Part 11
[42] On two or three occasions pilots have gallantly stuck to their controls and have managed to land safely in blazing machines from fully 1,000 feet. There is a general opinion that it is possible to fit a parachute so that in the event of an aeroplane catching fire the pilot and passenger can quit it at once and descend safely.
[43] This may be the propagandist editor at work, or it may be a deliberate attempt to mislead, because, as a matter of fact, a man cannot survive long as a fighting pilot unless he is a perfect master of his machine.
[44] There is some curious error here, for Captain Ball was not flying a triplane at the time of his death. It seems probable that someone else shot Captain Ball on the same day, and that, as the younger von Richthofen was disabled, and so could not go and identify the wreckage of Captain Ball's machine, the credit was given to von Richthofen in default of anyone else making a claim.
[45] This was evidently written some time after von Richthofen's previous disparaging note on Infantry Contact fliers.
[46] This is really a high testimony to the effective work of the R. F. C.
[47] A Handley Page which landed near Laon early in 1917.
* * * * *
Transcriber's Notes:
Text uses both giant plane and giant-plane. This was retained. Frequently, the commas in the original text were moved up half-way to land at the middle of the line instead of the bottom of the line. These were all moved down.
Page v, "SHAFER" changed to "SCHÄFER". Word "the" also added to match actual title of chapter. (SCHÄFER LANDS BETWEEN THE LINES)
Page vii, "SHAFER" changed to "SCHÄFER" (LIEUT. SCHÄFER SPEAKING WITH)
Page 5, "Feldfliegartruppen" changed to "Feldfliegertruppen" (the German Feldfliegertruppen)
Page 8, extra single quotation mark removed from the front of ("Wong-wong,")
Page 12, "Richtofen" changed to "Richthofen" (fighting, von Richthofen should)
Page 19, comma added (first Richthofen, his cousin)
Page 20, "Shickfuss" changed to "Schickfuss" (great-grandfather Schickfuss fell)
Page 28, period changed to a comma (the breakage, I rode)
Page 37, "communique" changed to "communiqué" (first official communiqué.)
Page 38, "prisoner. He told" changed to "prisoner, he told".
Page 42, the text for the sub-chapter has 1915 in the date. As two chapters away he is in June 1915, this "21-22nd August, 1915" has been changed to "21-22nd August, 1914".
Page 58, repeated word "a" removed from text. Original read (like a a little toy)
Page 63, "particulary" changed to "particularity" (talent and particularity)
Page 68, repeated line "gradually to a stop and suddenly I was" was deleted. The original read:
THE German enterprise in Russia came gradually to a stop and suddenly I was gradually to a stop and suddenly I was transferred to a large battle-plane at Ostend
Page 68, footnote, "Grossfleugzeug" changed to "Grossflugzeug" (The Grossflugzeug, or "G" class)
Page 69, "siezed" changed to "seized" (seized a hotel on the)
Page 70-71, a line from page 45 "imagine the confusion which followed. The" was placed at the bottom of page 70. It was removed. The original read:
only a single motor working.[A] When we imagine the confusion which followed. The were fairly far out I saw beneath us, not
Page 72, "we" changed to "they" (waited until they found it)
Page 73, footnote, "analagous" changed to "analogous" (German slang, analogous more)
Page 79, footnote, "Grossfleugzeug" changed to "Grossflugzeug" (the Grossflugzeug in the air)
Page 84, footnote, "Riesenfleugzeug" changed to "Riesenflugzeug" (example of the Riesenflugzeug)
Page 84, footnote, "Grossfleugzeug" changed to "Grossflugzeug" (to the Grossflugzeug type)
Page 85, "Doberitz" changed to "Döberitz" (my examinations in Döberitz)
Page 87, "communique" changed to "communiqué" (official communiqué of)
Page 100, footnote, "reconnaisance" changed to "reconnaissance" (the two-seater reconnaissance)
Page 101, "communique" changed to "communiqué" (communiqué. Of course)
Page 113, "everyone" changed to "every one" (and every one of the)
Page 114, footnote, "reconnaisance" changed to "reconnaissance" (on long reconnaissance)
Page 127, chapter title, "Merite" changed to "Mérite" (Pour le Mérite)
Page 128, "Immelman" changed to "Immelmann" (Boelcke and Immelmann were given)
Page 135, "wont" changed to "won't" (You won't hit me)
Page 140, "Henin-Lietard" changed to "Hénin-Liétard" (road near Hénin-Liétard)
Page 140, "Henin-Lietard" changed to "Hénin-Liétard" (motor car to Hénin-Liétard)
Page 146, footnote, "cut" changed to "but" (was hit, but none was)
Page 147, footote, "Schafer" changed to "Schäfer" (Schäfer was also shot by)
Page 154, word "air" added to text after comparison to a different edition of the same book (a fight in the air)
Page 156, "communique" changed to "communiqué" (official communiqué. On)
Page 156, footnote, "Havilands" changed to "Havillands" (fighters and de Havillands)
Page 156, footnote, "Communique" changed to "Communiqué" (the G. H. Q. Communiqué)
Page 159, four lines of repeated text were removed. Original read:
which had been started. The aeroplane caught him up and a beautiful propeller was smashed to bits. Moritz howled terribly and a measure which I had hitherto omitted was taken. I had always The aeroplane caught him up and a beautiful propeller was smashed to bits. Moritz howled terribly and a measure which I had hitherto omitted was taken. I had always refused to have his ears cut. One of his
Page 164, "Everyone" changed to "Every one" (Every one of my officers)
Page 167, "Schafer" changed to "Schäfer" (After all, Schäfer was)
Page 168, chapter title, "Schafer" changed to "Schäfer" (Schäfer Lands Between the Lines)
Page 195, illustration caption, "SCHAFER" changed to "SCHÄFER" (LIEUT. SCHÄFER SPEAKING WITH)
Page 209, "latter" changed to "former" (The former shoots for)
Page 213, "Englihman" changed to "Englishman" (notice an Englishman).
Page 216, "Reconnoitring" changed to "Reconnoitering" (and Reconnoitering Machines)