Lou, you gotta be kiddn' man! It's clear as day on all your accomplishments....you have the most points by a long-shot flying the plane without any aides in real-time. On top of that you make most of the medals for the folks here and still have time to write up excellent reports.

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Yes OldHat, I am most certainly kidding. Couldn't resist a bit of a wind up.

But point of order, MudWasp now has the lead in nearly all those DID categories and I am very glad that someone else has at last bumped me down a peg. I was getting nervous up there.

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Lou, let me assure you that I was and still am admiring your records and deeds all the time.
How you achieved this besides a stressful job and a family, I cannot say.
Hats off to a great flyer - great pilot and great mind!

Sorry if my syntax is not overly polished, English is not my native language

Today I made my first mission aboard my Albatross D.III, escorting a squadron of DFW.CV on bombing mission. Shortly after arriving at the rendez-vous area, we spotted an enemy squadron consisting of 4 BE2c RAF units. I managed to touch one, but an unexpected burst has pierced the fuel tank and forced me to land in enemy territory, after trying unsuccessfully to reach friendly lines. I have been captured, but I managed to escape after 2 days in captivity and reach my base in Phalempin.

Offizierstellvertreter
Andreas Lubistch


Photography once landed, you can see the bullet on the Albatross side...

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Alright Olham, now you're just making me blush.

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Olham, word of mouth has spread about how a dangerous foe you are becoming.... you're slowly building a reputation that no nationality can get in your way...

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True dat, OldHat.

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Is that a compliment, or should I shudder, OldHat?
(When I wrote the pilot notes so informally short, they rather made me shudder, to be honest.)

lecrop, no apologies on your English. You are doing far, far better than I could do with your native language, no matter what that language may be. Also, lucky for Andreas that he managed to escape. It could have been a very long and boring war for him otherwise.

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I was feeling nervous at 2nd..... this isn't a better twinge of paranoia

lecrop, glad you're safe and hope you snagged some firewwod from those trees, still chilly in the morning.

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Perhaps MFair could lend him one of his sweaters.

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I missed that reference Lou... the pichting a fat one...
...maybe you're thinking of MFair's two sweater typo... IDK....

....but yeah...I've fat fingers too that often take up more than one key on the board...wswss

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Yes Sir I was, and I had already corrected myself but you must have been posting as I was doing that. Gotta love the lag in online conversations.

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You all need to quit picking on me. I can't even tell missions from hours. Congratulations on closing in on 200 Hasse.

Lou, I tip my sweater........I mean hat to you too Sir! Just wait until Ivanhoe takes to the skies!

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Aaaaaah, so it will be Ivanhoe. Excellent choice MFair, or rather I should say, "God's gracious tiller of the soil".

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Tiller of the soil..... good name.

I've been unable to accumulate much flying time this week, but managed to get Elliot Devereaux his three hours in RE8s and put in a transfer request. On the next mission, while awaiting approval, he was set upon by no fewer than six DIIIs and shot down. He managed to land just behind the front line trenches but died of wounds. On to the F pilot...

They're dropping like flies since Cam went down.

Next effort will be Friedhold Leitner from Bad Reichenhall, Bavaria. He's going to start out on Gothas. That way he can fly two or three hours in a single mission. We'll see what happens next. I'll get him out of bombers before I pick up his story, I think. I'm spending far more research time than flying, and then I'm not getting a chance to use the work!

Cheers, all!

Izzy There
2Lt, Rfc
23 Sgn
Flanders


5 may 1917.


The Sqn put up 5 a/c + 2 for top cover. The flight got strung out after our second turn in the Patrol area. Spotted a fur-ball slightly low to the East so dove in. Wild flying started as a circle then went to E,LL. Chasing N-17 s or N 23,s were 3 Albatros Scouts. The Huns were good that day. 7 Spads + 4 N-23,s ? against 3. Pot shots all over the place. Observed 2 Huns go down 1`N-23 ? + 2 Spad drivers wnd. I couldnt get in position, couldn't hit it, or had one on my tail.

It can go like this, Raine - like tossing a coin: good luck, bad luck.
My A to D pilots all went such a short way.
Edzard is the first with some better luck.



Yes, good idea - good luck, Raine!