empty space, in which every second lost, every shot lost, may cause defeat—­and what a defeat! falling, burning, into the abyss beneath—­in which they fight sometimes so near together, with short, unsteady thrusts, that they see each other like knights in the lists, while the machines graze and clash together like shields, so that fragments of them fall down like the feathers of birds of prey fighting beak to beak—­these combats which require the simultaneous handling of the controlling elements and of the machine-gun, and in which speed is a weapon, why should they not change these young men, these children, into demi-gods?  Hercules, Achilles, Roland, the Cid—­where shall we find outside of mythology or the epics any prototypes for the wild and furious Guynemer?

On the day of his coming of age, December 24, 1915—­earlier than his ancestor under the Empire—­he received the Cross of the Legion of Honor, with this mention:  “Pilot of great value, model of devotion and courage.  Has fulfilled in the past six months two special missions requiring the finest spirit of sacrifice, and has waged thirteen aerial combats, two of which ended in the enemy airplanes falling in flames.”  This mention was already behindhand, having been based upon the report dated December 8.  To the two victories therein mentioned should be added those of the 5th and the 14th of December.  Decorated at the age of twenty-one, the enlisted mechanician of Pau continued to progress at breakneck speed.  The red ribbon, the yellow ribbon and green War Medal with four palms, are very becoming to a young man’s black coat.  Georges Guynemer never despised these baubles, nor in any way concealed the pleasure they afforded him.  He knew how high one has to climb to pick them.  And he was eager for more and more, not because of vanity, but for what they signified.

On the 3d and 5th of February, 1916, new combats took place, always in the region of Roy and Chaulnes.  On February 3 he met three enemies within forty minutes, on the same round:  “Attacked at 11.10 an L.V.G., which replied with its machine-gun.  Fired 47 shots at 100 meters; the enemy airplane dived swiftly down to its own lines, smoking.  Lost to view at 500 meters from the ground.  At 11.40 attacked an L.V.G. (with Parabellum) from behind, at 20 meters; it tacked and dived spirally, pursued neck to neck at 1300 meters.  It fell three kilometers from its lines.  I rose again and lost sight of it. (This airplane had wings of the usual yellow color, its body was blue like the N., and its outlines seemed similar to that of the monococques.) At 11.50 attacked an L.V.G., which immediately dived into the clouds and disappeared.  Landed at Amiens.”  He cleared the sky of every Boche:  one fallen and two put to flight is not a bad record.  He always attacked.  With his accurate eyes he tracked out the enemy in the mystery of space, and placing himself higher, tried to surprise him.  On the 5th, near Frise, he closed the road to another L.V.G.