It's 19th July 1915 and Avlensleben and I have recovered from injuries and sat out a couple of days of unseasonable weather. I've used the interval to apply for a transfer to Feldflieger Abteilung 62 down at Douai, where the enthusiastic Boelcke brothers are already making a name for themselves. In the meantime, it's back to porridge, as the Tommies say. At least this time, the trip is artillery observation, not another uselessly dangerous bombing trip. We're not provided with radios, so I opt to take a notebook.



Looking at us as I run up the engine, you wouldn't think we'd narrowly survived being shot down by Bristol Scouts, last time we were up.



Off we go! The weather is cloudy, but much better than the last few days, when all flying was scrubbed.



Ghistelles is soon falling away astern...



...but not for long, as we're soon overflying it again as we orbit to gain height before setting course for the Lines.



Round and round we go...



...then I steer for the shelled area, still climbing ponderously. Up ahead and to our right is our friend in the nearby observation balloon.



We can also see the Channel coast on the same side. There's as yet no 'bucket and spade' option for injured aircrew to take a seaside virtual break built into WoFF, such things being left to the player's imagination.



Still, being this close to both the Channel and the Front is something I'll miss, when my transfer to Douai comes through...if it comes through...



...to be continued!

Like the first person views. Thanks.

We climb slowly towards our briefed height of 1300 metres.



We're soon in the lower reaches of the clouds. The target area should be more or less directly ahead now.



Another few minutes and we're there. for the want of anything better to do, I begin to orbit. How my observer will register the guns without a radio is observer work, and I'm just his chauffeur. In case we get bored, the Tommies start shooting at us. Already, some of bursts are quite close and particularly noisy.



Our own gunners' rounds start falling onto the enemy positions below, so Alvensleben must have everything under control.



We expect the job to take about twenty minutes, so there's nothing much more for me to do now than stick out the flak while remaining in the target area. And of course keep an eye out for enemy aircraft - especially the Bristols who got us last time. I'm in no hurry to renew our acquaintance with those particular gentlemen!



...to be continued!

It really is a mess down there. And we're helping to add to it. That's war, I suppose, and we should be glad that - unlike the last century - it's being fought on enemy territory, rather than Germany's.



Flak is still bursting all around...



...some of it rather close for comfort.



I turn gently to stay in the target area, hoping it will upset the enemy's aim just a little.



Down below, I can see that the shoot we're directing is still in progress...



...but the Tommies have also found and kept our range.



Sometimes the enemy fire slackens off briefly. Perhaps we're out of range of the battery, or hidden by cloud.



Alvensleben seems to have switched targets. Now, our rounds are falling onto the enemy's rear area.



Round we go again, as I try to keep the target area in Alvensleben's view and put off the Tommies' aim. The Flak is beginning to get on my nerves and I'm watching the clock, counting down the minutes till we can go home.



...to be continued!

Round we go again, narrowly missed by flak.



Even my trusty observer is looking about anxiously.



The flak picks up in ferocity. It's is mostly bursting high and left...



...but we're hit by fragments so often that I look around at the clattering, expecting to see us under attack by an armed enemy aircraft. But there's just us, up here. I increase the frequency of my gentle turns, and this seems to help. Or maybe the clouds are in the Tommies' way.



Then the flak is bursting close by us once more...



...and so the game goes on...



...and on. It would be beautiful up here, were it not for the fact that death or injury is an ever-present prospect.



One we can hear and see. It's not long before another respite is over and the flak is after us again.



In the front cockpit, Alvensleben seems to be maintaining his composure rather better than I am. Surely it's time to get out of here and go home?



...to be continued!

Not wanting to be surprised by enemy aircraft while concentrating on the flying, I do my best to keep a good look-out.



But the skies are clear of other aircraft.



Round we go again, as our artillery shells another target, amidst the mud and dirt.



Another few long minutes drag by and our time is up at last.



I bank around for our side of the Lines, hardly believing that despite the many noisy impacts, we and our Aviatik appear unscathed.



The flak isn't done with us yet, though.



I put the nose down for the last stretch over to friendly territory.



Up ahead, our local observation balloon comes into sight again, and just beyond that, our airfield. Nearly home!



I reduce the throttle and let the aircraft sink slowly.



We coast gently past our friends in the balloon's little basket. It looks like a precarious enough perch, but still, I'll bet they prefer their job to ours!



I steer to the right of Ghistelles...



...and having descended below 300 metres, turn in for my approach. Home sweet home!



The debriefing records that I failed to take any notes for battery ranging! I've heard of dropping bagged messages with visual reconnaisance reports at friendly HQs, but how taking notes was supposed to range artillery fire, I'm not clear. By the time I discovered I had no radio transmitter available, it was a bit late to make enquiries as to how to proceed otherwise.



However, this time, I'll happily settle for getting us home in one piece and an interesting, engaging and at times scary flight, which certainly invoked the feeling of flying the aeroplanes which actually did the work.

Fantastic shots and report Lima.

Yep, beautiful pics and an engaging report Ivor. Nice AAR.

S!Blade<><