À la Recherche du Temps Perdu - Part 71


11 April 1918
84 Squadron RFC
Bertangles, France

6.45 Back to Harbonnieres aerodrome. With Manzer, Johnson, Duke, Dingbat and Clear, B-Flight would pummel this most forward German aerodrome in the Amiens salient.

No Huns into target. They waited until the very last moment when we were most vulnerable. Perfect timing…

Bounced by Triplanes! Eight, maybe ten. I pulled the release to jettison my Cooper bombs and the cable snapped! With bombs still attached I was now dogfighting two of the Dreideckers with 100 pounds of extra weight. They shot me to pieces. A third dove in and hammered my right wing. C5333 pulled hard to starboard and only reluctantly answered the controls. Dodging, weaving, I put my nose down at full throttle.


The two Triplanes followed…



I ran under part of the ever-expanding dogfight which now included A Flight as well. The Triplanes broke off as I managed to pull away. I was low, under 1000 feet as I approached the lines south of Villers-Bretonneux. The torn canvas on the lower right plane required almost all my attention to keep C5333 level.


She wanted to snap over to the right in the worst way.

With the creaking noises coming from the lower plane, I thought about the advanced landing ground at Esquennoy, south of Amiens but opening the throttle seemed to steady the machine so I limped home to Bertangles.

Sons of B*tches! This was the second time a flight of those cursed Triplanes swept me out of Hunland with my tail between my legs. There would not be a third!

Evans greeted me with huge grin as I pulled up to B-Flight hangar. His expression changed to wonderment as he took hold of C5333’s wing and looked over the many bullet holes. On seeing me climb down unhurt Evans’ cheery demeanor returned and he pointed out the newly finished Bag, hanging in the far back corner.

Perfect timing. I made my report then vented my fury on the bag.

In the North, the situation near Arras is in doubt. The Huns took Armentieres yesterday and now threaten the vital rail junction at Hazebrouck. General Haig’s Special Order of the Day reached the squadron at lunch.



Is there another general in the British army who feeds the Mill of Ares more than Haig? Backs to the wall. Stand and die... Did he think that up all by himself? Well, this time he might be right. Gods help the PBI who must carry out these orders.


1.15 On standby after breakfast. Evans had C5333 ready to go by Noon. Forward observers reported unusual Hun air activity over the lines SE of Amiens. B Flight (Duke, Sorsoleil, Falkenburg, Dingbat and Clear) scrambled and grabbed for altitude heading southeast. At 13000 feet over the intercept point we saw two low dots which turned out the be Albatri. I led the flight down circling at which point the entire flight broke off and went haring off after the two Huns. This had to be a trap! I stayed high as the flight followed the Huns into a cloud formation over the No Man’s Land. Madness!

Seething with rage at this gross indiscipline, I circled waiting for my comrades to emerge from the cloud. When they did so 10 minutes later, I continued circling as 3 SEs climbed up to my altitude. I was in a fury and I stopped scanning above. Tracers whistling past my left wing snapped me to attention. A flight of Albatri dropped on me unawares.

Ridiculous to be caught out like this!

Some hot moments while I flew in a desperate series of breaks, completely defensive and dodging for my life. The two Huns who glommed onto me were most keen - too keen it turned out as I led them lower and under the remainder of B Flight who attacked in earnest. Freed from pursuit I sought the enemy.

An Albatros, his wings and tail painted silver in the strange lozenge pattern of the Hun.



“Menelaos the spear-famed, son of Atreus stabbed him.
as he fled away before him, in the back with a spear thrust
between the shoulders and driven through the chest beyond it.
He dropped forward on his face and his armor clattered about him.”

Sorsoleil was with me. As we exited No Man’s Land to the west, we flew over another Hun racing east for home. He might have made good his escape had he kept running, but he turned and came vaunting forward…


“and he fell, as a tower falls in the strong encounter.”



I flew past the Cathedral of Amiens offering thanks to whatever Gods protected me this day.

The Boche are coming up in huge stacked formations and flghting with much greater tenacity and discipline. They keep their flights intact for much longer throughout course of the fight, instead of chasing off in individual duels. There was always another Hun waiting for my break today. I should be dead, twice I should have been killed.



12 April 1918
84 Squadron RFC
Bertangles, France

5.50 Offensive patrol 4 miles SE of Villers-Bretonneux. Crossed the lines at 12000 feet and ran up on 5 DFWs returning home. The enemy split into a 2 and 3 ship flight as we closed. I led us after the trio, landing some hits before the Vickers jammed. Pulled off to clear the stoppage.


B Flight were fully engaged with the DFWs when a high flight of Albatri dropped in.

Charged back into the scrum and chased a Hun off Manzer’s tail. Got shot about. A second Albatros landed a solid burst into my left wing. C5333 still responded but her roll was slower. B Flight completely scattered. Found Duke and climbed West. No joy at the rally point over Chipilly. Returned to Bertangles. After an anxious wait the remainder of B Flight all returned, three with claims of a DFW sent down.

12.15 The noon patrol was an escort job of 5 Breguets from Escadrille 7 on their recce over the old Somme battlefield south of Beaumont Hamel.

High Albs were waiting at the RV point attacking the Breguets as we arrived.
Snarling furball ensued. Two near collisions with the Frenchmen. Blue Albatri everywhere! There had to be a second flight of the Huns. Shot about again but not badly.



Finally got a line on a blue Albatros with a skull painted on his fuselage. I managed a quick burst but his partner behind forced me to break off. The sky was full of Huns.

Worked my way out from under the fight. When I returned the combat had scattered into individual tail chases as both SEs and Huns raced for safety. Four of the five Breguets were shot down. With Southey, I escorted the last one to nearby Poulainville.

The enemy have adapted their tactics. We must respond in kind and come up in larger formations. A single flight of 6 has little chance at medium altitudes. The Huns have the advantage of height and numbers every time.