Thank you Gentlemen for the praise. As wonderful as it is Gaston will try to avoid any foot trips in the future. Wulfe, that was a nice gesture sending the provision boxes to your mates. They will definitely appreciate them. I, like Lou, cannot wait to see which squad will dear Campbell end up with. And finally a conquest! He is becoming a ladies man. Scout, great video. That Quirk had no issues with being too stable to keep up with a Fokker. Hope one of those days the Devs can do something about it. Hasse, you missed out on the cliffhangers? That sucks! Sorry to hear that. Lou, that is a very tough pill to swallow when you lose a wingman, but to lose your excellent G/O, that's not a pill anymore. That's a suppository. Tough luck! And to get stuck with a moron just adds insult to injury. I feel for Swany, especially with the base relocation. Georgette will be heartbroken. On a positive note, congrats on taking that Hun out. MFair, it was an very sweet story with the elderly couple, but I have to admit I was wincing when Christian was jumping the fence. Doesn't he know these things are made of titanium. This stuff is lethal to a horse.
Voscadeaux was back at Senard after being kept the rest of the night and the entire morning for observation at the field dressing station. The doctor from last night released him after Voscadeaux insisted he was fine and didn’t want to waste any more of their time (nor his). On his return Gaston was welcomed by the relieved Dagonet. They had him listed as MIA as no one saw his plane come down. Gaston was glad to be back and eager to get back in the air. A little drowsy from little sleep, but he just couldn’t stay idle anymore. He had a score to settle with the Germans. The next Hun that crosses his path will pay for Hugo’s son. He was introduced to his new wingman, Adjutant Auguste Adelus. The men shook hands and discussed what Gaston expected of all his wingmen - cover his derrière. The man seemed intelligent enough to understand what Voscadeaux demanded of him. He kept a small notebook with him in which he noted various things. Gaston hoped Auguste could remember orders and didn’t rely too much on his notebook. They would soon find out as the afternoon escort mission was announced. The ‘A’ flight needed to be escorted for their reconnaissance flight to front sector north of Chalons. Despite Capitaine’s objections Gaston insisted to be included on the ‘B’ flight’s active roster. It was very cloudy. They had to punch through the cloud layer to see patches of blue skies, but not before Gaston's new wingman peeled off with engine trouble. Suddenly the ‘B’ flight was down to three machines. Ltn. Dagonet, who was leading them dove unexpectedly into the clouds and came up again, then again, but this time he had found himself on the tail of an Eindecker. He had no trouble following the Boche and fired at each opportunity he could get. Gaston tried to engage, but the dogfight was too close between the two adversaries and he wouldn’t want to risk a midair collision. Adjutant Boillot stayed out of it completely circling above. Then the unthinkable happened. The Fokker stalled in a climb and Dagonet smashed into him. This happened as the two machines flew out of Gaston's view and were obscured by his top wing. When they came into view, there were two trails of black smoke coming down to the ground. The ‘B’ flight was now down to two machines and Voscadeaux was the leader. They linked up with the single N12 of the ‘A’ flight and completed the rest of the recon. On the way back Caporal Soumaniat in the Nieuport 12 made an abrupt turn and signaled Gaston that something was wrong. Gaston's only wingman, Adj. Boillot was already circling back. Another Fokker was following them. Gaston begun to track it as Boillot made his pass. Few more turns and Voscadeaux was aiming at the intruder. As he was finishing him off and watching him fall with no control, he noticed another monoplane in an attack dive just above them. Gaston was able to avoid him with Boillot's help. All of a sudden the Hun found himself in a difficult situation with two French scouts gunning for him. Gaston gained some altitude and converted it into extra speed forcing the Boche on the defensive. He was now on his tail and firing. Voscadeaux was coming closer and closer with his Lewis gun causing greater damage with each second. Gaston was right on top of the German now and had to bank to avoid a collision. Adjutant Boillot was right behind and finished the job with a single well aimed burst. The Fokker crashed into the mud below and the two aviators made a quick trip home, where Cpl. Soumaniat was already rolling to a stop on the field. Each of the pilots filled out a claim form. Adj. Adelus was alright and talking with the mechanics, making notes in his notebook. Ltn. Dagonet called the aerodrome that he was also fine, somehow managing to land his stricken plane with only minor injuries. It was a lucky day.
"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."
