The first detailed account of the violent air battle—the first big combat in the present war—which took place on Monday on the Western Front, in which nine German aircraft are claimed to have been shot down, is given in "L'Intransigeant."
The fight began, the newspaper says, when 27 German planes were making a demonstration over the French lines. Apparently "they intended to impress the French troops by flying in compact formation, recalling their methods in Poland, where they skimmed the ground, spreading terror and death."
Flying at a speed of 300 miles an hour, they had hardly reached French territory when a French squadron (of nine fighters) took off to attack. The French machines quickly assumed a formation advantageous for their assault, and then manceuvreing skillfully they attacked with "every gun blazing.
Watchers on the ground saw seven raiders fall, some in flames, after which the Germans turned in disorder and made for home, with the French in pursuit. Two more Messer-schmidt fell behind the Siegfried Line before the fleeing squadron ouidistanced the pursuers.
French air chiefs, "L'Intransigeant" says, awaited with anxiety the return of the French planes, feeling such a victory could not have achieved without any loss, but they were considerably surprised and relieved when all French planes re-fumed. Several machines were rid-died with bullets, but there were no provinces, and hoped that the measures token to carry on government in their absence would be only of temporary duration.—1 3
"And that purpose must be the stronger, as it is reinforced by the knowledge of cruel persecution of causes and persons at the hands of ruthless men in Germany.
"In general, it is no business of one nation to interfere with the in-
Mr. Winston Churchill, First being used with considerable ternal administration of another, and history has plenty of examples of the futility of such attempts,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.