They were armed
with machine-guns, firing forward, and invariably connected with the
direction of the machine's motion. The Spad is an extraordinary
instrument of attack, but its defense lies only in its capacity for
rapid displacement and the swiftness of its evolutions. Its rear is
badly exposed: its field of visibility is very limited at the sides, and
objects can be seen only above and below,--below, minus the dead angle
of the motor and the cock-pit. The pilot can easily lose sight of the
airplanes in his own group or that of the enemy, so that if he is alone,
he is in danger of being surprised. On the other hand, one condition of
his own victory is to surprise the enemy, especially if he attacks a
two-seated machine whose range of fire is much broader, or if he does
not hesitate to choose his victim from among a group. The Spad pilot
makes use of the sun, of fog, of clouds. He flies high in order to hold
the advantage of being able to pounce down upon his enemy while the
enemy approaches prudently, timidly, suspecting no danger.
The battle of the Somme was the most favorable for solitary airplanes,
or airplanes coupled like hunting-dogs.
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