homepage Forums Air Combat & Civil Aviation Wings: Over Flanders Fields Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018)

Lou - The escort must have been a nice change of pace for Freddy aftrer all that recent low work. A nice balloon and then Rudolph the red-nosed Pfalz. Those fellows are keen, I'll say that for them but ambition should be made of sterner stuff. Excellent day for young Abbott, Nicely done getting North of 60.

Fullofit - Classic, just classic. Love the Camel v DR1, though I suppose it depends on one's frame of reference - Rudi's or Freddy's. It's bad enough the Hun have an undetected numerical superiority over the RFC at the moment, then Rudi/Attila continues his scourging with such unholy vigor that he actually runs out of ammunition! Is that even possible in a German aircraft? Oliver tangled with some Tripes recently. He thought they might have been Jasta 19, but the RO said it was another Jasta. Maybe next time. Both Rudi and Freddy keeping pace. Well done on getting through 60. If today's haul are confirmed Rudi will have, 66?


MFair. Great to see you back. Welcome to Karl! Quite the intriguing backstory you've set up here. I look forward to seeing where it leads. Some tough sledding for jasta 56 but a fast start for young Kemp. Congrats.
Oh No! Not Polovski! Maybe the report is wrong.

Lt. Casey - Ahnold will soon be baaack. Sorry, couldn't resist. Great news that he's gotten the lay of the land and is still above said ground after charging through into the trees. Did Herr Oberst turn beet red with fury?

Albert - Those cranky Hissos can be quite the treat. At least Jimmy's didn't catch fire. Too bad about the unconfirmed Huns but a well-earned DFC will more than compensate for the loss. Sounds like 103 had an epic binge.

Carrick - Not had one of those assignments yet but Balloon defense sounds difficult. Just ahnging out waiting for fast movers to come tear-arsing through. Excellent pics of the chase. Did Walter and Co. keep the gasbag safe?
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À la Recherche du Temps Perdu - Part 65



1 April 1918
84 Squadron RFC
Conteville, France

9.50 Line patrol Albert to Beaumont Hamel. With Fred Brown in Hospital I led Saunders, Harry Brown, Clear, Sorsoleil and Johnson.


Bombed a trench packed with Huns, then went back for a strafe.

Got shot about but nothing important damaged. The worst was the double stoppage in the middle of my firing pass. Changed out the Lewis drum but again the Vickers refused to budge for nearly 5 minutes.

I’d just cleared the gun when 2 silver Pfalz attacked the seven of us.


The Huns did not survive. I sent mine down just northeast of Albert.

Managed a full hour nap after lunch. The late afternoon show at 4.45 was another line patrol, this time in front of Amiens. The Huns are desperate to take the city. If they can reach the ridge of Villers-Bretonneux they can shell the Amiens rail junction which would sever the link between the BEF in Flanders and the French to the south.

After bombing and machine-gunning massed Huns we climbed east. Jack Sorsoleil pulled alongside, waggling his wings violently. I followed the line of his gesticulating and spotted three circling two-seaters about 4000 feet above us.

The Huns ran east then turned back circling. With Sorsoleil, I attacked the leader, landing 20-30 rounds but broke off when the Hannover jinked wildly. As I banked steeply away the Observer put a short burst into my petrol tank. I could see the needle rotating anti clockwise. I switched off and glided west as the remaining petrol escaped in a long grey tail. After the leak subsided I switched to gravity but thought better of engaging the magnetos with so much spilled fuel about. I had enough altitude to cross the lines and landed at Allonville.



The fuel tank was soon repaired. I returned to Conteville as night fell. S.H. Winkley did not return from the evening patrol. B-P thought he saw him crash into a wood near Mézières. Poor devil arrived only two days before me.

Wing confirmed the flaming Albatros. The morning Pfalz they denied. One Hundred Twenty.



2 April 1918
84 Squadron RFC
Conteville, France


Babson woke me at 4.45, setting out tea and a biscuit. Still groggy I forced myself out of bed. Cold this morning.

5.45 Dawn patrol. Major Douglas had yet to choose a replacement for Fred Brown so I took B-Flight again this morning. We would attack Nesle aerodrome, south of Marchélepot. Our approach would take us right across the salient before Amiens.


Two hangars ablaze and a direct hit on the Kasino. Prost!

Reformed the flight and climbed north. 6 Purple Albatri charged in from the east. I went round with an old campaigner who really knew his business. After two minutes of hard maneuvering, I saw an opening and dove down across our circle and pulled hard back into him.


My vision greyed as the force crushed me into the seat.


“He fell, as when an oak goes down or a white poplar,
or like a towering pine tree which in the mountains the carpenters
have hewn down with their whetted axes to make a ship-timber.”

I was completely alone in and empty sky. The Wolseley was running rough and making an unnerving clanking sound. I circled for several minutes then sped west towards Amiens and the lines.


The Cathedral stood unharmed even as the German advance pushed toward the city.

Johnson saw my Purple Hun crash so I put forward a claim. Woodley changed out the plugs on C5333 and adjusted the timing. When I took her up for a brief test flight the Viper was back to its usual throaty growl.


12.50 Another attack on the Hun airfields south of the Somme near Marchélepot, this time Foucaucort-en-Santerre. Robin Grosvenor leading Harry Brown, Falkenburg, Johnson and Sid Christian.


Our aim was not the best. The Kasino survived.

Heading north we attacked a flight of Triplanes. The Huns flew well and would snap roll their machines while firing. I landed some hits on two slashing attacks before teaming with Robin. We bracketed a DR1.


Grosvenor hit him hard and the Hun lost a wing.

Another Hun entered the lists.



I lost sight of Robin and ended up in and extended rolling scissors with the black-tailed devil. He overreached and stalled. I caught him with a good burst then and he dove for the nearby aerodrome. I circled over the top and saw two more Triplanes below. No sign of B-Flight.

Auf wiedersehen, Meine Herren.