Captain Jerome slammed a fist down on the mess table, knocking over several coffee mugs and spilling some breakfast off of a few plates. A fork bounced from the table and rang as it hopped across the floor. Eyes around the table opened wide and round.
“What is it with you children!” he hollered as he glared at Henri Guerin and Marie Dubois. Marie had an arm still in a sling from his escapade a few days ago.
“Your brother, Roland St. Pierre(Rookie) took off an hour ago without orders. Seems he thinks he should be making decisions around here. What are they teaching you at flight school? This isn’t a game”.
Marie DuBois shrank as small as he could but could not get small enough to disappear.
“Monsieur St. Pierre trained as a scout pilot but he thought it wise that he borrow one of our Caudrons without asking. I give you newcomers credit for your spirit to fly but you have to learn to follow orders”.
One could feel the anger building again, like a lightning charge in a thunderhead.
“I seem to remember some high praise for this new class of fresh pilots, isn’t that so Lt. St. Martin?” Captain Jerome’s eyes narrowed as he looked menacingly at Remy.
“One dead, on his 2nd flight, while under your wing”, Captain Jerome’s eyes still locked on Remy.
“One with a clipped wing after you let the children run the house. Do you still believe that the scout’s machine gun was still jammed, after landing the previous afternoon, serviced by the ground crew and readied for the morning?” Captain Jerome hisses like a snake about to strike.
“And now, the last of the children has stolen one of our planes”. Captain Jerome’s head follows his eyes as he looks up to the heavens.
Complete silence, silence that had never been heard in the mess before, silence that was deafening.
SLAM! Captain Jerome’s fist found the helpless table again. “Lt. St. Martin, you will go and try to rescue your lost child”, Captain Jerome’s eyes burning into Remy again.
“And you will take your only able fledgling along for the ride”, his gaze turned to Henri.
“If you can return Monsieur St. Pierre in one piece, bring him to me”.
Captain Jerome stormed out of the mess to his office.
Remy looked to Henri and motioned with his eyes to follow him to the hangars.
“I was not expecting to be in a boiling pot this morning. Things will be different when we return, I assure you”, Remy said not looking at Henri. “Discipline will have to show its face. We’ve treated you and the other new pilots too lightly”.
“Even I can forget that we are at war with all these young faces around”, Remy thought to himself.
“So sorry Sir”, stammered Henri. “With all the excitement coming to the front the others are scratching themselves raw to get into the air to the fight”.
“Idiots, they are not yet ready. Piers was the best of your lot and look what happened to him!” Remy was upset but more in a caring way for the young pilots. “Still we have to get you trained so you can contribute without needless risk to yourselves”.
Remy mounted the Morane-Saulnier N while Henri slipped into a rickety Morane-Saulnier L.
Both Remy and Henri had the same thought, “How can the young pilots get experience and survive in these old crates”?
They lifted off in tandem, Remy in the lead. While gaining altitude on the way to the front Remy motioned Henri the direction to fly, then he slipped behind Henri.
(Ok, I placed my planes on the wrong mat at the start. I didn’t notice until 3 turns in. At that point I noted where the lines should be and just soldiered on.)
Roland St. Pierre felt the exuberance of a victory. He had dropped a few bombs on a German plane sitting on it’s own airfield. He circled the field once to savor his kill before heading home. His slow plane struggled towards the lines into a slight head wind.
The slow Caudron G.4 seemed to be taking it’s time heading towards the lines. Unseen behind him were two converging Eindeckers. The rookie pilot did not watch his 6 enough to notice the closing enemy.
With the French aircraft nearing the lines the Eindeckers opend fire at long range. They lost their surprise on wasted shots. Roland now realized the danger he was in and automatically did the sign of the cross.
More long range rounds arced into the Caudron, one of them thudding into Roland’s back.
Henri, just coming into recognition range, felt helpless as he could only watch the two Huns firing into the helpless Frenchman.
Ltn Wolff fired leisurely into the slow moving target.
Flight leader Konrad Dahl takes his time and his well aimed shot hits the fuel tank. The gasoline drips onto the hot engine and ignites. The flame quickly climbs the stream of fuel and reaches the tank with the expected result.
Remy and Henri curse as the Caudron, engulfed with flames, streaks straight downward.
Even before the Caudron hits the ground, Wolff aims at Henri. Henri wonders why the Hun doesn’t press home his attack?
Remy closes in on Wolff, trying to protect Henri but his gun jams after a few rounds. Lucky for him the other Eindecker also fouls his gun!
No sooner had the two Germans passed behind Remy and Henri a third Hun dives in. His shot misses Remy but the two Frenchmen are taken aback by the turn of events.
Remy turns inside Henri. Henri fires. He notices two tracers head into the Eindecker but fails to immediately recognize that his gun has jammed.
The pair of Germans work on clearing their jams while passing over their own lines. They turn back so not to violate orders. Crossing over enemy territory is verboten.
Henri was oblivious to Remy’s position. While clearing his jam Henri was only concerned with the whereabouts of the newcomer to the battle.
Wolff and Dahl, having cleared their weapons, turn back to deal with the French scouts. They too are surprised but happy to see Peter Schmeiss has joined them.
Dahl takes an unanswered shot. Again he hits a fuel line and the MS-L immediately trails smoke and flame.
Remy quickly turns on the newcomer and peppers the Pfalz’s engine.
The fire looks bad but so far Henri notices no real damage.
Wolff takes a quick shot at Remy trying to distract him from Schmeiss’ tail.
Remy kept his focus but his gun fails him again!
Dahl passes closely by Henri and can’t get a good shot at Remy.
Dahl keeps on him and a few rounds find their way through some canvas. (This is a +1 consecutive shot, noted in the Butcher's Bill)
Remy dips below Schmeiss as he frantically plucks at the jammed round.
Dahl misses the hand signals of Schmeiss and they bump into each other. Dahl’s Fokker takes some serious damage while the Pfalz flies on.
Henri begins to panic and the fire eats a healthy bite of his MS-L’s canvas.
Battling the fire Henri doesn’t notice how close he had come to a good shot at a Hun.
The Germans can’t fly any farther west and must wait for the French to come to them.
As Dahl was looking for his comrades he lost sight of the burning Frenchman. This time Henri was ready as Dahl Immelmanns right in front of him. The Hun pays the price and flames belch from his engine.
Wolff turns back to help his flight leader. Schmeiss can’t help and must head home with a badly damaged machine. Remy turns into towards the Hun flight not knowing the situation of Schmeiss.
The fires consume more canvas. Henri’s fire sputters out but not before the damage inflicted is dangerously close to the MS-L’s structural limit.
Remy adds a bit more damage to the fuel line on Dahl’s Eindecker. As bits of cowling tear off he is surprised to feel a hammer blow to his right shoulder.
Schmeiss slowly heads home safely away from the fight easing his rough sputtering engine as best he could .
Henri nurses his damaged kite over the lines back to safety.
Remy places himself between Henri and the grey Hun while also watching the one on fire.
The burning Eindecker can take no more as the flames grow and reduce the plane to a wreck. Dahl does his best to bring the machine down behind his own lines.
Wolff catches up to Schmeiss and escorts him home, as does Remy with Henri.
Butcher’s Bill
Kaiser’s Eagles
Obltn Konrad Dahl FLM FT 1 Kill
C 7 -2(flm) = 5 injured, 2 = -1 Mission
Ltn. Peter Schmeiss FRTB 0 Kills
Ltn. Paul Wolff RTB 0 Kills
Les Bouledogues
Roland St. EXP WIA ET 0 Kills
C 3 -3(expo) -1(wia) = -1 KIA
Henri Guerin FRTB 0 Kills
Remy St. Martin RTB WIA 1 Kill
C7 -1(wia) +1(rtb) = 7 injured, 1 = - 1 Mission
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