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This war is starting to get dangerous.


"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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News of the World for June - Intrepid Fliers:

June 1
The only large-scale naval engagement of the war, the Battle of Jutland ended with a tactically inconclusive result. While the Royal Navy suffered more losses, the battle effectively ended any threat from the German High Seas Fleet, and British dominance of the North Sea was maintained.
June 2
The Battle of Mount Sorrel took place at Ypres when German forces attempted to capture the high ground around Ypres.
German forces stormed Fort Vaux in the Battle of Verdun.
June 3
The National Defense Act authorised a five-year expansion of the US Army.
The Allied Commander in Thessaloniki ordered all Greek officials out of the town, effectively imposing martial law.
June 4
The Russian Brusilov Offensive began on the Eastern Front.
June 5
TE Lawrence helped the Emir of Mecca in the Arab revolt against Turkish rule in Hejaz.
HMS Hampshire struck a mine off the Orkneys and sank with the loss of nearly all the crew, and Great Britain's war minister, Lord Kitchener.
June 6
The Arab attack on Medina was repulsed by the Turkish garrison.
President Yuan Shikai of China died and was succeeded by Li Yuanhong.
June 7
French troops at Fort Vaux surrendered to the Germans.
June 8
Voluntary enlistment in Britain was replaced by compulsion when the Second Compulsory Service Act came into operation.
British forces occupied Bismarckburg and Belgian troops occupied Usumbura in German East Africa.
June 9
Arab forces captured the city of Jeddah in Arabia.
German forces attacked Kondoa lrangi in German East Africa.
June 10
The New Zealand Government passed the Compulsory Service Bill.
June 11
The Battle of the Strypa began during the Brusilov Offensive.
June 12
Zaleszczyki in Galicia was taken by Russian forces.
June 13
The Battle of Mount Sorrel ended when British and Canadian troops secured the line near Ypres.
June 14
French politician Etienne Clementel presided over the Allied Economic Conference in Paris.
June 15
Paolo Boselli was appointed Italian Prime Minister, following the collapse of the Salandra Government.
June 16
Italian forces began a counter-offensive against Austrian troops in the Trentino.
June 17
French defenders repulsed German attacks on Le Mort Homme at Verdun.
June 18
German flying ace and pioneer Max Immelmann was shot down and killed during aerial combat with a British squadron.
June 19
British and South African troops marched into Handeni in German East Africa.
June 21
The Entente Governments sent a Note to King Constantine demanding Greek demobilisation and a change of Government.
June 22
Alexandros Zaimis replaced Stephanos Skouloudis as Prime Minister of Greece.
June 23
German forces attacked and captured Fort Thiaumont at Verdun.
June 24
Massive preparatory bombardment to destroy German defenses began at the Somme.
June 26
The trial of Roger Casement for high treason began.
June 27
The Emir of Mecca issued his Proclamation of Independence from Turkey.
June 28
The Italian cavalry reached Pedescala, north-east of Asiago on the Southern Front.
June 29
Roger Casement was found guilty of high treason and sentenced to death.
June 30
The Battle of the Strypa ended.

(From The Great War - Unseen Archives by Robert Hamilton)


"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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News of the World for October - Warbirds Rising:

October 1
The Battle of Le Transloy was the final offensive mounted by the British Fourth Army during the Battle of the Somme.
October 4
The troop transport ship RMS Franconia was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-47 in the Mediterranean Sea.
October 5
The Battle of the Cerna Bend began in Macedonia between the Bulgarian and Entente armies.
October 6
Serbian troops attacked Bulgarian troops near the villages of Dobroveni and Skochivir on the Macedonian Front, but were counter-attacked and pushed back. The Bulgarians took the village of Brod.
October 7
In the Battle of Brasov the city was recaptured by Austro-Hungarian forces.
October 8
Under the command of Kapitanleutnant Hans Rose the German submarine U-53 sank five merchant ships off the coast of Rhode Island, USA.
October 9
The Eighth Battle of the Isonzo began and continued the Italian attempts to extend the bridgehead established at Gorizia.
Eleftherios Venizelos arrived in Thessaloniki to establish a pro-Allies provisional Government and to raise an army.
October 10
Allied Governments sent an ultimatum to the Greek Government demanding surrender of the Greek naval fleet.
Spyridon Lambros replaced Nikolaos Kalogeropoulos as Prime Minister of Greece.
October 11
The Greek Government acceded to the Allied demands.
October 12
The Eighth Battle of the Isonzo ended with little territorial change and heavy Italian casualties.
October 13
The Norwegian Government prohibited belligerent submarines from using her territorial waters.
October 14
The Transylvanian frontier into Romania was crossed by German troops.
October 15
Anti-Entente demonstrations were held in Athens.
October 16
On the Western Front French troops gained a foothold in Sailly at the Battle of Morval.
October 17
During the Senussi Campaign the Allied Western Frontier Force moved to attack the enemy Senussi troops at the Affairs in the Dakhla Oasis.
October 18
General Henry Rawlinson mounted further attacks against the Germans at Gueudecourt during the Battle of Le Transloy.
October 19
French forces began a new offensive to capture Fort Douaumont at Verdun.
October 21
Austrian President Count Karl von Sturgkh was assassinated by Friedrich Adler, son of the founder of the Austria's Social Democratic Party.
October 22
Constanza in Dobrudja was captured by German and Bulgarian forces on the Eastern Front.
October 23
The British minesweeper HMS Genista was sunk by a German U-boat off the west coast Ireland.
October 24
French forces opened the First Offensive Battle of Verdun and recaptured Fort Douaumont.
October 26
The naval engagement, the Battle of Dover Strait took place when the German Empire launched flotillas of U-boats in order to disrupt the Dover Barrage and destroy all Allied shipping in the Strait.
October 27
By the time the Battle of Dover Strait ended the British had lost one destroyer, one troopship and several drifters while the Germans suffered only minor damage to a single torpedo boat.
October 28
Ernst von Korber was appointed Austrian President following the assassination of Count Karl von Sturgkh earlier in the month.
October 29
The Sherif of Mecca was proclaimed King of the Arabs.
October 30
Hermann von Stein succeeded Adolf Wild von Hohenborn as German Minister for War.
October 31
The Ninth Battle of the Isonzo was launched - the third of three short-lived offensives fought on the Isonzo front in the autumn of 1916. The battle started with an attack on Vrtojba and the northern and central areas of the Karst Plateau.

(From The Great War - Unseen Archives by Robert Hamilton)


"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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Last edited by lederhosen; 11/04/16 08:41 AM.

make mistakes and learn from them

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Lederhosen, that's a nicely weathered skin. Is that stock?


"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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yes


make mistakes and learn from them

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Lederhosen, I really like that map where did you get it?


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I make em myself


make mistakes and learn from them

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Here is the latest status report and the latest Honor roll of those who have fallen. The good news is it looks like we haven't had anyone added to the Honor roll in a long time, oops, did I just jinx us all. biggrin





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Fullofit, thanks for the continuing chronology! Lederhosen, great photos! And thank you, Banjoman, for keeping the stats up to date.

I have a lot of writing to catch up on. Here is the next chapter of Alfred Keers's career. He has recently passed the 100 hour mark.

The end of June saw 70 Squadron acquire some spit and polish: the fields were mowed, the paths between the tents and huts and hangars were freshly gravelled and outlined with lovely whitewashed rocks, uniforms were inspected, and stores were inventoried for the umpteenth time. For this was the week the circus came to town, or at least the ringmaster. General Trenchard and his headquarters moved into the village of Fienvillers on 27 June, setting up in a fine house in the centre of the village.

Our third flight was still in England, as the navy had absconded with their Strutters and they were waiting for new ones. Accordingly, Cruickshank and I, together with Patrick, flew far more often than we had a right to (or a need to, in my view). Nearly every day we were loaded up with Cooper bombs and packed off to annoy ground Huns. I longed for a bit of free-lance scouting, but Major Dowding at Wing had more mundane tasks in mind. It was clear that the big push was nigh.

On 29 June 1916 we were assigned the task of conducting a deep reconnaissance beyond Messines, up in the Ypres salient. It was a three-machine show – me, Cruikshank and Sergeant Trollope. I had a new gunner, Lieutenant David Aldridge, a public school boy from Lancashire. We got into a scrap with several Fokkers and he handled himself well despite putting two rounds through our stabiliser. One particularly good Hun got amongst us and made himself difficult for several minutes before I got a crack at him. After that he tried to break off, but I got another long burst from no more than twenty yards’ range. The Hun machine tumbled beneath us. I could not take the time to watch it fall, but by the following day Wing phoned to confirm its destruction. I had my 20th confirmed victory.

The guns had been firing continuously for several days. I thought of Rosetta making shells in the old engine works in Hartlepool and wondered if it was some of her handiwork keeping us awake all night. Likely it was. But in the early hours of 1 July, the deadly orchestra reached for a new crescendo. The ground shook. You could feel the force of the barrage in your teeth and chest, and the eastern sky flickered orange with a new intensity. I arose at three-thirty and went for tea and an egg. The word was out now that this was the day. We flew five hours that day, attacking railway sidings and assembly points behind the German lines. We lost Sgt Dunleavy’s machine. He returned that night, but his observer, Lieut Glasgow, had been killed by shrapnel from Archie.

On 2 July we flew a very long distance south in support of the French. Over a place called Ham we bombed a Hun aerodrome. As we were regrouping several Fokkers surprised us. The fight was fierce and short, and I got one Hun down low and saw his propeller stop. The claim was seconded by Cochrane-Patrick, so it went down as number 21.

Later that morning we went north to Ypres and were jumped by a group of Fokkers west of Messines Ridge. I forced one Hun to land just behind its lines, but it was under control and I could not have it confirmed as destroyed, although I’m sure our artillery finished the job. As we were tangling with the Huns, our own shells were ripping through the air and throwing our machines about in a terrifying way.

3 July saw us perform two attacks on rail yards in the Ypres sector. We hit our targets well both times, once seeing an ammunition waggon go up among a large group of de-training soldiers.

That evening we got a visit from General Trenchard’s aide, an odd sort of fellow named Captain Baring. Apparently he is the GOC’s dogsbody. I thought him to be a bit poofy at first. He’s very well spoken and is able in something like five languages, and he likes to talk about Italian poetry and such. He’d come to inform me that I’d been gazetted for an MC and a DSO both! That will be a first for any of the lads from the Seaham Harbour Dock Company (or at least for any of the lads in the engine shop there). Baring turned out to be a bit of all right, though. He’d brought a small keg of good “double” beer. The French in these parts aren’t the brewers the Belgians are, and for the most part the stuff they turn out is weak “petit” beer. I suspect they water it down for the soldiers. This stuff was a fine dark beer.

It turned into a bit of a binge and Baring held forth with a fine repertoire of filthy songs, then capped the evening off by balancing a champagne bottle on his head, lying on the floor, and getting up – all without toppling the bottle or spilling a drop. Only the wealthy can afford to learn such a trick.


"One particularly good Hun got amongst us and made himself difficult for several minutes before I got a crack at him."


"The fight was fierce and short, and I got one Hun down low and saw his propeller stop."

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Raine, I see your gunner is just as good as mine. Must be a Strutter thing. His gun mount is so flexible, he can shoot nearly straight forward (hitting the wings in the process).


"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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Journal Entry: 10 July, 1916
Bertincourt

A lot has happened the last three days and if I were to include it all, it would fill quite a few pages in my journal so I will limit myself to just the high points. First of all, let me say a few words concerning our new machines, the Halberstadts. They are superior to our old Fokkers in every way that matters. The only thing I am missing is my second machinegun from my old E.IV, but I am willing to trade that for the increase in maneuverability. Each pilot now feels that he can fight on at least even terms with the enemy and that has gone a long way to increase morale. We received three new pilots, Leutnant Mulzer, Leutnant Muller, and Leutnant Parshau, on the 7th and that brings us up to full strength. These three gentlemen are energetic, aggressive, and professional in how they carry out their duties and I expect great things from each of them. With the addition of Leutnant Mulzer and Muller, we now have three Maxs in the KEK. I've named Muller "Max ein", Mulzer "Max zwei", and Unteroffizier Neeb "Max drei". With the British offensive in full swing the men are flying three time a day and it really helps to have a full compliment of men.

The excitement started on the morning of the 7th when the British finally started their offensive. No one was surprised and from what we could see from the air it doesn't look like their preparatory bombardment accomplished anything. Anyway, it was raining and I didn't expect to see anything when much to my surprise I spotted two enemy machines approaching from the north. When the distance closed I recognized that the enemy planes were a DH.2 and a Bristol Scout. Who in their right mind would send a Scout up to the front now? The British continue to amaze me in their powerful desire to die while flying old antiquated machines in combat. The DH.2 gallantly turned to engage while the Scout fled for home with Max ein, Max zwei, and Otto scampering along behind. I engaged the DH.2 and what followed was a battle of wills. Fortunately, I was able to damage his flying controls which allowed me to get on his tail and apply the coup-de-gras. Otto was able to chase the Scout down and put it out of its misery and we returned to base. The afternoon sortie is the encounter that I am still thinking about and why I am still alive. After lunch, I led Max ein, Max zwei, and Otto back up to the battlefield to prevent the British recce machines from carrying out their work and on the way I spotted two planes following us. I really didn't pay much attention because we had other pressing matters to attend to so I was a little surprised when I noticed that they were not only still following but had closed the range. One of the two machines was obviously a Nieuport but the other was unlike any flying machine that I have seen before. It had three planes. I had heard that it was possible to have more than two planes but I had no idea anyone had actually accomplished it. Well, this strange machine rapidly closed the distance and it began to attack us. In the meantime the Nieuport had decided it didn't like the odds and quickly disengaged. For lack of a better word, this triplane, could climb unlike anything I've ever seen and easily turn within our turns. The enemy pilot actually played with us for about 10 minutes and then just flew away leaving the four of us shaken and rattled. After we completed our patrol and landed I reported our engagement and was shocked once again when I learned that the High command had no foreknowledge of this new machine. What a difference that machine could make in the war.

The 8th was a dud day, but the 9th was quite productive for the KEK. In the morning sortie I shot down a BE.2C that was spotting for some Tommie artillery. I hope I made the lives of our Kameraden in the trenches a little easier. In the afternoon sortie I led Max ein and Max zwei up to the front to continue our harassment of the British. We didn't have to wait long before here came two BE.2Cs escorted by a DH.2 and another Bristol Scout. I just shook my head as I signaled the attack. The two Maxs attacked the escorts and attacked the BE.2Cs. I quickly flamed one of the Quirks but while I was engaged the other managed to escape. Max ein and Max zwei both took care of the escort and we head home. It was a pretty impressive three days for the KEK, we scored seven confirmed kills in three days.









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Careful, Banjoman. I certainly wouldn't like to take on Tripes with Halberstadts any more than absolutely necessary!!!

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Originally Posted By: Raine
Careful, Banjoman. I certainly wouldn't like to take on Tripes with Halberstadts any more than absolutely necessary!!!


Nonsense! The observer of Albrecht's Aviatik shot down one of those fancy Tripes in July 1916 without breaking a sweat. It should be even easier with a Halby. biggrin

My other DID campaign is now over, so the plan is to finally continue this one. However, I seem to have lost track of the calendar and I have no idea what date it currently is. July something, it seems. I'd be much obliged if one of you gentlemen could help me with my problem. 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."

James McCudden, Five Years in the Royal Flying Corps
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In Intrepid Fliers, 8 November 2016 is 11 July 1916. Check your PM -- I will send you an excellent 2016 Intrepid Fliers' calendar that Banjoman was good enough to put together when I joined this campaign late.

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Yea, Hasse is rejoining. Between Raine and Hasse the stories will be fantastic.


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Dudley Nightshade
Sgt-Pilot
RNAS 6
A Sqn , 4th Wing
Petit-Synthe Flanders.

Nov 08, 1916.


I got back from the Hospital last night and posted to today's afternoon Patrol. The Sqn 6 machines ran into some Walfish 2 Seats. Top cover chased 1 while my 3 fell in with 2 others. I dove to attack firing off 33 rds when I heard Frabic tearing. The strange noise came from my Top Wing so cut power and carefully headed home. I did spot the Flight leader get a flamer.

Sqn Losses; 1 N-11 + 2 lt damage. Claims two 2 seats e/a.



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Dudley Nightshade
Sgt-Pilot
RNAS 6
A Sqn , 4th Wing
Petit-Synthe Flanders.


Nov 10, 1916.

Close Escort for two Fee's busting a Balloon. I don't know if they got it as our 3 machines got tangled up wit 3 Fokker Monoplanes. A fast and furious little shoot out then everyone got lost in the clouds. I fired off numerous 100 rds and got a few hits and got hit counted 8 holes in my kite the other 2 N-10's had holes too. No claims and the Fees got back ok or so I hear.




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Poor Alfred Keers has gone west...

After several days of bad weather, he flew three uneventful missions on 7 and 8 July 1916. On the afternoon of 8 July he lead three Strutters on an attack on the Hun airfield at Pronville. They hit the target hard and headed home. Keers noticed that his mates had got into a scrap a mile east, but seemed to have the upper hand. The EA broke off and headed home. Because Archie in the area was heavy, Keers climbed and turned westward. About five miles before he got to the lines he passed a lone Roland heading east. The two began a long scrap. After putting a good burst into the Hun, Keers saw him turn away and gave chase. His fire seemed to cause the German gunner to stop firing so he close for the kill. He did not notice that the gunner was still very much alive. The Hun's first burst hit Keers, wounding him severely. The Strutter's engine seemed to be missing on one cylinder, but it kept up enough revs that Keers was able to get back over the lines and put his machine down in a field. Pilot health was showing 26%. Keers landed safely but did not survive.

On to the next pilot in a few days!

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Raine, sorry to hear of your pilot's demise, especially one flying in the same squad as my pilot. We can blame Banjoman for this. BTW, I try to steer clear of the Rolands. Very bad business.


"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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