d. To put a stop to
any more such breaks of discipline, they made me go direct to Ch. It
pleased me that I could make four of my mechanics corporals before I
left. Three of them got the Iron Cross. In Ch. I had to quickly make
my final preparations, get my passes, etc., for my trip, and now I am
on the way, Dessau-Berlin. On the day I left I had breakfast with the
Kaiser, and he greeted me with:

"Well, well; we have you in leash now."

It is funny that everyone is pleased to see me cooped up for a while.
The sorriest part of all is that I am forced to take this leave just
at a time when the English offensive is developing unprecedented
aerial activity.

VIENNA, JULY 6, 1916

Several incidents happened just before I left Berlin. My train was
scheduled to leave the Zoo at 8:06. A half hour before my departure I
noticed that my "_Pour le merite_" was missing. I could not think of
leaving without it. I rode to get it; it had been left in my civilian
clothes, but my valet had already taken these. Of course, there was
no auto in sight, so I had to take a street car, though I was in a
hurry. My valet was, in the meantime, packing my things up. The result
was that I got to the station just as the train was pulling out. At
the same time the valet was at the station at Friedrichstrasse with
all the luggage. After riding around a while we met again at our
house. Fischer was trembling like a leaf, for he thought it was all
his fault. I immediately changed my plan, for the days till the start
of the next Balkan train had to be utilized; so I decided on a flight
to headquarters in Vienna and Budapest. I had the Aerial Division
announce my coming to Vienna, and left that night from the Anhalt
Station. As companion, I had a Bohemian Coal Baron, who had only given
30,000,000 marks for war loans; he was very pleasant. Except for a few
attacks by autograph collectors, the trip was eventless. In Tetschen,
at the border, I was relieved of the bother of customs officials
through the kindness of an Austrian officer. It was the lasting grief
of my companion that he had to submit to the customs in spite of all
the letters of recommendation he had.

JULY 7, 1916

In Vienna I was met by a brother aviator at the station. He took me to
the Commander-in-Chief of their Aviation Division, who very kindly
gave me a comrade as guide, and placed an auto at my disposal. The
same morning I rode