Albert, it sure was another productive day for Smirnov. He did learn one thing. No “fancy” flying near the ground.
That N.28 is a nice looking machine. Then I see this welder’s mask cockpit view and I’m thinking to myself: this is worse than the SPAD!
A fantastic day for James, three claims in one day, with two confirmed. Congrats to an ace in the making. The entire squadron had a good haul of victories, it seems. Perhaps Hardy is a lucky charm for them all?

Kebab, a Boche without his Fokker is an angry Boche. Just don’t kick any pets.

27 May, 1918 10:00
Hétomesnil, Marne Sector
Esc SPA 67, GC 12
Adjutant Pyotr Fyodor Smirnov MM
SPAD XIII
12 confirmed kills

Two of the Albatroses from yesterday’s battle have been credited to Smirnov.
The escadrille’s task for today was to patrol over friendly aerodrome at Ravenel. It was a task given to them several times already and the escadrille felt comfortable fulfilling their orders. It was this complacency that nearly cost them their lives. That, and the swarm of Dreideckers descending upon them from above, which they have completely missed. It was bad from the beginning. Two of the infernal triplanes latched onto Pyotr’s rear and only some “creative” flying saved the Russian from being shot down immediately. He noticed these crates were his old pals, the green tails looking for payback as always. The dogfight was in full swing, but for a moment there was a period when no Fokker was pursuing his SPAD and Pyotr took advantage of it by coming down on one of the Dreideckers and sending some hate of his own the enemy’s way. This hopefully set one of Smirnov’s wingmen for an easy kill. Meanwhile, the two Dreideckers on Pyotr’s rear were back and exacting their revenge. One of them was lucky to hit Smirnov’s radiator. The engine immediately began to emanate grey smoke. Pyotr knew he didn’t have long before the engine overheated and ceased, or worse yet caught on fire. But the two Fokkers on his tail continued to hound him. There was only one thing to do. Pick up some speed, make the Huns think you are going to continue to dogfight them, dive and pull up sharply, they will overshoot, you then dive in the opposite direction while they regroup. It was no plan. It was something Smirnov cobbled together on the spot. By the time the Boches realized what was happening, Pyotr was already near the ground and landing his sick bird. The Dreideckers thankfully didn’t come after for a strafing run. Pyotr would have been a sitting duck. Needless to say the Germans got their payback for yesterday.

YouTube Link

TWK - A frustrating time for young Shutzmeier, hankering after one of those shiny new Fokkers. Talking of fokkers, Goering seems to forget Shutzmeier saved his lardy ass several times. Let him get shot down next time. Stay patient and deadly, 'tis all you can do.

Fullofit - James is on a mission (slight pun intended), he means business. Which probably means he'll crash and burn but we'll see.

Tough day for Pyotr and SPA67. Jumped by a swirling mass of Dreideckers. He seemed to be doing well and then that spawny shot hitting his engine. Not much to be done then except stay alive. Good job on the landing, at least the undercarriage held out. That's one thing to be said for the sturdy SPAD.

Fullofit - Hard to be ashamed when they've got no shame!
Well, that much is true. Responsibility yes, but also some advantages for sure, so overall a good development.
Unfortunately follow up or not, that's in the hands of HQ. And they can be painful to deal with...
So, interesting few days for Pyotr then! First decorating his crate, and having to deal with the ignorant Captaine. But it seems that was reasonably offset by the fight against the outnumbered Albs, which went quite well, so it seems! And two confirmed too! What a joy.
Not so much for the 27th though. Being shot up like that is no pleasant thing, but it could've been way better. Good job on Smirnov for making it out alive and, well, not completely crippled in some way!

Tross - Well, unfortunate we don't always get the things we hope for. The promotion is certainly making up for that though. Hopefully dealing with newbies doesn't start getting on Dean's nerves.
A day for James to properly settle in, followed by a day of action and a trial in combat, which James passed more than succesfully, given the three kills. Great job overall!

Kebab - Ah, what a misfortune. But hey, still plenty of time to get a new crate and to die fly in it! As for the fatman, well. Take some joy in the knowledge that he had to be saved just to get this far. Proving that Schutzmeier is the far better airman!

Carrick - Unfortunate about the balloon, but at least there's no losses!





Lieutenant Dean Andrews Cunningham
№64 Squadron RAF
Izles-Les-Hameux, Flanders
27th May, 1918.

14 confirmed

My first day of being a Lieutenant went rather well, if not uneventfully. After recovering from the night of drinking and celebrating, we got news that Huns heard of my celebration and decided to pay a visit to congratulate me personally. B flight scrambled to greet them and invite them in to stay awhile. We even seen them off in the distance, at height, probably carrying personal, albeit explosive, gifts for myself and the lads! Sadly though, they seem to have been a little shy, as once they seen that we were coming up they turned and ran for home, not even leaving us the gifts they brought. We didn't have the time nor engine power to catch them in a climbing chase, and thus we left them be and landed.

In the afternoon Hayden had me lead B flight, diminished as it was, in an escort mission for a bunch of Frenchmen doing recon over the Hun lines. To be frank, the few times we end up guarding Frenchmen, things just tend to go wrong in one way or another, but in the end there wasn't much of a choice. I just had to make the most of it and make sure that the men under my command don't end up getting themselves killed somehow. Thankfully that didn't require much effort, as after meeting with our escort targets we led them on an eventful flight, with nothing but the occasional Archie burst to get us excited. A while later it was over, and we landed. Later in the day, another airmen replacement arrived to the Squadron... and of course without a crate to fly. One of my balloons got confirmed, the other HQ decided they cannot confirm. One has to wonder who in their mind did kill that balloon then, if not me. What an absolute bother...

Henri N. du Fay
Spa 94,Sgt
Plessis-Belleville
Aerodrome

3 Victorys
1 Unconfirmed

May 28, 1918.

0545 hrs Mes Amies, Early morning Crank for Transfer of A.F.'s New field is close to Paris, I figure the War is winding down so move closer to Big Cities. Upon landing my #s a/c ran into a newly made Bomb Hole killing him and destroying his a/c. So much for my figures.

1040 hrs: II Section was off to Orientate our self with Sector and the Front. mixed it up with 2 flights of three of Boche V Struts. The flight claimed 3 e/a destroyed I put in a claim for one but was reject by the ADJ He stated that Mon Dieu ! , getting hits and then the e/a diving towards the ground as another e/a drops on your tail Wasn't a kill. according to Squadron Rules.

2nd Lieutenant James Hardy
95th Aero
Toul

2 confirmed kills


28th May 1918

Morning sortie

Major Peterson had gathered everyone, pilots, ground crew and guards staff, together in briefing room.

There was considerable chatter as to the purpose of the gathering but the Major quietened this......

"Gentlemen, you are all aware that German forces have already launched attacks in Flanders and after initial progress, these were halted."

"We all wondered what the next move would be......well I have to tell you that over the last 48 hours strong German forces have attacked our allies in the area between Soissons and Reims."

"They have made some gains, there is no point putting it any other way. We are fighting back however and forces are being moved to the area."

"What the purpose of the attack is, is open for discussion. It could be a diversion to draw troops away from Flanders so the Germans can attack again there, or it could be a drive on Paris."

"Ultimately though it doesn't matter, they have to be stopped and we, here, the 95th Aero, together with the other USAS units and our ground forces are a vital part of that."

"Everyone of us here must do his duty, his upmost to halt the enemy and then drive him back."

"Thank you for your time Gentlemen, can the members of 'A' and 'B' flights remain here please. Dismissed!." finished the Major.

Major Peterson now turned to today's business. He explained that the squadron would be heading towards St Mihiel and patrolling the lines.

The weather was still pretty good although large clouds were still around to hide Jastas behind.

James and the rest of them were airborne soon after. After forming up and climbing they headed out north west towards the lines.

The sortie progressed quietly and no contact was made throughout despite keen eyes.

On landing James headed off to grab some refreshment.


Afternoon sortie

Major Peterson briefed the squadron on the afternoon sortie. They would be heading to Toul railway station to patrol around there for obvious reasons.

The weather remained ok and everyone got up without problems.

They climbed up to around 13000 feet and headed out across the town of Toul to the railway station which was to the north east of the town.

They had been patrolling around the station for about 10 minutes when James spotted several dots coming in over the lines. They were considerably higher than James and his flight.

He signalled to the others and started climbing towards the incoming dots, now growing into definite enemy aircraft.

The other pilots had followed suit and climbed up but James was already some way above them.

He now saw that the enemy aircraft were Rumplers and as they passed overhead he came around behind two of them. He closed in, trying to stay behind their tails.

He chose the lead aircraft and opened fire. He blasted the two seater as he closed in. The Rumpler lifted up and James fired again. This time he clearly hit the pilot as the Rumpler nosed down and went straight into the ground.

James looked around and thought the rest of 'B' flight must have seen his kill, however they were nowhere to be seen. He rolled slightly and then saw 'B' flight embroiled in a melee with a large formation of enemy scouts way below him.

He could see 'A' flight closing in now to take on the remaining Rumplers so he rolled over and dived down to help his comrades.

He saw what they were up against, Pfalz scouts. James picked a target. One of the enemy scouts came around underneath him and James dived onto him. He fired a good burst into him. The Pfalz wobbled but then dived down steeply, too steeply for James to follow directly.

James followed as the enemy aircraft went under the cloud layer. The Pfalz ran for home but clearly hadn't reckoned on how fast the Nieuport 28 was.

James closed in and blasted the Pfalz from close range. The Pfalz's top wing disintegrated and it flipped over and over down into the ground.

James took stock but didn't see any other aircraft. He climbed back up through the clouds and formed up with a couple of Nieuports and they made their way home.

On landing James saw more Nieuports coming in.

Later in it was confirmed seven enemy aircraft were being claimed for the loss of one Nieuport although the pilot was ok.

Major Peterson explained that James would have to wait for confirmation of his claims.

James wasn't concerned however and enjoyed his evening in the mess with the others.

Carrick - Sheesh, some bad luck, first with the bomb potholes and then with a rejected claim. But hey, being closer to Paris. Maybe find some way to get there on leave, now wouldn't that be a joy?

Tross - Evidently, things are about to get a lot more heated at the front. Evidently, some good successes there again, with a two seater and a pfalz. Hopefully those get confirmed rather quickly too.




Lieutenant Dean Andrews Cunningham
№64 Squadron RAF
Izles-Les-Hameux, Flanders
28th May, 1918.

14 confirmed, 1 pending

Another largely uneventful day. In the morning Hayden took us up to hit a gasbag down south, which was a rare occurance given how we for the most part only concern ourselves with things somewhere to our east. Weather was pretty bad, with rain and clouds everywhere, but that only served to our advantage. The Hun gunners barely got a shot off, and the balloon went up in flames and came crashing down to the ground. A mission well done overall. Despite the flight seeing it, there still seem to be some problems with HQ, and the claim is going to be under investigation for the time being... Wonder if there's been cases of overclaiming as of late, or if they have just gotten lazy over there and don't want to approve something with straightforward evidence.

In the afternoon we had another date with French reconnaissance airmen, who we also took down south on a very similar route, led by me in a flight of 6. The rain had gone and the sun finally showed itself, but the clouds persisted and we were constantly on edge for a chance that something might pop out of them. Thankfully that was for naught, as nothing did show itself and we returned home in peace. In other news, mechanics are at this point inspecting every single machine several times a day, given we don't have any spares and there's still no word on when we will get any, so we physically cannot afford to lose them to something insubstantial. Squadron really has seen better days.

Albert, SPAD is good at crash landings. It’s probably the only thing it’s good for after getting properly perforated by those pesky Dreideckers.
James is doing well. Killing Huns left and right. Smart move to avoid steep dives after that Pfalz. Congrats on the victories. Now we wait for confirmations.

NR, the good/bad thing continues to follow our pilots. A good and a bad day for Pyotr. Same for Dean, visitors came with gifts but shied away and forgot to leave their presents. Then an escort of the French machines, spelling trouble if going by experience, but in fact turned out to be a pleasant flight, albeit boring. And to top it off a new replacement sans the aeroplane. Just another productive day then, right?
I think the HQ just don’t believe Cunningham could shoot so many balloons down. There will be a full investigation.

28 May, 1918 08:10 morning mission
Hétomesnil, Marne Sector
Esc SPA 67, GC 12
Adjutant Pyotr Fyodor Smirnov MM
SPAD XIII
12 confirmed kills

The morning flight proved to be uneventful. It was a friendly front line sector patrol between Champien and Remaugies.

28 May, 1918 13:05 afternoon mission
Hétomesnil, Marne Sector
Esc SPA 67, GC 12
Adjutant Pyotr Fyodor Smirnov MM
SPAD XIII
12 confirmed kills

In the afternoon the escadrille was sent to patrol over friendly aerodrome at Ravenel. It looked like it would be another boring flight. Pyotr was woken up from his daydreaming by the explosions of the Anti-Aérienne going off above. He quickly looked around to see the rest of the flight react much faster than him. Then bullets started to zip by his plane. He flicked it to spoil his attacker’s aim. It was an Albatros with a blue tail. The two began their deadly dance with neither gaining the upper hand. In the end, one of the SPADs came to the rescue and distracted the Hun long enough for Pyotr to get on his tail and fire. The Albatros went into a dive to get away but Smirnov remained just behind. They were now getting close to the ground and Pyotr was sure the enemy plane will have to pull up soon. The Boche continued his dive. Pyotr realized it wasn’t a trick and the enemy plane was going to crash. He pulled out of his dive and observed the Albatros as it continued its descent. The German machine smashed into the ground soon after.

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Pyotr was now turning back towards the main fight and quickly noticed one of the enemy planes hiding just below a low hanging cloud. Another SPAD noticed him as well and the two French machines ganged up on the unfortunate Hun. It took multiple attempts to bring it down, but finally the enemy was vanquished and the remaining SPADs were allowed to continue with their mission.

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Carrick - Henri is mistaken if he thinks his move towards Paris is due to the war winding down, sounds like a wind up. He did well with those Albatros scouts, shame it wasn't confirmed.

NR - Another gasbag in the bag but then HQ dilly-dally with another claim. I don't see how you can over claim on balloons, either the balloon is down or it's not. Cunningham is certainly taking his new found responsibilities very seriously as far as his fellow pilots go. That's going to earn him much respect.

Fullofit - An excellent day for Pyotr although daydreaming is a sure way to get yourself deep fried. A fine job on those two enemy scouts. What that second one was doing is a mystery, flying so slowly. It's harder to shoot down a slow moving bird like that than one flying full pelt I think, especially in something as fast as the SPAD.

Albert, it takes only a moment of inattentiveness for the enemy to be upon you. Pyotr must do better if he hopes to stay alive much longer. Not sure about the second one. Perhaps already wounded/damaged in the initial attack?

29 May, 1918 08:45 morning mission
Hétomesnil, Marne Sector
Esc SPA 67, GC 12
Adjutant Pyotr Fyodor Smirnov MM
SPAD XIII
12 confirmed kills
Awaiting two claim confirmations

No word on the latest claims. All claims need to get verified and sorted out first. Pyotr will have to wait another day for the verdict.
HQ thought it wise to send SPA67 to attack Champien airfield. While approaching the target Pyotr noticed enemy planes circling the field. He abandoned his attack on the hangars and went after the planes. Smirnov singled out a red and blue Fokker D.VII. This one had a white skull on the side. Pyotr made it his mission to eliminate this death wagon. They tangled and after circling each other and trying to best one another, Pyotr was able to damage the Hun’s top port wing. He could see the wingtip flapping in the air with every change of direction. Suddenly the wing snapped off during a turn and the machine went straight down. Pyotr watched it go down between some trees close to the aerodrome.

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He looked around, but didn’t see any more enemy scouts nearby. He noticed instead a formation of two-seaters in a landing pattern approaching the airfield. Pyotr contemplated attacking the Hannovers, but thought better of it. They were flying too low to the ground to avoid the rear gunners. Instead, a red and blue Albatros attacked him. They battled for a while, but in the end the Hun lost and crashed close to the airfield. Smirnov looked around for the rest of his flight but everyone else seemed to have already been on their way back to base. Smirnov turned his mount around and headed home, bringing up the rear.

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29 May, 1918 13:30 afternoon mission
Hétomesnil, Marne Sector
Esc SPA 67, GC 12
Adjutant Pyotr Fyodor Smirnov MM
SPAD XIII
12 confirmed kills
Awaiting four claim confirmations

The afternoon show involved patrolling over friendly railyard at Ravenel. There was no enemy activity detected over the area and after the allotted patrol time expired, the entire flight returned home without an incident.

Henri N. du Fay
Spa 94,Sgt
Plessis-Belleville
Aerodrome

3 Victorys
1 Unconfirmed


May 29 1918.


Line Patrol to the far end of our sector. No Contact

Fullofit - Yeah maybe he was crocked, didn't look like it though. So an airfield strafe turns into a Hun fest for Pyotr. A brand new Fokker and a brand old Albatros crashed and burned, top job. He made the right choice to leave the Hannovers alone at that height, it only takes one bullet to hit his fuel line and Pyotr spends the rest of the war at the Kaiser's pleasure.

Carrick - A run of the mill jaunt for Henri, he's still waiting on that claim I see.


-------------

2nd Lieutenant James Hardy
95th Aero
Toul

2 confirmed kills (2 awaiting confirmation)

29th May 1918

Morning sortie

Major Peterson explained that 'B' flight would be heading towards the Toul railyard again to patrol around there.

The weather was good again, plenty of blue skies but still quite a few clouds to contend with.

James and the others were in the air around 8.00am and formed up and climbed to 13000 feet and headed out across Toul to the railyard. By the time they reached the railyard they'd climbed up to 15000 feet.

They patrolled around for 40 minutes but found nothing and headed home.

Everyone landed safely.


Afternoon sortie

James had finished his lunch and was heading over to the briefing room.

Suddenly the airfield alarm sounded. James ran towards his aircraft which was lined up on the airfield with the rest of 'B' flight.

"Start it up!" shouted to the ground crew.

A short while later James was airborne and climbing steeply. He could hear anti aircraft guns but had yet to see any aircraft.

Eventually as he rose he saw some black dots breaking through the clouds. If they were bombers they were already running for home. James kept after them a short while but then gave up as the enemy were already over the lines.

As he returned towards the airfield he saw a lone Hun scout scurrying home below him.

He swooped down and around onto the Albatros scout's tail.

He poured both barrels into him and tore chunks out of the enemy's wing.

Amazingly the Albatros stayed in the air and dived.

James went with him and the Albatros tried his hardest to stay away from the pursuing Nieuport.

Eventually though James got him in his sights again and blasted the Albatros. He clearly hit the pilot as the aircraft nosed down and went straight into the ground near the lines north west of Toul.

James looked around but saw no other aircraft so made his way home.

On landing, several other Nieuports were doing the same.

James learned later that three enemy aircraft had been claimed along with his.

Major Peterson spoke with James later on.

"At ease Lieutenant" said Peterson as James saluted.

"I have some news. One of your claims from yesterday, the Pfalz, has been confirmed. That's the good news. The bad news is that the two seater from yesterday and the Albatros from today have been rejected. No-one saw anything unfortunately. Still that's 3 confirmed kills now." said the Major.

James took it on the chin, "Fair enough sir. I'll just keep downing them" said James.

"That's what I like about you Lieutenant, you're very level headed, in the air and on the ground. It's that kind of temperament that's going to stand you in good stead" said Peterson.

"Thank you sir, what's the point getting uptight about it? I know I shot them down and they know I shot them down. The rest is out of my hands" explained James.

"Absolutely, stay alive and you're going to do very well indeed with that attitude. Come on, let's go get a drink" said Peterson.

Albert, looks like that N.28 agrees with your pilot. I have a feeling when the time comes, James will have a hard time letting it go and trading it for the flying brick.
So, more Huns fall to Hardy’s guns. Good going. It’s just too bad about the unconfirmed ones. I know he knows and the enemy knows, but do the ladies know? Because that’s where it counts.
As to Pyotr, he’s waiting for four now. Some pets will definitely suffer if none of them get confirmed.

It certainly does agree with James. He's loving the 28. The diving aside, it's quick and like all Nieuports, very maneuverable. It also packs a punch with those two guns near each other. He'd be happy to see the war out in that bird.

Fullofit - Guess that's just the reality of war, getting streaks of this and that! Sadly for Dean, it has turned for the worse, as you'll find...!
Very much possible with the doubtful HQ, though what do they know. They don't get to go out flying and do any fighting!
So, some cooperation on the 28th resulting in taking out two whole Albs, nevermind one being a little out of it and not really putting up much of a fight it seems! Here's hoping a confirmation comes, even if it takes a little while.
On the topic of being out of it, it seems like that was a bit of the same with that Fokker, and oh what a painted crate that one was. Shame it crashed over Hun lines, would've made for a nice piece of decor. Then came the Alb, which also got appropriately dispatched. Four kills needing confirmation now, hm? Well, HQ really oughta hurry up.

Carrick - Hopefully that claim gets verified!

Tross - Truly, it's quite bizarre, whatever it is that they might be thinking down there. The burden of command is certainly something that weighs on one, so it's only natural to treat it diligently, as is case with Dean. Even more so when you're not in a situation where it's acceptable or affordable to take losses or make mistakes!
An unventful flight, followed by fleeing bombers, but then a chance encounter with a lone Alb! Guess he really wanted to stay alive and uncaptured, trying to scurry off with a busted wing like that, but seems like that was the wrong move on his part. Too bad for him! Saddening to hear that the 2/3 claims got rejected, but I guess James has the right attitude when it comes to that. Besides, one confirmed isn't bad regardless. Better that than none.



Lieutenant Dean Andrews Cunningham
№64 Squadron RAF
Izles-Les-Hameux, Flanders
29th May, 1918.

16 confirmed

In the morning I heard that my yesterday's balloon got confirmed, for which I was happy. 15 kills now. Does show how far I've went up in this Squadron, I suppose, given I've now got ten more kills than our very own dear Captain, and more hours at that. Not that this came to me without any losses or struggle, which in itself is ironic to reflect on given my current situation... Early morning B flight was loaded up with bombs and I took them down on an airfield raid. The weather was once more good and we made good progress in the early morning sun. Despite my persistent hopes, we didn't find any Huns landing or taking off so we couldn't jump anyone and instead were stuck with dropping our bombs, none of which happened to hit and then I took the Squadron home without trying to strafe anything. We didn't have A flight with us, and given the lack of easily damaged targets like aircraft plus the clear weather, I didn't want to risk being jumped by a patrol flight while we shot up sheds for half an hour. Disappointing as it was, we still put a bunch of holes onto their field.

Foul weather came on in the middle of the day and led us into the evening, and no flights were expected to occur when suddenly alarms rung. At least two flights worth of Hun bombers were headed directly for our field. Talk about disproportionate retaliation for the few bombs we dropped down on them. I led B flight into the scramble, and as unpleasant as it was we took off into the clouds and rain. Visibility was reduced, and at first I didn't even see any Huns up in the sky, so I led the flight into a climb and higher above the clouds. Once we cleared the clouds, finally did I see our guests. Directly ahead of us was a flight of Rumpler aircraft, and far off to the distance seemed a fleeing flight of... something. Whatever it was, we didn't chase it, as there was no chance catching it and instead I decided to steer the flight towards the Rumplers. Soon contact was made, and we engaged in a climbing fight.

Letting my flight pick their targets, I settled on one of them myself and stuck in. For the large part of the flight, I kept having to nose up to a near stalling point to shoot at him, as he kept height over me and made climbing up rather difficult. Eventually I must've made enough damage as he slowed down and drifted lower, letting me catch up to him. I doubled my efforts, now popping up to his tail as I shot into him, the Hun gunner returning fire in response. The Hun was slowing down, though no real damage seemed to come through as he kept on flying without difficulty and was making for his lines. In my own anger and dedication towards bringing the Hun down, I forgot about my own safety, as seems to be common for myself when fighting those damned two seaters, and settled on his tail for too long.

I was firing a burst into him from his direct six when I was hit with a sharp pain, once and then again. Blood went splashing into my goggles. In my panic that came with this development, I squeezed the trigger as hard as I couldn't and didn't let go, blasting into the Hun almost out of instinct. Somehow this had the effect I desired, or would've desired anyway, as the Huns wing snapped off and he was sent into a spiral, gunner still trying to fire into me for a brief few moments. This was none of my priorities though, as I was instantly pushing my craft down, aiming to get towards the ground faster and faster, just as quick as I could. Blood was clouding my vision, and it was starting to cover my clothes. I found it hard to steer but I pushed on, lucky to still be right over our field. I cut my throttle and went into dive after dive, followed by a series of rapid turns in order to bleed off speed. I tried to make a final run over the field to land, and was almost succesful before I hit a bump. My crate shuddered and my face went flying into the lewis drum in front of me. Thump. Blackness.

I woke up, so I'm told, a day later. Besides catching several bullets, thankfully not piercing anything essential, the crash did a good enough job at worsening the situation and giving me a rather painful concussion. The good news, I'm told, is that this isn't fatal nor will this leave me bedridden or unable to fight. Besides that, none of my flight sustained any real injuries or anything worse, and on top of that the Rumpler was given to me even without me being able to file out a claim. I did shoot him down right over our field and in plain view of everyone, both on the ground and in the air. The bad news is that I'll be stuck in a field hospital for the next 20 days... Guess I better get used to it...

Henri N. du Fay
Spa 94,Sgt
Plessis-Belleville
Aerodrome

3 Victorys
1 Unconfirmed


May 30 1918.

Alarm ! Enemy a/c headed this way. Off with 12 a/c strung out all over running full bore up to 10000 ft towards the line. Nothing, The 2 sections turned around and landed.


1015 hrs departed for an A. F. attack Briefed from HQ that this important Target . Only Six a/c were used. I made two passes on the Target, but only saw Training machines Halb's no up to date a/c. Broke off when down to 100 rds of MG fire left. Filed a bad mission report.

NR - Oh dear that looks like a nasty wound, or wounds. Those Rumplers are a nightmare and they can take some punishment as well especially around the cockpit and engine. Then a crash landing as well, with him headbutting the lewis gun. I'm not surprised he was concussed. At least he got the Hun, and a confirmation too to go with his balloon victory. Cunningham is at least still with us, but he's going to need some convalescing.


2nd Lieutenant James Hardy
95th Aero
Toul

3 confirmed kills

30th May 1918

Morning sortie

Major Peterson confirmed that the morning sortie would be us escorting several Strutters to complete reconnaissance of the lines north of Toul. With the attack around Soissons going on, the French wanted to make sure nothing was being planned for this area too.

The weather had deteriorated, with low clouds and rain, together with pretty strong winds.

Despite this James and the rest of the 95th took off and climbed up. They then headed towards the rendezvous point.

As they neared, instead of James seeing a group of Strutters, he saw many black dots swarming around. As he got closer he saw the Strutters were under attack.

He nosed down and raced towards them to try and help. He saw one Strutter already spewing thick smoke and another was under attack by an Albatros a little below

James nosed down and went after him. He swooped onto the tail of the Albatros and fired. The Hun gave up his attack and rolled right. James read this and went with him. Another burst and James could see fuel leaking from the enemy aircraft. A final burst went into the cockpit and the pilot slumped forward onto his controls.

The Albatros nosed down and smashed into the ground.

James saw the remaining Albatros scouts running for home now. He formed up with the rest of 'B' flight and they flew around the remaining three Strutters as they formed up.

Together they headed to start their patrol which progressed for the next 20 minutes without incident.

Flying above the Strutters as they flew along the enemy lines, James glanced down and saw a dot heading towards some clouds.

He moved towards it and saw it was an aircraft. He went through the same cloud and then caught sight of it again on the other side.

He saw it was a Pfalz trying to make it home and oblivious to James now catching him up from behind.

James closed in and fired into the enemy. The Pfalz rose up and James hit him again, tearing his wing off. The enemy aircraft spun down into the ground, James was sure he didn't know what had hit him.

He formed up again and they finished their escorting mission and headed home. On landing James went to make his report.


Afternoon sortie

Captain Harold Buckley took the briefing for the afternoon sortie. Buckley was from Westfield, Massachusetts and was an experienced pilot. He explained that 'B' flight would be heading to Malzeville airfield on the other side of Toul to patrol around there.

The weather had improved dramatically. The strong winds had blown the low clouds away and softened their strength as well, leaving warm sunshine.

The flight took off and formed up before heading out across Toul, reaching 15000 feet as they reached Malzeville.

They patrolled around for about 15 minutes when James caught sight of several black specks swirling around above Toul.

He signalled and went to investigate with 'B' flight following. As he neared he saw a formation of Strutters under attack from a lot of enemy aircraft.

'De ja vu' thought James as he raced down to help.

He saw a pair of Albatros scouts climbing back up, presumably to choose more targets.

James targeted the lead Albatros and came in towards it. The Albatros just seemed to hang in the air in front of James and he poured both barrels into him.

The Albatros fell to the side then recovered somewhat. James swept around and onto his tail and blasted him again. The Albatros's engine virtually exploded, and James felt the heat of the fireball as he flew through it. The stricken Albatros flew straight into the ground.

James took stock and saw a Nieuport being attacked by an Albatros. He went to help and lined up a shot against the Albatros. He fired and the enemy scout rolled and dived away. James went with him but had to throttle back.

He was patient and waited for the Albatros to level out which he did. James then swept around and onto the enemy. He hit him hard with a good burst. The Albatros started smoking and James hit him again and tore the left wing to shreds.

The Albatros spun uncontrollably down and into the ground.

James couldn't see any more enemy aircraft and formed up with the remaining Nieuports. Together they headed home.

They landed safely and after filing his report and cleaning up James was called into Major Peterson's office.

He was wondering what this was about. He knocked and entered. He saw that Captain Buckley was there too. James saluted to both of them.

Major Peterson spoke "Relax Lieutenant Hardy. You've had quite a day it would appear".

"Have I sir?" said James.

"You certainly have Lieutenant. Captain Buckley here has been filling me in on this afternoon's fun and games and I saw you for myself this morning" explained Peterson.

"I'm happy to confirm all four of your claims today. That brings you upto 7 confirmed kills and more importantly, you saved several lives today" said Peterson.

"Yeah not least of which was mine. Thank you James" said Captain Buckley.

"You're welcome sir, I hope you'll do the same for me if it every comes to it" said James.

"Add to that the Strutters from this morning and those from this afternoon. It was one hell of a performance Lieutenant. One of the best I've seen in this long war." said Peterson.

"Thank you sir. I'm trying my best and I'm happy it's being of benefit" said James.

"Of benefit? Haha" Peterson laughed "That's one hell of an understatement. You're doing this unit and the USAS a huge service with your performance. Keep it going". said Peterson.

"I'll try my best sir" said James.

"I'm glad to hear it. You should know I've mentioned your performance today in my report to headquarters" finished Peterson.

"Thank you sir" said James.

"Now go and relax with the others Lieutenant, you deserve it" said the Major.

Albert, I would feel the same way. Unfortunately for Pyotr, this is the end of the line. There are no replacements for the SPAD.
Wow! Saved the poor Strutters on both occasions today. James has definitely made some new friends today. And what’s this? All get confirmed? How do you do it? If Pyotr can get one of four, he’s happy. Them Yank confirmation rules must be lax, I expect. Congrats on that string of victories.

NR, oh no! That one last burst to finish off the enemy. It’ll always get you. Now Dean will have nearly a month to ponder over his actions. Hope that hospital bed is comfortable. Still, better than that uncomfortable coffin.
Good call on that morning’s airfield attack with limiting yourselves to just a bombing run. There is always some comfort of knowing the A flight is watching over you. Not the case this time.
As to those Albs and the Fokker, it seems like the par for the course for Pyotr. All this work and little recognition for it.
Definitely the paint job on that Fokker was interesting, but too morbid for Pyotr’s tastes to keep around. Something tells me it is probably not the last we’ve seen of that Hun.

30 May, 1918 09:50 morning mission
Hétomesnil, Marne Sector
Esc SPA 67, GC 12
Adjutant Pyotr Fyodor Smirnov MM
SPAD XIII
14 confirmed kills

Only two claims could be confirmed. Both blue-tailed Albatroses from two days ago went to Pyotr, but neither of the red and blue machines from yesterday. The usual song: over enemy lines, no witnesses.
The flight was getting ready for the morning mission when the air raid klaxon changed everything. The escadrille was up and in the air at a moment’s notice and searching for the marauders. Smirnov noticed them and began his pursuit. They chased the bloody bombers all the way to Amiens, where everyone split up and proceeded to eliminate their individual targets. Pyotr’s bomber was the last one still on course due north. He finally caught up with his target and approached cautiously. He knew right away he had a sly fox piloting this two-seater. As soon as Pyotr would approach, he would dip one wing or the other and make an opening for his rear gunner to fire a few shots. They worked well together, but Smirnov could not let them go. He came closer and closer, and when he thought he was close enough, he would climb blindly and hope to find the enemy in front of his guns. The fat wing obscured his view and made the attack very difficult. After another attempt he finally found what he was looking for. The two seater was in the centre of his gunsights. He opened fire and could see the bullets hit the wings and the fuselage. He had him! The bomber wobbled and then entered the death spiral. Pyotr watched for a while and then turned back home. He had a claim to fill out.

YouTube Link



30 May, 1918 14:05 afternoon mission
Hétomesnil, Marne Sector
Esc SPA 67, GC 12
Adjutant Pyotr Fyodor Smirnov MM
SPAD XIII
14 confirmed kills
Awaiting one claim confirmation

Their second outing of the day consisted of patrolling enemy front lines between Champien and Roye. It was the B flight only show, so no backup from above. Pyotr was apprehensive about this sort of tactics. All they needed was a Jasta full of Dreideckers to spoil their day. Once near Champien, le Capitaine began to circle a spot over No Man’s Land. Pyotr couldn’t see what this was all about. Then suddenly shots rang out. Smirnov looked again to see where everyone was aiming at and finally saw a Schwarm of Albatroses, or at least part of it. He picked one as his target and stuck with him. It felt like his plane was filled with heavy boulders. The Albatros seemed to effortlessly climb above him, while his crate barely could keep up in the air. Finally Pyotr had some help from another SPAD to keep the German plane in check and Smirnov could finally get on his tail. He continued to pour round after round into the Albatros and finally the Boche bird went into an uncontrolled spin, tumbling down all the way to the ground. He then looked around to find more Huns chasing after a solitary SPAD. He quickly came to the rescue and after pummelling the enemy plane for a while, it also went down after getting its top starboard wing blown off. Pyotr could almost see the surprise on the enemy’s face as he was falling with the wing floating in the air beside him. It was all over after that and the escadrille returned back to base. Pyotr had a claim to fill out.

YouTube Link

Ah some good stories to go with my Coffee.

Henri du Fay

24 hr pass..

Wandered over to the Military Service Center ( the French version of the later day USO } to check out the Talent.

https://giphy.com/gifs/can-julet-prowse-LNWQAPgagj9o02QSg1/fullscreen

NR, if I'm going down, I'll bring you to hell with me! Right, eh?

Sorry, been overwhelmed IRL in the last days but I'll catch up everything this evening hopefully!