(Apologies this one is out of sinc...thought I'd done it)
Lt George Johnston, the most experienced pilot in D Fligh,t was leading Captain William Bottomley and Lt Robert Maitland on a patrol to strafe the Hun forward trenches.
They spotted the approach of 3 Albatros DII’s but weren’t surprised.
It took the Eagle patrol a moment to realise they were after straffing the trench line. Waggling his wings for the other 2 to follow Hauptmann Fetlemeir pushed the stick down.
Patrolling on his own, Captain O‘Hare hit trouble but evaded using his skill as an accomplished ace. ‘Anything you can do I can do better...yes I can’ Takka takka takka.
Plaffgs Albatros received O’Hares accurate return fire.
Meanwhile Albatros and Camel were tangled in a low level combat above the trenches.
George Johnson, diving in to attack came under fire from to locations.
Bullets were flying thick and fast
Bottomley, following Johnson in, received more ground fire.
Johnson felt a stinging slap to his right shoulder as fire from an enemy trench blasted into the cockpit.
With mg’s firing up from the trenches and Albatos maxim bullets threading through the air it was a dangerous place to be flying a camel at low level.
Trench after trench fell silent as guns no longer aimed towards the sky. The Camel and Albatros pilots squared off
At times it was confusing
The pendulum swung both ways
And then the protagonists were heading for their respective homes.
The Butchers Bill:
Lt Robert Maitland: RTB/13 dam
Captain Denis Bottomley: RTB/12 dam
Lt George Johnson: RTB/9 dam/WIA
rolled:8+3(RTB)-1(WIA) = 10, a mere scratch, alls well when you land well
Captain George O’Hare: RTB/2 dam (used his Lucky Git I+II skills to get rid of 7 dam+smoke)
Hauptman Sidweg Fettlemeir: RTB/4 dam
Lt Rikard Wagner: RTB/3 dam
Lt Karl Plaffg: RTB/4 dam
Trench line: 2 destroyed/1 x4 dam/2 ok
Summary
1. Great mission to fly.
2. Most of my pics were cropped very short by my phone camera so there were a lot I couldn't use like these 2!
spot the aircraft!
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