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More great reads to go with my morning cuppa. Thanks folks!
And loftyc: the RAF Louvert section? Very funny!


Swany is finding the Morane to be far more to his liking than he imagined it would be. After hearing so many stories from others about what a terror it was to fly he wasn’t sure what to expect. However, he discovered it was actually quite pleasant to go up in, at least he felt it was. Yes, it is very light on the controls; and yes, it demands one’s constant attention. Nonetheless, it floats along gently and provides outstanding visibility to the front, sides, and below. In addition it has a fairly good glide rate which, given Swany’s general bad luck with engine failures, is a plus indeed. He of course has no idea how his new mount will fair in an air battle with the Hun but he is looking forward to finding out, and he imagines he will be finding out soon enough, given the recent reports of enemy activity in his new AO.

January 6th, 1916: 2nd Lt. Randolph Swanson and his observer, Lt. Christopher Dent, lifting off from Auchel for an uneventful, early morning arty spotting mission just east of Mont-Saint-Éloi. The outing did introduce Swany to “Archie”, which startled the young airman at first, but he soon found it more interesting than frightening.
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