GERMAN AIR HERO BURIED TODAY
—
Highest Honors Shown Him. Chief of Air Fleet Sears to Be Second Boelcke.
—
(By United Press)
Berlin, Via Wireless to Sayville, Nov. 4.—Standing before the open grave of
Captain Boelcke, Germany's greatest air hero, Colonel-Lieutenant Thomsen, chief of the German air fleet, made a solemn vow to attempt to repeat the exploits of Boelcke, who was killed after downing forty enemy air men.
"I shall become a Boelcke." swore Thomsen, and immediately three rounds were fired over the open grave as the sun was setting.
The funeral of the noted flyer was "like that of a Prince," the Lokal Anzeiger declared. Boelcke's father, mother and three brothers, officers, one of them in the Argentine army as well as General von Lyneh, commander of the Fourth Army Corps, who represented the Kaiser, and the Duke of Arnault, were present.
An eyewitness report on the death of Boelcke was issued by the semi-official news agency today.
"Boelcke was precipitated at 5 o'clock on the afternoon of Oct. 31." it was stated. "He had a very successful combat. During this action another German machine touched him. Part of his plane was torn off. Boelcke descended immediately in a narrow spiral line but at a height of 20 yards his machine suddenly fell. His body had not been touched by projectiles. After having defeated forty adversaries an accident ended his life. He died unvanquished."
Dunkirk Evening Observer (Dunkirk, N.Y.), Saturday, November 4, 1916
Linear Mode
