Whilst he was out injured Lt Luke Wright-Rownde had had the good fortune to share his hospital billet for some time with another flyer, a young American named Ray "Buck" Buchannon. The man was good company. They maintained their morale by telling each other stories of home, their experiences if France, both in and out of the cockpit, by pooling their resources to purchase some of the finer things & sharing what the chaps from their squadrons brought them on their frequent visits.
One of the most fortunate things for Luke though was to make the acquaintance of Bucks flight leader and now C.O - Lieutenant, now Captain, Eddie Rickenbacker. He was quite a character and had been giving the Hun a very hard time of it by all accounts. They had gotten on famously on the occasions they had met and it was that acquaintance that led to Luke being asked by Eddie to accompany him on a patrol when he returned to duty.
Luke had all but forgotten about it until a telephone call from Buck a few weeks after his return to duty to advise him that Eddie had cleared it with his C.O and was on the way over !
Lukes SE was down for maintenance so he borrowed Flashes personal Spad XIII for the occasion on the promise he wouldn't bend it & any new damage would be repaired.
Eddie arrived in due course, telling Luke how he'd already bagged a pair of balloons that day whilst the ground crews refuelled and rearmed his Spad, and then they were off.
They were on the return leg of their patrol nearing their lines when they spotted an enemy formation cruising just above the scattered clouds
They were three Fokker D.VII - the Huns deadliest types. Eddie signalled Luke to drop back; using their superior speed the Spads quickly gained on their quarry and they stalked them from behind the clouds.
Eddie pounced, checking his speed before curving in on the right hand D.VII - his guns stuttered briefly and the Fokker bloomed fire - Luke gaining rapidly felt privileged to see this great pilot in action
The Fokkers reaction was lightning fast, all of them turned sharply to confront the previously unseen threat. Eddie, side slipping, could not get on target but the White Fokker dropped his nose and peppered Eddies tail.
As Eddie slips through their formation the turning D.VII are confronted by the rapidly approaching Luke - who quickly realises why Eddie signalled him to drop back ! A blue Fokker fills his gunsight and he lets rip but takes more than he gives - his motor belching smoke.
Luke Immels and pitches up next to Eddie as he swings back into the fight - Eddie waves a cheery salutation
They tear through the Fokkers side by side guns blazing - Eddie gets caught by the White Fokker but Luke exacts a little revenge for his American comrade
The boys arc back round for another go - Luke wishing he had his trusty SE with its extra agility - Eddie gets hit by the now briefly smoking Fokker as it covers its leader
Luke trades shots with the white Fokker as it turns sharply away from Eddie - " Flash isn't going to like this " muttered Luke as the rounds caromed past him.
As he passes behind their leader Luke latches onto the blue Fokker and he sees his rounds tatter the enemy's tail.
The turning battle continues - Eddie peppers the blue Fokker too but to little affect!
Suddenly he is between them and both the allied pilots pour their fire into him - Luke is sure he saw the pilot straighten up as if hit and heard the engine note change as he passed
Glancing back he sees the American ace administer the coup de grace - the Fokker pilot slumping forward and his shattered machine plummeting downwards
Luke takes this moment to run out for an immelman and tries to catch out the white Fokker whilst Eddies does the same too catch the surviving blue one
The white Fokker pilot is no slouch and turns to meet Luke guns spitting hot lead
Eddie uses his aerobatic skill to turn in on the other Fokker but again with little affect - this chap seems to have a charmed life
The allies swap partners passing each other as they do so they wave again
Luke catches the blue Fokker and rakes him stem to stern
Meanwhile Eddie clips the White Fokker as it immels back into the fray
Then closing in, using his marksmanship skills, he hammers it to destruction
As the stricken White Fokker falls Eddie chops his speed to cut back behind him and then the other Fokker is on him - his twin spandaus blazing - rounds shattering the cockpit around him - the stick snatched from his hand his beloved Spad gyrates out of control towards the lines
As the victorious Fokker curves round Luke is on him - rounds pumping through the fokkers fabric - clearly causing some crucial damage as the tattered Fokker noses down and darts between the clouds away from the battle area.
Flying back to look for Eddie Luke spies his relatively intact Spad has pancaked in a field beside an artillery battery - waggling his wings he heads for home to organise collecting his brave comrade
Butchers Tally:
Lt Luke Wright-Rownde / RTB / 0 Kills
Eddie Rickenbacker / SD / 2 kills
(Missing a kill marker)
Obltn Anton Holbach / SD/ WIA / 0 Kills
(+1 on the last 3 & 4)
Rolled 5 -1SD -1 WIA = 3 Severely Injured - Skip 1D6 Scenarios. Rolled 3 Skip 3.
Ltn Martin Ziegel / RTB / 1 kill (Rickenbacker)
Ltn Bruno Stachel / SD / 2 WIA / 0 kills
Rolled 2 -1 SD- 2 WIA = -1 KIA
Mistakes - I made a few but they didn't have any bearing on the outcome - Stachels dead, Holbach is out to the end, Ziegel really has a charmed life & Eddie survived - and yes that was a blind pull from the critical hit deck !
A ripping yarn from Skafloc - thanks Neil.
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