I was approaching a cloud bank moving in from the north when an Eindecker emerged. The pilot didn’t appear to be aware of my approach flying in a path which more or less ran perpendicular to mine.
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As I closed he went into evasive action and flew back towards the cloud bank; escape seemingly his plan.
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I gave chase, but it seemed I was going to lose him.
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But it proved to be a ploy as he turned back around.
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As he re-emerged from the clouds I closed raking his aircraft from bow to stern.
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He again went into evasive action and managed to shake me.
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He again flew towards his lines; I was barely within range and hoped to finish him.
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Soon his aircraft was smoking, but with my port gun empty my starboard gun took the inopportune moment to jam.
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Frantically, I went to work reloading my port Lewis while trying to keep the Hun in sight.
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The smoke pouring from his machine seemed to confuse the Hun pilot and at that moment I had the realization that this was a rookie pilot I was engaged with. I felt a small moment of remorse as I pulled the trigger on my Lewis machine gun. Flames erupted spectacularly from the Hun aeroplane.
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He went down close to No Man’s Land on our side of the line.
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