I pretty much landed on my side. I fully expected to lose George. The last screen had my ruined SE in a mass of flame. Then came the film of an ambulance being loaded. I assumed it was with dead until the text came up -- out to 1 May. Now I hope Epower has had as much luck.

Epower, oh dear! Not another one! I hope there are some men gathering firewood nearby. WILL OLIVER LIVE?!!!

Fullofit - our posts crossed in cyberspace, narrowly missing unlike those hapless SPADs. Rudi ran into the varsity from the look of things. Excellent work finally dropping that last SPAD. I was worried for a moment that his two staffelkomaraden would interfere or worse, become ramfieger. All good. Now he can return to a drink and a warm pair of mended socks by the Kasino fireplace, I don't remember Oliver ever bombing Le Mesnil.

Epower, Oliver probably never had the pleasure of bombing that field, because it looks already bombed out. Probably new German camouflage test. Trust me, they’re all there, sitting around the fireplace sipping Schnapps. As to the mid-air, it seems to be happening much more than I remember. Perhaps it’s this new kamikaze indoctrinated AI, I don’t know.
How long are you planning on keeping us hanging over this cliff?

Epower - It's as though the Huns are trying to go out of their way to tease. Indeed, chasing people alone, especially bombers, is usually fatal, but what can one do with one angry pilot. Dean may just have to learn the hard way.
Indeed though, thouse machinegunners need to learn their target recognition. And as for the engines, well, I'm sure flying in terrible weather for days on end wears the engine down plenty. Besides, as the saying goes. If it can fail, it will fail.
What a song, I'm sure Dean would be humming that the next time he flies over a Hun field with a bunch of bombs.

Great screenshots, and a good few missions. Well, with the exception for the losses of course, which are most saddening indeed!
But what's this! Your man is an utter predicament and this is certainly not looking good... Blasted boches! Surely he can pull through... Just maybe...!

RAF - Well, at least the bombs didn't get accidentally released on the ground!
Indeed, Hayden is being cautious enough, but for ideal success one would imagine you want a good balance of self preservation and glory seeking to make it as an airman, eh? And yup, certainly lucky enough in that regard. Would've been a sad end, dying to a friendly bullet while trying to land with a broken engine.

45 minutes is better than no minutes! Here's to a speedy recovery for Abbott

Tross - True, true. Of course such logical reasoning would still leave vengeful Cunningham frustrated, but it is indeed a valid point. Several angry gunners aren't anything to joke about.

Jacob getting to have a test run of the newest toys, eh? Must be quite an exciting opportunity for him. Now to last long enough for those to get rolled out everywhere...!

Carrick - Unfortunate losses, though at least not for nothing!

Fullofit - I reckon that Dean would very much approve of such a course of action at this rate, for such missed opportunities. The Huns really have been quite passive though, but it seems like this may just be about to change...

Congrats to Rudi on the confirmed claims and a very much good job with the new ones too. What a nasty collision, but hey, best their men than yours having accidents like that!

Raine - Indeed, better on own sides than over Hunland. In all honesty, HQ needs to be reminded of a whole lot of things when it comes to the 64th... Like those 3 missions a day, hah.

Congratulations on the 49 kills, but holy. What a dreadful situation to find oneself in, with a literally missing wing! Thank goodness MacAlister managed to get out of that alive.



2/LT Dean Andrews Cunningham
№64 Squadron RAF
Izles-Les-Hameux, Flanders
April 26th, 1918.

Today marks another dreadful day for the 64th, and for me. Today, I must confess, I had taken a life in cold blood, and not just one but two. It wasn't out of a sense of duty. It wasn't out of a need to save a mate. It was done out of a desire for vengence and perverse satisfaction over making the Hun pay in blood.

Despite the terrible weather throughout the day our first mission was a morning patrol of the enemy lines. Both flights took off and headed over without issue, going back and forth above the Hun land, getting a respite from the constant rain in our faces as we climbed higher above and out of the clouds. During the patrol we managed to fly parallel to a Hun flight, though it seems like they opted to ignore us just as much our flight lead opted to ignore them. Despite my desire for a fight, I had no choice but to follow in formation and in another half an hour we turned to head back for home and landed without issue. It was only after we arrived home that I noticed we were short a man during our flight, as a Liuetenant had his engine malfunction shortly after takeoff and had to drop out of formation. Bringing back memory of my own misfortune with the engine, I could at least feel happy for him as he did not have his cut out above Hun lines.

The second sortie of the day however was when everything changed. Seeing the worsening weather with ever growing clouds and pouring rain we were prepared for flights to get scrubbed when suddenly we received a transmission from the lines. Enemy planes were spotted over the lines, and we were to mount an intercept immediately. Due to the emergency and urgency of this situation, it was only B flight consisting of 9 men that was prepared for a flight, and thus we headed out into the sky and climbed... Cutting through the rain, we flew higher and higher, eventually reaching our destination when we finally saw them. Off in the distance and coming towards us from Hunland was a flight of Albatrosses, a couple hundred feet above us. We turned for them and they turned for us, and soon enough the fight begun.

Wary of repeating the last time, I stuck off at a corner of the fight, waiting for one of the Huns to come down so that I could greet them instead of trying to climb towards them myself, and soon enough I seen one diving for another SE5. Picking him as my target I sharply turned and flew towards him, taking over as the SE5 took hits and fled while I closed in on the Alb. I took a moment to appreciate the paint. A pale white fuselage with a blood red nose, ominous black raven painted at the sides. Why is it that we can't indulge in such fancies and paint ourselves colours... Dismissing those petty thoughts, I was overtaken by determination and a desire to finally get payback after my trip for the hospital and dove on the Hun, firing once and then again. He desperately tried to get away, spinning and turning but I wasn't about to let him get away and cut my engine, turning with him and hanging on his tail as I shot burst after burst into him while we dove lower. Unfortunately for me, during this time I had the misfortunate of overshooting him ashe was uncontrollable while I fired, and he managed to get a lucky burst into me before we both fell into a cloud and I lost sight of him.

Cursing my fate, I climbed out of the cloud and suddenly saw another Albatrossed in the distance, wounded and alone, clearly heading for home. In that time I didn't even bother reflecting on my situation. I seen an opportunity, and thinking back to just how I was mercilessly hounded down into the ground flew after him. Even as we crossed into Hun lines, I knew I had both enough fuel and range to follow him in and put him down before I had to turn away, and carelessly ignoring the bursts of Archie below me I followed him, closing the distance right over the Hun field and firing into him. He broke, turning away and I twisted the yoke, pulling my SE5 into a turn with him, firing a burst straight into him and then climbing away as he circled lower and lower until he went out of sight in a patch of woods. Then I simply headed for home, using the low clouds to hide from a returning flight of Huns heading back for home, no doubt wanting to count their missing comrades...

The joke it seems was unfortunately on me. Returning home, I was told that I was the only one to come back from the fight so far. As minutes turned to hours, a car arrived from La Gorgue airfield, carrying one mildly terrified and brown-pantsed Lieutenant Quentin Shaw. As it turns out, while I was busy diving after my first Hun and then chasing another one over the lines, our flight was further jumped by another flight of Hun triplanes. B flight simply stood no chance against such odds, and by the time the smoke cleared the only one left was Shaw, who managed to take his wounded machine back to the nearest field of La Gorgue and crash there. Out of the 9 men in B flight that took off, he and I were the only ones left standing. Several wrecks have already been reported and recovered, as the fighting was contained mostly over our lines, though the search still continues.

Quentin, himself reduced to a wreck, requested immediate leave and was granted it. Who can truly blame him? On the topic of wrecks, deciding to try my luck I had submitted a claim for the first Alb who I lost in the clouds, and to my surprise it was confirmed over by our boys at the front. They say they were trying to keep themselves dry from all this mud and rain when all of a sudden a red nosed Hun came tumbling out of the sky and slammed into the trench. While they did not see me deal any killing blows, the location and the timing seemed to match up, so I was granted my first official kill. As for the second Alb I chased down, I did not bother as there was no way anyone would be able to confirm it right over their field. Besides, after what had transpired to our flight today, the knowledge alone that I sent him off to hell was enough for me... Tommorow will not be a good day.

Ye Gods, I hope I didn't jinx Oliver with my loose talk about Charon's fare! Half of the female population in both England and France will never recover!

Raine, how does one nurse a plane in that condition into a safe landing? I bet you couldn't do it twice.

Albert and NR, I see you both also have a talent for writing. I am enjoying both of your new pilots' stories.

Fullofit, Rudi keeps mowing Allied planes down. Of course, it helps when they ram into each other like that. Two for the price of one! I would think that now the Baron is gone, the Ministry of War Propaganda would want to send Rudi on a very long tour of the home areas. There are Sanke cards to be sold after all.

Mfair and Lou, buck up! The war effort needs every man at the front!

Carrick, I can't wait for your pilots' memoirs about all their time spent frolicking with the nurses behind the lines. Ooh la la!

Carrick - Another mass melee for Dubra, he did well to extricate himself from it. So many hun machines, but that's their tactics now, they're there en masse. If you're fighting one Jasta, chances are there's another one not far away. That orphanage is doing very well.

As for the nurses, very pretty indeed and a welcome distraction from the war.

MFair - Glad to see Kemp is on the mend, which won't take long with the aid of those nurses.

Raine - So MacAlister has been learning from one of the true masters, there's not too much even Mannock could tell him he doesn't know already and MacAlister was on a great run until those Triplanes shot him up. He showed all his skill to get out of that one safely, well reasonably safely anyway. Good job he was facing the friendly lines though.

Epower - Oh wow, a fine job on those two seaters but then all hell let's loose, quite literally. Three Dreideckers at the same time attacking is tough odds for anyone even a top ace. They even followed you down, they were after blood that's for sure. Thankfully he got down alive.... just. He did didn't he? Got down alive....just?

As for Jacob, the nurses were perfect company and he may have even got the name and address of one of them for future use.

Buckeye - Cheers, it's good fun, the hard part is knowing when to stop typing.

NR - Well done on that first confirmed kill but blimey what a bloodbath for the rest of the squadron. Cunningham took a chance following that retreating hun but it paid off even if he couldn't claim it.

Fullofit - Another hair raising mission, today seemed to be the day for them definitely. Two SPADs in one go, so Rudi is even doing his bit for the ammunition shortage. Personally I'd say you're fine to claim both. I remember in the book of Blue Max, Stachel downs a number of bombers when the one he hit crashed into the others. As for whether the game will allow it, that'll depend on whether you actually hit it or not, even a single bullet would be enough.

The DVII was great fun, the word on the strasse is late May early June at the earliest so we need to stay alive meine freund.

.

BuckeyeBob - Way to go, throwing the bad mojo on Oliver like that. You know the fates just lie in wait for someone to tempt them.

NotRelevant - What a disastrous outing for 64 Squadron. Dean was one of the lucky few to make it home, and to make the tally board as well. Also, all this killing is in cold blood, simple as that. Excellent screenshots.

Fullofit - Those Spads were maniacal in that last outing, and that capture of them colliding precisely in Rudi’s gunsights was great! An intense air battle to come out of alive. Well done!

Epower - Speaking of coming out alive, what of our Oliver?! Tell us he’s only wounded and not off getting fitted for a different pair of wings. Nails officially being bitten.

Raine - Holy Schnikee, how did Mac manage that trick?! He used up all his luck on that one. He’ll need a week in hospital just to get his wits back about himself.

MFair - So Kemp has one of those wonderful nurses attending to him, eh? Another budding romance between a young flieger and an angel of mercy, from the sounds of it. War isn’t always hell.

Carrick - Well at least Jules and his crew came out ahead on that exchange, unlike the bulk of the Entente pilots here. And the orphans benefited yet again.

Albert - Jacob has had a high time of it! Not only did he get to try out the latest and greatest Mr. Fokker had to offer, but met up with some of the Fatherland’s finest, and got a night out on the town to boot. Life is good for Oberflugmeister Kühn. Great collection of photos.


A bad run all around for the King’s airmen. Talk about the changing tides of battle. I’m rather glad my man wasn’t up in the air for this go-round, it might well have been his last. Suddenly paperwork isn't looking so bad.

.

Lou - Our posts crossed. For some reason, MFJ1 were non operational yesterday, we had plenty of aircraft and pilots so I really don't know why. Hence why Jacob had time to go galavanting around Belgium.

.

He made good use of his day off then.

.

.

27 April 1918
65 Squadron R.F.C.
Bertangles, France


After eleven days out due to his most recent wounding, Captain Frederick Abbott was anxious to get back into the fight. The weather had chosen to cooperate and 'B' Flight was up and away shortly past seven in the morning on an OP of the lines at Albert.



A beautiful spring day for flying, with light winds aloft and good visibility amid the broken clouds.



Suddenly, standing out against those clouds, there appeared myriad specks that quickly reveled themselves to be no less than eleven Hun dreidekers all sporting bright red engine cowls. It was the Circus, again! As the first of the enemy's tracers streaked towards Abbott's mount he quickly turned into the threat and began firing back.



A trio of triplanes immediately went after Freddy and all he could do was take evasive action, trying his best to stay out of their collective line of fire.



As the King's ace twisted and turned through the clouds two of his attackers switched to easier prey. The third fellow however was far more tenacious, proving to be a match and then some for the Captain and his Camel.



Round and round the determined duo went, neither being able to do more than open up a few inconsequential vents in the other's wing cloth.



As they dropped ever closer to the mud below Freddy at last landed a solid volley into the Hun's cockpit and engine, causing the Fokker to quickly break from the fight and run. Seconds later thick black smoke began to spew from the front of the triplane as its prop ground to a halt.



Abbott, for a brief moment, considered following but thought better of it. The Boche was sinking fast, there was no way he could make it to friendly ground. But more importantly another of the fellow's kette mates was now targeting Freddy.



However, this Hun presented little challenge at all, with Captain Abbott promptly turning the table on him. Another member of 'B' Flight was coming to assist but turned away when he saw that his FL had the dreideker dead to rights.



Several well-aimed bursts from the twin Vickers and Freddy sent his would-be attacker down to join his partner.



Still there were more. Another member of the Circus appeared and the Captain gave chase, but this lone Hun had no desire to fight on his own and immediately turned and climbed eastward in an attempt to flee.



In little more than a minute Abbott was hammering at the retreating enemy, shooting away entirely the triplane's top portside wing. The Fokker attempted to land in the shell-pocked earth beneath, shearing away its landing gear in the process and coming to an abrut halt on its belly.



The sky at last clear of threats, the remaining enemy planes now high above and making best speed for home, Freddy did likewise. He looked about for his own crew and saw two Camels far off to the west, where the others were was unknown for the moment. Twin smoke columns spread apart in front of him, marking the fall of two aviators, but whether friend or foe he could not say.



Nearing Bertangles Abbott became painfully aware of his recently wounded leg. In the excitement he hadn't even noticed it, but the frantic and constant working of the rudder bar during the go-round with the Circus had severely stressed it. And now, with the rush and adrenaline subsided, his left calf throbbed and ached something terrible.



Upon landing Captain Abbott needed a hand getting down from his kite, and after he'd limped his way over to the squadron office and filled out his AAR, and claims for three Huns, he retired to his hut to await the news of his flight mates while he rested his leg and downed several shots of scotch to dull the pain. By noontime he'd learned that all had survived and returned, though one Camel was completely written off while two others had been badly shot about. Also, Lt. George Cox had suffered a minor injury and would be out of commission for the next few days. It could have been much, much worse, considering it was 11-to-6 odds in favour of the Hun at the start of the fight.

.

Lou - A fantastic return for Freddy there bagging three of the Kaiser's finest. My word he must have been itching to get airborne and into the fight again, despite some jip from the gammy leg. Great shot of the Dr1 next to the Camel, almost like a display team.

Epower - Oh no, a casualty clearing station. But was he standing or lying down? These suspenders are killing me.....hold on that's not quite right.....the suspense is killing me!




Oberflugmeister Jacob Kühn, EK2
Marine-Feld-Jagdstaffel 1
Jabbeke airfield

14 confirmed kills

27th April 1918

After yesterday's unexpected journey it was back to the war for Jacob and Kette Zwei.

Leutenant Heinrich took the briefing as Oberleutenant Saschenberg was already out with Kette Eins.

Heinrich confirmed they'd be heading towards Nieuwpoort and patrolling the area.

The weather was good but with some large clouds around behind which an enemy squadron could hide in waiting.

Kette Zwei took off without incident and climbed up to around 6000 feet before heading out towards the lines.

Jacob wondered why they were still so low, it made him nervous knowing if they did come across anything they were almost certainly going to be far higher than Kette Zwei.

Thankfully all was quiet as they reached the lines and turned north towards Nieuwpoort.

They reached Nieuwpoort and Jacob's aircraft rocked from the constant flak being fired at them from below.

They turned south again and started the return leg. A few minutes later Jacob saw dark shapes appear from a large cloud above and over to the right across the lines.

He watched them get bigger, needless to say they were considerably higher than Jacob and the rest of Kette Zwei.

By now the rest of the Kette had seen them and nosed up towards them. Jacob could now see they were Sopwith two seaters. Just then the enemy aircraft swooped down and attacked the Kette.

Jacob watched and waited for the right moment. He then went to his right and climbed, avoiding the diving Strutters. Only avoiding their first attack however. As he climbed bullets ripped into his wing from one of the rear gunners.

Jacob rolled and eyed his attacker. He dived into the Strutter and fired into him. The Strutter dived for the ground and Jacob, his blood up now, went with him.

Jacob fired again and the Strutter kept diving. They were now virtually at ground level. The Strutter had to level out now and Jacob poured both barrels into him before the gunner could set himself.

The Strutters wing disintegrated and he lurched over and smashed into the ground.

Jacob levelled out and looked around. They were seemingly in a wide area of no man's land and Jacob couldn't see any other aircraft.

He could see the holes in his wing however and thought it best to head home. He stayed low and at good speed in case any further aircraft were above but the journey went fine.

On landing he saw more Albatrosse approaching and climbed out to await their arrival.

He joined Heinrich and Oberflugmeister Wessels as they made their way to make their reports.

Jacob put his claim in for the Strutter but he knew as no-one was around he'd have to wait for confirmation from the ground.

Breadcrumbs! Don't keep us in suspense!

Jules M. Dubra
Sgt, Esc 26
Hetomesnil, Aerodrome
Marne


2 Victory's
1 Unconfirmed


April 27, 1918.

Tail End Charlie again. Off on AF security Patrol with 9 a/c in 2 flights. Ran across 4 Hann C type e/a below us. I waited my turn to attack as I followed the Flight down ,but before I could close the distance, Lt's de Sevin, Nudin, and Dupree all scored. Their Spad XIII's twin Mg's just ripped them apart. The 4th e/a somehow managed to slip away. We reform with my little Spad VII in last place. Replacements due in tonight so back on 2 Patrols a Day weather permitting. I wonder why Zee e/a had no escorts ?

Really! This will not stand! Someone give us word of Oliver.

Fullofit, just another day at the office for Rudi. Bet that midair was something to see. For some reason, when I click on the video I kicked out.

NotRelevant. Don’t feel bad about taking vengeance out on the enemy. My first pilot in this DID did much the same for killing his O/G. Tough loses for the squad. Just a note, following the Hun across the lines alone can be bad for your health.

BuckeyeBob, Kemp is ready to get back but Mia is making it tough to think about war.

AlbertTross, those DVII, cannot come soon enough!

Lou, glad to see Freddy back although it was at great cost to the fatherland.

BBob - Why thank you. I try.

Tross - A bloodbath indeed! And there was Cunningham thinking that the ground pounding flight from awhile back was bad. Guess sometimes such chances pay off, though Dean really oughtn't make it a habit, lest it hurts him. Claim or not, it was Dean's much wanted revenge.
Another good day for Jacob I see. That Observer must've really regretted trying to start a fight he can't finish. Hopefully there'll be a speedy confirmation from someone who actually seen it.

RAF - Thanks! Indeed, guess all that bad luck finally paid off with some good one, though not for the rest of 64th. The killing may indeed be in cold blood, but might still take some time to come to terms with it. That and the losses, dear lord the losses.
What an action filled flight for Abbott! The Circus is still very much out for blood now that Richtoffen is gone, it seems. But despite the odds, Abbott and his crew prevailed. Good screenshots too, gotta appreciate the contrast between the red Circus cowling and the camel's blue one.

Epower -Oh the suspense... The suspense is incredible.

Carrick - Bad luck with not getting a chance. As for the lack of escorts, maybe the Hun is finally running out of men or craft! Or someone has been drinking to cope so much that they forgot to arrange an escort

MFair - Avenging such and previous losses is quite a motivator. Ironically enough, I feel like choosing to follow that Hun over the lines is what stopped Dean from joining the rest of B flight, given how it led to him missing the flight being jumped by a Dreidecker squadron on top of the Albs.




2/LT Dean Andrews Cunningham
№64 Squadron RAF
Izles-Les-Hameux, Flanders
April 27th, 1918.

1 confirmed.

Gloomy and rainy weather today reflects the attitude of the Squadron. This morning we held a short ceremonial Mass for our fallen comrades. Not that we had anything or anyone to bury, but I'm sure it at least helped some come to terms with what had transpired. As for me, I simply stood and thought about what could've happened had I stayed in that fight...

Despite the weather and somber moods our first flight of the day, of 8 men sans Captain Hayden who had stayed behind to do administrative duties, no doubt writing death notifications to the families and relatives of those who passed yesterday. I do not envy him in the slightest.
Ordered once more to aid with supporting the offensive, we took off for a mission of close protection and met up with a flight of RE8s to guard them while they went off to bombard the frontlines. Despite the weather which we managed to avoid by going up above the clouds, which themselves provided ever greater concealment for potential Hun ambushes and patrols not much else happened.

I did however witness one oddity that came in the form of a flight of Hun bombers that appeared out of nowhere and flew just behind us, on one occasion even crossing paths with the bombers of our own yet neither side decided to break or attack, with both simply sticking to their own bombardment targets despite practically doing it side by side with the enemy. I was almost too ready to jump them there and then, given just by how much we outnumbered them, but our flight lead has deemed it more necessary to keep up with the escort and I was not going to attack three of them on my own, so despite my urges I tried my best to ignore them all the way up until we left.

The second flgiht of the day however proved to be the more exciting one, if one can call it that. Despite the sorry state of our Squadron, Captain Hayden himself had volunteered to lead us on a patrol over the enemy lines to the East of us, and on a patrol we went. Ever frustrated with the clouds and rain, we went towards our patrol square and begun to fly above the lines, anxious to have a run in with a far bigger flight of Huns and have a repeat of yesterday, though thankfully this was avoided, even if just barely. As we flew on South following the curves of the No Man's Land, up ahead we had spotted not one but two seperate flights of Boches. To our right lay a flight of five Pfalzes, while to our left a slightly futher distance away and at the same height was a flight of twelve Albatrosses though neither of those two had seen us yet. Hayden, seeing an opportunity turned us sharply left and we went for the Pfalzes, who by then had spotted us. The fight was on, and the desire to claim another Hun after what happened yesterday must've been burning in my blood.

Following the initial merge I circled as I tried to pick a target, and soon noticed an SE5 just below me diving upon one of the white Pfalzes to which I rushed to join him. After seeing him shoot and miss several bursts, he broke off and I took my chance, getting up behind the Pfalz and beginning to fire my own guns into him, ripping into the Boche's plane with no mercy. He of course wasn't content to just stand there and take it, and started diving and spinning away into clouds, to which I followed him even though arty had started to burst around us. After a series of maneuvers he had levelled out his plane and started booking it due East and must've lost me in the clouds. I on the other hand was still on him, of which I reminded him by sneaking up to him following a very quick and most intense Lewis reload and beginning to fire again. He weakly tried to maneuver, though his plane by then was barely responsive as I hung back and shot more lead into him, his upper right wing eventually giving way and tearing off his craft, leaving him spiralling down into the soil behind Hun lines.

Now finished and content that I managed to down yet another Hun, I circled briefly as I climbed for altitude, hoping to see either my flight or any other Pfalzes from the initial engagement, though finding neither I simply opted to head for home, finding that I was not the first one there. Compared to yesterday, the only losses this mission consisted of Captain Hayden's craft, which took a fair share of bullets and had to be sent off for repairs. In contrast, after submitting my claim for the Pfalz that I downed this afternoon I found out that another 2 aircraft had been reported downed and claimed by men in our squadron. While this was in no means a fair exchange for what transpired yesterday, it was still rather good results. Awaiting the confirmation of my latest claim, I can only hope that this will be the beginning of a long streak of victories that we steal away from the Hun...

1 pending

NR, that is true. They can crash into each other as much as they want. I just don’t know how long Rudi will be able to dodge those suicidal attacks.
Speaking of dodging, looks like Dean dodged one as well. That had to be some show, but not the one the boys of 64th wanted to see. Those are some heavy attrition losses. Will there be enough airworthy planes to take to the skies tomorrow? Congrats on that first confirmed victory. Dean is now a certified killer.

Bob, if High Command had any intelligent men left in there, they would order paint his plane red and act as if nothing ever happened, but instead they’re squabbling over who has a more impressive Sanke card collection. Rudi still is waiting for that call from the photographer for an appointment.

Albert, Rudi did claim both and got none in return. Oh well, you roll the dice, you get snake eyes.
Well done on that Strutter attack. I’m still having hard time the bloody things would attack like they do, pretending to be scouts and maneuver like them too. Rudi hates them with a passion. Congrats on sticking to his tail and eliminating the little bugger. One less for Rudi to deal with.

Thanks Lou, driving your blind from fear opponent into one of his own is very satisfying, but it doesn’t take much to have the same done to your own side.
So Freddy finally gets out on a mission and finds himself eye to eye with the Circus. No chance these boys would ignore a flight with the Camels. Little did they know one of King’s aces was amongst them. The poor devils soon regretted their decision and paid for it with smoking craters. Hopefully most will be confirmed. Well done Lou. Very nice shot of that Dreidecker getting jumped by Freddy’s Camel.

Epower, definitely not enough. I also want to know, is he one of the sitting passengers on that train or one comfortably reclining on a stretcher? Does he have all his limbs? Does he have both of his ears, eyes, balls?

MFair, have you tried clicking on the YouTube Link above the embedded video? That should take you straight to their site. Sim HQ may be playing tricks on your browser.

27 April, 1918 05:45
Le Mesnil, Flanders Sector
Jasta 19, JG II
Oberleutnant Rudolf Emil Fuchs EK1, HHO, PLM
84 confirmed kills

One of the SPADs has been confirmed. The HQ decided Fuchs did not deserve the credit for the machines that collided midair.
It was a day just like any other and the orders to defend their balloon north of Montdidier also seemed to point to the same conclusion. What was not same as all the other days were the events that followed.
While en route to the balloon, a flight of Brisfits, which Rudi has never encountered before, arrived to pay Jasta 19 a visit. These things were even more dangerous than the Strutters. The rear gunners are a murder. Rudi tried to stay away from their rear sting. Instead, Fuchs watched Scheller take care of one of them by blowing both wings off on one side. It was incredible how well the beast could still maintain control with only half of its plumage.

YouTube Link



After reforming they continued their mission and joined up with Schwarm Eins already on station and flying at higher altitude. That was when the SPADs attacked from even higher altitude. Schwarm Eins was on them, but some marauders had gotten through and one came after Rudi. The two machines jockeyed for position, but in the end Fuchs was the clear winner of this contest. He could only shake his head that these French pilots have not learned yet to avoid turning with any enemy planes, especially the Dreideckers. The Franzose went down out of control and through the thick cloud layer. Rudi followed and watched the demise of the French pilot. After that, there was nothing else to do but to return home.

YouTube Link



While circling the airfield at Le Mesnil Fuchs noticed some movement to his port side. At the same time he heard chatter of machine guns and instinctively banked his plane just in time to avoid the enemy plane diving on his six. It had a red cowling and as soon as it appeared, it’d disappeared in the same fashion. Rudi knew he was around, but couldn’t locate the enemy crate. He eventually noticed the red cowling again, just below spewing fire at his Dreidecker. Now that he knew where to find his foe, Fuchs had no problems avoiding him and in turn get on his rear and send some hate of his own in the enemy’s direction. He continued to fire and at some point had shot off one of the landing gear wheels. “- I’d like to see him land now!” He thought to himself while admiring his handiwork. “- On second thought, I don’t want to see him land at all.” Rudi opened fire and finished off the intruder. The Camel’s engine caught on fire, the black smoke started to pour from the front of the stricken aeroplane and finally the whole contraption went down and crashed near the airfield. It was not over yet! The commotion that caught Rudi’s attention in the first place was still going on. Two Camels harassing a single Dreidecker. “- That’s not fair!” Fuchs was now close enough to even the odds and fired on one of the machines. The Britisher disengaged immediately and Fuchs let him go, concentrating instead on his wingman, which was still hounding the other Fokker. There was no place the Camel could hide now. Fuchs was punishing him for the insolence and emptied the rest of his ammunition stores, then watched the crippled wreck go down. The attack had been repelled and the remaining Dreideckers could finally land.

YouTube Link

NR, just missed your latest post while waiting for the vids to upload.
So, there was enough men and machines to continue the war effort after all. You would think after the Squadron had been decimated there would be a period to re-equip and re-supply. RAF works efficiently.
Hmm, very civilized war is going on in your part of the Front. The enemy goes about their business and you do the same. Live and let live, I suppose.
Not so with the Pfalzes, ah yes, low hanging fruit. Congrats on another claim. Fingers crossed this one has been witnessed as well.

.

Fullofit - Rudi was busy, Bristols, Spads, and Camels all in one outing. He was his usual unstoppable self though, not even the Brisfits could slow him down. Of course he does have an example to set, now that MvR has gone off to Valhalla. Great vids as always, though it appears in one of them that there was a loose connection in a cloud bank. Should call in an electrician to sort that out.

NotRelevant - Dean was wise to stay with his escort on that first outing, no matter how tempting those Boche B/R buses were. And his patience was rewarded in that second flip. Here's hoping his Pfalz is confirmed, as well as those of his flight mate's. Nice in-cloud shot of the enemy plane breaking up.

MFair - Freddy is also glad to be back, even if his leg is still causing him some grief. So how much longer will Kemp be enjoying the company of his comely nurse?

Carrick - Love that first shot with the two EAs trailing smoke. Replacement planes on the way you say? Let's hope one of them is for Jules and he can be rid of his out-of-date VII.

BuckeyeBob - You clean up those breadcrumbs or they'll attract mice.

Albert - Wowzers! Jacob shredded that poor Strutter, he should most certainly get credit for it. Fingers crossed. Excellent screenies again.

Epower - I gather from the transport summery from No. 42 CCS that Oliver has at least received some initial care for his wounds and is now on his way to an established hospital for further treatment and recuperation. But where is he man, where?! Please don't say, "away, to sing with the Choir Invisible".



Dud weather is currently shrouding Bertangles and the surrounding area, washing out all flights today for 65 Squadron. Captain Abbott is actually quite fine with that as his left leg is still fairly sore from yesterday's excitement. However, such excitement is about to be curtailed even further for our Freddy as he has just been informed by Major Cunningham that he is being sent back to England for a fortnight's leave after which he will be serving a short stint with HE before returning to France. It was a bit of surprise for our toothy hero as he'd not realized it had been six months since last he'd been in Blighty. He was at first resistant to the idea, not wishing to leave his mates at 65 Squadron. But then Abbott is not one who frets too long on anything, tending rather to simply accept his fate and make the most of it, so he is now quite onboard with the whole idea of getting back home for a while. He is scheduled to leave on the 1st of May, which means of course that an epic send-off bash is in the immediate offing, (or in this case, WOFFing).

.