Originally Posted by RAF_Louvert
Fullofit, another great series of Aldi episodes. He and his crew had a tough go of it there with those Nieups. And what rotten luck on the new D.IIIs being grounded, no doubt do to wing issues. Ah well, as I said earlier, the D.II is still one of the better Albs to fly, or at least I find it so.


Lou, going back to Alb D.II from D.III is like going back to eating lemons after enjoying a lemonade.
BTW, you may as well have taken the transport to your new airfield. It would have been quicker!

Jasta 18
30 January 1917, Halluin

Aldi was removing his leather overcoat and placing it by the stove to dry. Ltn Strähle was lying on his back with his arms under his head and his feat sticking out of his bunk to reduce the distance between his toes and the stove. Aldi mischievously dropped some snow on his bare feet and the distance to the stove increased dramatically.
- "What's the idea?!" Paul protested while wiping the snow from between his toes.
- "Just making sure you don't forget what the world is like, while you sit here making yourself comfortable." Aldi responded.
- "It is not my fault they didn't have enough of those death-traps ready for all of us to fly." Strähle sat up on the bed rubbing his toes with his hands.
- "So, how was the morning flight?" Paul started to pull his thickest socks on.
- "Did you manage to convince our fair-play enemy to leave us alone, because we don't want to fight with inferior equipment?" Strähle was looking around for the second pair of socks to put on.
- "No, this time we've met some Nieuports with the head of an Indian on the fuselage." Aldi responded. - "They didn't seem to care what we fly as long as they do the shooting."
- "Oh, do tell!" Strähle was now on his stomach looking under the bed for his shoes.
By now Aldi had taken his flight gear off and sat down near the stove holding his hands above it.
- "We were returning from our patrol when we run into a formation of 4. They seemed to be minding their business and we decided to do likewise, but as we got closer they decided to go for our 2-seaters. As they commenced their attack we slipped behind them and caught them in crossfire with the rear gunners. Soon the whole affair turned into a fur-ball, with the 2-seaters all but forgotten."
- "So how do you like your new machine? Was it giving you any trouble?" Paul was wrapping a wool scarf around his neck.
- "Trouble? No, no trouble at all. It purred like a kitten and it behaved like one. Except this was a dogfight! I could not stay with any of those Nieuports. They simply climbed and sped away. No chance of catching them in a level fight."
- "So, you didn't get any?" Strähle had his hat on.
- "That's where you're wrong. Once my dance partner sped away I looked around and saw the same thing happen to von Bülow's target, except they were much lower than me. I had enough altitude to convert into speed and catch up to him. One good burst and he crashed into NML. We came back home right after that."
- "That's great! Congratulations! Can you pass me your gloves?" Paul was at the door. Aldi threw his gloves to Strähle and asked. - "What do you need them for?
- "It's rather cold and I need something to keep between my butt and the toilet seat." With that he slammed the door and was gone.
Aldi was too tired to go after him. Instead he decided to figure out how he's going to get new gloves and better yet, how Paul is going to pay for them.

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"Take the cylinder out of my kidneys,
The connecting rod out of my brain, my brain,
From out of my arse take the camshaft,
And assemble the engine again."