Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Rate This Thread
Hop To
Page 164 of 227 1 2 162 163 164 165 166 226 227
#4391203 - 11/24/17 06:19 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 7,993
Robert_Wiggins Offline
BWOC Survivor!...So Far!!
Robert_Wiggins  Offline
BWOC Survivor!...So Far!!
Hotshot

Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 7,993
Lindsay, Ontario, Canada
Raine; seems Corderoy has joined Godfrey's unit! The claims thing should be getting better now!

P.S. thanks for the post of Filescamp airfield. Food for thought and possibly a new WOFF airfield update in future.


(System_Specs)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Trooper
PSU: Ultra X3,1000-Watt
MB: Asus Maximus VI Extreme
Mem: Corsair Vengeance (2x 8GB), PC3-12800, DDR3-1600MHz, Unbuffered
CPU: Intel i7-4770K, OC to 4.427Ghz
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 240M Liquid CPU Cooler
Vid Card: ASUS GTX 980Ti STRIX 6GB
OS and Games on separate: Samsung 840 Series 250GB SSD
Monitor: Primary ASUS PG27AQ 4k; Secondary Samsung SyncMaster BX2450L
Periphs: MS Sidewinder FFB2 Pro, TrackIR 4

#4391288 - 11/25/17 04:00 AM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
carrick58 Offline
Hotshot
carrick58  Offline
Hotshot

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
Jeffery Vickers



I had my rigger check my Lewis and its mount. Every things much slicker . I gave him a full bottle of some French wine and Cheese.

https://giphy.com/gifs/wwi-airplanes-3ohs7Vl2kr4q5iRHB6/fullscreen

#4391329 - 11/25/17 04:48 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
carrick58 Offline
Hotshot
carrick58  Offline
Hotshot

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
Jeffery Vickers
Sgt, Rfc
41 Sqn, B Flight
Lealvillers, Flanders.
France

1 Victory


Nov 25, 1917.

I got picked off by the Huns today. B Flight's 5 a/c were close escort for 3 DH-4;s over Monchy. A Jasta of Scouts dove on us and the melee became Bedlam. In no time the Buggers had 3 a/c on my tail so did the Blue Max thing but took hits. I landed in our lines but with a bullet in the leg so its off to the Hospital for 6 Days. I latter heard the final tally was Enemy 1 DH-4 and 1 SE + 3 damage ( including mine forced down ) for 0

Attached Files CFS3 2017-11-25 08-30-07-39.jpg
Last edited by carrick58; 11/25/17 04:50 PM.
#4391459 - 11/26/17 01:10 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 214
Dark_Canuck Offline
Member
Dark_Canuck  Offline
Member

Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 214
Canada
Ben Kincaid
November 1917

Good ol Ben's November has been rather tame compared to October. Shortly after the incident with Kiwi and his ensuing assignment as the Adjt/RO, the Sqn transfered to England, just west of Dover.

Here he calmed down a good bit and relearned to enjoy flying. Leading frequent trips around the countryside. It was peaceful and tame. Well, except for the time Flt Lt Andrews engine exploded into flames near London. Sadly he didnt make it.

After almost a month of regular patrols, chasing ladies and pints at the pub, Ben put in for a transfer back to France. It is time to get back into the war...


After my real life trip to a RAF station in Cornwall, Im thinking that the infrastructure hasnt been touched (or the bathrooms cleaned) since the Second World War. At least the pubs in town were amazing.

Last edited by Dark_Canuck; 11/26/17 01:13 PM.
#4391491 - 11/26/17 03:43 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
carrick58 Offline
Hotshot
carrick58  Offline
Hotshot

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
Awesome Report on the RAF station at Cornwall

#4391493 - 11/26/17 03:58 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
carrick58 Offline
Hotshot
carrick58  Offline
Hotshot

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
Jeffery Vickers
Bldg 4, west wing
2nd floor. Row 3
Bed 4.
62nd Casualty Clearing Station
and Hospital.
Bussy-le-Chateau, France.

Nov 26 1917. Just a note am doing fine or so the Doc said.


https://giphy.com/gifs/general-hospital-doctorsnurses-3o6fJ8yXCbNt8DOSDm/fullscreen


Thank goodness my Nurse is cheerful


https://giphy.com/gifs/ZAmYKLXwiRLr2/fullscreen

#4391513 - 11/26/17 05:53 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 3,696
Fullofit Offline
Senior Member
Fullofit  Offline
Senior Member

Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 3,696
Ajax, ON
Raine, I get this funny feeling Bishop and Geoff aren't starting on the best of terms. Hope they make up and work well together in the air.
Carrick, what's the prognosis? How many days left?

July 29, 1917 Harlebeke
Jasta 18

A few weeks have passed since Aldi Schwarzkopf’s leave to the seaside with Käte. The life at the new aerodrome had been idyllic so far. One mission in the morning and one in the afternoon of each day with not much activity seen this far behind the front lines. The C.O. is trying a new tactic regarding new airplane allocations. The experienced Jagdfliegers get to keep their tried and tested old Albatros D.III early’s, while the new, inexperienced arrivals are stuck with the brand spanking new Albatros D.Vs. According to Grieffenhagen this will level the playing field. Old hands are experienced enough to handle the relics, while the new blood gets the advantage of new machines to make up for their inexperience and give them a fighting chance.
The hunting grounds are rich in all kinds of prey, but with these old birds only the Pups seem to be fair game. Everything else flies faster, higher and better than the Albatros. Aldi doesn’t get much opportunity to make any impact in the air and his victories seem to consist of inferior or already damaged enemy planes that are not worth mentioning. He yearns for a better mount that will equal or surpass the qualities of the recent enemy offerings.

[Linked Image]

Käte on the other hand, has her hands full with von Richthofen. After nearly getting another hole in his head curtesy of a British gunner, he is now recovering in one of the hospital beds with Käte at his side. The Baron is making her read his fan mail from his admirers and she cannot stand it. All she can do is stop herself from rolling her eyes any time she’s near him. In her latest letter to Aldi, Käte called Richthofen a prat. This was right after Manfred made her read a letter from a nun from a convent in the Tyrol mountains, who kept his picture on the wall of her room. When Mother Superior found out, she ordered the picture be taken down, but the nun cleverly painted over the Ace of Aces’ uniform in the picture to make it look like a nun’s habit and thus managed to keep the picture on the wall. Käte can’t wait for the aristocrat to leave and let her get back to work.

[Linked Image]

The war continues.

Attached Files Aldi.jpgKate.JPG

"Take the cylinder out of my kidneys,
The connecting rod out of my brain, my brain,
From out of my arse take the camshaft,
And assemble the engine again."
#4391551 - 11/26/17 10:28 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
carrick58 Offline
Hotshot
carrick58  Offline
Hotshot

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
Fullofit: E Gad ! Man U R suppose to land on the ground not on an Airplane. 5 more days out of the War.

Last edited by carrick58; 11/26/17 10:29 PM.
#4391569 - 11/27/17 02:37 AM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: carrick58]  
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 3,696
Fullofit Offline
Senior Member
Fullofit  Offline
Senior Member

Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 3,696
Ajax, ON
Originally Posted by carrick58
Fullofit: E Gad ! Man U R suppose to land on the ground not on an Airplane. 5 more days out of the War.

Carrick, great advice, but in Aldi's defense he was helping the other guy land.


"Take the cylinder out of my kidneys,
The connecting rod out of my brain, my brain,
From out of my arse take the camshaft,
And assemble the engine again."
#4391624 - 11/27/17 04:59 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
carrick58 Offline
Hotshot
carrick58  Offline
Hotshot

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
Jeffery Vickers
Bldg 4, west wing
2nd floor. Row 3
Bed 4.
62nd Casualty Clearing Station
and Hospital.
Bussy-le-Chateau, France.


Nov 27, 1917.

Ah, the Wards day nurses have arrived. I say, splendid. Breakfast will be soon.


https://giphy.com/gifs/nurses-julie-cole-l2RnHZ5myXaQxTiN2/fullscreen

#4391808 - 11/28/17 10:17 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 214
Dark_Canuck Offline
Member
Dark_Canuck  Offline
Member

Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 214
Canada
28 Nov 1917
Flt SLT Benjamin Kincaid

My transfer has finally come through. After leading the majority of 3 RNAS on a navigation exercise I found the CO standing on the side of the field waiting with the news. It is a bittersweet moment. I spent the last year with this squadron sharing in their success and pain. Even so, I am glad to be gone.

I spent the better part of three days back to my new home. Well, old home really, as 1 RNAS is stationed at Bray Dunes, being the unit that replaced us. I am even back in the same tent I stayed in with 3 RNAS. I have run into several familiar fances, which only adds to my joy.

Being the new guy again has its frustrations. I have been assigned a Tripe, even though 95% of the Sqn is flying Camels. There are four replacement Camels sitting in a hanger, but I have to earn my way back into the cockpit of my one true love.

The Chaps seem a decent sort. Even though Im a replacement, my year spent at the front has earned me a small amount of respect. I do believe, however, that I am being babysat in the air. My wingman is the most experienced chap in the Sqn, having been flying since 1915. No matter as he is friendly enough, though tragically named Benny Byington.

I am excited to return to the fray. I have shaken the bloodlust that led to the unpleasantness with 3 RNAS, but being back in France is suprisingly comforting. The tedium of England is forgotten quickly here.

#4391819 - 11/29/17 12:39 AM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
carrick58 Offline
Hotshot
carrick58  Offline
Hotshot

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, Canuck. Now U will be in the Thick of It !.

#4391820 - 11/29/17 12:46 AM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
carrick58 Offline
Hotshot
carrick58  Offline
Hotshot

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
Jeffery Vickers
Bldg 4, west wing
2nd floor. Row 3
Bed 4.
62nd Casualty Clearing Station
and Hospital.
Bussy-le-Chateau, France.




Nov 28, 1917.

Wheeled in and out for fresh air Then in the late afternoon a new development.


https://giphy.com/gifs/night-nurse-nat-nightwolf-3o6fJ3qvEWw9Z1IA0w/fullscreen

#4391881 - 11/29/17 02:09 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 7,993
Robert_Wiggins Offline
BWOC Survivor!...So Far!!
Robert_Wiggins  Offline
BWOC Survivor!...So Far!!
Hotshot

Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 7,993
Lindsay, Ontario, Canada
Nicely written Dark_Canuck.
I just spent a couple of hours with Raine yesterday and he tells me you live not far from him. You two should get together for a chat. I can tell you from experience that Raine is a wealth of knowledge in things related to WW1 and the US Civil War.

Sorry to get off topic here. I look forward to more of your posts regarding Be Kincaid.

Cheers mate!


(System_Specs)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Trooper
PSU: Ultra X3,1000-Watt
MB: Asus Maximus VI Extreme
Mem: Corsair Vengeance (2x 8GB), PC3-12800, DDR3-1600MHz, Unbuffered
CPU: Intel i7-4770K, OC to 4.427Ghz
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 240M Liquid CPU Cooler
Vid Card: ASUS GTX 980Ti STRIX 6GB
OS and Games on separate: Samsung 840 Series 250GB SSD
Monitor: Primary ASUS PG27AQ 4k; Secondary Samsung SyncMaster BX2450L
Periphs: MS Sidewinder FFB2 Pro, TrackIR 4

#4391937 - 11/29/17 10:06 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 214
Dark_Canuck Offline
Member
Dark_Canuck  Offline
Member

Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 214
Canada
We do have a plan to meet up at sone point. Hopefully soon.

#4391947 - 11/29/17 11:32 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 214
Dark_Canuck Offline
Member
Dark_Canuck  Offline
Member

Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 214
Canada
Flt Sub Lt Benjamin Kincaid
1 RNAS
29 Nov 17

Well, it was not a quiet first sortie with 1 RNAS. Right into the fire as they say. The CO tagged me to lead B Flight, half because my reputation as a solid navigator and aggresive leader and half because it meant that it would keep the flight together and prevent my aging Tripe from falling behind the Camels.

We took off into the crisp air and headed in a dogs leg path towards the lines, passing over Neuiport along the way. As we reached the lines I spotted a pair of Hun two seaters lazily soaring over our trenches.

I waggled my wings and headed towards them, uneasy at the prospect of facing the rear guns. Two seaters have brought me nothing but pain so far. Fortunately for me, I spied their escorts: two DIIIs with Jasta 29 markings.

None of the Huns saw us coming. I pulled up to the rear of the lead DIII as easy as you please and let out a burst at short range. What would jave been a certain kill with my Camels twin Vicks just wounded the bird with my tripes lone plinker. Drat! The chase was on.

I persued my victim for about five minutes before I was finally able to land a killing blow, shooting off the upper left plane and leving the hun pilot a long time to think about his mistakes on the way down.

Vic Rowley, a big hulking lad who flew more gracefully than he walked, had made short work of the other DIII. We headed back towards our side of the lines.

We had only made it a short distance before I noticed I was flying alone. The rest of the flight had peeled off to deal with the pair of two seaters. I swung around to join them.

I saw the other Tripe, flown by my fearless wingman Benny Byington, close in for the kill on one as Vic finished off the other. I figured it was as good as done as I saw tracers from Benny land on the Hun craft. Suddenly both aircraft jerked unnaturally and burst into flames. Twin tails of smoke chased the stricken craft downwards.

I couldn't believe it. I'd only known Benny for a day, but he was the most experienced pilot in the squadron by far. He was loved by everybody. The mess would be a somber place tonight and I would be to blame for leading the patrol that killed the Sqn hero.

We formed up and headed towards home, each alone with our thoughts. We were all jerked out of our reverie as we realized we had flown right into the middle of a right proper scrap. SPAD VIIs were tangling with another portion of Jasta 29.

I tried to jump in and help, but after two near collisions I headed towards Bray Dunes, not willing to die for no reason. As I neared, I spied a lone DIII pulling onto the tail of a damage SPAD who was making an approach onto the airfield. Not very sporting, I thought.

The hun must have been new or too focused because he never saw me coming. I let out a burst and was once again frustrated by the lack of stopping power the one gun had. It took my six passes to chip away at the DIII enough for it to crash about two miles from the airfield. I managed to find a parking space on the crowded field that was now host to members of three different Sqns, as the SPADs had all taken damage and felt that this looked like a good a place as any to count their holes.

I was more than pleased to discover that, contrary to my initial belief, the Sqn did not, in fact hate me for Benny's death. Vic came over immediately and clapped me on the back. He had only words of comfort and steered me to the mess, with his awkward gait. We drank. Everybody drank. We sang songs in English. We sang songs in French. We toasted our fallen comerades. We toasted our living comerades. We drank some more. We all woke up with headaches.

Mine was slightly lessened when the CO informed me that one of my two kills had been confirmed. Vic was visably cured of his hangover when he was informed that all three of his claims were confirmed. A huge smile crossed his face. He looked at me and asked impishly: Drinks?

Last edited by Dark_Canuck; 11/29/17 11:33 PM.
#4392063 - 11/30/17 03:35 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
carrick58 Offline
Hotshot
carrick58  Offline
Hotshot

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
Jeffery Vickers
Bldg 4, west wing
2nd floor. Row 3
Bed 4.
62nd Casualty Clearing Station
and Hospital.
Bussy-le-Chateau, France.


Nov 30, 1917.

I am being released today. I will be given a 48 hr pass so thought that I would spend it in Rouen taking in the sights. I will miss the cheerful day nurse.



Attached Files s-l1000.jpg
Last edited by carrick58; 12/01/17 04:33 PM.
#4392077 - 11/30/17 04:11 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: carrick58]  
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 7,993
Robert_Wiggins Offline
BWOC Survivor!...So Far!!
Robert_Wiggins  Offline
BWOC Survivor!...So Far!!
Hotshot

Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 7,993
Lindsay, Ontario, Canada
Originally Posted by carrick58
Jeffery Vickers
Bldg 4, west wing
2nd floor. Row 3
Bed 4.
62nd Casualty Clearing Station
and Hospital.
Bussy-le-Chateau, France.


Dec 30, 1917.

I am being released today. I will be given a 48 hr pass so thought that I would spend it in Rouen taking in the sights. I will miss the cheerful day nurse.




a 48 hour pass spent keeping the day nurse company off hours wouldn't be a bad second choice either !


(System_Specs)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Trooper
PSU: Ultra X3,1000-Watt
MB: Asus Maximus VI Extreme
Mem: Corsair Vengeance (2x 8GB), PC3-12800, DDR3-1600MHz, Unbuffered
CPU: Intel i7-4770K, OC to 4.427Ghz
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 240M Liquid CPU Cooler
Vid Card: ASUS GTX 980Ti STRIX 6GB
OS and Games on separate: Samsung 840 Series 250GB SSD
Monitor: Primary ASUS PG27AQ 4k; Secondary Samsung SyncMaster BX2450L
Periphs: MS Sidewinder FFB2 Pro, TrackIR 4

#4392224 - 11/30/17 11:41 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
carrick58 Offline
Hotshot
carrick58  Offline
Hotshot

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659

#4392293 - 12/01/17 04:06 AM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 2,105
Raine Online content
Member
Raine  Online Content
Member

Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 2,105
New Brunswick, Canada
It's great to see the stories picking up. Fullofit, I hope you're right about Kate. I don't trust the Baron, you know. And Dark Canuck, welcome home to the land of cold beer. Hope we can connect soon. And congratulations on Kincaid's kill. I hope he gets his Camel soon.

I'm on the road, but thought I'd add an installment to Corderoy's story. This is the last one while he is scrubbed from flying. I'm looking forward to getting into the air again in a new aircraft...

Diary of 2/Lieut. Geoffrey Corderoy, RFC
Part 15: 28 July 1917


28 July 1917 – Filescamp Farm

Life at 60 Squadron has been generally pleasant the past few days. The squadron is in the midst of re-equipping with SE5s, wonderful-looking machines, but most of our work is still being done with our old Nieuports. Major Patrick turned a blind eye to my medical status and let me take up a Nieuport this morning. He flew another and we played follow-the-leader. No mean feat! The man is certainly every bit the man of legend. He took off and immediately zoomed into a roll, and then he dived on the hangars, avoiding disaster by mere inches. We flew west past Doullens, stunting in and out of clouds. Then he performed a snap roll, something I had never done and was afraid to attempt, especially in a delicate machine like the Nieuport. After we landed he demonstrated to me how it’s done and sent me off with instructions not to return until I’d done a dozen of them. He also advised me to leave an extra twenty yards’ gap when flying formation. Apparently he agreed with Major Babington that my formation work had been compromised by my bad knee.

Late this afternoon I decided to get out of the office and get some practice on the Lewis gun, which I hadn’t seen since my early training days. Sergeant-Major Smyrk, our technical sergeant-major, set me up with a corporal armourer who put me through the paces. My Nieuport (the oldest Type 23 we had) was rolled out to the butts and the ack emmas propped its tail up on a trestle. My ladder was placed alongside the fuselage and I climbed in. The Nieuport is a sweet coquette of a machine, light and beautifully fitted-out, although sparser on instrumentation than the Pup. A trigger attached to a Bowden cable fired the gun. I settled into the seat and thumbed the trigger button. The Lewis, fired a quick ten-round burst. Unencumbered by any synchronizing device, it has a greater rate of fire than the Pup’s Vickers.

The armourer stood on the ladder beside me and looked into the cockpit. “Keep your finger off the trigger, now, sir. I’ll talk you through the drills.” We began rehearsing I.A.s and stoppages. “Weapon fires, weapon fires, weapon stops. Cocking handle full forward,” he said. This meant an empty drum. I struggled to release the catch on the quadrant mount and slide the gun back. The butt nearly hit me square in the mouth. I dodged at the last second and took a painful crack on the cheek. “Oooh, be careful, sir,” the corporal said helpfully. I slammed a new drum into place, cocked the weapon, slid the gun back into place, and fired a five-round burst.

“Good, sir, but what would you do if you were certain the drum was not empty?”

“Misfire drill?” I said uncertainly. The corporal nodded and this time I pulled the gun down and drew the cocking handle back twice, ejecting rounds. I slammed it forward and fired.

“Weapon fires, weapon fires, weapon stops.” This time he said nothing else. I quickly pulled the gun down and reached to feel the cocking handle. “Cocking handle not quite fully forward, about where your palm hits it,” the armourer said. I hesitated momentarily. This was a Number 2 stoppage, likely a damaged round or a separated cartridge. I reached for a cocking handle extension, basically a section of pipe that you slip over the cocking handle and pull on like hell. “Good sir, that’s about all you can do.”

We continued onto other drills – hard extractions, misfeeds, etc. A familiar voice called up to the armourer. “Get down from there, Corporal Curtis, and give me a go at him.” It was Bishop, our star turn. The slight Canadian is one of those “hale fellow, well met” types who is forever pulling pranks and slapping one on the back. The ORs love the chap, and most of the pilots, too. And he is certainly the talk of the RFC with a VC pending and 36 kills to his name. He was still in his flying coat, a lovely brown leather creation with a broad lambswool collar and lining that must have cost two months’ pay. [1]

Bishop hadn’t really spoken much to me since I’d accidentally knocked him out the day I’d arrived. But now he was most helpful, telling me what stoppages to work on and which weren’t worth the effort in the air. We rehearsed for another ten minutes, despite my protesting that I really needed to get to the office and record his combat report. Then he pointed out something that I’d completely missed – the Lewis gun on the upper plane is angled about ten degrees above the horizontal, so my sights need to be adjusted to line up with the point of impact at a given distance. “Make it close,” he said. “Start with 75 yards, and consider bringing it into 50 if you can get away with it.” He called down instructions to the armourer to make this adjustment.

I dismounted awkwardly and stumped after him towards the office, thanking him for the help. “Tell you what,” he replied. “Let me go get washed up for lunch and file my report for me, would you? I’ll drop my and sign it after dinner.” I nodded, and he dictated quickly. “With Captain Caldwell and Lieutenant Gunner, about 10000 feet somehwere south of Lille. Spotted 3 EA over Phalempin and left the patrol to chase them. Got behind one and fired 20 rounds from each gun from 200 yards. The EA, an Albatros type, burst into flames and his pals took off. I chased one and fired about 50 rounds from the Vickers and 30 from the Lewis, but he kept diving away and I came home. Got it?” I nodded. [2]

“Any witnesses?” I asked.

“Like I said, it was a flamer. Call about if you’d like, but Colonel Pretyman knows my worth.” [3] And with that he wandered off. The armourer approached with my flying gloves, which I’d worn for the stoppage drills in the Nieuport but forgotten on the seat.

“’E’s a right sharp one, our Captain Bishop,” he said.

I nodded in agreement. “But I wish he’d fly alone less often. I’ll have to spend the whole bloody afternoon calling every battery on the front to get confirmation.”

The corporal tut-tutted like I was a particularly obtuse schoolboy. “Career goes, career goes, career stops,” he said to himself as he turned away to the ORs’ lines.

NOTES:

[1] The costly coat was a gift from Lady St. Helier, a London County Council alderman and grande dame of London society who’d met Bishop when he was in hospital before joining the RFC and who had taken to him as the grandson she’d never have (her son had been killed earlier in the war). Bishop even called her “granny.”

[2] The newly-arrived SE5s were struggling with unreliable engines and synchronising gear at this time, and 60 Squadron pilots were ordered not to cross the lines in them. It was a simple matter therefore for an Albatros to escape the faster SE5.

[3] LCol George F. Pretyman DSO commanded 13 Wing, to which 60 Squadron was subordinate.

Page 164 of 227 1 2 162 163 164 165 166 226 227

Moderated by  Polovski 

Quick Search
Recent Articles
Support SimHQ

If you shop on Amazon use this Amazon link to support SimHQ
.
Social


Recent Topics
Carnival Cruise Ship Fire....... Again
by F4UDash4. 03/26/24 05:58 PM
Baltimore Bridge Collapse
by F4UDash4. 03/26/24 05:51 PM
The Oldest WWII Veterans
by F4UDash4. 03/24/24 09:21 PM
They got fired after this.
by Wigean. 03/20/24 08:19 PM
Grown ups joke time
by NoFlyBoy. 03/18/24 10:34 PM
Anyone Heard from Nimits?
by F4UDash4. 03/18/24 10:01 PM
RIP Gemini/Apollo astronaut Tom Stafford
by semmern. 03/18/24 02:14 PM
10 years after 3/8/2014
by NoFlyBoy. 03/17/24 10:25 AM
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.6.0