12th October 1916
The drone of the Le Rhône engine of 2/Lt Eric ‘Pears’ Pearson’s silver Nieuport 17, newly arrived at the squadron and distinguished by its blue cowling (the fitters had some spare paint when it arrived on Monday four days ago) was almost lulling, but the cold air kept him awake.
To his left and slightly ahead his flight leader, Lieutenant Peter (Dabs) Dabeney also flew a silver Nieuport. On Dabs’ right was John Ackerman – dubbed ‘Ack Ack’ by the squadron of course. He was flying one of the older 17’s, still in the French camouflage.
Nothing much had happened since last week’s balloon run. They’d been told Hammy Forbes-Hamilton was a POW after his Morane blew up when they’d tangled with a couple of Albatri.
This morning Charmers, the record officer had had them rousted out of bed to fly escort to some bombers raiding deep behind enemy lines. So they’d taken off - seeing little but their fellows’ exhausts so early in the morning - and found nothing - they hadn’t been able to find the bombers – maybe the big boys had failed to get out of bed this morning? So they’d turned for home watching their fuel gauges.
Now the lines were coming in sight with the brown scar of No Mans Land and all the detritus of the summer’s battles – but wait, were there a loose row of dots ahead? Ahead Dabs rocked his wings and waved an arm in an arc. Well, at least this was a use for their Lewis guns.
Pears banked slightly left to engage a camouflaged Hun biplane – not a new Albatros but a radial – maybe a Fokker? Meanwhile Dabs was charging straight ahead – was that at the same yellow Albatros they’d seen last week?
They were quickly engaged, making head on attacks. Then, disaster! Pears saw Dabs’ Nieuport disappear in a flash, just like Hammy’s Morane a week ago.
Quickly the remaining five aircraft, the two RFC scouts and three Huns – one of them an old Fokker monoplane (flames licking along its fuselage Pears noticed) threw themselves into a swirling melee. Indeed a few moments later Pears and Ackerman only just missed colliding.
After a couple of minutes, the old German yellow monoplane broke off heading for home, smoking, while Pears feverishly replaced his Lewis drum as he described a right turn to get into the fight. Now reloaded he emptied his drum again into the brown and green biplane while Ack Ack duelled with the yellow Albatros, though Ack Ack’s plane was looking pretty shot up.
Finally, the yellow Albatros turned for home and Ack Ack did likewise, his kite weaving unsteadily as he tried to coax it home.
Pears by now had reloaded again and zoomed and Immelmanned to get on the tail of the brown and green job, pouring yet more rounds into it. Finally it rolled over and plunged earthward. Pears hoped the infantry would see it crash as, looking at his gauges, he too turned for home.
Landing at base, Pears was pleasantly surprised to see Ack Ack’s crate parked, rather than piled up. But the right hand wing looked decidedly wonky. Ack Ack himself seemed unfazed, reckoning he’d got two. Privately Pears thought that at least the yellow Albatros would gave for home OK. A more pressing concern was whether Dabs had survived his Nieuport exploding. Pears hoped that Dabs’ chair would only be temporarily empty.
Butchers Bill – Bulldogs
Lt Peter Dabeney: Silver N.17 no.1; SD-EXP-NML 0 kills
Crash – rolled 10 -3EXP = 7 injured skip D2 = skip 1;
E&E roll 5 -1EXP +1NML = 5 in hiding skip D2 = skip 1
2/Lt Eric Pearson: Silver N.17 no.2; RTB 1 kill
2/Lt John Ackerman: Camo N.17; FRTB-D 0 kills, 2 probables - FRTB-E, FRTB-FD
Landed OK.
Butchers Bill – Adlers
Ltn Wilhelm von Eschwege: Alb.D.II FRTB-E 1 kill, 1 probable FRTB-D
Landed OK.
Ltn Fritz Friedrichs: Fokker D.II; SD-NML 0 kills
Crash – rolled 8 -1SD, -1NML = 6 skip D3 = skip 2
E&E – rolled 7 +1 NML = 8 almost home skip 1 so net skip 2
Ltn Walter Altemeier: Fokker E.III; FRTB-FD 0 kills
Landed OK
Victory points
Bulldogs – shot down 1@5, FRTB 2@2 =9
Adlers – shot down 1@5, FRTB 1@2 =7
The Bulldogs scrape a win under the wire – which is what Dabs is doing at the moment and hoping it’s the British wire …. His Hussar tunic will never be the same.
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