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Carrick, those Aircos are tricky, in particular the higher you get them. Don't want to stall one out and end up in one of those deadly spins they are notorious for.

Fullofit, glad you enjoyed the comi .. er um .. graphic novel.
To the night flying, it's about a must to have a bright moon shining up there else wise it's very hard to see a darn thing. I don't turn up screen brightness, but that is one way to work around it.
As for the Albs, it was a surprise to see them. I know Swany was lucky in that his attacker was a green pilot. When and if he goes up against someone like Boelcke flying an Alb it will very likely be a much different and more dangerous fight.

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16 September 1916
Fienvillers, France


It was very somber for Captain Swanson and the rest of the men last night in the mess at 70 Squadron - lots of empty chairs. General Trenchard had sent over a message saying the lads work that day had been "dam'd good".

News came in this morning about the missing teams of A Flight: Captain Cruikshank and Lt Preston had been killed in a crash; 2nd Lt Beatty had died from injuries when his plane landed behind enemy lines, with his pilot Lt. Jones being captured. Swany was saddened by all this to be sure, but he was becoming more and more numb to the losses as they quickly piled up ever higher. The Somme push had become a meat grinder.

After returning from an early morning recce of the line situation near Flers, (in what few airworthy planes the mechanics were able to piece together), Swany was informed by Major Lawrence that Captain Baring, (Trenchard's personal secretary), was visiting and, at the General's suggestion, was to take one of the men with him on his rounds to the other squadrons. The Major suggested Swanson should be that man. Swany wasn't sure why, but he saw no reason why he shouldn't. Besides, seeing how the other units fared in yesterday's madness might do him some good he thought - put things in perspective, so to speak.

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