Ripping stories Gents! More victories, medals, Yee-Haw

Lt. Mark Jericho
Bruay Aerodrome
March 16th, 1916

The move from Auchell to Bruay was the silliest thing Jericho had ever heard of. What the hell use was it to move camp 5 miles?! He did have a good laugh along the way. As he was not yet cleared to fly he rode Moon with Jim's new steed in tow, right behind Madame Fou Fou's House of Whatever! He burst out in laughter several times at the comedy of it all.

Today's target was Athies Junction, and there would be no escorts. Jericho and Christian were flying a new machine as their old one had been blown to bits by artillery in No Man's Land on their last mission. Jericho's mechanic had told him "She's fit as a fiddle Sur." Jericho had replied, "Let's hope so."
Trying to climb to altitude Jericho could not get the new bus to keep up with the other 2 machine's in his flight. Crossing the lines he was about 200 yards behind and 400 yards below his flight. No amount of fiddling with the mixture would help. He kept fiddling with the mixture. He had his mind on too many things. He was in his own world when Christian opened up and bullets slapped through the left wing. The staccato of the Lewis brought Jericho back to reality with a start! He was on instinct now and turned immediately catching a glimpse of 2 Fokkers bearing down on them. Christian was swinging the gun back and forth with short bursts. Jericho's mind was a blur and his brain and body worked purely on instinct. Left, right, tracers, back left again. During one circle he could see that it was three of the d#@ned things. He thought of his old observers words "You ever hunt quail? Bust the covey and pick off the singles." Well, he was the single and they were doing their level best to send him to the ground. It dawned on Jericho that he if he released his bombs he could maneuver better but he could not tell if they would fall on friend or foe at the moment. Christian stopped shooting and he he turned back to see him banging on the gun. Christian cleared the jam and continued hammering away at the Huns. 2 of them finally gave up and turned back as Jericho had guided them over the British lines but one was still there when Christian gave the signal that he was out of ammo! Jericho put the nose down and headed west. "Time to get out of Dodge" he thought. As they crossed the last lines of trenches he heard Christian trying to shout something to him. He held his head back as far as he could. "He's going down! He's going down!" Christian shouted. By the time Jericho eased the Morane out of the dive and turned around Christian was pointing to a spot just at the edge of the mud. Soon Jericho could see an Eindecker sitting intact in the dirt. He scanned for any other aircraft and did not see any so went down and circled the downed Hun. The German pilot gave him a salute and Christian saluted back. "I'll be d#@ned if I'll salute a son of a b#%tch that just tried to kill me!" thought Jericho. English troops were no descending on the Eindecker so Jericho headed home.

When they landed Christian was ecstatic! "We are going to put in a claim for this one, right!" Jericho replied, "D@#ned right we are!" Christian kept on,"I saw my last rounds strike his engine and it stopped! I couldn't believe it!" They went to debrief and to file their clam.

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Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear or a fool from either end.
BOC Member since....I can't remember!