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Sergent Bastien Salmet, N 26, St-Pol-Sur_Mer. March 17th 1916.


"Well I'm sorry Roy, but this is au revoir I'm afraid. I'm being moved down south to fly with N13. Same kind of role, but possibly a chance of moving up to scouts at some point, which doesn't look likely to happen here anytime soon. Keep battling those Hun mon amis. Good little scrap we had today with those two Eindeckers, eh? Better warn your next pilot that these fellows seem to have woken up to our little game. Now that they hunt in pairs it's harder to turn the tables and bring them down. Well, good luck, Roy!"



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The Diary of August Ege.

20.XI.1915. Frescaty-Metz.

Rain, sleet, snow and strong winds have made it practically impossible to fly more than two missions this week, so we've had lots of time to polish our machines and refine our tactics, and of course kill time in the cafés and restaurants of beautiful Metz! This is a privilege the men in the trenches don't have. I admit it makes me feel a bit guilty to have such a nice time (if not luxurious) while there's a war going on, but that is the nature of our service in the Fliegertruppen.

Leutnant Engel came back from the Festungslazarett Metz yesterday. He seems to have recovered from the accident and the loss of Deutschmann well enough to be able to fly again, but it's obvious that he's no longer the same man he used to be before the tragic crash. I hope he will get over it, but it must be easier said than done. Hauptmann Stelzer told us to keep an eye on Engel and see how he manages things - if it seems like he's not ready to fly combat missions yet, Stelzer intends to send him on a leave of recovery. We can't afford to have people here who are unable to give their best to the war effort. The harsh laws of war!



"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."

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Very cool screenshots and exciting reports! The first Roland C.IIs did come into service in late 1915/early 1916, and were pretty good machines for their time, being able to outrun most opponents and having a very sturdy construction. However, the Roland had a nasty spin and landing accidents were common, thanks to terrible downward visibility from the cockpit.


"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
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Journal Entry: November 20, 1915
Bertincourt

The rain and sleet finally stopped today and so Ernst, Gustav and I flew up to the front to have a look around. I took us above the clouds and we started patrolling on a line from Miraumont southwards to Guillemont. We had the skies all to ourselves and it was thrilling to be soaring up above the clouds in the sunshine. We had just reached Guillemont and turned north when I spotted two black specks north of us heading towards Bapaume from the west. I signaled the others and we began to stalk our prey. As we got closer, the specks materialized into our hated foe, Nieuports. Once we had the sun at our backs, we dove to engage. The Nieuports saw us at the last minute and one dove away while the other turned to engage. Gustav continued diving after the fleeing Nieuport while Ernst and I stayed and engaged the second. While I was recovering from my dive, the Nieuport flashed past in front of me and I fired a snapshot burst just to let him know I was serious. Immediately after I fired, the Nieuport dropped a wing and fell into a spin. I continued my turn while watching the Nieuport thinking to myself he is trying to fool me. Imagine my surprise when the Nieuport continued until it augured into the ground. Ernst and I reformed and it wasn't long before Gustav rejoined us as well, then we headed home. Upon landing, Ernst and I were dumbfounded as to what could have happened to that Nieuport. I had the armorer check my ammunition and was told that I had fired 11 rounds, I can only suppose that I hit the pilot. Anyway, that was my fifth kill and I must have told and retold the story of today's engagement a dozen times at tonight's dinner.

______________________________________________________________________

Here is a screenshot of our after action status. You can see that I actually only hit with one bullet. I don't think I've ever done this before in WOFF.



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Ha! That's pretty awesome! You imitating René Fonck? He was famous for bringing down enemy planes with only a few shots. smile


"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."

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Banjoman, only my wingmen are this good and only when they get to steal my victory. I would love to see your wingman's virtual face when you did that. jawdrop


"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."
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Today was Achille Renard's last mission in Flanders region. The entire Escadrille is transferring to Verdun tomorrow and they are finally getting the N 11's. For today, they've decided to say good-bye to the local Hun. They found one nearby, a brave chap. Stayed behind against overwhelming odds while his comrade turned tail. It was probably not the send off he had in mind.




"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."
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I've noticed that as well, I almost always encounter two Fokkers and one will run and the other stay. I guess it's just one of WOFF's eccentricities.


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Cool screenshots!

As a two-seater pilot, the worst behaviour from fighters is their regular tendency to abandon the formation they're supposed to escort. I find that this happens almost always.


"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."

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Thanks Hasse, as a scout this is usually not the behavior of the enemy's escorts. They pretty much will attack us (at least one of them), while the 2-seaters run away.
Banjoman, I've noticed this tactic as well and take advantage of it, if we are higher than them. I will ignore the brave one that faced us and go for the coward. By the time the brave pilot catches up to us we're usually done with the coward and can have a proper dogfight.


"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."
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Fullofit, that's what I do as well. Hasse, that was my experience as well when I was flying the Aviatik, our escort always ran.


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Here is the latest status report.



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So today is the big day for Achille - Transfer to Verdun.



181 miles! mostly through enemy airspace. They topped off their petrol tanks and took off. Thankfully they did not encounter any enemies on the way. That would have been a disaster. They've reached their new aerodrome of Lemmes with only 5% of fuel left.



Every single one of the pilots had problems with landing, since the forest is so close to the field. They all took at least 3 attempts to land, but eventually they all were able to find the right spot for touch down without running into the forest at the end of the field. Tomorrow, after some rest, they will all get familiar with their new mounts, the N11's.


"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."
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Wow, I can't believe WOFF had you fly that far over enemy territory. I think you will love the N11, it is so responsive. I don't know if this is historical or not, but in the N11 I have never felt at a disadvantage to the Fokker. As a matter of fact, I think in the N11 you have a significant advantage.


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Yikes! What a flight over enemy territory! In real life, they'd never have done that for a mere transfer flight! eek2

The superiority of the Nupe 11 over the Eindecker is perfectly historical. The Eindecker really wasn't much of a fighter at all. The only advantage it had was its synchronized MG, which no Entente airplane had in those days. But the Eindecker was meant to attack clumsy Entente two-seaters, not fight against the deadly Nupes.

In fact, the French air force quickly achieved air superiority over the Verdun battlefields. The Germans weren't wiped out or anything, but their air ops were seriously restricted by the large numbers of better French airplanes, especially Nupes, operating in the Verdun sector. The same happened at the Somme. It wasn't until the formation of Jastas and the arrival of Halbys and Albs in the fall of 1916 that the situation in the air became favourable for Germany again. This period lasted until the summer of 1917.

But that's still so far in the future that it's better not to talk about it! biggrin


"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."

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I know, I don't even like to think about the future. While I was flying Arthur today I was thinking about how I can't wait to get my Sopwith Triplane and that's when it hit me, that won't be until sometime in December and that's real December.


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I didn't mind the N10 I was flying, I just wish it had a little bit more ammo. With my technique of spray and pray it doesn't last long. Hopefully N11 will have a few more bullets. And N16 should be just around the corner ready


"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."
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I wouldn't get my hopes up, if I remember correctly the N11 only has 194 rounds and they go fast.


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Fullofit, the N. 16 is actually worse than the N.11. It was a failed experiment with a more powerful and heavier engine that resulted in rather poor flight characteristics. It's still better than the Eindecker though!

The Nupe 17, on the other hand, is a killer machine when it comes into service in the summer of 1916. smile


"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."

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Banjoman, I'll take it. 194 is still better than 141.
Hasse, N16 may not be great, but boost in speed will be welcomed, especially with the Rolands ready to roll out. And since my outfit is the first one to get the N17's this shouldn't be too painful.


"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."
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