Air Stories, April 1936 — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

A FORGOTTEN HERO OF THE AIR WAR machine into a gliding turn, and get in a long-range burst before his powerless *plane stalled. More by luck than skill, the burst sped true and. one wing of the Fokker crumpled, and slowly folded over the cockpit, shutting the pilot from the two-mile fall of death that lay beneath him. Describing his feelings after the fight, Dallas said, ‘‘ I had the wind up so much that it blew me back at the Fokker.’’ Throughout the year Dallas continued to make himself a pest to the Imperial German Air Force, and when, in early 1917, No. 1 Squadron received Sopwith Triplanes, he excelled all his earlier efforts. An example of what he could do with the ‘‘Tripe’’ came on. April 21st, 1917. Into the sky of ‘‘ Bloody April,’’ a sky filled with the deadly Albatros Scouts, went Dallas and a squadron- mate, Lieutenant T. G. Culling. Over the shell-pocked rubble that had once been St. Eloi they spotted a formation of two-seater Albatros observation *planes, protected by a swarm of shark- bellied, fish-tailed | scouts—Albatros D-3’s. At a signal from Dallas both ‘‘ Tripes ’’ went hell for leather for the two-seaters, and Culling shot the wings off one, while Dallas hit another in the petrol-tank, the luckless two-seater exploding and scattering itself all over the sky. Down came the ‘‘ invincible ’’ scouts, and for exactly fifty-eight minutes Dallas and Culling fought a one-sided battle with the best of Ger- many’s men and machines, Despite the terrific odds, the Triplanes flew rings round the famous Albatros D-3’s, and when the flare-up finally ended, Dallas had destroyed one Albatros in flames, whilst Culling claimed two ‘‘ out of control.’’ Although both machines were bullet-shattered wrecks, neither pilot had received a scratch during the fight, although Culling knocked two teeth out against his dashboard when his machine fell to bits as he landed. For his part in this epic fight Dallas was again mentioned in despatches, and the French showed their appreciation by awarding him the Croix de Guerre, June 16th saw him shoot down an Aviatik two-seater and then, on the 22nd, he won a bar to his D.S.C. In the morning he destroyed an A.E.G. two- seater that had been protected by six scouts and in the afternoon got another A.E.G. and a Halberstadt D-3. Near Messines he spotted the A.E.G. busy taking photographs, and soon sent the inquisitive one down in flames. Out of the sun at his back came five Hal- berstadt Scouts, and bullets flicked un- comfortably close to his head. One *plane zoomed across his nose, to draw his attention from two more coming up beneath him, and Dallas let the decoy have a ten-round burst clean through the cockpit. Drilled through, the pilot collapsed over the stick, and the ’plane flew wild. It went straight for the other Halberstadts, then attacking Dallas from below, and they scattered out of the derelict’s path. In the confusion, Dallas flew merrily away. A Student of Tactics Liz the more famous Jimmy McCudden, Dallas was an ardent student of air-fighting tactics, and kept an invaluable note-book in which he entered his methods of attacking various types of enemy aircraft. This practice stood him in good stead when he was appointed C.O. of No. 1 Squadron early in July, and under his careful guidance the squadron gave a good account of itself during the Messines drive of the same month. A _ kindly commander, ever ready to give help and advice to his pilots, he was extremely popular with the rank and file. If the men had to make any special effort to keep the machines in fighting condition, he always thanked them personally, and they worked the harder for it. For nine months Dallas commanded No. 1 Squadron, but when the R.N.A.S. and R.F.C. were amalgamated in March, 1918, a great deal of shuffling about took place, and with his score at twenty- six, Dallas left to take command of No. 40 Squadron, equipped with S.E.5’s. The great German spring offensive was 361 lDOOLK