PRECEDED BY AN ACCOUNT OF THE SIEGE OF KIAO-CHOW IN 1915 By Kapitänleutnant GUNTHER PLÜSCHOW, OF THE GERMAN AIR SERVICE. TRANSLATED BY PAULINE DE CHARY JOHN LANE THE BODLEY HEAD LTD. LONDON —————— MCMXXII PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN BY MORRISON AND GIBB LTD., EDINBURGH...

“No.” “Well, then, hearty congratulations—Naval Flying Corps!” I was so overjoyed that I would like to have turned a somersault in the middle of the street, but I refrained from fear of upsetting my fellow-citizens. So I had got my wish after all! The last days of my leave passed in a flash, and I gaily returned to the Naval College in order to complete my course of a year and a half as Inspecting Officer; but I never packed my trunks with greater pleasure than when bound for my new destination.

But on that day none knew of the events to come and, united by bonds of sincere friendship, the German sailors invited their English guests to their cantonments. Two days later the English Squadron left our port followed by our Cruiser Squadron under Admiral Count von Spee. The flags fluttered gaily in the wind, conveying the signals of the two admirals in command: “Farewell—until we meet again!” Who could foresee that it would be at Coronel? Immediately after my arrival, and after I had reporte

It is impossible to pretend that we felt particularly happy: quite the contrary. Again and again we remembered that we were far away in Kiao-Chow, whilst at home those lucky devils, our brothers and comrades, were rejoicing to the full in the glorious days of mobilization. They were going to war against a world of enemies, they were to be allowed to defend our holy and beloved Fatherland, their wives and children, whilst we sat here, powerless to help! The thought alone was enough to drive us ma

This was the way I carried out my reconnoitring. As soon as I was flying right over the enemy I throttled my engine in such a fashion that it kept the altitude of its own accord. I then hung my map on the stick, took a pencil and a notebook, and observed what was happening below through the space between the planes and the tail. I let go the stick, and steered solely with my feet. I then circled round a position until I had thoroughly mastered its details, made a sketch of them, and entered them

MY WAR RUSE HOW sad and desolate it now looked in my little house! Immediately at the beginning of the siege, my good Patzig was obliged to leave me and to rejoin his 21-centimetre Battery-commander. He had only luxuriated for four weeks in the possession of our beautiful little home, and now he sat in his redoubt and fulfilled his duty until he had fired his last shell and the Japanese, with their heavy howitzers, had levelled to the ground the whole of his battery. As soon as the first shot wa

HURRAH! HOW did things look at Kiao-Chow in the meantime? The bombardment from the sea had become a daily occurrence, and soon the land batteries added their boom to the hellish discord. There was no longer any safety apart from the bomb-proof redoubts and localities. The firing became heavier and heavier, and on some days from the sea alone several hundred 30-centimetre, half-naval shells were shot into little Kiao-Chow. On the 14th of October our naval fortifications of Hu-Chuin-Huk were direc

One circumstance depressed me particularly—the absolute loneliness, the eternal solitude of my flights. If I had only had a comrade with whom I might have exchanged occasional signs, it would have helped me enormously. And another cause for despondency was the impossibility of any flights for several days on end, owing to the rain or to my faulty propeller. And when I started again I found so many changes in the enemy’s positions that I very nearly gave way to despair. What could I do in the fac

The silence which reigned struck me as uncanny after the incessant crash and turmoil of war of the last weeks. My little Taube rested calmly and peacefully in the bright sunshine, with her little tail up and her nose embedded in the mud. I could distinguish a crowd of Chinese in the distance—men, women and swarms of children—pressing forward in awed wonder. They, together with all the other Chinese over whose land I had flown, could not account for my presence, for I was the first aviator they h

The battles round Kiao-Chow, the losses of the Japanese and the English and the flying interested the Chinese most of all. Their questions never ran dry. I took hearty and grateful leave of my Mandarin, and the next day I did the same of my amiable hosts. When I landed with my aeroplane I had only a tooth-brush, a piece of soap and my flying-kit, i.e. my leather jacket, a scarf and leggings. I had also taken a civilian suit with me. I now donned the latter. The five-year-old daughter of our miss

After two or three days I sped to New York to try my luck there. I had to hang about in New York for fully three weeks, and during these I had many opportunities of studying its people and their customs. Three weeks, in which time after time I nearly burst with fury. It was the climax of all I had endured until then. Hardly a picture, hardly a newspaper, hardly an advertisement that did not incite hatred against Germany, that did not pour abuse on the brave German soldiers. “Tipperary” seemed to

After that examination we had to submit to being searched. “Have any of the prisoners got money?” Of course no one answered. We were ordered to undress, and every garment was closely searched for money, cameras and especially letters and papers. I came third, and was allowed to keep my shirt on. “Have you got any money?” “No.” The sergeant-major passed his hands all over my body. Suddenly something chinked in the left-hand pocket of my shirt. “What is this?” “I don’t know.” He now plunged his pa

At last I was no longer able to bear it. Something had to be done if I were to be saved from despair. Day and night I planned, brooded, deliberated how I could escape from this miserable imprisonment. I had to act with the greatest calm and caution if I hoped to succeed. For hours together I walked up and down in front of different parts of the entanglements, whilst I unostentatiously examined every wire and every stake. For hours together I lay in the grass in the vicinity of some of those spot

But, thank God, we were over the boundary! Trefftz and I clasped hands and looked at each other in silence. But now the chief difficulty began. Cautiously we went forward in the darkness, crossing a stream, climbing over a wall, jumping into a deep ditch, and at last slunk past the guard-house which stood at the entrance to the camp. Only after that were we in the open. We ran without stopping along the wide main road which led to Donington Castle. After half an hour we stopped and took off our

For days I loafed about London, my cap set jauntily at the back of my head, my jacket open, showing my blue sweater and its one ornament, the gilt stud, hands in pocket, whistling and spitting, as is the custom of sailors in ports all the world over. No one suspected me, and my whole plan hinged on this, for my only safeguard against discovery lay in the exclusion of even the slightest suspicion directed against myself. If anyone had paid even passing attention to me, if a policeman had asked me

THE WAY TO FREEDOM SHRILL blasts from the siren woke me from a sleep which in its dreamlessness resembled death. I prudently loosened the tapes of my boat-cover, and with difficulty suppressed a “Hurrah!” for the steamer was running into the harbour of Flushing. Nothing mattered any longer. I pulled out my knife, and at one blow ripped open the boat-cover from end to end; but this time on the deck side. With a deep breath, I stood in the middle of the boat-deck, and expected to be made a prisone

I could no longer go about like this. I therefore repaired to the fore-deck, fetched my boots (my best hockey boots, kindly gifts from the English), and, though a Dutch sailor blew me up gruffly, I calmly put on my beloved boots, and wandered off to the gangway. The steamer had made fast directly to the pier. The passengers left the ship, bidding farewell to the Captain and the ship’s officers. At first I had intended to make myself known to the Captain, in order to avoid any trouble to the Dutc

“Ha! now we have got the young scamp!” I would gladly have fallen on my dear “field-grey’s” neck, for never had I felt safer in my life than at that moment. I tried to explain who I was; but a smile which would have boded but little consolation to anyone else was all the answer I got. Two brave Landsturm veterans conducted me to Wesel under arrest next morning. No one was at the office yet to interview me. Small boys had followed me, throwing stones and shouting: “They have got him; they have go