Yes, very nice reports all.

Enjoy your sabbatical Raine. Take lots of pics!

Another set of excellent reports everybody. Raine, do you have a new squadron in mind or are you just going to pick one out of the hat?
News of the World for the month of January 1918 (Warbirds Rising):

January 1
The Swedish steamer SS Eriksholm was sunk by the German submarine UC-58 off the coast of Aberdeen whilst on a voyage from Methil to Goteborg with a cargo of coal.
January 2
The British Government formed the Air Ministry which had responsibility for managing the affairs of the Royal Air Force.
January 3
The Air Council took over management of Britain's air services from the Air Board with Lord Rothermere, the first Air Minister, as President.
January 4
The British hospital ship HMHS Rewa was torpedoed and sunk in the Bristol Channel as she was returning to Britain from Malta carrying wounded troops.
The Russian Bolshevik and Swedish Governments formally recognised the independence of Finland.
January 5
British Prime Minister David Lloyd George outlined British War Aims in a speech to Trade Union delegates.
January 6
Germany and France recognized the independence of Finland.
January 8
Speaking to a joint session of Congress, President Wilson of the United States proposed a fourteen point program for world peace. These points were later taken as the basis for peace negotiations at the end of the war.
January 9
The British Beagle class destroyer HMS Raccoon ran aground in bad weather and sank off the North coast of Ireland with the loss of all hands. The battleship was en route from Liverpool to Lough Swilly to take up anti-submarine and convoy duties in the Northern Approaches.
January 10
The British Government assured the Russian Bolshevik Government of their support in the creation of an independent Poland.
January 12
The British steamer HMS Whorlton was torpedoed and sunk by the UB-30 in the English Channel with the loss of all hands.
January 14
German destroyers bombarded Great Yarmouth on the Norfolk coast of England.
The former Prime Minister of France Joseph Caillaux was arrested on charges of high treason.
January 15
General strikes were held in Prague and Budapest as workers' peace movements gathered momentum.
January 18
The Russian Constituent Assembly convened in the Tauride Palace in Petrograd in order to write a constitution and form a government for post revolutionary Russia.
January 19
Following a 13 hour meeting the Russian Constituent Assembly was dissolved by the Bolshevik Government, an action that is generally reckoned as marking the onset of the Bolshevik dictatorship.
January 20
At the Battle of lmbros, a naval engagement outside the Dardanelles, the Turkish cruiser Midilli (formerly the German SMS Breslau) and British monitors HMS Raglan and HMS M28 were sunk.
January 21
Sir Edward Carson resigned from the War Cabinet.
January 22
The Russian Bolshevik Government protested about inaccuracies in the reports of proceedings at Brest-Litovsk negotiations.
January 23
Negotiations between the Russian Bolshevik Government and the Central Powers were suspended at Brest-Litovsk.
January 24
The German Chancellor Georg von Hertling and Austrian Foreign Minister Count Ottokar Czernin made public their replies to statements on war aims made by US President Woodrow Wilson and British Prime Minister David Lloyd George.
January 26
The Irish passenger steamer SS Cork was torpedoed by German submarine U-103 whilst travelling from Dublin to Liverpool.
January 27
Lieutenant General Sir Launcelot Edward Kiggell resigned as Chief of the General Staff to the British Expeditionary Force.
January 28
Increasingly frustrated with the continuing Great War 100,000 workers took to the streets of Berlin, demanding an end to the war on all fronts.
January 30
Negotiations were resumed between the Russian Bolshevik Government and the Central Powers at Brest-Litovsk.
January 31
Martial Law was declared in Berlin due to the escalation of the workers' strikes.

(From The Great War - Unseen Archives by Robert Hamilton)

News of the World for the month of September 1917 (Intrepid Fliers):

September 1
German forces attacked the northernmost end of the Russian front during the Riga offensive.
September 2
German troops attacked and crossed the Dvina bridgehead on the Eastern Front.
German Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz and other conservatives founded the Fatherland Party to oppose peace initiatives.
September 3
German bombers raided the Chatham naval station in Kent resulting in over 200 casualties.
September 4
German submarines shelled Scarborough on the Yorkshire coast of England.
September 5
German forces captured the strategic port of Riga as Russian troops retreated and evacuated the city.
September 6
Sun Yat-sen became the Generalissimo of the Military Government of Nationalist China.
September 7
The Harland and Wolff built ocean liner SS Minnehaha sank after being torpedoed by German submarine U-48 off the Fastnet Rock.
September 8
General Lavr Kornilov headed a revolt against the Russian Provisional Government and organised a march on Petrograd.
September 9
French Prime Minister Alexandre Felix Joseph Ribot resigned after losing the support of the Socialists.
September 10
Alexander Kerensky assumed the dictatorship of Russia and issued a proclamation declaring Lavr Kornilov a traitor.
September 11
The first party of British POWs were repatriated through Switzerland and reached England.
September 12
The Eleventh Battle of the Isonzo ended when the attack was halted. Italian troops had captured five mountain peaks before the offensive petered out and the Austro-Hungarians eventually held their positions.
Paul Painleve replaced Alexandre Ribot as Prime Minister of France.
September 14
General Lavr Kornilov was arrested at Mogilev, accused of plotting the overthrow of the Provisional Government.
September 15
The Provisional Government proclaimed a Russian Republic under Alexander Kerensky.
September 17
The British steamer SS Queen Amelia was first stopped by gunfire from the German submarine U-95 and finally sunk by a torpedo from UB-62.
September 20
The third general British attack of the Ypres Offensive, the Battle of the Menin Road Ridge, took place in the Ypres Salient in Flanders on the Western Front.
September 21
Count Bernstorff's (German Ambassador in London) correspondence with Berlin concerning German intrigues was published.
September 22
German forces stormed Jacobstadt on the banks of the Dvina river, forcing the retreat of Russian troops.
September 23
German flying ace and rival of the famous Red Baron Manfred von Richthofen, Werner Voss was shot down and killed by British fighter pilots near Frezenberg in Belgium.
September 25
British Prime Minister David Lloyd George committed to an extension of the British line in France at the Anglo-French Conference in Boulogne.
The Battle of the Menin Road Ridge ended in an Allied victory as British troops had successfully held their lines against German counter-attacks.
September 26
The Battle of Polygon Wood was a successful joint Australian and British attack when their forces advanced against the Germans and occupied all of the Polygon Wood.
September 28
The Battle of Ramadi was fought between the British and the Ottomans as part of the Mesopotamian Campaign.
September 29
The British operation at Ramadi concluded after the Ottoman garrison was quickly outflanked and captured.

(From The Great War - Unseen Archives by Robert Hamilton)

Fullofit,

Thanks for the news update. I applied for a transfer a few days ago, knowing I'd be away for a couple of weeks, but even though I've advanced the calendar the transfer hasn't come through yet. So I may need to put the delay into my story. The plan is to take over 70, flying Camels, which I've never done on DiD.

Ok, hope the transfer goes through. Enjoy the time off.

Thank you for the monthly news Fullofit. I always enjoy reading it to get a big picture of what is taking place.

Kefir de Lyon
Sgt, Esc 38
La Melette AF
Verdun, France.
1 Victory


Feb 3, 1918.

Dawn Patrol came early, Took off with 6 a/c came back with 6 all we did was chase a Recon Type.

Afternoon; While doing a line Patrol with 3 a/c in a Vee formation, we spotted a Melee below us and to the East of Spads and E/a Scouts. Diving under then up, I glued myself on to a e/a that was on the tail of a friendly. I pumped 44 rds of machine gun ammo at him. He broke off and went home. IRTB.

MFair, my pleasure.

8 October, 1917 Harlebeke
Jasta 18

Fog. Thick fog. Aldi could not believe they had orders to fly in this muck. You could barely see the propeller spinning in front of you, let alone be able to track the enemy. Was the enemy as crazy as them to be up here looking for trouble? Apparently yes. The reports have come in that the enemy planes were spotted flying in this area. Intercepting these intruders will be tricky. Aldi’s only consolation was that his unit’s brightly painted machines were visible even in this mist.



It helped with avoiding collisions, but as a side effect it made them easier to spot by the enemy. The situation improved slightly, the fog dissipated and was replaced by dark clouds. Then the rain came and with it a flock of SPADs. They swooped down from the cloud cover and mixed it up with the Albatrosen. The German machines had the advantage of being more maneuverable, but the French had the speed. Despite their best efforts the Albatros scouts could not attain superiority. The fight was a huge windmill of planes turning in large circles with neither side being able to fire. It’s almost as if they were all too lazy to fight. The maneuvering was just a formality. Something to write down in their battle reports. The melee eventually fizzled out with the French machines making a beeline for the trenches and the safety of their own airspace. Schwarzkopf’s flight gave a weak chase and turned back before the front lines.



The “fight” left a bad taste in Aldi’s mouth. It seemed the French were toying with them and the Jasta was powerless to do anything about it. The fog returned.
A surprise was waiting for them when landing at the base. A lone SE 5a was sitting on the field. It looked very out of place among the bright blue and red machines. 2Lt J. J. Fitzgerald of No 60 Sqn had gotten lost in the thick fog and had to land at Harlebeke when his engine failed. The mechanics and the pilots alike were surrounding the machine with serial number B507 trying to get a better look. Aldi was one of them. It partially made up for the dismal outcome of their patrol.

Funny looking Cowling on that SE, what's up with that?

Adding the SE was a nice touch. Reading the prose was like driving down a long stretch of road then a Twist.

Kefir de Lyon
Sgt, Esc 38
La Melette AF
Verdun, France.
1 Victory

Feb 4, 1918.

My 1st flight was short. Zee motor had no [power so put it back down.

The second flight was target Rich. Lt. Madon led us up to Rethel zee Bosch were everywhere. I saw at lest 2 flights high to the 3 NE 1 flight above us 2 flights West of us and 1 flight of 6 Scouts close and below us. Our 2 flights of 4 dove on the lower e/a a real Hit them Hard and run for it. 2 Section claimed 2 a/c destroyed. I Section claimed 1 destroyed. ( they also lost 1 Spad ). As wing man, I covered my leader No kills but did shoot up 200 rds of ammo.

Sgt Collin Sitwell
62 Sqn RFC
Serny

It took the better part of the 1st to get the squadron moved from St Omer to Serny airfield. I was lucky enough to fly, but those stuck taking a lorry were caught in a dreadful traffic jam in the center of Lumbres. We settled our gear hastily in the Nissan Huts and hurried to consecrate the mess.

I was getting to know my observer 2Lt Harry Hollcombe fairly well. He was a very young man, just 19. He was extremely keen and had so far treated me almost as a fellow officer. This was made easier by Maj Smith's order that all pilots and observers, regardless of rank would share the officers mess.

Harry, was a North Englishman. He spoke with a thick accent and seldom had anything other than a smile plastered on his boyish features. He was easy to like and I was glad to be paired with him.

The other pilots werent as quick to make friendly, but there did not seem to be any malice directed my way. It seemed everyone was excited to start.

The plan was for us to spend several weeks flying practice patrols before getting into the real action. The plan lasted until afternoon tea before the telephone rang and B Flight, to which I have been assigned, was sent up to invistigate reports of enemy aircraft flying over the trenches.

It was terribly exciting and, at the same time, terrifying. I gathered some comfort from Harry strapped in behind me with his two machine guns and pushed the throttle forward to chase after B Flight.

We headed North for a short ways before turing East and heading for Loos, climbing as fast as the Brisfit can. She seems a sturdy craft, able to do whatever it is that is asked of her.

Upon reaching the lines i spot specks in the distance. I signaled to the flight leader, Captain Morrow and we were off in persuit. In my excitement I pulled out of formation and started to outpace everyone else. As I closed, I saw the offending craft were Rumplers. I decided to approach from slightly below to ensure the rear gunner couldnt get me before I got him.

I rapidly closed and fired a long burst from short range. My rounds went everywhere. I saw several hit the hun, but it carried on unharmed. As this happened I came into range of the second Rumpler, who took the opportunity to rake my kite with bullets. How Harry and I werent hit is a mystery.

I spun away quickly, and turned West, only realizing now that we had crossed the front and were in Hun land. It was the my motor quit on me. My eyes went wide as I came to the awful realization that the hun had put a hole in our fuel line.

I set out in a glide for safety. We crossed the German trenches at a fine altitude and aimed for an army encampment just across a river. I misjudged the approach and cone frighteningly close to ending up inside several of the tents, but managed to avoid disaster.

From there is was a quick telephone call and a long wait for the lorry back to Serny. Harry and spent the time reliving the fight over and over. We decided that if we get another crack at two seaters, I will fire a burst and the turn left to give Harry a good shot with his guns.

We dont get a chance on either the second or third, as a storm front brings snow, rain, and misery to France.

We also learn that Morrow brought down the Rumpler I damaged, scoring the first victory for the squadron.

.

Dark_Canuck, sounds like Sgt. Sitwell needs to work on his tactics for attacking a formation of 2-seaters. He has a fine mount in the Brisfit and should be able to fly rings round all the Hun B/R buses and a fair number of the scouts as well. Best of luck to him.

Carrick, condolences to the Vickers family on their loss. Here’s hoping your latest French aviateur has a glowing career, and not because his kite is ablaze.

Fullofit, I’ll never understand HQ’s insistence on sending up planes in that pea soup, and it doesn’t matter which side of the mud your stationed on, they all do it. Beautiful screenshots. I assume Aldi and his crew treated their uninvited guest to dinner and drinks before sending him off to the higher-ups. Also, thanks for the monthly news, always nice to catch up on events.

Raine, Geoffrey has really found his stride, it’s no wonder Boom is taking notice of him now. His transfer to Camels is going to bring him a whole new style of combat in the air though, I hope he can adapt to it as he will soon have to fight his way out of every scrap he enters. The Camel is a deadly adversary in the right hands but you cannot run away from a tight spot with her. On a personal note, I hope you enjoy your upcoming trip. Do be sure and post many pictures here for us all to green over.

MFair, good to see you still hanging about. Congrats on Goddard achieving ace status.

Robert, Albert and his flight had some serious AA to deal with. The Hun gunners must have been using the height of the clouds above them to zero in on their targets as well as they did. Nice video and it shows clearly how nasty Archie was.

Wonderful reports as always Gents, thanks for sharing.

.

Here is the latest status report. Sorry, I missed last week guys, but it has been crazy busy here in sunny Guatemala.

Banjoman, thanks for the stats. don't worry about last week. We appreciate what you do when you can. What's happening in sunny Guatemala. Is everyone there jealous of our snow? (Please change Gaston Yount's unit from N57 to SPA57. Thanks!)
Lou, unfortunately I don't know if Fitzerald was treated to any festivities, although I would assume so - Berthold was a nice guy after all . My sources only indicate that he was taken prisoner. When are we gonna hear from your pilot?
Canuck, close call on that first contact. Heed Lou's advice and give it beans!
Carrick, congrats on that first victory. I see you're finally getting some nice flying weather. Time to bring along some French girls for a walk.


Ace, it seems each version had a different one.

.

The DID Centenary Challenge Commendations Officer is pleased to present the following awards.


To pilots of the Entente Alliance

50 Hours Medal presented to: Fullofit, (Lieutenant Edward Nygma)
50 Hours Medal presented to: Carrick58, (Lieutenant Jeffery Vickers, posthumously)
100 Hours Medal presented to: Raine, (Major Geoffrey Corderoy)
125 Hours Medal presented to: Robert_Wiggins, (Major Albert Earl Godfrey)


To pilots of the Central Powers

175 Hours Medal presented to: Fullofit, (Rittmeister Aldi Schwarzkopf)


Well done Gentleman, you make your respective countries proud! You may pick up your spiffing new gongs on the table below.

Thanks Lou, I'm weighing my plane down with all these decorations.

Kefir de Lyon
Sgt, Esc 38
La Melette AF
Verdun, France.
1 Victory

Feb 5, 1918.

The Esc escorted a 1 and 1/2 er over the enemy Troop encampments. 2 Section had 5 a/c at the beginning then 1 turned back , Motor ? , Over the troop area amid cannon fire the # 2 a/c turned into a fireball then broke up. ( enemy fire ? Oil Fire ? ) I started spootinf enemy Flights high and around us then our Top Cover 4 a/c got into a melee with 6 or so Scouts below a flight of 3 recon types. I peeled off to help. As I positioned myself for a good shot , I pull the trigger, but after 4 rds it stopped. I had to pull away and rejoin my section only to fly under 6 e/a scouts above me. 3 of them nosed over and dove to in front of me an d one behind. I nosed over and full power flying through a hail of led ( collected 16 holes in my a/c., but made past them and the lines RTB. Top cover claimed 1 e/a destroyed, 2 section 0 e/a. Esc losses 2 Spads.

Thanks for the flashy gong Lou. I'm afraid Albert's chest will be getting heavy.

CARRICK YOU ARE A ONE MAN EFFORT HOLDING THIS THREAD TOGETHER!!

Thank you , Mr. Wiggins. I just luv this game and cant wait for WOTR with another AAR report to fill out.