OTT-CYM Mission 4: A-Hunting We Will Go - 27 July 1916 by Vagabond
I’ve called you all in this morning because we just received a call from Colonel Rigsby, yes the same chap who let us know about the German interest in his section of the lines. You know he reported the Huns were sending observation planes over each day, photographing specific targets and we were worried that they would see the build up of our troops in the rear trenches.
On this morning patrol I sent Bouncer along with Henry de Lacy, I thought it would be an ideal opportunity for Henry to impart some wisdom to Bouncer, God knows he needs it. Show him the way to attack a two seater and generally improve his confidence. Taki was also on patrol in the same area to act as back up if needed but generally to let Henry do some training. I expected it to be a fairly easy job for them.
“Yes Sir we know most of that but why the briefing now” I asked. Uncle looked sadly in my direction “Well the call from Col Rigsby was to tell me all three of our planes were shot down in flames, they all went down on our side of the lines and he has men out, as we speak, searching for the planes and the pilots and he’s going to call when he has some news".
We all went very quiet then, reflecting on our friends and hoping they might have survived, but three flamers in one fight was unprecedented and almost certainly there would be deaths or possibly worse, disfigurements. I’d seen pilots jump from their planes rather than be burnt to death, some carried a pistol to end it quickly, some just prayed it would never happen to them.
The Colonel gave me a brief description of the fight which took place at quite a low altitude and so he could tell Henry’s Morane with it’s red cowl from Bouncers with it’s black cowl and as you know Taki was flying one of the DH2’s and they are fairly easy to recognise.
Anyway, he tells me that the pair of Moranes appeared over his section of the front coming from the NW and the first of the German observation planes came from the SE.
He could see that Berry’s black nosed plane was leading the attack with Henry acting as wingman. He’s fairly certain that the enemy aircraft was an Albatros, he thinks the C1 although you know what these Army types are like, they can’t tell an Albatross from a Seagull.
Well it flew straight over the first target and must have taken it’s pictures well before Berry and Henry reached it and was flying on to what must be the second target a small farm house when they attacked.
It sounds as if he was right about the CI because it didn’t fire back at them from the front and we know the pilot has a gun in the CIII. He’s fairly certain that Berry’s gun must have jammed because it fell silent almost as soon as it opened fire. It must be much quieter behind the trenches for him to hear a couple of machine guns even if they were at a low altitude, but he said he was quite sure about it.
Berry and Henry pressed the attack but by that time the Hun pilot had positioned his plane so the Observer could fire back, Berry being closest took the brunt of the return fire and then all the planes stopped firing, it sounds like multiple jams, they seem to have as poor a supply of bullets as we do.
Berry must have cleared his jam because he opened fire again and just as quickly his gun fell silent. Rigsby told me his men were intermittently cheering and groaning as the fight went on. Around this time he said that they could see a second plane in the far distance coming from the east but couldn’t make it out clearly.
The thing he did emphasize was the aggression shown by the black nosed plane, even when it obviously couldn’t fire the pilot kept hounding the German, it was as though he wanted to ram the Hun. The German pilot seemed oblivious to this, he must have been a very cool customer because he flew on over the second target and once past it their gunner started to fire again.
Flying over what would have been his 3rd target the Observer didn’t stop firing at Henry so they obviously didn’t need that 3rd photo, but that’s when Henry’s plane caught fire and he started jinking around trying to put the fire out.
Berry was back in action having cleared his 2nd jam. Did no one tell him about the wooden mallet trick for clearing jams? It seems like he was a man possessed, his prop was almost up to the tail of the Albatros. Maybe he’d heard how Vagabond here recorded a kill for ramming an enemy plane rather than shooting it down. Who knows!
Rigsby said that the fire seemed to be causing a lot of damage to the red nose Morane but that as Henry was circling trying to put the flames out he was still following Berry and the Albatros.
Berry is almost in the cockpit with the German Observer and he got even closer still, probably too close to fire and take advantage of the situation.
At the last minute rather than plough into the enemy, Berry pulled his Morane to the left and the German Observer took full advantage of the situation, pouring a withering fire into it and Berry’s plane started to smoke really badly. By this time the other plane that had appeared was recognised as a second Albatros. Rigsby told me they must be trying to cover a wide front and get pictures of the north side of his position as well.
As this was happening Henry continued his turn, but no longer following Berry and looked as if he was making for home. Rigsby said the fire seemed to be diminishing a little.
The German continued to pour fire into Berry’s plane and the smoke turned to fire. At the same time, the 2nd German plane flew over its first target.
Henry flew away from the lines headed home but his plane was still on fire and Rigsby said he didn’t see him crash but thought it was inevitable.
Berry’s Morane though, was well alight, and
came crashing down in a huge fireball.
With the drama taking place up in the sky they hadn’t noticed a 3rd plane arrive, which the Colonel said was certainly a DH2, all scaffolding and canvas and has to be Taki. By this time the first German plane was well on his way back to no mans land and the second one had flown over 2 targets and was turning for home as well.
Taki did what he always does, he went straight for the Albatros, guns blazing, Rigsby said the men started cheering again and he’s almost certain that the German pilot was hit in the first blaze of gunfire. The plane dipped and lost height but quickly recovered.
He continued flying straight at the Albatros, the Colonel was sure he would just fly straight into it, there was a slight faltering in the gunfire from the German, almost as if the gunner had been hit but it quickly resumed in intensity.
Thinking about it the Colonel is also sure that Taki must have been hit because his plane jerked hard to the left and zoomed up like it was on a wire, before it seemed to come back under control and continued in it’s hard bank to the left.
Whether or not he was hit, Taki was swinging the DH2 back for a second attack when his plane burst into flames.
But that didn’t seem to stop him at all, as he lined up for another run at the Albatros and they must have been thinking that the seven demons from hell were coming for them. Which indeed they probably were.
Pressing his attack hard, the Albatros was taking a huge amount of damage but they are very strongly built, not like some of our planes and it continued to fly home.
Then suddenly there was a big explosion, the fire must have caught the fuel tank he thought and Taki’s plane went down.
As I said earlier he’s got men out searching and will let us know how things stand.
Well that was a disastrous fight. I haven’t rolled the dice to see what will happen to my men and I’m not looking forward to the results. Let’s hope the dice gods are on my side.
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Originally Posted by Stumptonian
Enjoyed the 
for his victories and service to the Kaiser 
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