Horst felt embarrassed and very angry. Getting fished out of the water by a British gunboat wasn’t something he ever thought would happen to him, but it just had. Even more upsetting was that he alone was rescued. Willie was no where to be seen among what was the floating remains of the Rumpler.
“Dammit Willie,” Horst cursed to himself. Rudolf Wilhelm Koch was Rudi Koch’s cousin. As soon as they heard Willie was joining the unit Rudi went missing. The cousins never got to meet in the mess. Another dark day ahead for the Koch family.
At least some of the others were going home. Horst noticed the Friedrichschafen float planes on the horizon picking up his fellow bomber crewmen.
The British Navy boys at least were civil, wrapping him in a warm blanket and giving him a hot coffee with a little extra in it. They were very jolly when they fished out a RFC pilot. Lots of ribbing between them. The pilot said he didn’t ask to be saved by the Navy, he was just having a fine swim. The mood became darkly serious when they recovered the body of another RFC pilot. Several of the Navy boys gave Horst a look that reset the situation. The look that reminded Horst that he was their sworn enemy.
When things quieted down and the pilot had the Navy boys full attention, telling them of the details of the fight above, when no one was looking Horst stealthily slipped over the side with a life ring.
Franz Kohler was leading Neumann and Deitz. He could see activity in the air ahead and knew that meant a battle was coming. As they got closer Franz wagged his wings letting Neumann know the submarine was in sight.
Agustus Owen, flight leader, signaled to Noel Lewis, the Hun was approaching as expected...
Franz positions himself between the British and his bomber. He exchanges long range fire with a triplane. As a couple of bullets zip by he notices his controls stiffen.
The triplane peels off as Agustus realizes too many planes were heading for the same spot in the sky. Franz and Frank Barlow meet eye to eye and tear into each other at point blank range. Arnold takes a long shot hoping to help Franz, but the lost moment of concentration and lining up on his target puts him a little more to the right than he wanted.
Next on the scene were Teddy Schwarz, Rudolf Wilhelm (Willie) Koch and Horst Zimmermann. Ahead of them was a hornets nest of activity, airplanes battling in the sky and ships and the submarine down below.
As Barlow went sipping past, Noel Lewis closed in and laid into the Rumpler, forcing it more off its target line.
Arnold tried to realign his target but it was too much. He was hit by a gunboat and Noel Lewis, with his engine spurting out a large flame, the submarine left his thoughts.
Deitrich got off a quick burst at the Strutter but immediately the Parabellum went silent.
Barlow got a shot at the next Rumpler and Willie spat and choked on the smoke now pouring from his engine.
The ever hungry fire ate away at the fabric of the Rumpler.
Teddy was pissed that he didn’t see the SPAD attacking Willie and turned aggressively after it. With smoke hindering his sight Willie didn’t notice Teddy coming in and they nearly collided.
As Teddy flew inches above, Willie felt a burning in his left leg. Through the smoke he spotted a Strutter but his Spandau did not fire.
Horst, even with the smoke didn’t lose sight of the SPAD and scored a hit.
While trying to avoid the action above Franz was attacked from below.
After clearing his jam, Franz performs a perfect Immelmann and catches a triplane and sends 100 rounds into it’s forward area. Hitting the oil and gas lines with the steady stream of bullets lead to a catastrophic explosion and Agustus fell from the sky like a brick. Lucky for him he was over water and the Royal Navy was on hand.
The gunboat had Franz in its sights and blasted him good. Franz didn’t get to enjoy watching his kill fall from the sky as he immediately felt a hammer blow from behind.
The pain doubled him over. He knew he had to get out of the fight and get back quickly or the fish would be having him for dinner.
Teddy’s Albatros rocked as a shell burst close to his right knocking him off the SPAD.
As Arnold passed by the submarine the other gunboat put a shell right next to him. How his Rumpler flew on he could not believe.
Just arriving, Lewis Smith pulled the trigger so hard he almost broke his finger. Pulling it any harder would not help as the Vickers went quiet and he watched the bombs head down towards the submarine...
Willie kept his eye on the target and just like in training, dropped his bomb load while on a straight and steady course.
That Rumpler above, flying nice and straight made an easy target for the gunboat.
The Rumpler never got to see if the bombs hit as it was torn apart.
Another Rumpler was making a run on the sub but Frank turned in on it’s wing and shot into it.
Franz couldn’t believe his eyes as he watched Willie and Horst’s Rumpler disintegrate.
The gunboat kept peppering him but he was almost beyond it’s range.
Even with all the twisting and turning Arnold could not knock down the fire.
The bombs hit the submarine dead on inflicting some serious damage. Willie and Horst hit the water beyond the submarine, never seeing the result of their effort.
Barlow, in his haste to take on the third Rumpler, misjudged his speed and flew right into it! The last thing he saw as he dove was hitting the Rumpler’s undercarriage. His prop snapped, hitting him and knocking him unconscious. As he fell forward pushing the throttle, the imbalanced engine revved out of control and tore the front of the plane apart before hitting the sea.
Teddy and Franz catch a 2 seater but do little damage. Teddy feels a twinge in his backside, then he notices the mg fire coming from the gunboat below.
Last to arrive to the fight, Tuffy in a triplane can’t help but spot a burning Rumpler. His aim was off but Arnold found the triplane and put a few new holes into it.
Distracted by the gunboat Teddy took his eyes off the 2 seater. Instinct saved him as he dove under it right above the gunboat. It didn’t shoot fearing of hitting the RFC plane.
Richard Rice-Owen hadn’t much to shoot at after clearing a jam and cursed at a missed opportunity.
Preoccupied by the pain, Franz didn’t notice the bullets whizzing past. Only thoughts of making it back kept him going.
Deitrich heard the triplane but could not find it through the smoke.
Amadaeus’s Rumpler was bracketed with shells from the Royal Navy but amazingly was not hit. Ignoring the black puffs around him he lined up the submarine...
Not seeing the Strutter through the smoke and flames, Arnold flew right into Richard’s sights. One quick burst was all it took to finish off the burning wreck.
So intent on his target Amadaeus ignored the triplane to his left and the gunboat to his right. Tuffy’s unhindered fire made the Rumpler shudder with the damage it took, but it flew on directly to the sub.
Arnold released his bomb load and turned at the last second to avoid the incoming triplane.
Holding his trigger until he almost hit them, Tuffy turned off at the last possible instant.
Ludwig cracks off a shot and sets the triplane on fire. Amadaeus screams as he watches the bombs bounce off the conning tower and harmlessly splash into the water!
The gunboat, now that the triplane is away has a clear shot and smashes the Rumpler’s engine.
Ludwig exchanges fire with the gunship but loses the battle. The Rumpler can take no more and plunges into the sea.
Teddy passes under a cloud and surprises the other gunboat but nothing comes of it.
While over the gunboat Teddy looks back and sees none of the bombers in the sky, Franz flying off and no sign of Beck.
As Teddy leaves the gunboat takes one last parting shot at him.
Tuffy left the action to spin and turn to get the fire out, in which he was successful.
Franz and Teddy spent the time returning to base worried for their fallen friends thinking all 3 bombers and Beck had been shot down.
Arnold, Deitrich, Amadaeus and Ludwig spent anxious hours in the water holding on to the floating remains of their planes. Joy came when they saw that the Friederichshafen float planes had spotted the wreckage and them. Even thought the water was not cold it still felt good climbing out of it and onto the float plane.
Beck meanwhile spent his time cursing his new Albatros DV. He had believed all the talk about it’s vast improvements over the DIII but now wished he had not traded for the DV. His controls kept seizing up and then he had engine trouble and had to turn back never having fired a shot. He felt angry that he could not assist his flight in the battle he lead them to.
Horst, keeping as low in the water as possible, watched as the gunboat vanished over the horizon. By then the German float planes had left the area. Being woozy from the crash he couldn’t remember seeing any rescue planes near where his plane went down.
He slowly made his way southeast thinking that was the direction of his crash. If anything, it would bring him closer to Helgoland, closer to Germany.
Horst came to in a hospital in Bremerhaven. He was one lucky boy to be in Germany again. As luck would have it a fast torpedo boat was sent out to look for him and Willie
when the float planes came back without them. By pure luck they found him and his British life ring bobbing a mile from the scene where the 3 bombers met their end.
Willie was never found.
Butcher’s Bill
Lt Lewis Smith RTB 0 kills
Lt Ernest Page RTB 0 kills
Lt Noel Lewis RTB 0 kills
Lt Richard Rice-Owen RTB 1 kill
2Lt William Tuffield RTB 0 kill
Lt Agustus Owen SD EXP At Sea 0 kills
9 - 3 - 1 = 5, Injured 5 = -3 Missions
10 - 1 - 1 = 8, Splash down, ready for rescue - 1 mission, Total miss 3 missions
2Lt Frank Barlow SD EXP At Sea 0 kills
5 - 3 - 1 = 1 = KIA
Lt Hermann Beck RTB 0 kills
Lt Theodore Schwarz RTB 0 kills
Lt Franz Kohler RTB WIA 1 kill
5 + 3 - 1 = 7 = Injured, - 1 Mission
Rudolf Wilhelm Koch SD EXP WIA At Sea 0 kills
5 -3 -1 -1 = 0, KIA
Horst Zimmermann EXP AtSea 0 kills
7 - 3 - 1 = 3 = severely injured, 5 = - 5 missions
6 - 1 -1 (wic) = 4 = captured but escapes, 6 = -3 missions, Total -8 Missions
Arnold Neumann SD FLM AtSea 0 kills
11 - 2 - 1 = 8, - 1 mission
8 - 1 - 1 - 1 (wic) = 5, in the water, 2 = -1 mission, Total -2 Missions
Deitrich Deitz SD FLM AtSea 0 kills
6 - 2 - 1 = 3, not so severely injured, 1 = -1 mission
10 -1 - 1 - 1 (wic) = 7, splashed, -1 mission. Total -2 Missions
Lt Amadaeus Schubert SD AtSea 1 kill
9 -1 -1 = 7, bruised -1 mission
7 - 1 - 1 (wic) =5, Splash down ready for rescue, 2 = -1 mission, Total - 2 Missions
Ludwig Immelkopf SD AtSea 0 kills
8 - 1 - 1 = 6, Injured 5 = -3 missions
9 -1 -1 (wic) = 7, splashed down waiting for rescue -1 mission, Total - 4 Missions
The mission was a costly failure. The gunboats were untouched and escorted the badly damaged (22 hits) submarine back to Britain.
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