I'm glad to say I finally fixed my game and I can now play again! I'm wainting for a new Jasta to be assigned to my pilot, more info coming soon..!

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Glad to have you back with us, Trusty!

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Achtung!



It is the Kaiser's Royal and Imperial command that the following individual be recognized for his valor:



Citation to the award reads as follows:

Oberleutnant der Reserve Rudolf Emil Fuchs, with the Kaiser’s Fleigertruppen since January 1918, and currently serving with Jasta 19, has shown time and time again his courage and boldness in aerial battle. As of this writing he has destroyed no less than eighty-four of the enemy’s flugmaschinen and observation balloons, accounting for a war record of admirable proportion. His bravery and devotion to duty are to be lauded and emulated by German fighting men everywhere, and his example provides hope to the nation’s people. In recognition of these achievements, he is awarded the Order of the Red Eagle, Third Class, with Crown and Swords. By order of the All Highest, Kaiser Wilhelm II, this 28. April 1918.

You make the Vaterland most proud.

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Carrick - The Escadrille did a fine job on those Hannovers which are not an easy take down, with or without escorts. Dubra is picking his fights which is no bad thing. Earning a SPAD XIII is the real prize.

MFair - I couldn't agree more, can't wait for Jacob to get his hands on a DVII again. It'll be at least a couple of months though I think.

NR - Fine job on that hun and hopefully it gets confirmed. Strange that those bombers just flew along together given how aggressive the new AI is in BHAH II. I'm surprised the CO didn't order an attack as well.

Fullofit - Rudi did well picking his fights there, Brisfits are no pushover and the rest of the Jasta dealt with them just fine. Then when the SPADs attacked Rudi' took his turn. Then he was the consummate ace when dealing with those Camels. Well done on that lovely bit of bling too.

Lou - It's dud weather all over I'm afraid. But that's hardly news, what's news is Freddy is off back to blighty for the foreseeable. Glad to see he's taken it so well although I'm sure give a few weeks he'll be dying to get back. The skies seem a safer place for the Germans now.

TWK - Welcome back to the madhouse.

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

14 confirmed kills

28th April 1918

As soon as Jacob got up he could see flying would be a no-no. The mist was thick and the rain pouring down and with no wind to blow anything away it was in for the day.

This was confirmed later when the adjutant announced no flying today.

It got worse too as Oberleutenant Saschenberg explained that the Strutter from yesterday couldn't be confirmed, no-one had seen it.

Jacob was feeling sorry for himself and took himself off to his quarters. He decided he'd write to one of the nurses he'd met whilst in Brussels.

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Epower - I'll bet Oliver is relieved. I know we are! . . . Also, just to pick a nit, the second wound should be listed as "GSW VI 1", not "GSW VIII 1".

Albert - So Jacob is off cavorting with a nurse, eh? Good for him, someone should be having fun.

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Lou - Yes indeed. 50% health is always a crapshoot. A most fearful exiting there. I got the same ambulance footage as did Raine. Still alive.

Right you are, well noted. "VI. Gunshot wounds of the back and spine." Like Dirty Harry, in all the excitement I seem to have lost count. Amended. The key numeral for Oliver's future being the little '1' for both, signifying "Simple flesh contusions and wounds."

Not sure what the classification of that last notation should be. Whew! maybe.

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More likely "AOK II, Ballocks, Whew".

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Don't get off the edge of your seats just yet. There is a strange new bug sweeping through the ranks..........

Good thing Etaples isn't the worldwide epicenter of this so-called "Spanish Flu." Oh wait...

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


2 Victory's
1 Unconfirmed


Bad weather so no flights Posted to supervise the AF Guards I got called to the Gates at 8 pm seems the Captainie's Taylor dropped off his Dress uniform so ran it over to the Chateau to Noelle the downstairs maid.


https://giphy.com/gifs/WKWvcCPgke3NpK6l02/fullscreen

Lou, a medal! This is some news worthy of a celebration. Thank you to you and Raine for the awe inspiring commendation.
Good news! BuckeyeBob is working diligently to fix those loose wires in that pesky cloud. Hopefully he has all the electrical accreditations in order.
So, a day off for Freddy, which he gratefully accepted. The leg is definitely not up to the task yet but HE assignment will ensure his full recovery.

Kebab, great news! Looking forward to your new man entering the conflict.

Albert, a day off for all then. Jacob is not wasting any time though. Letters to nurses? Do tell!
Too bad about the Strutter. No matter, there’s more where this one came from.

Epower, phew! For a second I thought those were the toe tags, then I read family jewels are in working order. Clarissa will be ecstatic to learn that little bit (or two).

28 April, 1918
Le Mesnil, Flanders Sector
Jasta 19, JG II
Oberleutnant Rudolf Emil Fuchs EK1, HHO, PLM
85 confirmed kills

Only the Camel on fire could be confirmed as Rudi’s claim. No one witnessed the fall of the SPAD and the second Camel had been claimed by the airfield Flak defences.
As in everyone else’s case Jasta’s been rained out. The bad weather can’t be reasoned with, can’t be pleaded with, you just have to wait it out.

Fullofit - Hopefully for a long while. Out of all the ways to die, I don't reckon 'mid air collision' would be a good one for Rudi, if he were to die.
Dean did indeed dodge it seems, by taking on a risky venture of his own, though it payed off. Not so much for the rest of the squadron. But indeed, a first confirmed kill is a step in the right direction as far as Dean is concerned.
You would certainly think a squadron with such losses would take some time to recover, but it seems like HQ just has a thing for the 64th and placing all the burden on them.
It's a funny thing that, honestly. One day half the squadron is ruthlessly slain but the next you are flying alongside a flight of enemies without doing a thing to them. As for the pfalzes, can't miss an opportunity like that after all!

Rudi I see is as per usual doing a good job of taking care of foolish Frenchmen and surviving near collisions, like that lad with a red cowling who I almost thought was about to go for a ram of his own. And congrats to Rudi on another well deserved and earned medal!
Bad luck with the claims though, unfortunately!

RAF - Indeed! A tempting target as they were, trying to handle several of those tail gunners at once while alone would certainly not have been the most ideal situation. True about the patience being rewarded though, and even in such a favourable situation too. Karma of some sort for Dean perhaps?

Abbott getting sent off to England, eh? Well, at least one can look at it both ways! At least there won't be anymore Circus clowns doing acrobatics over in England, eh?

Kebab - Welcome back once more, looking forward to reading your stuff.

Tross - One can hope! I do have to agree, I found it somewhat strange since they were vastly outnumbered by us all and were that close, so unless we somehow didn't see them, I'm wondering if the escorting objective just didn't care that much about enemy bombers?

Sucks to hear about the Strutter, but at least Jacob is keeping himself occupied!

Epower - Well thank God he's alright and still in relatively one piece, nothing shot off, eh?

Carrick - Ah, the French and their maids, hah.






2/LT Dean Andrews Cunningham
№64 Squadron RAF
Izles-Les-Hameux, Flanders
April 28th, 1918.

2 confirmed

Bad weather today cancelled all hopes of a flight. Some good news today though, as the mechanics finally finished all the repairs on squadron vehicles and we were at a full, yet limited by the number of pilots capacity once again. I can only hope there won't be anymore engine failures again after the extensive repairs and maintenance they've been doing...

Besides that, to my surprise a confirmation on my Pfalz arrived today certainly bringing some well needed joy, alongside a confirmation for Lieutenant Randolph and one Sargeant Oswald. As the situation in the squadron stands, Captain Hayden is at the top with 4 confirmed, me and Randolph now even at 2 kills each, with 4 other pilots with 1 confirmed kill. Being matched with Randolph who has already previously taken what I could only call a rightful balloon kill from me has led to a sort of silly little competition between us two, betting on which one of us can make it to the position of an Ace first. Getting to know him, he really isn't that of a lad, though if he intends for us to have a competition I'm not going to give him any advantages just because of him being a fine bloke, nor am I going to stop further attempts at returning the favour to the Boche for everything that they've done.

Regardless, the day has mostly been spent in the Mess, socialising with my fellow airmen and the latter part was running some inspections of my craft with my mechanics. Provided this weather decides to let up, I don't want to run into any kind of problems while flying about out there...

Fullofit – congratulations on receiving the gaudiest of gongs!

NR – congratulations on getting the Pfalz confirmed.

Trustworthy – I’m so happy you have your machine up and running again. WOFF-ending glitches are the worst form of misery.

EPower – I love the casualty tags, especially the final note. If you read it closely, Haig’s message was about keeping your BACKS to the wall.

Lou – that was a hair-raising scrap against the Fokkers. Wonderful photographs, too. Your Bertangles mod looks amazing and is a great addition to the sim.

Albert – too bad you didn’t get the Strutter confirmed. I particularly loved the photograph of the low-flying Albatros with the ruined house in the foreground.

Carrick – I don’t know who Jules is upsetting to get stuck at the back of the formation every time…


War Journal of Captain George Ewan MacAlister, DSO, DSC
74 Squadron, RAF
No. 4 Stationary Hospital
Saint Omer, France

Part 38



I have begun to feel guilty about staying here so long. Once or twice a day a convoy arrives with gravely wounded men from the fighting front and I watch the nurses and VADs work to exhaustion juggling the shattered bodies, changing ghastly dressings on even more ghastly wounds, and shuttling people to and fro. Our occasional glimpse of doctors reveal men pushed beyond the limits of exhaustion. And here sit I, a few stitches on my forehead and the odd compress to relieve headaches. As soon as possible, I coerced the matron into giving me permission to take my meals in the outside mess tents and to walk on the lawns.

The hospital is situated in and about an old and impressive château and an equally impressive distillery (which has regrettably ceased production) near Saint Omer. The lawns are expansive, with fine gardens and reflecting pools. An elderly gardener and his wife work from first light until nightfall maintaining the property. I have spent several hours giving them what little assistance I could.

The fellows from 74 drop by frequently and I have had two letters from Bronwyn. I wrote to her as soon as possible to tell of my situation. I also wrote home, but regrettably a telegram arrived before my letter and caused undue concern. I expect to be released to light duties by tomorrow.

The enemies push along the line of the river Lys has continued and for a couple of days they held Kemmel Hill, a piece of vital ground that overlooks the entire Ypres salient. Fortunately, we were able to take it back before it could be fully consolidated. According to Jones, our fighting squadrons were employed in a great deal of low work – work for which the SE is ill suited. Fortunately, a period of poor weather limited the amount of flying that was needed.

I have noticed a change in my personal feelings about this business. The joyful adventure of the earlier months has passed and continued flying seems like a dreadfully serious job of work. It seems improbable that anyone can continue for too many months without becoming a casualty of war. I wonder if my luck will hold. Mick Mannock was here yesterday and we had a chat about this. His view was interesting. He thought that the lucky ones were the men with no imagination, no sense of what the future might hold. The more creative soul was only too aware of the possibilities of death or disfiguring injury. Real courage came when those creative souls hung on by their fingernails and did their duty.

The latest reports hold small sparks of hope that the German push in the north may have exhausted itself. The next few days will tell the tale

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

14 confirmed kills

29th April 1918


All flying was cancelled again today so Jacob finished his letter.


Mlle M, Dupont
Hôpital Saint-Pierre
Rue aux Laines
Bruxelles

Dear Marguerite

I'm writing this sat in my quarters listening to the rain beat on the roof. Our flying has been cancelled for today and so my first thought was to write to you.

Meeting you in the Cafe Rubens seems so long ago now and yet every moment is still with me.

It was very good of you to give me an address and I promised I would write.

How have you been? How is work teaching the young nurses? I remember you telling me so many pass through your class these days you don't have chance to get to know them.

That seems sad to me, in this time of great strife a friendly acquaintance is a great thing. Who knows maybe even a life-changing thing.

I remember you telling me about your family, your father running the bakery and your sister still at school.

You said she had hopes of getting into university. I sincerely hope she is able to fulfill that dream. No matter what traumas life throws at you there should always be a way out. This war cannot last forever although at times it seems so.

You mentioned about feeling frustrated with life at Saint-Pierre and possibly asking for a transfer to a war hospital. Given the current predicament I sincerely hope you decide against it. The horrors of war can look fascinating from afar but up close they can erode humanity and leave one, an automaton, devoid of those facets of the human soul that make us what we are.

Nothing would distress me more than to think of you, having the very things that draw me towards you, taken away by the horrors of a field hospital.

I will finish now but will await your response. I don't know when I shall see you again, Brussels is close but I don't know when I'll be granted leave. When I do though I would very much like to see you again.

Stay safe sweet Marguerite.

Yours

Jacob

Raine: Jules is a low ranking wingman type in an Esc that pushes Aces/ officers to the front in order to keep high scores or so thats the plot.

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Pursuant to Army Order 204, dated 6 July 1916, the following individual is hereby presented the Wounded Stripe:



Your King and Country thank you for your sacrifice and faithful service.

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NR, no, we don’t want Rudi smeared all over some Strutter, but what can one do when they’re drawn to you like the proverbial insects to a piece of excrement?
So, Dean is making friends. Is it wise with pilots getting shot down left and right? Cunningham may soon find another reason to take revenge on the Hun.

Raine, the gaudier they are the more perilous your life becomes. Just ask the Gong Fairy.
This sitting around in deep thoughts can’t be good for George’s psyche.

Albert, looks like Jacob is spending his free time wisely and sharing some wise words with his new friend. Let’s hope she heeds his advice.

29 April, 1918 12:20
Le Mesnil, Flanders Sector
Jasta 19, JG II
Oberleutnant Rudolf Emil Fuchs EK1, HHO, PLM, RA
85 confirmed kills

The weather improved by morning and the operations could resume by noon. Their task for today was to patrol enemy front lines between Montdidier and Roye.
On their way to the patrol area the Schwarm encountered a flight of Strutters followed closely by SPADs. They came from high up and it felt like all enemy planes concentrated their efforts on bringing Rudi’s plane down. They have succeeded. Their stray shots found the target and Fuchs had to disengage due to a benzin leak. But before he did, a silhouette crossed his gunsights and he opened fire. He saw black crosses on the wings of his target and let go of his triggers immediately. Thankfully he didn’t hit his intended target, but knew he overstayed his welcome and it was high time to land his disabled crate. He set his plane on the road between Amiens and Roye and observed the proceedings from the ground. He counted five enemy planes brought down in exchange for two Fokkers plus his own. After the engagement was over he didn’t have far to go. There was an observation balloon station near the spot he’d set his Dreidecker down. The crew called in the incident and a lorry was on its way to collect Rudi’s plane. He himself was a celebrated guest of the Flak battery Commandant and was returned to Le Mesnil by the evening.
On his return Rudi’s found out he was awarded the Red Eagle Order. The celebrations went on into wee hours.

YouTube Link

Epower - Blimey 50%, thankfully no worse, at least he's not knackered and he's still got his knackers.

NR - Congratulations on the confirmation, so Cunningham is definitely up and running now. Well he will be when this weather improves.

Carrick - Poor Jules got a bum job in all this rain, supervising the sentries.

Raine - Even a visit from Mick couldn't improve MacAlister's mindset. He needs to get back to the squadron clearly. He has a new wound stripe to go with him.

Fullofit - So they send Rudi out in this awful weather and it nearly costs the fatherland very dear indeed. Those Strutters are nutters as we know but they're so intent on destruction. At least he got down ok and without a friendly fire incident.