Carrick, that nurse almost makes you want to crawl through the No Man's Land every day, almost.


10 June, 1916 04:30 morning mission
Senard, Verdun Sector
Escadrille N37
Capitaine Gaston A. Voscadeaux
39 confirmed kills
Awaiting 1 claim confirmation

Gaston had Adjutants Saize and Barnay for company on their patrol of enemy front lines near St. Mihiel. It was another dreary day with grey skies, dark clouds and heavy winds. A trio of Fokkers escorting one two-seater came into view near the patrol area and a difficult dogfight commenced. The strong winds were buffeting them around and throwing off their aim. Gaston manhandled his Pig, but it stalled in protest and his advantageous position was lost. He was lucky he didn't lose too much height and could resume the fight. The Eindeckers kept on swapping places with each other to force Voscadeaux into a bad position. It nearly work, but the rest of the 'B' flight came to the rescue. The Fokkers scattered and Gaston was finally able to latch on to one and follow him down to lower altitudes. He fired but the plane danced all over the place in front of him due to the winds and he couldn’t tell if he was inflicting any damage at all. He kept on taking potshots and the monoplane continued to evade. They were getting close to the ground when from behind more bullets ripped through the desperate Fokker, startling Gaston in the process. It was Adjutant Barnay joining the fight after dispatching his original target. The Eindekker's propeller windmilled helplessly as the machine was running out of height. With the ground getting closer, Voscadeaux and Barnay continued to fire on the Boche until it hit the ground and disappeared under the surface of mud; the craft, the pilot, everything. They landed at a nearby aerodrome of Souilly. Adjutant Sainze was missing. Barnay saw him collide with one of the Eindeckers and plummet toward earth. Gaston lost another wingman.



10 June, 1916 12:30 afternoon mission
Senard, Verdun Sector
Escadrille N37
Capitaine Gaston A. Voscadeaux
39 confirmed kills
Awaiting 2 claim confirmations

It's back to flying with crazy Vouillermoz. Patrol over Carignan aerodrome was the order of the day. They took off and headed towards the Front but it wasn't until Voscadeaux had crossed the lines that he realized Vouillermoz was lagging behind by a large margin. Was he having problems with his engine? Gaston had to circle in place until his wingman arrived and that was when he realized Vouillermoz was flying the slower N11. Gaston wished he had his old Violette under him, but it wasn't meant to be. They continued with their mission. Gaston kept pulling ahead and then making a circuit to give Vouillermoz a chance to catch up. The weather continued to be miserable and the sky full of sodden clouds. There was nothing to see over Carignan. After making their rounds for 21 minutes they turned back and landed at Senard. Gaston hoped for better weather tomorrow and a different wingman.


"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."