Description
This is a German periodical displaying the photograph of an observer seated in an airplane’s rear compartment. He is assisting two ground crewmen as they work with pigeons who are going to be launched from an airplane, perhaps? (I do not quite get it, since they used radio transmissions between the airplane and the ground when it came to artillery spotting). The opening article is about the tradition of aviators (observers AND pilots) in the war. It also has a photo of pilots from Jagdgruppe Nr 8, which was commanded by Hauptmann Eduard Ritter von Schleich. Schleich is the first of the pilots, with his PLM visible at his neck (his award came in December 1917). A bulldog is seated in front of him.
As we browse through the periodical, we see some interesting stories and even more-interesting photographs. One photo features the complete gun crew of a German 28.5CM Railway Gun. About two dozen men are sitting on the gun barrel. The crew that served the massive cannon numbered at least fifty!
A two page photograph shows the battleship U.S.S. Texas being towed down the Hudson River in New York. The 1917 skyline of New York is much smaller at this point, with no Empire State or Chrysler buildings (completed in 1931 and 1930, respectively). We can see that the tallest is the Woolworth Building, which was completed in 1913. It still stands today. Toward the publication’s end is a lot of advertising showing the variety of items available in 1918 Germany.
