Originally Posted by Raine
Best line of the whole campaign to date, Fullofit: "Watch who ya callin’ people! " That's how you know it's a good party.


Yup, good one Fullofit!


Feldwebel Lazlo Halász,

Jasta 1, Bertincourt, France
September 10th 1916

A 5 am departure meant no time for breakfast for a number of the members of Jasta 1, including Lazlo. His stomach grumbled loudly as he climbed into the cockpit of his Halberstadt. Gingerly he tested out his new gunsight before getting airborne. It was a picture book sunsrise, a deep dusky pink glow filling the sky off to the east. Lazlo found it touchingly beautiful and oddly juxtaposed to the business they were about to perform.

Climbing to around 2,500 meters, kette zwei headed south east toward Albert. Their target was a lone observation balloon that had been causing all sorts of trouble for the German front lines, directing massive bombardments into the trenches, dispatching many lives in a hail of debris, death and destruction. Lazlo tried not to think about his poor comrades below. Just get the balloon, get the balloon.

They crossed the lines and were greeted with a fury of incediary devices exploding all around them. They seemed to have been expected! Onward they went until finally their target came into view. Lazlo could see that kette eins had already arrived on the scene and were making their initial passes. Lazlo turned and made a steady descent toward the pale shape looming ahead. He settled into his gunsight view position and loosed several test rounds. Good! Nice and stable. Now he waited as he got closer and then began to fire short bursts into his target. Just then another Halberstadt swooped past and Lazlo detected a few faint whisps of smoe coming from the balloon. He continued firing with great satisfaction, feeling a huge updraft of flaming heat as he flew through the towering column of dark smoke in front of him. He glance back and caught a glimpse of vivid orange as the balloon began its fall to the ground below.

Was it his victory or the other Halberstadts? He suspected the latter, but no matter, the job was done. Now to get home. The ground fire was even more intense on the return journey but they all made it safely back.

"Excellent work!", shouted Wintgens to nobody in particular, as the men stomped across the field toward the debriefing room. They would be up again in just over two hours. No rest for the wicked, thought Lazlo to himself, smiling slightly.

To be continued.....

https://youtu.be/vuYDlm6zN_k

https://youtu.be/d6nBBuZWzj4

Last edited by HarryH; 09/12/19 12:54 AM.

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