these went incontinently

  “balance” of the aeroplanes which the Allies

  down, then the others rallied, and a German

  were using on this occasion, as well as to

  machine hurtled earthward under the

  allow the pilot of each and its machine-gun

  concentrated fire which three of the enemy

  operator the fullest latitude for fighting off the aircraft focused upon it as one man; in another aeroplanes if attacked, these bombs were minute of fighting two more German planes distributed at various points along the lower

  were out of the engagement as well as a fourth

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  Allied machine. But the appearance, far to the

  airman in the swift biplane had again attacked

  west, of several other German aircraft, sent to and again disposed of another German

  overhaul if possible the raiders from the aircraft—single-handed.

  Alsace lines, seemed to determine the ultimate

  A blast of wind sweeping a sheet of

  issue of the engagement in favor of the mist down a mountain gorge blanketed the Central powers, for they were coming up fast

  Germ
an flier’s vision for a moment. When he

  and relentlessly.

  again emerged into the uncertain light of the

  Then occurred an extraordinary thing.

  forenoon, to his renewed rage and horror,

  A small, swift biplane, which Flight-

  another German plane was failing, under the

  Lieutenant Imman divined contained the deadly, unerring gunfire of the solitary Allied brains of the expedition, bolted out of the mist aviator.

  and, single-handed, engaged two of the

  Imman judged that he must now be at

  German machines.

  least fifteen hundred feet above this

  With uncanny maneuvers of the most

  satanically skillful aviator, who alone had shot reckless and daring character, its pilot down four of the eleven aeroplanes which had manipulated his machine, darting this way and

  expected to annihilate him and his

  that, like a hawk attacking two robins. Imman

  companions scarcely twenty minutes before.

  himself was for the moment engaged in

  So far as the prime object of the

  regaining his elevation, so that he could German ambush was concerned, that had been swoop down again upon another of the enemy

  attained; the precious munition-supply depots

  planes in his deadly Fokker; and as he climbed

  would not be bombed this morning—not by

  he thrilled to the stupefying audacity of the

  any of the ten raiders in this group at least.

  leader of the raiders as with astounding skill

  But owing to the unsuspected prowess

  and marvelous bravery, one after another he

  of this lone aviator, there would be a sad story disposed of the two German machines. In two

  to tell to his father when he returned to the

  minutes more, however. Imman had swept

  base behind Verdun; and with a determination

  down in dizzying spirals and fatally disabled

  as fiendish as the skill which the other had

  the other machine, which he had singled out as

  displayed, the German commander began his

  his personal prey; and the count now stood

  headlong spiral down upon the unprotected,

  with five Allied machines down and a like

  devoted pilot of the biplane, resolved to end

  number of Germans accounted for.

  his career then and there.

  The maneuver of dispatching his own

  Again, however, fate or luck seemed to

  antagonist had necessitated Imman’s retiring

  be with the other airman. The dense, swirling

  some distance from the scene of the other

  fog-bank enfolded him as tenderly as a mother

  contest, occurring about two miles to the south wraps her babe in a downy quilt just at the

  and east of his own latest victory; and as he

  instant that Imman was about to open fire.

  again circled and swept up the invisible

  Instantly the German commander cut

  staircase of the air to regain his advantageous off his engine and volplaned down, as silently

  altitude preliminary to a further descent, the

  as the mist-breath itself, in the direction in

  German commander saw, to his grief and which his intended victim had disappeared.

  chagrin, that while all the remaining machines

  “I’ll follow him to hell!” grated

  of the Allied fleet save one solitary biplane

  Imman, as, with a backward flip of his ear-

  were now in full flight—and likely to be cut

  protectors, he strained forward in the fuselage off and annihilated by the reinforcements to catch the sound of the other’s motor, coming up from the west—that the intrepid

  beneath and to the southeast of him when last

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  seen.

  Imman saw, however, that he had

  A grim smile lighted up his own visage

  made the better landing of the two, and as he

  as he discerned it, exactly where he believed it leaped from his machine he whipped his

  would be. He again threw in his motor, and

  Luger service pistol from his belt and ran

  dived headlong down through the mist, firing

  forward toward the other’s.

  like a demon in the direction of his invisible

  The menace in the frowning muzzle

  enemy.

  brought no responsive token of surrender,

  Again he cut out his engine and however. The pilot of the Allied biplane listened.

  merely laughed pleasantly, showing a

  This time he heard no sound.

  remarkable set of teeth in a mischievous

  Again he volplaned downward into smile, the smile of a prankish schoolboy who space, this time plunging out of the cloud-knows he has the best of things.

  bank and emerging into the radiant forenoon

  “Put up that plaything, Lieutenant

  at the lower level.

  Imman,” said he jovially. “We’ve drifted over

  Not a hundred yards away was the

  the frontier into Switzerland. You can see the

  Allied aeroplane, coming toward him with a

  mountains back there not fifty feet away. My

  venom fully comparable to his own.

  word, old man, what a busy morning!”

  And simultaneously they opened fire

  Without lowering his pistol lest the

  together.

  statement should be merely a ruse to divert his Next instant, also simultaneously, they

  attention, Imman complied. It was true. He

  whirled downward.

  replaced the weapon, and as the other

  Imman was unwounded, but his descended from the fuselage he came forward engine, after a convulsive shudder, had with his hand outstretched.

  stopped dead. There was nothing whatever to

  “We’re brother airmen for a little

  do save point her nose toward the ground and

  while, I take it.” said the German in faultless make a landing, if possible, in the midst of the English. “May 1 have the honor of inquiring

  forbidding mountainous country over which

  your name?”

  he found himself.

  “Kane Rockwood, brevet sous-

  It was some small satisfaction to know,

  lieutenant, attached to the French division

  even though he himself was in difficulties,

  usually at Verdun. Great guns, man, what a

  that his antagonist was similarly situated, for surprise you gave me. I didn’t dream of

  he likewise was making a forced landing.

  finding you down here! Why, only day before

  Twenty seconds later they came to yesterday we exchanged visiting-cards on the earth in the midst of a small glade entirely

  Verdun front!”

  surrounded by high peaks and enclosed by

  “Yes,” said Imman. “I might have

  trees, whose majesty of size suggested that

  known it was you. You shot down

  they had been growing since the beginning of

  Schemmerhorn and Laub the day we engaged,

  time.

  didn’t you?”

  It was, strangely enough, the only

  “The fortune of war, lieutenant,”

  possible landing-place for either machine quietly admitted Rockwood. “I say, old man, without smashing to bits. And into the solitude that was great work you did, coming down

  of this tree-girt, mountain-bound enclosure behind me and shooting off my propeller they dropped, almost simultaneously, and, when we engaged. What did I do to you?”
/>
  even more oddly, within two hundred feet of

  “Come over and see.” returned his late

  each other.

  antagonist. “I haven’t an idea yet. My engine

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  9

  went dead on me, that’s all.”

  “But,”

  interposed

  the other, “how are

  As amicably as if both were members

  you going to get out of Switzerland,

  of the same club they inspected the Fokker.

  Lieutenant Imman?”

  One of Rockwood’s bullets had severed the

  The German gave a surprised gesture.

  cable of wires leading from the magneto to the

  “In my machine, of course, the same as

  engine. Imman laughed, opened a kit in his

  you will. Come, we must make haste.”

  fuselage, and immediately began repairs, with

  “But you’re almost entirely out of gas.

  Rockwood assisting him.

  Go over and look at your gauge,” laughed the

  “And now.” said the German when this

  American. “We’re both in the hole, old man.

  had been completed, “let’s see what you must

  I’ve got practically no ammunition left—shot

  do to get out of Switzerland.”

  it all away, you saw me. You’ve got

  They walked to the biplane, where practically no gas. I can get away; that is. I Rockwood procured a wrench from his tool-can get over the Swiss frontier. You can’t.

  box and stripped the wrecked propeller-stump

  Now listen. I know how you feel. I don’t

  from the engine-shaft. Then he produced a

  blame you. Some day somebody—who

  duplicate from beneath the lower wing, where

  knows?—maybe it will be you—but some day

  it was carefully bolted to the reenforcement of somebody will bring me down, just as surely

  the lower bed-rail.

  as somebody will bring you down some day.