Jones, Eugene Blanchard

The following letter, written by a fellow member of the Lafayette Escadrille, describes the very fight in which Lieutanant Eugene B. Jones gave his life. It gives one some idea of the tremendous hazard of an aviator's everyday experience, of what a miracle it is that they ever do come down alive, and of the almost superhuman courage and skill that must be theirs.

3rd Pursuit Group
A.P.O. No. 703
Friday, September 13, 1918
My ____
Today above all days has been a great day for me. At 4:40 I went up with 13 or 14 other pilots to shoot Germans while they retreated--we flew at a hundred feet, sometimes lower--shooting truck trains and wagon trains and dropping small bombs--we chased officers on horse-back and ran the people out of the streets in the towns. Suddenly the air was full of flaming bullets--15 Boche had attacked us --the air was literally swarming with machines. It was what we call a "dog fight"--All together there were 30 machines fighting.
I was busy looking above and behind me and suddenly two Huns passedi n front. They were black with red noses and white tails. Knowing that I was clear from behind and above, I went straight at the leader of the two firing with both guns. Off slghtly to my left came a pal of mine. He was number 8--I'm number 24--we were both after the same Hun. I could see our tracer bullets entering his cockpit. He wavered, seemed to pause--trembled and then fell off in a spin. I looked back and started after him. We were then only 250 feet up and just then Lieutenant Jones swept past and down in flames. I watched him crash and lost sight of the Hun. I immediately began looking and and climbing into the Sun--Machines were thick as flies--at 500 meters, I turned and came back into the "stew." Out from behind a small puff-ball of a cloud popped two more Huns. They always travel in pairs when in a dog-fight. I started firing at the first one again and in rushed my friend the figure 8. This Hun toppled right off and began spinning. We both followed him down and he made an awful crash, slightly smoking--again I climbed into the sun at 500 meters. I turned again and came into the scrap--again I saw a pair of Huns, and again I began firing at the first one. He wavered a second--slowly dropped his nose at me and fired a few misplaced shots, and down he came in a rather shaky spiral--I looked about and above and followed him down. One gun was jammed and the other was empty. The Hun made a fair landing and turned over in a shell hole that was full of Americans--Every shell hole there was full and there were thousands of them. I came home then with guns out of commission and with a hot motor and asked for confirmation on three Huns. My pal the "figure 8" asked for two. One of our balloons was up near there and saw the fight--so we ought to get confirmation real soon--If all three are confirmed I'll have shot three Huns in about 6 minutes. How's that? It may take a long time for confirmation to come through, but when it does you'll get a cable--sure.