Folks:

That scramble bell wasn't for eggs. I have never seen so many black crosses at once and they all seemed to be directing the pointy end of their aircraft in my direction. I managed to survive the furball. I got the best of one 109 the pilot of which was having a very bad day. I pumped it full of .303s but I could not get that plane to go down. It was smoking enough to ruin the view and the weight of the lead in it alone should have been enough to send it into the Channel. Somehow that 109 refused to go down though it no longer seemed to be interested in fighting. I followed it toward France sniping at it for some distance before it finally dropped a wing and rolling over it fell into the water below.

I followed a few stragglers right across the Channel and had my wicked way with one before strafing the flight line for good measure. I ran out of juice before I made landfall in England but it was worth it.

Here are two screenies. The first shows a bad Hun about to become a good one. The second shows the mess we left at Wissant. OK Dux your screen shots prettier and more dramatic. On the other hand I have not been shot down.

JRT, I must beg to differ, you weren't abusing Wissant, that is the Calais
airfield at Merck. The ditch in the background is the Canal de Merck.

Folks,

PV1:

The canal , you say? Hmmmmm. I believe that, as usual, you are right Old Boy. Wissant...pissant, thank goodness they were at least Germans; it might have been Hawkenge. I'm a bit muddled geographically you see. Frankly my eyes aren't what they used to be. I was lucky to recognize the ground. During my last eye exam as I looked at that card on the wall I found I could not read a single word. It must have been Polish. I did my best but ZYFGJKLVTMZ just made no sense. If we weren't so pressed for pilots I'd be flying a catering corps lorry by now.

And there is no need to beg to differ my friend. People around here differ with me all the time, and trust me, no one has ever so politely asked for the privilege before.

Chaps,

JRT,

Email received! Much respect to you for the artwork - and all presented so well, easel too. We have duly passed this on to the Millie household as before. I gave my easel away a long time ago but should have kept it.

Flew a BoB scramble yesterday out from East Anglia. A long and laborious interception which got some good results. However, I heard those rapid firing MG17s once to often though and joined my two victories in the North Sea. One disadvantage of playing two flight sims regularly is the mix-up in dis-similar keyboard commands. Fumbling about with cockpit views loses valuable time, with all to often fatal results. Have you got TrackIR?

I've seen that enemy aircraft destroyed on the ground are not credited. What about those just about to land and those just taking off? Must try it...

Good Lord! I've just noticed! I am creeping up on you in the post stakes. This will never do!

It would be most unseemly of your wing-man to take up station ahead of you so bump up that total, old bean!

Folks,

Calais! No wonder I was able to cross the wet spot so quickly. Everyone knows that is the narrowest part of the Channel between England and France. Confidentially chaps; and do not breathe a word of this to anyone.... the Germans have figured that out too. I got that straight from C51's brother-in-law who was shot down over here last week. No, he was not one of ours.

Anyway I had a moment to speak with him as they were processing him for shipment to Canada and he told me the invasion of Europe is expected to begin at Calais! How did they find out? Not a word of this to anyone mates. I've notified Whitehall but as of now they have not responded to my urgent message. I suppose it is early days for anything like that on our part now anyway. The invasion may happen soon of course. If it does it will be the other way 'round. Wait.... you don't think he was warning me do you? I'd better get on the blower and call Whitehall again.

Dux:

Steady on there Dux. Friendly rivalry and all that. You must be posting regularly elsewhere me thinks. I noticed you were gaining on me last month. All I can say is good show Old fellow. I'll just creep along and you keep those delightful posts pouring in.

Folks,

As I recall, Galland, Molders, Tuck and other great aces were also crack shots with a shotgun or rifle. There is a post war photo in the Tuck book of Galland and Tuck out doing some friendly shooting together. None other than "Uncle" Ernst Udet drew a more than passable cartoon of Molders and Galland standing together in a field with their shotguns poised and satisfied smiles on their faces.

All about them on the ground were strewn (like so many grouse, dove, quail or partridges) little Spitfires and Hurricanes. Molders was ahead of Galland in victories at the time but Galland, like Dux, was gaining fast. Molders was shot down and killed. Galland went on adding hash marks onto his rudder until injuries put him in hospital at the end of the war. This may have saved his life. He survived the war and became a very successful business man.

An instructive gunnery lesson from "Fly For Your Life".

"The 109's wing tips touched the sight's glowing reticles. He put his thumb gently on the gun button and willed himself to relax, to let every muscle liquify..... Get comfortable, hold your breath, keep perfectly still__even a man"s own heartbeats could upset his aim at the vital instant when he exerted firing pressure!

He flicked a last glance at the turn-and-bank indicator. The needle was in the center, perfectly still, as though painted on the dial. He took a deep breath."

More than once I have read that the last thing he did before firing was consult that turn-and -bank indicator. Do you do that too?

Folks,

Our Canadian pal C51 sent me this link. I think you'll want to read how a great WW1 Canadian ace is finally getting the honors he so richly deserves. I have also posted this link on the RoF forum.

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1056468--the-flying-ace-you-ve-never-heard-of?bn=1

Folks,

Dux:

I failed to answer your questions..or was that question your answers? I can't remember so I'll stick with the former.

I believe the aircraft in the air and about to land may be credited but I'm not sure about those on the ground. Ground targets destroyed may be listed in the "Diary", I guess. I'll pay more attention next trip.

No, I do not have Track IR. That would be a delightful and desirable addition of course and if you are having trouble with the view keys (who doesn't)while keeping your Camel or Hurricane above the short grass it would help plenty. I use the padlock during most combat in Rowan sims but in sims like JWW2F, IL2 and perhaps RoF as well that can be disorienting until you get the hang of it. From what I've seen in screenies and videos your visibility is realistically constricted flying planes like the Spad in RoF.

Chaps,

JRT,

Thanks for that article sent by C51 on William Barker with his fine collection of gallantry awards. I was trying to identify them for several minutes before I noticed they were listed below.

Bob Tuck certainly was a fine shot. I remember from the book, although it is fifty years since I read it, that he spent some time on a steamer picking off sharks which pleased the Captain no end because his mate had been killed by one. Am I right on that?

Folks,

Dux:

While paying the RoF forum a friendly visit, and after posting a couple of things there, I was reminded by one of the fellow's tag of this quote:

"It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favor of vegetarianism, while the wolf remains of a different opinion."--- William Ralph Inge

That reminds me far to much for comfort of our present political situation in Washington.

Right? Indeed you are. And correct as usual sir. Tuck disappointed his family by taking a rather unconventional job opting to go to sea in the merchant navy. That was a bit like my old man did so I took particular note. My pop rose through the ranks to become a merchant marine captain but Tuck rose from the sea to become a flying legend in the RAF.

Having become a crack shot with shotgun or rifle as a youth on the family estate Tuck was more than confident of his shooting ability by the time he went to sea. Off the shark infested coast of Africa it became known to Tuck that his captain had an almost unnatural hatred of sharks. This was due to the man previously losing his closest friend to one of the brutes. Tuck eventually was allowed to take a rifle on deck to prove his ability and to everyone's great surprise and the captain's special pleasure he was able to make 9 out of ten shots count even from a moderately heaving deck.