Air Stories, April 1936 — page 74: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

AIR STORIES R.F.C., at that time taking a terrible beating from the German Fokkers. In answer to the appeal, Dallas’s squadron, No. 1 R.N.A.S., arrived at Dunkirk on November 27th, 1915, to co-operate with the French and Flying Corps squadrons on the Belgian coast. From that date until May, 1916, no mention of Dallas can be found in official reports, but during that month he sprang into the limelight as one of the most daring pilots on the Front. Flying a Nieuport Scout, he seemed to delight in attacking large enemy groups. The 12th brought him his first victory, an Aviatik that fell in flames. On the 2oth, he met with a patrol of five tough Friedrichshafen two-seaters that were returning from a raid on Dunkirk, and catching them over Blankenberghe, he proceeded to ‘‘mop-up.’’ In and out of the formation he flashed until it had split up into scattered units, then he pounced on a straggler and down it went, minus a top wing. The remaining four scooted for Germany, but Dallas was not to be denied, and another started earthwards with a long oily plume of black smoke to mark its funeral pyre. At 3.30 a.m. the following morning, an alarm was sounded, and No.1 Squadron was ordered to watch out for twelve enemy bombers that had dropped forty high-explosive ‘‘ eggs ’’ on Dunkirk. Just as the first grey streaks of dawn lit the heavens, Dallas, flying alone at twelve thousand feet, spotted the enemy coming towards him, and, un- daunted by the size of formation, he dived for the rearmost machine. The Lewis on his Nieuport spat ten splinters of lead, and a great pillar of fire plunged down to ruin near Westende. Shaken by the fierceness of the lone attack, the Germans fled in confusion, hotly pursued by Dallas until his petrol and ammunition were exhausted, and he had to make a forced-landing on a shingle beach. The next day, while out on patrol with R. H. Mulock (who won fame by destroying a submarine with a bomb, and later became Colonel Mulock, of the Independent Air Force) still another group of Dunkirk bombers. chanced to cross his path. Into the raiders went the two Britishers, each destroying their chosen victims in flames, with their first long burst of fire. Pulling away from the demoralised formation, Mulock turned, and coming up under the belly of another raider, sent that, too, to a fiery end, his second victory towards his final score of twelve. For his exceptional skill and daring during these three days, Dallas was mentioned in despatches and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. One Man Against Eleven UNE saw Dallas cement his reputation as a fearless fighter when, on the goth, he attacked a mixed enemy formation of eight scouts and three bombers. He shot one bomber about so badly that the fuselage broke in two between pilot and observer, the separated parts forming coffins for their unfortunate occupants. A scout dived for Dallas, but soon followed the two-seater and the rest of the formation drew off. Less than a week after this the Grim Reaper reached out for him, but by brilliant flying and a large slice of luck, he managed to elude the grasp of Old Man Death. It all happened during a dogfight between five machines of No. 1 Squadron and a Fokker group, during the course of which Dallas’-engine was smashed by bullets. He was forced to lose altitude, and drew away from the fight, and, seeing his predicament, two Fokkers on the look-out for ‘‘ cold meat,’’ left the main body and dived after him. If this had happened later in the war when machines had synchronised guns, Dallas would never have stood a chance, but having a wing-mounted Lewis, he could still make an attempt to fight back. On came the Fokkers, one above him and one to the left and slightly below. As the topmost one dived over him, Dallas smacked a burst clean through its petrol- tank, and down it went, wrapped in flames. The survivor grew more cautious and held 360 back, but, taking advantage of the wind, Dallas managed to swing his COnmcloOoks.conm