Lou - A fine day for Freddy there, firstly three confirmations for him, three for the squadron and then a productive afternoon outing, downing two Hun bombers in a very professional manner. I almost pitied the boche there, that shows how desperate things are getting for the Kaiser, sending a few unescorted bombers over the lines. The news from the south east is good, the Americans have certainly kicked in the door.

1st Lieutenant Andrew Murphy, DSC, CdG
22nd Aero
Toul airfield

25 confirmed kills

13th September 1918

Morning sortie

Captain Bridgeman explained to the pilots that the offensive was going swell. The main American forces, attacking from the south had breached the lines and pushed deep into the salient. The french, attacking from the north west had also broken through in places but it was the US units which had made the most progress.

Reading from the report he'd received, he mentioned a few names it stated. A Lieutenant Colonel George Patton, who led an attack using tanks only which threw the Germans into disarray. Believed to be the first attack of it's kind, he then personally led his infantry into the gaps. The USAS got a prominent mention for downing many enemy aircraft and attacking ground units.

The good news brought a smile to many faces in the squadron. Bridgeman then quietened the noise down and carried on.

The morning sortie was a jaunt over to the lines again to cover the ground forces from above.

The weather had closed in again and a steady drizzle blew unpleasantly into the faces of the pilots as they headed off. Andrew again was leading 'B' flight and looked back as the others formed up with him as he climbed up.

They headed off north and all was quiet for the first 15 minutes or so. At that moment, Andrew saw a loose formation over to the left, judging by the speed he was certain they were enemy two seaters.

He swung to the left and nosed up towards the other formation. As he neared he saw they were Rumplers, apparently heading towards the railyard north of Toul.

As 'B' flight neared however the Germans turned and ran for home. The formation broke up somewhat and Andrew latched onto the tail end Hun. He blasted the two seater who started evading, bullets ripped into Andrew's engine. He felt it lose power almost immediately. "#%&*$# it" he said to himself as he tried to stay on the Rumpler's tail.

He looked behind and saw a trail of oily steam coming out of the back of his aircraft. He lined up again and fingered the trigger, the twin vickers blasted the Hun, more rounds hit and tore the Rumpler's wing away. The enemy aircraft fell into a death spiral which only ended when it smashed into the ground.

Andrew now had to try and make it back. He throttled back and thankfully had good height and swept around south back towards Toul.

His engine was clearly on it's last legs and Andrew was concerned the engine was now overheating.

He shut it down, he had 6000 feet and continued gliding south. The rest of 'B' flight flew past, Andrew waved to show he was ok.

Finally he could see Toul airfield up ahead as he went down to 2000 feet. He was going to have to land on the first pass, there was no room for error with trees everywhere.

He was a little fast so swung using the rudder to use up speed.

Finally he came in and landed on the outskirts of the airfield and ground to a halt.

He was filthy thanks to the oily steam and went in to clean up as the rest of 'B' flight came in to land.


Afternoon sortie (awaiting one confirmation)

Andrew's engine was wrecked and would take all day to fix so for the afternoon sortie he used one of the reserve machines, one of the mechanics was now busy painting his paint scheme on it.

Bridgeman explained that the afternoon sortie would be 'B' flight patrolling over Toul itself, the Germans had begun to bomb the town itself knowing the amount of troops passing through it.

'A' flight had an escort mission taking some DH4's over to St Mihiel.

Andrew couldn't help but think about Isabella when Bridgeman mentioned the Germans bombing the town. He quickly drove that thought out of his mind, that wasn't going to do him or her any good whatsoever.

Thankfully the weather had improved and although large clouds remained, it had stopped raining and the wind had dropped.

The squadron took off, Andrew leading 'B' flight once more. They formed up and headed north east.

They'd reached Toul and were at 12000 feet, Andrew sensed danger, he looked up and saw several enemy aircraft zooming in out of the sun.

He avoided the attacks and swung around, climbing to gain an advantage. He saw a DVII now rolling towards him and dived away.

A turning match ensued, both pilots pulling the maximum turn from their machines, whilst the Fokker turned sharper the SPAD used it's throttle to stay ahead of the enemy.

They had eventually descended to about 2000 feet. Finally the Fokker tried to make a run for it. Andrew was waiting for this and went after the Hun. He blasted the DVII hard with a long burst. The German dived down but Andrew went with him. Another accurate burst and the Fokker smashed into the trees.

Andrew looked around and saw flak bursts over the two and climbed up towards them. He saw at least two Fokkers and a SPAD and went to help his lone comrade.

He fired into one of the DVII's who dived away and went after the other.

An accurate burst forced the Hun to roll away and Andrew stayed with him this time. The German tried every trick to shake Andrew off but he was too good for him. Andrew let loose with another long burst which tore the Fokker's wing to shreds.

The Hun could do little more than fly level and Andrew lined up and finished him off. The pilot fell forward and the enemy aircraft nosed down and careened along the field before smashing into the trees and exploding.

The other SPAD had now taken care of the other Fokker and as he couldn't see any more Huns, Andrew formed up with the SPAD and they headed home.

They landed as several more SPADs also came in. On landing and reporting, five DVII's had been downed and although two SPADs were lost, thankfully Doolin and Tyndall were ok.

Andrew spoke with Captain Bridgeman later on. Bridgeman was able to confirm all three claims for Andrew. Taking him to 28 confirmed kills.

"You're taking to leadership like the proverbial duck to a pond my friend." said Bridgeman.

"Thanks sir, the men did well out there today despite being the target on that second sortie." said Andrew.

"They did and they follow you without question, that's abundantly clear." said Bridgeman.

"I enjoy leading from the front sir." said Andrew.

"You certainly do ace. I've got the details of Dave Putnam's service. It's tomorrow afternoon at 4pm in Toul. I'll have Corporal Yates drive you there and back. I can't let you stay overnight, we need you back. You can miss the afternoon sortie though if you want." explained Bridgeman.

"I understand sir, as for tomorrow afternoon's mission I'll be there don't worry. Can I request one thing? Do you mind if I drive myself? I'm sure Yates can find something else to do." asked Andrew.

"Sure, that seems fair enough." said Bridgeman smiling.

"Thank you sir" said Andrew who saluted and left.

As he walked back to his quarters he wondered if he could arrange an impromptu meet with Isabella tomorrow.

Murphy should remember words of warning given to Troops. " Fly's spread disease keep urs closed "

Cecil P Fawnsworth, DFC.
Lt , Rfc, 54 Sqn
Avensnes- Le-Comte,
Flanders.

Sept 13, 1918.

6 Victory Confirmed
4 Unconfirmed


I Say, most unusual Rousted out of bed pre dawn for an intercept. The chaps garbed a biscuit some bully beef and a shot of rum as the irks ran up the kites. It was most unusual to speed down the field in the dark. Any second a wing would dig in or a prop would smack the ground.
B flight got off the ground and sped after the flight leader ( who we hoped knew where we were going ) Dawn broke across from Loos, our top cover lost somewhere en route . After much circling spotted 4 high flying a/c on the enemy side. Turning to give chase we spotted and engaged a flight of Fokkers, By jove and untidy mess. diving and twisting I saw one go down then had an e/a on me tried every trick to get away then spun and dove into another flight of Fokkers. ( different unit ? ) turn and turn stalled and spun, Finally I got away and ran for it. Of our 6 a/c we lost 3 destroyed + 2 damage. and 1 pilot Wnd for 1 e/a D-VII .

Albert, if only all aircraft would put up as much fight as that first one. It’d be difficult to survive a few days, let alone two weeks.
So, our hero, spurred on by the successes of his countrymen on the ground, went after the enemy two-seaters and was surprised by a sneaky rear gunner attack. He was lucky it was only his engine. Otherwise we’d have a second pilot losing his life right after meeting a girl. That would prove even more of a curse than the renowned Gong Fairy curse. Glad Andy is still with us.
Then the afternoon show in a slightly special spare SPAD. Attacked by the Fokkers, but easily outmanoeuvred them and brought down with accurate fire. Good thing he was there to help his wingman out of tough spot when being chased by two enemy scouts. He needs to keep his men alive, otherwise he’ll be always leading greenhorns. Congrats on the latest confirmed victories and now to find out how well those telegrams work during war.

Lou, ever since the Strutters have been mothballed this routine had gotten much worse. It’s SPADs or Bréguets. It is a holiday when I see a DH.4. Meanwhile Jasta 18 was supposed to oppose British bombers. A bit of historical inaccuracy going on here. At least there is a variety of Bréguets. There are tan Bréguets and light brown Bréguets and from time to time those nicely camouflaged Bréguets. Unfortunately there’s only one type of SPAD - the one that goes down.
Perhaps the review board mixed up their rubber stamps? But why would Freddy mind that. The more confirmed victories, the merrier. And to make it even mor merry our Major goes up and brings down two more of those Hun rotters. Hopefully the claims board is still holding that same stamp in their hands. Congrats on those two claims. Freddy caught those two-seaters smartly and not letting any of them make too much damage in his mount.

13 September, 1918 07:45 morning mission
Montingen, Verdun Sector
Jasta 18
Rittmeister Klaus Gustav Raben AO PLM HHO EK1 EK2
Fokker D.VII
114 confirmed kills

Only one of the two SPADs could be confirmed.
The morning show consisted of support of ground forces between Marbache and Malzeville. The Schwarm found a flight of Bréguets over NML near Marbache. Klaus was selected by one of the enemy planes and all he could do was to avoid this very nimble fighter’s attacks. Finally the rest of the Schwarm came to the rescue and he could go on the offensive while the French bird was busy avoiding other Fokkers’ attacks. Or so he thought. The rear gunner put up a tough fight perforating Raben’s wings in multiple places. In hindsight he should have disengaged now and nurse his wounded bird home, but Klaus in the heat of the battle didn’t think of his safety. He simply encouraged his mount: “- Keep it together old girl!” and the plane soldiered on. Klaus had to now apply a rather healthy dose of rudder to fly straight and this was affecting his aim. The bullets were flying in a rather unpredictable direction. Nevertheless he continued to attack the enemy plane despite the difficulties. Finally he faced the enemy machine head on and sent a burst into the engine setting it alight. As he turned around he could see the big plane trailing a large black plume of smoke. Klaus reversed his direction and sent one final volley to put the enemy out of his misery. The wing separated and the beast corkscrewed into the ground.

YouTube Link



Klaus, now in a precarious situation decided to cut his mission short and nurse the plane back to base, but not before seeing Flak and another Bréguet trailing a ribbon of smoke. He couldn’t resist such a tasty morsel and went after the wounded bird. He attacked from below, but again his aim was off. He came around and dove on the already critically damaged plane. He made his pass and as he turned his head around to locate the enemy plane, he spotted him going down and end up crashing into the nearby ruins. Klaus was definitely pushing his luck. He just hoped not to get bounced by the escorts. He’d have a tough time getting out of that. Thankfully there were no SPADs in sight on his return trip.

YouTube Link



13 September, 1918 14:10 afternoon mission
Montingen, Verdun Sector
Jasta 18
Rittmeister Klaus Gustav Raben AO PLM HHO EK1 EK2
Fokker D.VII
114 confirmed kills
Awaiting two claim confirmations

The HQ ordered a rerun of the ground forces support mission between Marbache and Malzeville.
On their way to the Front Klaus witnessed a large furball ahead at a higher level. A large group of Fokkers engaged an equally large group of SPADs. With the mass of swirling airplanes above Klaus had the front row seats to a spectacle that he wanted to be a part off. He knew that eventually the fight will come down to his level. He just needed to be patient. He continued to wait. It was getting closer. He then saw two planes dive and shoot past behind his Schwarm. Some of his wingmen went after. Klaus remained and continued to wait. Eventually one of the SPADs came sniffing, despite being pursued by two Fokkers from the other Jasta. Klaus was game and after circling each other for a while and sizing each other up, he latched onto the tail of his foe and began to fire. The wind continued to buffet his plane and his aim was not great. He did damage the SPAD finally and the enemy began to run. Klaus could only take long range shots as the French plane proved to be too quick for him. The enemy pilot extended enough to reverse and go head to head with Klaus. Raben’s guns proved to be more accurate and his adversary plummeted down with the pilot dead at the controls.

YouTube Link



Klaus scanned the skies and spotted another battle nearby. A SPAD getting away from two Fokkers by climbing in large circles. Raben could see the two Fokkers were struggling to keep up, but Klaus was higher and caught up with the Franzose easily. His guns began to punish the enemy and continued to do so until there was nothing left of the hostile machine. It disintegrated mid-air.

YouTube Link



The rest of his Schwarm was already forming up. All the enemy planes have been vanquished or driven away. Klaus was aware of his low ammunition stores, but decided to continue with the patrol. Thankfully they did not meet any more resistance for the rest of their mission. Klaus was glad the day was over. It was a busy one.

Carrick - Haha very true. Andrew's intentions today are honourable I can assure you, although they may not always be so. So, a tough outing for Cecil and Co there. Climbing up to meet at least two enemy formations, that has disaster written all over it. Thankfully he managed to get back ok. The first and third screenshots there are superb.

Fullofit - As you say, a busy day for Klaus. That Breguet simply did not want to go down and his gunner did everything to keep the attacks at bay but in the end it was Klaus, in a damaged DVII, who finally did him in. Then as a bonus, a damaged Breguet appears and Klaus is only too happy to finish it off. Then in the afternoon he stumbles on an ongoing melee. Using that patience again to not go chasing the prey, but to let them come to him. That first SPAD took some punishment as usual but went down eventually. His mistake was to turn back when he was pulling away. He won't make a mistake again. The second was simpler and so four downed and over to the claims board. As for Andrew, thankfully it was his engine and thankfully well over his own lines. He has simpler plans than telegrams for his attempted meet up with Isabella.

.

Fullofit - A busy day indeed! Ah, but brave, brave Sir Klaus. Minstrels will write songs about him. Kite shot up? Bah! Fight on! (Freddy had to do the same during his latest outing) And that last SPAD? Who knew they could hold that many bullets and keep flying. Weight alone should have brought it down. Outstanding videos by the way, as always.

Albert - Andrew and all the other Yanks should be feeling good about their performance so far down there at St. Mihiel. They are kicking some serious Hun backside. Engine trouble for your man, eh. Seems to be a lot of that going around. Still, he managed another trio of claims. But now for the solemn task of Putnam's funeral. Hopefully it can be lightened a bit by a meeting with Isabella. Also, that screenie of the two planes in the sun blaze is a particularly good one.

Carrick - Tough day for Cecil and his crew. And three Fokkers after one Camel? Not even remotely sporting.

.

14 September 1918
43 Squadron R.A.F.
Fienvillers, France

Only one of the two DFWs downed yesterday by Major Frederick Abbott had been confirmed, but he was in too good a mood to let the fickleness of the review board bother him. Three more Snipes had arrived which meant the squadron was nearly there. Another pair and they would have their full complement of the new mounts. On top of that it was the start of another beautiful day and Abbott was about to lead the lads again on another jaunt to the front and back. It was just past six, the Snipes were ready and warming up on the field, and Freddy had downed two fresh cups of tea to get himself charged up. He'd enjoy a proper breakfast upon his return, having found over the course of his many sorties that he flew better when he was a bit hungry.


Seven Snipes of 43 Squadron prepare to take off into a cloud-scattered sky, the sun not quite up yet here on the ground, its early morning light still a bit murky. But once the lads were above the clouds it would be blazing bright; every pilot knew that from experience.



The flight climbed to 13,500' as it flew due east towards the front lines. The September air, though fairly mild below, was biting cold at this altitude.



Over Bapaume Freddy spots a gaggle of yellow-nosed D.VIIs some two thousand feet below. Ten of them to the seven Snipes - this will be a fight. The Major gives the signal and he and his men guide their mounts down without hesitation.



Abbott gets on the six of the highest Fokker immediately and fires several short bursts as he follows it.



Suddenly, shockingly, the Hun kite explodes directly in front of Freddy, who has no time to avoid the falling debris. The young ace blasts through and emerges relatively unscathed, though he notices an odd vibration in his mount that was not there before.



No time to worry about that though, too many nasties still about. Abbott carves around and latches on to another D.VII.



As the bullets from Freddy's Vickers rip through this next Fokker it too promptly comes apart, though nothing as dramatic as the first, thankfully.



Abbott watches briefly as his second victim, now sans portside wings, tumbles away. A quick scan of the skies and the Major is pleased to see that his lads have control over five of the Fokkers, with a sixth spinning down OOC. Two others appear to be diving out of the fight so Freddy goes after the nearest of that pair.



This Boche must be a green one. He left the protection of his own crew and is running scared towards No Man's Land.



The Major catches him easily and laces the side of the Hun kite from nose to tail.



The poor bugger slams into a rowed field and bursts into flames, a column of smoke now marks his folly. He'll not run away again.



While the Major returns to what remains of the main fight he sees other multiple smoke columns rising into the early morning sky proclaiming 43's handiwork.



Abbott climbs up to lend a hand in a go-round between one of his lads and two Fokkers, when the odd vibration he noted earlier suddenly worsens and the Bentley begins puffing smoke. But the Major presses on.



The leading D.VII cuts directly in front of Abbott's guns and it is the last mistake this Hun will make.



However, as Abbott's forth victim falls away the puffs of smoke from the Bentley become a full trail. Still, Freddy continues to climb as he looks about for the Hun's wingman.



He's relieved to see the Boche in question falling some distance behind him and trailing smoke as well, having been despatched by one of Freddy's crew. But suddenly bullets tear through the cockpit and windscreen of Abbott's mount and he feels a burning streak along his left jaw! He drops the nose of his Snipe and begins to bank right just as another enemy plane goes zipping past on his portside.



The Fokker must have been above and dove on Abbott, but misjudged his speed as he was now pulling in front of the Snipe. Despite the deteriorating condition of his own kite, the Major takes the opportunity and fires into his attacker as he crosses ahead.



The Bentley at last conks and the prop begins to windmill to a halt, but Freddy continues to follow the Hun down firing on him repeatedly despite being barely able to see his target through the shattered, oil drenched, blood-spotted windscreen.



In the final seconds the Major finds an open field to settle down on to safely while his would-be attacker crashes just beyond the trees ahead.



"HAW! Take that you filthy, FILTHY rotter!" Abbott yelled triumphantly, as he pulled off his flying gloves and goggles, undid his harness, and climbed out from his broken bus. He stood on the ground, somewhat shaken but none the worse for wear, apart from the blood oozing along the bullet graze on his left jawline. It burned like the devil, but didn't feel terribly deep; however it would most certainly leave a scar. He removed his flying scarf, folded it into a dressing, and pressed it against the wound, allowing the upturned collar of his coat to hold it in place while he dug a cigarette and matches from his pocket and had a smoke. He began walking towards the aerodrome at Beugnatre, which lay just beyond the ridge a short distance ahead, hoping the rest of the lads would make it home safely. He calculated that they should, given that he'd seen at least three of the Fokkers fall under the guns of his mates, while he himself accounted for five more. That only left two of the initial ten, and six Snipes could most certainly take care of a pair of Fokkers, assuming the Hun hadn't scarpered from the fight.

.

Lou - What a performance by Freddy there, wonderous stuff. That's how to attack from on high, even against difficult odds. Five Huns downed and the last two with a seriously damaged crate. A nasty flesh wound is a painful and probably permanent keepsake of the occasion. Thankfully it was nothing more serious. I wonder what HQ will make of that escapade when they receive the reports! As for Andrew, it's going to be a strange day definitely, mixed emotions. Great pictures, especially number 2 and 3.

1st Lieutenant Andrew Murphy, DSC, CdG
22nd Aero
Toul airfield

28 confirmed kills

14th September 1918

Morning sortie

Captain Bridgeman took the morning briefing and explained that the offensive was still going well, especially in the southern flank which was predominantly American forces. The main problem now was keeping the armies supplied as they advanced.

The morning sortie was another patrol over the battle area to the south of the salient. The weather was fine, plenty of blue skies although some decent clouds were still going to cause problems.

Andrew, in charge of 'B' flight again was first in the air. He was still in the spare machine and due to damage and losses 'B' flight only had four aircraft, although 'A' flight had a more substantial eight.

They'd reached 12500 feet when they headed north. All was quiet until they could see the front. Andrew looked left and saw a large formation coming in....fast.

He signalled and rolled into the attack. 'Where the hell is 'A' flight' he thought as his four aircraft clashed with at least a dozen DVII's.

Andrew fired into one of them as it flew straight at him. He scored hits and the Fokker dived down underneath Andrew's SPAD. He climbed up and around to the left.

"Finally!" he said to himself as he saw 'A' flight now nearby and joining the fray.

At that moment he saw a DVII nosing up to attack another SPAD, but Andrew fired and the enemy aircraft dived away. Andrew dived after him and kept on his tail. The DVII left it very late to pull up and Andrew was at 230mph at one point.

He levelled out and came up behind the twisting Fokker. He blasted the Hun with both barrels. He saw the German's wing crumple but it flew on. Another burst tore the other wing but still the Fokker stayed in the air.

Andrew leathered the Hun with a long accurate burst which tore the wing to shreds and it fell away. Finally the enemy aircraft spun down into the ground. "Take THAT you god-damned SOB." extolled Andrew as he watched the aircraft finally fall.

He took stock but couldn't see any other aircraft, but saw plenty of burning wreckage.

He flew home and landed safely as several other SPADs did likewise.

It had been a tough outing, four SPADs had been downed and another six damaged. In fact Andrew and Captain Brooks had the only undamaged aircraft. Three DVII's had been downed. Dashiel Joyce and Upton Rawlinson were dead.

Andrew saw Captain Bridgeman and was going to remonstrate with him about 'A' flight taking too long to join in. However he left it when he realised all but one of the losses had been 'A' flight. Now wasn't the right time.

After a late breakfast, Andrew met with Captain Bridgeman. "This afternoon's sortie has been cancelled, we have only two flyable aircraft. We're expecting replacements tomorrow and at least four more will be flyable, the mechanics have promised." stated Bridgeman.

"You may as well head over to Toul whenever you're ready Andrew." continued Bridgeman.

"Too bad about Joyce and Rawlinson. It didn't help that we attacked in two groups......sir." said Andrew, he couldn't hold it in any longer.

Bridgeman looked at him "They took us both by surprise Lieutenant, there was little more we could have done."

"Except stay together sir. We only had four aircraft, so instead of meeting the attack with eight, ten or even twelve aircraft we met it with four. So when 'A' flight did turn up they flew straight into a losing fight." stated Andrew.

Bridgeman was about to let loose but instead he sighed and looked at the floor. "Yeah you're right, we should have been closer." he said.

"The Huns are flying in large groups now, at least twelve strong and there tend to be several groups nearby. We have to start doing the same thing." said Andrew.

"I'll include that in my report. Go and get yourself ready for your trip Lieutenant." said Bridgeman.

"Yes sir" said Andrew who saluted and left.


Afternoon (awaiting one confirmation)

By 1pm, Andrew was on his way to Toul. The roads were very busy which was to be expected. The service was at the US cemetery to the south of town, Raoul Lufberry and Victor Chapman were already buried there. He had plenty of time to spare before the service.

Andrew eventually arrived in the center of town about 2.10pm and found his way to the hospital grounds where he'd left Isabella a few days ago. He parked up and went towards the main building which had a low wall around it.

As he came through the gate what met his eyes shocked him. There were stretchers all over the place, outside in the courtyard, there were even a few beds. Doctors and nurses were running about all over the place and two of the beds, with clearly injured patients on were being wheeled towards the church across the courtyard.

As he neared the entrance to the building, a military Captain challenged him. "Yes Lieutenant, can I help you?." said the Captain.

"I'm here to see someone, a nurse, Isabella? Isabella......" Andrew had to try and remember her surname which she'd only mentioned once and briefly during their meeting.

"Isabella.....??" the Captain stated rather annoyed. "Isabella who?" he said.

"De Marco!!! It's De Marco, Isabella De Marco." exclaimed Andrew finally.

"I've never heard of her." he looked at Andrew's uniform and medal ribbons and must have taken pity. "The reception is just inside that door, if you can manage to get in." said the Captain.

Andrew weaved his way through and upto the reception. The first receptionist seemed clueless or obstinate or probably just stressed but either way was no help.

"No, no I.S.A.B.E.L.L.A. de Marco." he said, believing this to have been one of his worst ideas ever.

Finally the second receptionist must have overheard and came over. "Isabella De Marco? Oui? L'église." said the receptionist.

"l'église?" said Andrew.

"Oui, oui, l'église!" The receptionist pointed and Andrew now realised it was the church across the courtyard.

"Merci" said Andrew, who went back out and across towards the church.

As he stepped up to the main door, he looked inside and saw stretchers and beds all through the church.

He was looking for a gorgeous needle in a chaotic haystack and was becoming exasperated.

He turned and looked back across towards the hospital when a voice spoke behind him. "Andrew?".

Andrew whirled around and saw Isabella standing there, she was in her nurses uniform which was smeared with blood. She looked shellshocked and drawn.

"What are you doing here?" asked Isabella.

"Looking for you. I never realised this is how it was here." said Andrew.

"Well since the start of the attack we've been like this. The hospital is setup for 500 patients, we had more than 1500 yesterday and more today. So we've had to take over the church." said Isabella.

"Jeez, I'm sorry for just turning up like this now, but I'm here for the afternoon and thought I'd love to see you again." said Andrew.


"Nurse! Nurse De Marco!" came a stern voice from inside the church.

Isabella smiled, it was probably the first smile she'd cracked all day. "Thank you, but I can't stop now. I finish at 5 though. It was meant to be 3pm but I agreed to stay." she said.

"My service is at 4, I can come and meet you at 5?" said Andrew.

"That would be lovely." said Isabella, she looked exhausted.

"Ok, I'll come back over at 5." said Andrew.

"Can you do something in the meantime? Are you fit and healthy at the moment or on any medication?" asked Isabella.

Andrew looked rather flummoxed "yes I'm fine and no I'm not on anything." he said.

"We need all the blood we can get, would you mind donating some?" said Isabella.

Andrew smirked, finally understanding. "Yeah sure , lead the way."

An hour, and a strong coffee later, he bade Isabella farewell for now and headed over to the service for Putnam.

The service went as well as it could. Most of those present were the rest of 139th Aero, Putnam's squadron. He watched as they laid Putnam to rest covered in the stars and stripes. At the end the CO of the 139th thanked Andrew for coming.

It finished about 4.45pm and Andrew headed back to the Hospital number 45. Sure enough Isabella was waiting at the gate.

As Andrew came up to her, she leant in and gave him a kiss. "Thank you Andrew, I do appreciate you coming to see me, I'm sorry you had to see me like that, not very flattering." said Isabella.

"Don't be daft, I'm the one who's sorry for thinking I could just swan up here and whisk you off for tea. I should have guessed you'd be snowed under." said Andrew.

"Well, I'm glad you're here now, when do you have to head back?" asked Isabella.

"I have to be back tonight, but we can still get something to eat if you want? I understand if you'd rather just go home though." said Andrew.

"Are you kidding, I'd love to go out, I need to clean up first though." said Isabella.

"Of course." said Andrew.

Andrew was sat on the small couch in Isabella's apartment. Isabella had taken a shower and was now ready to go. She looked amazing, "You are beautiful!" said Andrew, rather lost for words.

Isabella blushed visibly, "Thank you, if I'm honest, I saw you when I first entered the restaurant the other night. I thought you were very handsome." she said.

The pair headed out and ended up back at Le Sanglier. They had a wonderful few hours, although neither could drink too much as Andrew had to drive back and Isabella was back in the hospital at 7am.

Andrew walked 'Bella' back to her apartment again.

"Thank you so much for today Andy, you brought a smile back to my face." said Isabella.

"You're welcome, I loved every minute......even the blood letting." said Andrew.

Bella laughed out loud, "Haha, you were very brave." She leant in and the two shared a passionate kiss.

"Stay safe Andy..... please!" said Isabella.

"You too Bella, write when you are able, I will too." said Andrew.

"I will." said Isabella. The pair shared another kiss and then parted.

Andrew went back to his car and drove carefully back in the dark.

Albert, a busy day indeed, but according to the claims board, Klaus may as well have simply gone for a walk in the park. The result would have been identical. Not so with Andrew. Every single Hun is scrupulously reviewed and eventually confirmed. Ah, what a life!
Speaking of, Andrew was lucky to get away with his from than morning’s melee. Had he stayed up, instead of following that Fokker down, he may have been one of those burning wrecks. Good on him. Sometimes it pays to get fixated on that one target.
Then the funeral and a date after. He paid for the date with his blood, but it was worth it.

Lou, Minstrels would have written songs about Klaus were they not shot down by that eagle-eyed rear gunner from that Bréguet. As to the SPADs, I’m beginning to think some are being provided with armour plating.
Nothing like that for the enemies Freddy meets. In fact, he makes minced meat out of them all. A veritable Vickers fodder. Five in one go will definitely be a tall order for the claims board to process and verify. Fingers crossed. That pic of Freddy’s Snipe diving on the Huns is one lovely shot.

14 September, 1918 06:45 morning mission
Montingen, Verdun Sector
Jasta 18
Rittmeister Klaus Gustav Raben AO PLM HHO EK1 EK2
Fokker D.VII
114 confirmed kills

13th proved to be unlucky for Klaus. All four claims from yesterday have been denied. It looks like the claims office is already relocating further away from the Front. Raben’s claims have been most likely lost in the chaos of the move. (I’m running out of excuses for these louts.)
The morning orders were to patrol friendly front lines near Nancy.
The Schwarm found a lone enemy bomber flying over NML. They would have some fun with this one, Klaus thought to himself. He began to stalk it when shots rang out from behind.
“- Scheiße!” It was a trap! The bloody bomber was bait and the rest came out from their hiding when the Schwarm exposed their tails. There were some close calls and much hair standing on its end, but Klaus was able to extricate himself out of this predicament and sit himself on the tail of one of the beasts. He nearly had him, but another Fokker swooped in and took Raben’s prize away by blowing the wing off the enemy. Klaus soon found another French bomber and went after it. He continued to spray bullets at it and finally set the engine on fire. The Bréguet went down soon after and the Schwarm was left on their own. As suddenly as the Bréguets showed up, they disappeared just as quickly.

YouTube Link



Klaus had some damage, but nothing critical and he wanted to finish the mission as quickly as possible. They were now turning north, when a small flight showed up above. He was sure it was a SPAD escort looking for blood and Klaus was game, but as he got closer he realized the silhouettes were too large for SPADs. It was more of those bloody Bréguets. There was nothing to do but fight. At least this time they wouldn’t surprise him like they did the first time. He was able to spoil their attack by turning into them and forcing the Bréguets to abort their dive. They were disorganized and the Fokkers took advantage of that. Klaus was now watching one of the bombers being attacked by a Fokker flying higher. All Raben had to do was to cut across their path and engage. The big plane was already badly damaged when Klaus made his attack. The plane must have been keeping together by a thread because after Raben’s final pass the enemy plane exploded mid-air, just like the SPAD the day before. Klaus watched the wreckage plummet to earth with all the flying surfaces following soon after. He gathered what remained of his Schwarm and returned to base.

YouTube Link



14 September, 1918 13:25 afternoon mission
Montingen, Verdun Sector
Jasta 18
Rittmeister Klaus Gustav Raben AO PLM HHO EK1 EK2
Fokker D.VII
114 confirmed kills
Awaiting two claim confirmations

It was back to Jasta’s favourite activity in the afternoon. Another ground forces support mission between Malzeville and south of Pont-à-Mousson.
It was another quiet outing. Apart from a large formation of Fokkers that they have met on their way, the skies were devoid of the enemy.

Albert – Wonderful episode in Toul! Isabella must be the only nurse in France not being watched over by a stern Matron with the machine-gun. Well done getting a couple of hours away from the war.

Lou – What an incredible day Freddie had. He certainly knows how to put those twin Vickers to good use. I can’t wait to see what the claims department will have to say.

Fullofit – I’ll say it again – your videos are terrific examples of patient, smart combat flying. I’m particularly impressed at the situational awareness you displayed in the last series. Despite starting under a group of French machines, you were able to track a manoeuvring target while checking your six just enough to say safe. Well done!

Carrick – Your experience in your last patrol is closer to mine: 1) Get swamped by Huns; 2) Run away. Good job keeping in one piece. The Camels are starting to show their age.

MFair – Good to see you dropping in. We miss you.


Journal of 2nd Lieutenant Robert Fergus Drummond, DFC
32 Squadron, Royal Air Force
La Bellevue, France

Part 10


"The Fokker's nose went down..."

The Crossley tender rattled out of yet another rut on the crowded Doullens-Arras road, and I awoke as my head bounced off the window glass for what seemed like the hundredth time. A column of wagons inched their way in front and sullen Tommies plodded along the verges or huddled in groups, their greatcoat collars turned up against the driving rain and their hands cupping cigarettes that they passed back and forward. The driver struggled with the windscreen wiper lever.

“This is it here,” I said, and the tender turned left at the familiar crossroad. Canvas hangars loomed up through the mist to our right and we turned into the field. An Ack Emma waved for us to keep the vehicle on the gravel standing in front of the hangars and off the muddy field. We pulled up in front of the squadron office and I dismounted. Major Russell was in, and he welcomed me back warmly. He offered me a cigarette and, procuring two tin cups from the mantelpiece, poured me two fingers of neat Irish whiskey from a silver flask.

“It’s good to have you back, Fergie,” he said. “The past fortnight has been a hard go. I’m afraid you see a few new faces about. “You may already know that we lost Donaldson about a week ago. We’ve just confirmed that he is a prisoner. Poor little Jerry Flynn wasn’t so lucky, I’m afraid.”

He saw the shock on my face and nodded his acknowledgement that Captain Flynn had been a friend. A fellow Canadian, “Little Jerry” and I had often commanded a corner of the mess on quieter evenings and talked of home. I learned he had been shot down six days ago. In flames
.
We still had a mixture of Viper-engined and Hisso-engined machines. And the Americans were doing well. My pal Bud Hale had been made captain and given A flight. He had just moved out of my hut to the flight commanders’ hut. Captain Callender, our Southern gentlemen from New Orleans, had C Flight. My flight, B, was commended by Captain Zink, who had just transferred in from Home Establishment where he had been an instructor at Turnberry. I asked about the other fellows who shared my Nissen – Bogart Rogers, our Californian, and Ken Wells, the Welshman. Both were well.

“Mr MacBean moved into your hut when Captain Hale moved out,” said the major. Ralph MacBean was a fellow Quebecker – we lived about fifty miles from one another. He would be a welcome addition to our cosy home.

The Medical Officer visited the next day from Wing and looked me over. Mainly he came for lunch. In any event, I was okayed for flying. Unfortunately, the rain continued without pause for two more days. Finally, on 12 September, I was back in old 6974. The early patrol took us north to Bethune. Captain Zink briefed us at the hangar. He spoke in that staccato, confident tone that British officers like to adopt. I had to remind myself that he lacked real experience flying single seaters in France.

We had mostly clear skies and outstanding visibility. There were aeroplanes everywhere. We began our patrol at 12,000 feet and passed over a formation of Harry Tates heading east. Then we saw a large group of Camels returning over Neuve-Chapelle. Several large groups of Huns made appearances far off to the east, but too far away to be worth chasing. Zink continued north to Polygon Wood and then turned south-east over the lines. This was supposed to be a nice comfortable line patrol, but here we were, heading deep into darkest Hunland. And it didn’t take us long to get in trouble. There weren’t many clouds about, but one had placed itself conveniently above us and just to the east. From behind it emerged what seemed like Mr Fokker’s last three months of production. We were outnumbered and the Huns had the height advantage. I twisted and turned about. It would have been nice to fire my machine guns again, but every time I thought of looking about for a target, another Fokker began pumping bullets into my machine. Then I smelled petrol and knew I was in trouble. I’m not too proud to say that I was in a panic. I put my nose down and dived full throttle for the nearest friendly clouds, some two miles off to the west. The wretched Huns stayed with me and continued firing until I passed the British balloon lines. Back at La Bellevue, the Ack Emmas counted twenty-five bullet holes.

Three hours later we were back on patrol, me flying a borrowed Hisso-engined SE. This time we were fitted out with twenty-pound Cooper bombs and sent to strafe the Hun aerodrome at Haubordin. We never got there. Another welcoming party of Fokkers tore into us and in the first pass one of them succeeded in cutting the control cable for my left ailerons. Unable to turn with the fight, I took the first opportunity to dive away and head home at treetop level.

In the afternoon we were back over to Haubordin. This time we did the job properly and got away without being bothered by Fokkers.

For some reason I will never understand, Wing ordered us back to Haubordin the next morning. We hit it heavily once again and returned home happy. On landing, however, we learned that A Flight had been heavily mauled. Bud Hale had stomach problems that morning so the flight was led by Lawson, one of our South Africans. They had lost Abbott, Hill (another South African), and my Welsh hut mate – Ken Wells. That pretty much shut down the shop for the rest of the day, as we didn’t have enough machines in flyable shape for the afternoon patrols.

The next day, 14 September 1918, we put up several understrength patrols. Zink led four of us back over to Haubordin again, this time on a high-altitude offensive patrol. Thankfully, we didn’t run into any huge parties of Huns until we turned toward home at the end of our patrol time. Zink spotted a scrap down below at 9000 feet. A large group of Australian Camels was tangled in a dogfight with an equally large group of Fokkers. Our SEs tilted the scale in our favour. Two of the Huns went down quickly. I damaged a third and followed it as it tried to make for home. I caught up with it northwest of Lens and gave it a long burst. The Fokker's nose went down and I watched it until it disappeared into a field in a cloud of dirt and flash of flame. I climbed back to the west and found my squadron mates still scrapping with several Huns. I got away a few bursts but did nothing else decisive.

My Fokker went unwitnessed and unconfirmed. Still, I dedicated this one to Jimmy Flynn.

Raine: The Fokker flying machine is much better then a Camel. We can out turn them, but thats all

Cecil P Fawnsworth, DFC.
Lt , Rfc, 54 Sqn
Avensnes- Le-Comte,
Flanders.

Sept 14, 1918.

6 Victory Confirmed
4 Unconfirmed
1 pending

On line Patrol Low altitude and spotted 3 Recon types also low just on our side amid Archie. I waved to Attack., our two new replacements went for a Burton one a flamer the other just did a header into the earth. The 3 of us left knocked down 2 e/a the other ? loss sight. One was mine his wing broke off. Sense, it was a fight among Archie fire dont know if we will get credit.

Fullofit - I 'almost' feel sorry for Klaus and those klaims, but then I look at the 114 kills and think.....nahhh then to today's happenings. Hats off to the Frenchies for that Breguet attack, masterful, except it didn't work as no-one was damaged or hurt and once the attack was done their sluggishness was clear and Klaus made them pay dearly. I echo Raine's sentiments regarding patience and Klaus showed it with that second claim. As for Andrew it was a tough morning. The first really bad one for the 22nd and it just shows you can't take anything for granted in this war.


Raine - A welcome back to Fergie and he's been brought up to speed on the changes with the squadron. Not least of which is his rather 'green' flight commander, hmmm best watch that one. Then onto the flying and it's a tough few days, he's experienced the large formations the enemy are flying in and survived. He's survived a couple of airfield attacks and finally managed to down a Hun. No confirmation but a very real victory for Fergie. As for Andrew, it was a chaotic afternoon, he was a fool to think it wouldn't be, but all's well that ends well. A pleasant evening ensued and Bella had a chance to relax.

Carrick - Well done to Cecil on downing his foe. Let's hope it's a confirmation. The squadron could do with a lift by the sounds of it.

.

Raine - It's great to see Fergie back in action, even if it was a bit of a rocky start for him. Tough news about Flynn. And what do the brass hats find so important about Haubordin, one must wonder.

Fullofit - Unlucky 13 indeed. First the denied claims and then falling into the trap set by the French pilotes. But the Klaus style of getting up close and personal with the enemy did the trick yet again. Better luck on this batch of claims.

Albert - A very rough sortie for Andrew and the boys, two men gone and all but two planes out of commission. Hard to stay upbeat with those kinds of losses. And then your man goes to Toul and finds Isabella is having a rough go of it as well. But at least the two were allowed some tender time together. I'm sure the pint of blood was worth it.

.

15 September 1918
43 Squadron R.A.F.
Fienvillers, France

Major Frederick Abbott had made it back to camp by lunchtime yesterday and, after receiving news that all his men had survived the go-round with the Fokkers over Bapaume, went and had a hearty meal, (having skipped breakfast, and given the excitement, he was famished). The medic at Beugnatre had cleaned and properly dressed the bullet graze on Abbott's left jaw, pronouncing it a simple flesh wound and one that should heal quickly and without too much scarring. A tender and crew had been sent for Freddy's Snipe, but he did not need to wait for them on a ride back to Fienvillers. As luck would have it the equipment officer for 59 Squadron, Captain Richard Pemberton, was at Beugnatre sizing up the situation there as his outfit had been ordered to move their Harry Tates from Vert Galant. And, as he would be returning to Vert Galand later that morning, he offered the Major a ride to Fienvillers. It was a pleasant trip, with the two men sharing stories of their exploits along the way. Pemberton was on a bit of a time crunch, and while he wanted to take Freddy up on his offer to stay for lunch, he could not. So instead Abbott sent the fine fellow on his way with a bottle of 8-year scotch and hopes that the two would meet again sometime in the future, provided they both managed to survive the madness.

By late afternoon Major Abbott's mount was back home and the AMs immediately tore into it. It was going to be a lengthy job, given that it needed another new engine as well as a full re-rigging and numerous patches. But it was not a write-off, and Freddy was grateful for that as he'd become quite attached to the kite in the short time he'd been flying it. The good news continued when he learned that the final two Snipes would be arriving and that the squadron should be deemed fully operational by the sixteenth. And, if all this weren't enough, word came in this morning that all five of the Major's claims for the Fokkers had been approved - he was gobsmacked. Gods be praised! This brought his tally since becoming the squadron's CO to 19, and his overall total to 93. There would be celebrating tonight!

.

Lou - Glad to see Freddy is back home safe and sound and the wound is minor. The crate needs a bit more TLC but is rescue-able. His taxi ride cost him a nice scotch but it allowed for a decent catch up with Pemberton. More news about more Snipes which will bring the squadron upto scratch. All good news and then topped, finally, by the excellent news of five confirmed kills once more. Amazing work and Freddy draws nearer to that 100 mark. I definitely think being CO helps with claims. Just don't tell Fullofit.

As for Andrew, it was a weird day, a day of extremes, highs and lows.

1st Lieutenant Andrew Murphy, DSC, CdG
22nd Aero
Toul airfield

28 confirmed kills (awaiting one confirmation)

15th September 1918

Morning sortie

Andy had been back before 10pm the previous evening and had gone straight to bed. He spoke with Captain Bridgeman prior to the morning briefing.

"How did it go yesterday Andy?" asked Bridgeman.

"As well as it could have I guess sir. It was very sad, he was well liked in his squadron, you could tell." said Andrew.

"Yeah he was a popular fella. Did you......meet anyone else while you had time there?" said Bridgeman, with more than a hint of irony.

"Yes sir, I had dinner with Bella, it was a pleasant few hours and we both needed it." said Andrew.

"Yeah I'm sure you both did, I bet she's busy right now. Well I'm glad you managed a good evening after the morning we had." said Bridgeman.

"By the way, I've included your recommendations in the report about yesterday's sortie. I'm still not sure we'd have won that one even with both flights together but your idea makes sense." continued the Captain.

"Thank you sir, and I didn't mean it to sound like I was having a go. It's just hard when you see good men fall, and a top squadron bettered, even on one sortie." said Andrew.

"I know ace, it hurts me too. We can't find Joyce's body, the aircraft was sprayed over several hundred yards. Rawlinson is being returned tonight and we'll have a funeral for him tomorrow." said Bridgeman.

"Ok sir, it's nearly time for the briefing isn't it?" said Andrew.

"It is indeed, keep your chin up pal. I need you, in fact the USAS needs you, all guns blazing." finished Bridgeman.

"Thanks sir, and don't worry, those #%&*$# Huns are going to pay if I have anything to do with it." finished Andrew.


At the briefing, Bridgeman explained that the squadron had six serviceable aircraft with six more expected this evening and two new aircraft arriving tonight.

He stated that Andrew would lead a flight over to the railyard north west of Toul to patrol above.

The weather was perfect, a glorious late summer's day. Andrew and his five comrades took off and climbed up before heading out towards the railyard.

The trip was quiet until they could see the railyard below. Andrew then saw flak bursts, a lot of flak bursts, over the railyard and saw more aircraft.

As he neared and continued climbing he saw they were Rumpler two seaters.

He signalled to attack and went after them as they began turning and running for the lines.

The Huns were high up, his altimeter showed 17000 feet as he came up underneath the lead aircraft. The Hun's wingman saw Andy and started wavering to try and shake Andrew off but a steely determination saw him nose up and blast the lead Rumpler with a long telling burst.

He popped back down before the wingman could get accurate shots away. He rose up again and fired a long accurate burst into the cockpit of the enemy aircraft.

The Rumpler nosed over and went straight down into the ground below, still just over allied lines.

As Andrew came around he saw two more Rumplers plummeting and decided to form back up and head home as the remaining Huns were now well over the lines.

All six SPADs made it back safely and only one had suffered minor damage.

Afternoon sortie (awaiting two confirmations)

Bridgeman again chose Andy to lead the six available SPADs out. This time across to St Mihiel itself to patrol above the town.

The weather was still immaculate, cloudless and warm as they took off and headed north west.

They'd reached St Mihiel easily enough and Andy saw the devastated town from above.

At that moment he saw an arrow shaped formation off to his left. He came around to investigate, taking the flight with him.

He now saw it was seven DVII's and signalled to attack. The Huns had a slight height advantage and raced down into the attack.

Andy kept a level head and blasted the lead Hun as he flew past. The Hun nosed down underneath and Andrew fired again into another Hun who twisted and dived away.

He climbed and came around, there was cool aggression in his moves and he jumped onto the tail of another Hun. He hit him with a good burst and the enemy aircraft dived away. This time Andy went with him and stayed behind by throttling right back.

The Fokker tried everything to get Andy off his tail but it did him no good. The SPAD came up behind the Fokker and hit him again. The Fokker lurched into a crazy spin and went into the ground.

He saw a couple of the Fokkers running for home but they were too high. He formed up with two nearby SPADs and as they climbed back up the other three were there as well. All six SPADs now went home.

Three DVII's had been claimed and without serious loss to the SPADs.

Ray Brooks came over to Andy as they walked in. "Andy, you were like a demon up there pal! That was amazing! I'm pretty sure you nailed that first Fokker, I didn't see him come out of that dive, the other one you hit was a lame duck afterwards and Vernam blew his ass away."

"Thanks Ray, I didn't see the first one go down so I won't be claiming it. Just the one I definitely nailed." said Andy.

Later on Bridgeman spoke to Andy.

"Great job out there today pal, by all accounts you were superb and your leadership spot on." said Bridgeman.

"Thank you sir, I was determined let's put it that way." said Andrew.

"Well, I've bad news and then hopefully some good news." said Bridgeman.

"Only that last Fokker had been confirmed, the two seater from today and the Fokker from yesterday have been denied." continued Bridgeman.

"However, I've also just received this from HQ. Following the reports I've sent them and their own recommendations, you are hereby promoted to Captain. Congratulations pal you thoroughly deserve it!" said Bridgeman.

"Thank you sir, that's a great honour." said Andrew.

"I see you leading a squadron soon ace, without doubt. For now though, let's go and celebrate!." finished Bridgeman.

Raine, thank you for the praise. I don’t think Klaus fully deserves it. There really was no other choice but to wait for the enemy planes to come down. Patient or not, it’s all he could do. As to the situational awareness. Having your butt shot from under you several times when not looking back will teach you quickly to check your six. You could say it’s in Raben’s blood.
Looks like a few changes for Robert on his return. New living arrangements, old friends gone, some new faces. Then on his very first mission he gets a rude welcome from his friends across the lines. Better his petrol tank punctured than his belly, I say.
Then Drummond gets to go another round with the Huns and Lady Luck is just not on his side. The squadron gets the sharp end of the stick in the fight with the Fokkers. So many new losses. Rough, rough day.
Finally, on the last day Fergie gets into a scrap with overwhelming odds for the good guys and he downs his first Boche after returning from the hospital. He has found his groove, despite the unconfirmed kill. Congrats nevertheless.

Albert, feeling sorry for Raben’s denied claims is a natural emotion. No need to deny it. With the claims board clearly ignoring his claims, what’s one to do? Definitely those Bréguets pulled one over Klaus. Hats off to them, but all for naught. They go down regardless.
As for Andrew, it is back to work after a pleasant evening. It is good the C.O. is listening to Murphy’s recommendations.
The morning show went as well as could be expected. One more claim added to Andrew’s score. He’s got that two-seater attack technique down pat. And as for the afternoon job, it looked like he actually had been possessed. Ripping through the Huns with numerical and height advantage. He’s definitely hitting his stride. Soon there’ll be a bounty on his head paid in worthless Deutchmarks. Well done! Finally, he gets rewarded with a promotion. Now it’s back to all pilots being captains again. Congrats!

Lou, 13th indeed! Getting no claims confirmed hurts. All this hard work for nothing. I tell ya! Freddy does not know this pain with all his claims getting rubber stamped. On top of that, his squadron is now up to full strength and his Snipe is going to be good as new. He then gives away a perfectly good 8-year old bottle of scotch. What a life!

15 September, 1918 06:45 morning mission
Montingen, Verdun Sector
Jasta 18
Rittmeister Klaus Gustav Raben AO PLM HHO EK1 EK2
Fokker D.VII
114 confirmed kills
Awaiting two claim confirmations

No news on yesterday’s claims. Is the claims board even there?
Surprise, surprise. Another ground forces support mission awaited Klaus this morning. A sector between Marbache and Nancy needed patrolling.
They truly never did get under way. They were only able to reach the first waypoint when they were met by a flight of SPADs. What were they doing this low? As the enemy planes were flying by, Klaus selected one and went after it. It only took a few bursts for the plane to go into a spin and never recover. The second one wasn’t that easy, despite theatrical spins after only a handful of bullets hit his plane. He was good and very convincing. He only came out of the spin near the ground. Raben was impressed. He went after him and caught up very easily. The Franzose wasn’t making any evasive maneuvers anymore when Klaus began to fire at it again, but the plane soaked up a massive amount of damage before one of the wings came off and the enemy careened into the ground. Klaus watched that crash with satisfaction. He then looked around to spot another SPAD coming down at him. He couldn’t believe the enemy pilot would do something stupid like that - level out of his dive right in front of his guns.
“- Danke!” Klaus opened fire, but the SPAD was already extending. After some distance it turned around, but didn’t attack Raben directly. It’s as if he was desperately attempting to get on the Fokker’s tail, by flying around it. Klaus wasn’t keen to find out and put down the inept pilot. No more of the enemy planes could be seen nearby. Klaus gathered his Schwarm and turned back for home. That was enough of excitement for one morning.

YouTube Link



15 September, 1918 11:00 noon mission
Montingen, Verdun Sector
Jasta 18
Rittmeister Klaus Gustav Raben AO PLM HHO EK1 EK2
Fokker D.VII
114 confirmed kills
Awaiting five claim confirmations

The call came in before 11:00. They were ordered to intercept enemy planes approaching Vigneulles les Hattonchatel factories.
They were attacked by higher flying enemy machines as they were approaching their patrol area. Klaus observed them and watched them one by one dive into attack. He could see one of the Fokkers in trouble with the enemy SPAD damaging it already. He went after the intruder and quickly had him on the defensive. With prolonged bursts he had the Amerikaner going down and eventually end up on fire before smashing into the ground. He could see the C.O. battling another SPAD and decided to help, but there was no need. That Indianer also went down. Klaus turned back to try and do more damage, but it appeared the rest of the Schwarm already had taken care of the remaining SPADs. Klaus was glad his Schwarm was finally good for something, but did they intercept the intended force, or just the escorts? With that thought at the back of his mind he ordered his flight to form up and return home.

YouTube Link



15 September, 1918 15:30 afternoon mission
Montingen, Verdun Sector
Jasta 18
Rittmeister Klaus Gustav Raben AO PLM HHO EK1 EK2
Fokker D.VII
114 confirmed kills
Awaiting six claim confirmations

It was back to supporting ground forces in the afternoon. This time the sector between south of Pont-à-Mousson and Marbache. As expected, the mission was a dud. Just a waste of precious fuel, time and effort.

Fullofit - I think you're right. The claims board has scarpered. The only person left there now is Gerd Grüber, a rotund man, famed for eating more than he sleeps and he sleeps a lot. Known as 'Über Grüber' around the office. He was left by the others with a promise someone would return for him, but that was two days ago. Someone has drawn something on the toilet wall which might explain something.

As for Klaus, another masterful display, those SPADs were mincemeat as soon as they engaged with him. Not one got anywhere near him. As for Andrew, it was a better day certainly. He was a man possessed when those Fokkers arrived.

Lou - Congrats on the Gong. Freddy is wasting not time despite lacking a full compliment of Snipes. Huns just falling out of the sky! Bravo. Glad he escaped his latest encounter with a mere scratch. Close call there. A Heidelberg-like dueling scar will give him a somewhat roguish appearance I think. Where's Nurse Lizzie when a man needs her?
Looks like Freddy's charms are already at work on the Claims board. 93! Good show, Old Top!

Fullofit - Ack! I forgot about poor Ziggy when Klaus hit 100. Triple Centurion it is! Now tread carefully.
Isn't it nice when we don't get worked up about stolen kills anymore. Of course going 0/4 does give one pause.
And what a nasty surprise those pesky Franzhose dropped on Schwarm Zwei. Very nice work despite the distraction of enemy fire and the highly reckless flying of Klaus' mates. Yeesh. That observer sure didn't go quietly
Quite the day on the 15th. Maybe the Claims board has a 5 claim minimum before making a determination. Best of luck with the 6 pending.

Carrick - Nice work blowing up the ground troops. Is that an actual assigned mission or were you freelancing? I ask because I've never gotten one in game.
Congrats on the kill. I shall burn joss sticks and hope the Claims office does the right thing.

Albert - I think that taller nurse might have a thing for airplanes...but enough about her and on to the lovely Isabella. I'm sure the fresh Cd'G ribbon next to the DSC on his tunic will only serve to fire her attraction.
Another red day but Putnam lost. Cruel turn of fate just when the two were becoming friends.
Ah, that I'm so lonely feeling (cue - Kim Jung Il from Team America World Police) when A flight is off doing their thing. Good timing on the return though.
Oliver has taken to flying above and behind A flight so as to keep an eye on them.
More losses. Not liking this trend.
As for Isabella, she does get Andrew's blood pumping in more ways than one. A romance. A lovely respite over dinner but now back to business.
Congrats on the promotion. Will the Yanks have an RFC style binge to celebrate?

MFair - Good to see you back on the boards. Any chance you'll have a man in the air for October?

Raine - Great to see Fergie at home with the squadron. Brutal news about Donaldson and Jerry Flynn.
Yikes! Welcome back to the war, Lt. Drummond. Nothing like a close shave on the first patrol back from hospital and now B flight loses half its pilots. Not good.
Some payback for Jimmy at least.