Thankyou, I'm honored.
R.I.P. Andy ~S~

It was a hell of a day for my BBW and I. Recon mission with very short distance, 3 of us in B flight and 1 in A flight. I'm tasked with flight leader....red flags go up in my mind. So we take off, I circle the airfield twice and head away from the front to gain height. My men are tight behind me in a V, no clue where the lone man from A flight is.

We gain altitude steadily and I change direction towards the front. I'm guessing we were about 4500 feet high. All of a sudden I hear an enemy aircraft machine gun going off and then a German rear gunner fighting back. I look back and we are being attacked...ok..dive and run. My BBW's engine roars to life at full throttle and we head for home. The man on my right flank is in trouble...Big Time trouble. I see 4 French Nieups swarming arond him like the deerflies do an me when I garden on a muggy day with no wind. Flee or Run? I fled for my home airfield which is probably 4 miles away. constantly checking my tail.

One of my men is certain die, gangbanged by a flock of Nieups. Hans and are fleeing for home. There is the forest our airfield is at. I see the airfield now, but I'm not lined up properly to land, need to turn 90 after I fly over it. Hans is being attacked now. I hear then see that. I can't let another squad man die. I pull a hammarhead.

Two Niups are on him and I'm closing fast for a head on attack. His engine starts afire, the Nieup that caused that is the lower of the two and headed directly at me. I squirt off some short burts to hopefully get his nose/gun off me. It works and I apply left rudder for another burst. My BBW is now crabbing/dogtracking with an excellent head on shot. One Missippi, 2 Missippi, 3 Missippi, I count off in my head as I pepper him and send his engine smoking.

Where is the other Nieup? I can't see him, I now intend to land, but suddenly hear my observer/rear gunner blasting off short bursts. I hear the fabric on my BBW tear and see tracer fire going past me. I know where that other Nieup is now. My rear gunner squirts off two more short blasts as we fly over our airfield. He must have scored a few hits, I can now this is an N16 and it is reversing direction.

I pull a hard left aleron bank with as little rudder as possible. I'm on his 6 now and below. I think he may be able to climb away, so I squirt off some rounds at him, he turns to fight and dives. I go for a pilot kill as I catch him in the turn. It works...I land my BBW. I was the only plane that lived today.

We are low on planes now and can not fly.