Captain Trowbridge went and stood in his office door when he heard the sound of aero engines approaching the air field. The light was fading fast. He watched the ungainly looking Vickers FB5 Gunbus' sideslip as they crossed the perimeter hedge before touching down on the grassy strip then taxi towards the maintenance hangars. As they came to a stop the ground crew swarmed around them like ants tending their queen.
He turned his head and looked expectantly to the east - quartering the sky for any sign of the BE2c that had left with them on the long reconnaissance mission over the Hun rail yards & the rail bridge beyond at Thionville.
Finding no sign of it he glanced back toward the Gunbus' - the disconsolate look of the crew as they shuffled toward the flight office told him all he needed to know.
"Les and Pat got the photographs alright" said Ben Downe "We got in over the rail yards before they really knew we were there"
"The bridge too" said Claude Back
"They were half asleep" Chimed in Don Keye
"Those two Fokkers weren't asleep though" replied Downe
"The boys did well to fend them off" said Back
"So what happened ?" asked Trowbridge
"We kept formation and pressed for home sir" replied Back
"Thats when the other Fokkers turned up" said Keye
"They were quick and went to flank us. Corporal Gunn got some rounds off into them but it didn't do much" he continued.
"They were on us so fast" said Downe "I was trying to stick to the BE2 when all of a sudden my tail's getting shredded"
"Les was throwing that BE all over the place but the Huns fell on him like a ton of bricks"
"I felt so hopeless" murmured Keye "By the time we started to turn back they were all over them"
"I saw the Hun rake their cockpits," said Back, "Pat went down for sure, Les must've been hit too and the engine coughed a big cloud of white smoke"
"Then that's when it happened sir" said Downe looking to the floor
"What happened ?" asked Trowbridge gently
"One of the Huns took his fin off with his undercart" replied Downe
"And the other blew his wing off" added Back "I think Pat took another hit too"
"He just rolled over and went straight in sir" said Keye "They didn't stand a chance"
"It was getting pretty dark at that point so we dived for home before the Huns could catch us"
"I see" said Trowbridge "No chance you say ?"
"None at all I'm afraid sir" replied Keye.
"That's very unfortunate. Gentlemen you may dismiss, I'll stand you a drink in the Mess as soon as you're dressed
Butchers Tally:
Ltn Konrad Strünklenberg / RTB / 1 Kill
Obltn Paul Kunz / RTB / 0 kills (no pic as camera died !) Zero damage - pulled C0 in collision !
2Lt Donald Keye & Cpl Thomas Gunn / RTB / 0 kills
2Lts Benjamin Downe & Claude Back / RTB / 0 kills
2Lt Leslie Payne / SD ET (2 EXP) / 1 WIA
Rolled 6 -6 2Exp - 1 WIA = -1 KIA
Sgt Patrick McCann / SD ET (2 EXP) / 2 WIA / 0 Kills
Rolled 2 -6 2 Exp -2 WIA = -6 KIA
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