or just help yourself.
By December 1917 the Italians were well dug in along the line of the river Piave. Bolstered by three British Brigades and also French reinforcements plus three Squadrons of Allied aircraft they were secure from any further incursions by the Austro German forces massing on the front.
Morale was recovering in the mud and muck of late December, and it was decided to improve this even more by providing gift parcels similar to the ones being distributed to the troops on the Western front.
To this end an airlift of gifts was ordered up for the 24th of December.
No effort was to be spared in getting the gifts even to the most inaccessible troops.
The "Cane Corso" part in this comprised two Caproni Bombers to convey the good to the drop zones supported by two Scouts as top cover.
Consequently on the afternoon of the 24th A Caproni from Italian Central Command accompanied by two "Biffs" flown by Brownlow and Dawkins, plus Rizzotto and De Manio in the other lifted off and headed for the Front.
Quite unbeknown to them on the other side of the cloud banks were a trio of Austrian Phoenixes, led by Hautzmayer in his DIII.
No sooner were the Allied aircraft clear of the cloud than they spotted the enemy and broke formation to cover any attack upon the Caproni as it homed in on the first drop zone.
Within a minute or two, both "Biffs" were in action against the Austrians, trading lead.
Brownlow cursed as his guns failed to open up. The cold had frozen his mechanism.
Fortunately, there was nothing wrong with Dawkins Lewis, and as Hautsmayer passed, one squirt was enough to shatter his control column and bring him down in a crash landing, just inside the Italian lines.
Rizzotto was not so lucky, and in a mostly ineffective exchange, he was hit in the rudder cable. His banking turn just saving him from collision with the advancing enemy Phoenixes.
Flushed with success Dawkins now had a pot at the red banded Phoenix of Karl Urban, and cursed as his gun also jammed.
Nor did the tail gunner of the Caproni have much more luck. His attempt at Urban also turning into a jam after a very few rounds.
When De Manio, At point blank range opened up at Kurt Gruber, and missed totally, it looked as if the Entente pilots were in for a very bad day at the office after all.
Unperturbed by all the action going on around it, the crew of the Caproni prepared to jettison the first batch of parcels.
Down they went, with about a quarter actually landing in the trench lines, as the somewhat capricious wind carried most off toward No man's land.
As the Caproni banked away for its next target, the Scouts, began to turn back for another attempt to conclude the Dogfight which had fragmented all over the sky.
The first aircraft to get back into action was Friedrich Lang in his aircraft marked distinctively in the Austrian colours on wing and tail.
In spite of being sandwiched between both Bristols, his twin Schwarzlose were more than a match for the single Vickers of the "Biffs."
However, as the aircraft passed, the twin Lewis of Dawkins did land some telling shots.
Again Rizzotto came in too late to score as Lang nipped into a cloud.
Both Biffs being below the cloud base spotted him as he emerged but could not produce any effectual damage at such long range.
A few seconds later and a snap shot from Rizzotto was lucky enough to sever a lead in the engine of Urban, causing a severe loss of power.
Unencumbered by any unwanted attention and, emerging from the clouds, the Caproni crew were just in time to release the second bunch of parachutes, before overflying their target.
Despite the rush, this was a much better aim than the first, fully three quarters of the parcels falling into the trenches.
Now it was just a matter of clearing the way for the Caproni's return journey and reception of the second delivery aircraft.
To this end, Brownlow opened up a further attack on Lang.
It was not long before all the aircraft were once again heavily engaged.
The results were varied.
In a head to head with Urban, Rizzotto had his controls crippled, and had to resort to controlling the Bristol with his knees.
Meanwhile, the forward gunner of the Caproni succeeded in setting Lang's machine ablaze.
At the same moment the second Caproni arrived on the scene, hit Kurt Gruber's Phoenix and promptly jammed the forward gun.
As they passed De Manio also imparted some grief to Urban.
In a very close encounter Brownlow was lucky to miss contact with a Caproni and avoid the incoming fire of two enemy scouts.
The second Caproni rear gunner now succeeded in setting fire to Gruber.
It then, having recovered its front guns dealt out crippling damage to Lang, which added to his fire took him down.
Things were now turning in favour of the Allies, and despite the arrival of another aircraft in the form of a Ufag C1 on the tail of the retreating Caproni the impetus was with them for the moment.
Return fire from the Caproni set this new adversary afire, as the Caproni prepared to offload its cargo.
To add insult to injury the Ufag's guns now jammed. The first malfunction by an Austrian in the fight so far.
Gruber's fire also burnt on.
The Caproni's presents landed fifty percent on target to the elation of the troops below.
With further shots being traded all round, it was at that moment that Dawkins slumped down, creased arcos the forehead by a stray bullet from the pursuing Ufag as it gyrated all over the sky in an endeavour to keep the flames from consuming it.
The fire on Gruber's Pheonix seemed to be under some control.
Would he yet rise from the ashes.
Nevertheless the Ufag still got some extra attention from both Capronis.
A swift turn by Rizzotto, brought Urban under his guns, and with unerring accuracy his machines prop was ripped apart.
Urban never had time to register the pain as he was struck by a hail of lead, before his battered Phoenix was skidding along the ground behind the Italian lines.
The pilot of the Burning Ufag still could not get away from his tormentors. Every turn he made brought him under the guns of an enemy machine until he also took a wound.
Even playing his perfect aim ability did not bring him a victim.
The Caproni behind dropped the final group of presents and made for home.
Gruber, still on fire and with a faltering engine decided to run for home whilst everyone else was otherwise distracted.
The Ufag pilot was trying to extricate himself from a very nasty situation which was building.
This he managed with consummate skill even managing to slip beneath the trailing Caproni whilst its forward gun was jammed yet again.
Running for home, he was forced to crash land in the Austrian forward trenches before the fire totally consumed him.
As for Gruber, for all of his being on fire with a badly damaged engine, he somehow managed to limp back to his own Drome and land his machine. His Pheonix had at least indeed risen from the ashes after all.
By that time as darkness fell, the members of "Cane Corso" were all home and regailing their fellow pilots about the evenings happenings.
Christmas eve, and the skies over the trenches for once were silent of the cacophony of war. The guns ceased, and the aircraft withdrew.
Although several of the sentries in the forward trench lines claimed that towards midnight an aircraft passed between the fleeting clouds and the moon, its engine emitting a low tinkling noise.
And a Merry Christmas to all!
Ho! ho! ho!
Kyte.
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