Schroeder felt a burning gash above his right ear and on to his forehead. Blood quickly started to run over his goggles and block his vision. A few more holes appeared in the upper wing to the right above him. He knew he couldn’t continue like this and decided he’d better cut and run. He felt bad as he was following Schwarz in a chase after the British two-seater and was leaving without Theodore knowing.
Schwarz didn’t see Konrad disengage behind him as he had his eyes on the 2-seater to his front.
Schwarz pushed his Fokker to it’s limit but he could not reel in the Bristol. He fired a burst in frustration knowing well it would fall far short.
Following the Bristol for a few more moments Schwarz peered over his shoulder. He sees three Snipes chasing after him, but where’s Schroeder?
Knowing he can’t catch the Bristol he Immelmanns to face his hunters. He turns on the plane to the right hoping the other two won’t be able to react in time. It worked! The other two Snipes were going too fast and fly out of the threatening position.
The closing Snipe’s speed is faster than Schwarz anticipated. He has to dip below it to avoid contact not being able to get off a shot. With numbers against him 3 to 1, he knows its time to head to the barn.
For the Bulldogs, Bateman signals to Chism and Wheeler. They let the Fokker go and head off to escort Horace Digby and Richard Rice-Owen in the Bristol back home.
An hour after the fight, in the eagle’s mess Schroeder sits across from Schwarz while all the others stand fully attentive around them. Schroeder wears a blood-soaked bandage around his head. A bullet from the guns of Lionel Bateman had grazed his right temple.
“Sorry I left you up there but I had no choice”, Konrad apologetically pleaded with Theodore.
Theodore looked him in the eye, “I’d have done the same if the situation was reversed. Think nothing of it”.
“I just had to...” Theodore cut Konrad off, “I know, forget about it. We made it back so all’s good. I’m more worried about Lefty and the Major. I was involved with a 2-seater for the whole of the encounter never seeing either of them once the shooting started, why haven’t they returned?”
Konrad dipped his head and looked down, “I saw them. I was in the middle of the fight with them. I had just downed a Bristol when Lefty flew across my front trailing an ungodly amount of thick black smoke. Trying to see how bad his damage was I almost missed the Snipe zipping between us. I took a quick shot at him but kept my eyes on Lefty”.
“Herr Büttner then came in blazing. He did some real damage. One plane sputtered small clouds of blue smoke so I figure he crippled the engine. Another shot of his I saw the pilot slump down”.
“Then Lefty then got into trouble”, his voice lowered. “The enemy Snipe leader pulled right in behind Lefty and…” his voice quivered. “Lefty’s DVII was engulphed in flames and dropped from the air”.
Konrad, silent for a moment, continued. “The Major turned on the Snipe leader. No doubt he wanted to avenge Lefty. He flew straight at him, no dancing around to get a better position. He even ignored another Snipe behind him. I could feel the rage. He set the enemy leader on fire but the weight of the lead from in front and behind did him in”.
Everyone stopped breathing. One could hear the spider walking on it’s web in the corner of the mess.
“The Tiger couldn’t take the punishment. The top wing collapsed in the middle and pressed down onto the cockpit. It then spun down out of sight”.
“Could you see the Major?” inquired Theodore.
“No, the top wing was like a cover over the cockpit. I couldn’t stay around to watch as more Snipes were on the way in”.
“Their burning leader somehow stayed with me”, Konrad went on. “I think you got a shot on him just before we tried to catch the remaining Bristol”.
“Hmm, I don’t remember him. I know I got a shot at one of the 2 newcomers”, added Theodore.
“Before you arrived to my part of the sky I couldn’t get on the Bristol, a very cunning pilot. I figured his target was the bridge over the stream in the woods. It’s a big choke point behind our lines. Taking it out would create a major problem for the retreat of our troops. I tried to protect the bridge but that damned Bulldog evaded me. The damned observer even put a hole in my canvas at an impossible range”.
“You (Theodore looking at Konrad) had just arrived with the burning Snipe. I could do nothing but watch as the two-seater lined up his drop”.
“We broke from the Snipe and our chase of the Bristol started”, Theodore ended.
“It wasn’t but a few moments after this when I was wounded”, Konrad explained.
A motor was heard driving into the Eagles compound. Hermann Beck went outside to meet it. The vehicle stopped but kept it’s motor running. Over the hum of the engine all could hear Beck, “WUNDERBAR!”
Beck burst through the door with an ear to ear grin. “Word has just come, the Major and Lefty have been found and are ok! They both somehow brought their planes down and walked away unharmed. They will be brought back within the hour”.
There was an instantaneous roar in the mess. They all knew the end was near as the walls were closing in. To survive, for your friends to survive, that is all that now matters.
Butcher’s Bill
Bulldogs
A/Lt Lionel Bateman RTB WIA 2 Kills
C 8 +3(rtb) -1(wia) = 10 OK
Sgt Horace Digby RTB 0 Kills
2Lt Richard Rice-Owen RTB 0 Kills
2Lt Warren Apple RTB 0 Kills
2Lt Stephen Wheeler RTB 0 Kills
2Lt Charles Chism RTB 0 Kills
Sgt Cedric Ellis SD EXP ET 0 Kills
C 5 -3(exp) = 2 KIA
Clp Sidney Critchley SD EXP ET 0 Kills
C 7 -3(exp) = 4 injured, 3 = miss 3 missions
E 9 -1(exp) -1(wic) -1(bel) = 6 in hiding, 5 = miss 2 missions
Eagles
Obltn Theodore Schwarz RTB 0 Kills
Ltn Konrad Schroeder RTB WIA 1 Kill
C 9 +3(rtb) -1(wia) +1(ace) = 12 OK
Ltn Rudolf ‘Lefty’ Schmitt SD FLM FT 0 Kills
C 10 -2(flm) +1(ace) +1(lg) = 10 OK
Maj Peter Bütttner SD EXP FT 0 Kills
C 10 -3(exp) +1(ace) +1(face) = 9 OK
Results
2 Eagles were shot down, 1 forced from the fight.
1 Bulldog two-seater was shot down, a partial bomb hit on the ground target, 2 scouts forced from the fight.
Bulldogs
Partial hit on ground target +2
2 enemy scouts downed +4
Friendly forced to leave -2
Total +4
Eagles
Downed two-seater +3
Friendly forced to leave -1
Total +2
Final +2 Bulldogs
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