In German Staffeln, this is often the first step. A new craft is getting introduced, and is only for the highest ranks. 2-4 weeks later it is for the high and mid ranks, and even later for all flyers.
Vice-President of the BOC (Barmy OFFers Club) Member of the 'Albatros Aviators Club' - "We know how to die with Style!"
I thought I had seen Roland C.II with the Marineflieger-Staffeln. I must say: until we receive at least the Halberstadt, I won't give up on my "Walfisch".
Vice-President of the BOC (Barmy OFFers Club) Member of the 'Albatros Aviators Club' - "We know how to die with Style!"
I started out with the morane and switched to the Be2. Before I found that my chances were pretty good, and even managed to send 5 Huns down, but now I feel like I'm in a death trap.
Well, the BE is the British Aviatik. But at least the Aviatik has two guns for observer, though awkwardly placed. Both planes are really slow and stable - ideal for two-seater work, unless there are enemies around!
"Upon my word I've had as much excitement on a car as in the air, especially since the R.F.C. have had women drivers."
James McCudden, Five Years in the Royal Flying Corps
Sub flight Ltn. Charles Chatterley returned from the Hospital on the 16th. All flights cancelled for the 17th and 18th but I did get word that a victory was confirmed which made him an ace! July 19th, Morning patrol. We are to escort 5 BE's on a recon mission to Estrees-en-Chaussee. Close to target our flight leader McKay, goes in to a dive and when I follow we are headed straight for 6 EIII's. This is what I call a target rich environment! I sent 2 to the deck and then spotted Purdom chasing an HA so I head for him. He sent the HA down in flames. We formed up together and spotted Mckay tangling with the last HA so we joined in. I sent this one down also. Mckay turned west so we all headed back to base with him. A nice day for RAF24!
Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear or a fool from either end. BOC Member since....I can't remember!
19 Jul 1916 @ 14h26 Artillery Spotting South of Nieewpoort.
Soar lead the mission with Mesurier, Booker, Hervey, Parsons and myself accompanying. We were supposed to have 2 Nieups from RNAS-1 escorting us but 7 Nieups from RNAS-3 showed up and took the task. Oh happy days!! We crossed the lines and took up our task feeling rather safe. I did see what I thought to be two enemy craft in the distance and below us but they made no attempt to interfere. The mission was successful with no challenge from enemy craft. Mesurier did take some flak damage and left the formation to land. He had two days worth of damage to his Strutter but otherwise was unharmed.
Youtube video:
Please note that I am using Ankor's new shadow mod and was capturing test samples for him during the mission. You will notice some aberration in the displays. When I turn shadowing off with the "0" key, I have no problems.
(System_Specs)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Trooper PSU: Ultra X3,1000-Watt MB: Asus Maximus VI Extreme Mem: Corsair Vengeance (2x 8GB), PC3-12800, DDR3-1600MHz, Unbuffered CPU: Intel i7-4770K, OC to 4.427Ghz CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Seidon 240M Liquid CPU Cooler Vid Card: ASUS GTX 980Ti STRIX 6GB OS and Games on separate: Samsung 840 Series 250GB SSD Monitor: Primary ASUS PG27AQ 4k; Secondary Samsung SyncMaster BX2450L Periphs: MS Sidewinder FFB2 Pro, TrackIR 4
Flight Sub-Lt Alex Ackworth - RNAS 4 - Coudekerque - 19 July 1916 (Mission 20)
After two days grounded by the bad weather, it's back to the office ! I draw the afternoon mission as wingman of Flight Lt William Richmond for a bombing of enemy ground units east of Ypres. We are granted an escort of 3 Airco DH2s from Abeele and flight A with two Strutters will follow to finish the job.
Sky is blue again and we fly to the frontline, picking up the DH2s on the way. As usual they have some difficulties in following us and fall a little behind.
As we near our target, I am in trailing line with my leader, ready to release my bombs as soon as I hear him release his. I see two dots under us, far on our left who could be enemy aircraft, but we have plenty of time to do our bombing run before they close on us.
We are less than 2nm from target when my leader decides to abort the bombing run and go after the Fokkers. I decide to finish the run, but of course I don't have my leader signal anymore and my bombs miss the target. By the time I make a left turn to rejoin, I see the 3 DH2s falling down on the two Fokkers already fighting it out with Lt Richmond.
I have nothing to win in joining that fight, so I turn around and go hover on our side waiting for everyone. After a while I spot planes returning who turn out to be the Strutter and the three DH2s. Lt Richmond decides for a pit stop at Bailleul before going back to Coudekerque, so I land there with everyone else. Lt Richmond tells me he has shot down one of the Fokkers and the other one ran away.
(*) Since I had two no-fly days because of weather, I managed to negociate with the lady (who wanted to watch a girl movie on TV anyway) a break of my "no fly on week end rule"
Last edited by corsaire31; 07/19/1409:39 PM.
Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker ! Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
Today's mission was to be a quick jaunt to the front with 3 Rolands. 2 Eindeckers would meet to escort us over the lines. Or, given the way the air war's going, perhaps we're protecting them. Something to think about.
In any event, they never showed. We hung around for awhile waiting for them to find us, then our leader diverted towards the front. Okay, fair enough.
Then he diverted again, this time for Mercy le Haut, an aerodrome only 2 miles or so from home. I fell back a little to try and find out what had happened: Were we aborting because of our lack of escort? Was someone having engine trouble? Were we being chased by two biplanes? Yes to # 3. I couldn't tell for sure given the range, but until Albatroses and Halberstadts show up I'm going to assume anything with two wings is hostile unless I can see their cross.
So my two partners tamely start circling Mercy le Haut. Standard landing procedures with two incoming probable hostiles sounds like a really bad idea, so I stayed low and kept going. I..uhm...can't read my writing, but there was another airfleld near by. (Xiary Cricourt? Something like that) No one chased me and I landed without incident and met a new friend.
During debriefing I learned the two incoming had been hostile and shots were exchanged. No one lost on either side.
July 20:
Another day, another chance to be chased out of the sky by Nieuports.
This time was a simple recon with only two airplanes. 'Eine' flight was supposed to help, but once we climbed to altitude they decided to do their own thing and leave us to our fate. Thanks guys.
While en route to the front... I don't know. I steadily lost ground to my flight leader. My engine sounded fine, but for some reason I just couldn't keep up. Nor did he show the least interest in waiting for me. When we crossed the lines he was 1.2 miles ahead, barely a dot.
Speaking of which, there were plenty of German planes out today. Right at the front I noticed an Eindecker flying high at right angles to us, apparently patrolling. Perhaps he saw the trouble before anyone else, for he lazily turned in my flight leader's direction.
Speaking of which, he first banked in a lazy circle, no doubt reconning and giving me a chance to catch up. Then he turned towards me fully.
I'm starting to be able to notice potential trouble before my TAC (at 1.1m) warns me, which is good as I spot the two dots closing on him. Zoom. Biplanes. Just so. I don't even bother waiting for my flight leader to catch up - I turn and run for the lines.
The Eindecker...finds something else to do. One of the biplanes starts duelling my leader. The other, a Nieuport 11, begins a full chase.
Plan A is to lead him over a nearby German regiment, and between their guns and mine we can either finish this guy or at least get him to leave. I cross the lines at 4K feet and begin my slow, waddling turn to the incoming Nieuport.
Unfortunately he flies over me and I can't bring my nose up in time to get a shot off. I continue the turn, and just like in Carlton's first flight this guy ends up at about 7:00 trying to get me in his sights while I hard left rudder. I can see the craft begin to shudder and force my nose down - harder than it looks - to pick up a little steam.
My observer is busy filing his nails, so it's the Nieuport who fires first. Nothing vital, but I've been watching a second dot slowly closing the gap. Friend? Foe? I can't take the chance. I dive to the deck and run.
The Nieuport chases me. The second dot, which also turns red, chases me. Two new planes join the chase. Zoom. Biplanes. It would be moderately glorious if they weren't trying to kill me.
My engine. Sound difference or no, there HAS to be something wrong. I couldn't keep up with m y flight leader, and now I can't outrace a Nieuport 11 even though on paper I should have a slight speed advantage (103 mph vs. 100). I'm flying as low as I dare over no man's land. The Nieuports chase me. The same guy fires again - miss. Then again, and fabric tears.
I have a goal now. An aerodrome - I forget the name, but I'm on course and it can't be more than 4 or 5 miles away. It's tempting to just land in no man's land and call it a day, especially as a huge forest now looms in front of me, but if I actually make it to the field that'll be moderately glorious.
So, we're flying over the forest at ... well, I'm going to guess it's tree top level. With the Roland's build my only clue as to my true height is to look down and between my wings, and I'm finding the trees whipping past my view rather intimidating. My observer FINALLY wakes up and opens fire. This answers for one of the Nieuports, who turns away only to come back about 15 or 20 seconds later.
The two latecomers to our chase have broken slightly to my right and are turning towards me, almost as if they were trying to steer me. They aren't the threat though: That one guy on my tail just won't give up. Another stream of bullets. I'm hit! Tearing fabric, and another sound I don't recognize. I lift my nose slightly, expecting a decline in aircraft performance: We're only 1 mile away now. It would be a shame to lose it this late in the race.
No decline in performance though, just an inviting target and he fires again. This time it's my Observer who's hit. This only seems to torque him off, as he replies with a furious barrage.
There's the aerodrome! I'm approaching it side on. I'm FACING the hangers. Too bad. Cut the engine at the last second and sail into the runway.
Bad angle! I jerk the nose up at the last moment, which causes the plane to bounce. Nose down, and I land on one wheel and my right wing! I must be going slow enough - the wing holds. A hard jerk on my rudder stabilizes the craft.
Mein Gott that was close.
Too close.
I'm out until Tuesday with a light wound. In the end, we lost our flight leader. We shot down zero of them.
We'll have to wait for the Pup - from Wiki: "The first Pups reached the Western Front in October 1916 with No. 8 Squadron RNAS, and proved successful [...] The first RFC Squadron to re-equip with the Pup was No. 54 Squadron, which arrived in France in December."
Apparently Sopwith were too busy making 1½ Strutters.
I never expected Basel to last this long, and now in the Be2 it seems only a matter of time before he's caught. Because of this I didnt start a writing a story about this foxy pilot. His ultimate goal is to stay alive and switch over to these new scouts that HQ says will change the air war to our good.... errr the BE12 I think they call it and Basel wants one.
Note to all pilots: In the RNAS the lowest pilot rank is Flight sub-lieutenant, but if you take on a new pilot in the RFC he should start as a Sergeant.
Congratulations to Basel Brush who is not only an ace in a BE2c but has actually lasted more than 25 hours
Well done lederhosen! That is a milestone Sir and it will no doubt garner you a DID Campaign Medal with Bar from Olham.
Artemus Burroughs had a milestone as well. His missions today pushed him over 50 hours. Oh, and he's a full Lieutenant now to boot.
Drinks all around, lederhosen and I are buying!
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Three RFC Brass Hats were strolling down a street in London. Two walked into a bar, the third one ducked. _________________________________________________________________________
Former Cold War Warrior, USAF Security Service 1974-1978, E-4, Morse Systems Intercept, England, Europe, and points above. "pippy-pahpah-pippy pah-pip-pah"
Thank Major C.N. Upton, he's the one handing them out. With the number of the King's pilots being wounded in this campaign the Major is feeling like Santa Claus at Christmas.
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Three RFC Brass Hats were strolling down a street in London. Two walked into a bar, the third one ducked. _________________________________________________________________________
Former Cold War Warrior, USAF Security Service 1974-1978, E-4, Morse Systems Intercept, England, Europe, and points above. "pippy-pahpah-pippy pah-pip-pah"