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Robert, you hit more with that 1 rocket salvo than I have ever hit! Nice.
Raine, Nice report my friend. Glad we are all still here.

Edgar Everheart
Vert Galant
Detached RNAS

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday Edgar and 2 others had flown a DOP near Riencourt. Nearing the Hun nest they could see the lead flight engage some Huns. As they zoomed in to take part the sky filled with Pups and Halbs. The odds were about even and Edgar had latched on to one sending it spinning down but he did not follow. As soon as it started it was over and Edgar found himself alone at about 5000'. Looking around, archie told him some of the flight was headed home. Looking to the east and 1000' above he could see 2 machines circling each other and climbed to help out. It was Compston and a grey or silver Halberstadt. Seeing an opening he dove on the tail of the Hun and let him have it. Pieces flew off of the machine and it began to wobble. With his second burst it caught fire and plummeted to the ground crashing near Riencourt. Edgar was elated until ground fire made him realize he was low over a Hun airfield and not another friendly machine in sight! Immediately he climbed west with his head searching the skies.

Crossing the lines he could see his flight circling Courcelles aerodrome. He landed with the rest of his flight there. Compston greeted him as he climbed out of his Pup. "Thank you my good man! I was out of ammunition and trying to find a way to leave the fray when you saved my beacon!"

"Well glad I could be of assistance. Did you see it go down?" Edgar asked.

"As plain as the back of your hand old boy!" Compston stated.

That night there was a big celebration. One of A flight had claimed a Hun and Edgar's was sure to be confirmed. He was in a much better mood than before. Then came the icing on the cake. Squadron Commander Bromet sat down next to Edgar and told him that there had been some mix up with reports and his claim for the balloon a few days before had been confirmed. With a pat on the shoulder the Commander left and there were hardy cheers from those sitting at the table.

Edgar was in high spirits indeed!

Gilbear du Bassy
Esc 81
La Noblette Ferme,
Verdun, France.


1 Jun 1917.

Mission: Patrol inside Enemy lines.

2 Sec. 4 Spads Full ammo
1 Sec 2 Spads " "
E/A 2 flights Albatross Scouts Type ( 10-11 a/c ) + 3 Rumpler 2 seat a/c
Claims 1 e/a 2 seat.
Losses 1 Spad missing + 1 Heavy damage with pilot wnd.

Only back from the Hospital last night and I was posted to a Long Range Patrol up to Rethel. The Boshe was thick as flees We had a flight of 5 or 6 e/a off our off to the left and 3 Rumplers slightly high to the Right. Added to this deadly brew was a flight of e/a scouts ( 3-5 ) low and to the right ( Going behind us ? )
I broke left and bounced the Scouts ( Breaking up the formation ) then headed home at full power being chased by three of them.

Great reports everyone.
Perhaps one of you fine Gentlemen can fly over Halluin and drop a pair of new gloves for Aldi?

News of the World for January 1917 - Intrepid Fliers Group:

January 1
The Cunard troopship Ivernia was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-47 off the Greek coast in the Mediterranean Sea.
General Sir Douglas Haig was promoted to Field Marshal.
January 3
German forces captured Focsani in Romania.
January 4
The Russian battleship Peresvet sank off Port Said, Egypt, after hitting a mine laid by German U-boats.
January 5
A conference was held in Rome between representatives from the British, French and Italian Governments.
January 6
The last Russian and Romanian forces evacuated Dobrudja in Romania.
January 7
The Allied Conference in Rome closed.
January 9
The day long Battle or Rafa completed the recapture of the Sinai Peninsula when Ottoman forces were driven back by British troops during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign.
The Royal Navy battleship HMS Cornwall was sunk by German submarine U-32 in the Mediterranean.
Prince Nikolai Dmitriyevitch Golitsyn replaced Alexander Trepov as Prime Minister of Russia.
January 10
The Allied powers replied to US President Wilson's Peace Note of December 1916 outlining their peace objectives.
January 11
Germany and Turkey signed a Settlement Treaty in Berlin.
German and Austro-Hungarian Governments issued a Note repudiating responsibility for continuance of the War.
January 14
A provisional Council of State was set up in Warsaw, Poland.
The Japanese battle cruiser Tsukuba was sunk while in port at Yokosuka after an internal explosion.
January 16
The German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmermann sent a telegram to his ambassador in Mexico, instructing him to propose an alliance against the United States with the Mexican government. Zimmermann believed that a war between Mexico and the United States would prevent American involvement in the European war.
January 17
An Inter-Allied conference convened at Petrograd to discuss war policy, finance and cooperation.
January 19
The Zimmermann telegram was intercepted and deciphered by the British.
A massive explosion in East London occurred when a large quantity of TNT exploded at a munitions factory in Salvertown.
January 20
General Reginald Hoskins succeeded General Jan Smuts in command of British forces during the East African Campaign.
January 22
US President Wilson addressed the US Senate and appealed for a settlement of the conflict in Europe on the basis of "peace without victory".
January 23
Royal Navy destroyer HMS Simoom was blown up by gunfire from German destroyers during action off the Schouwen Bank near Zeebrugge.
January 24
The Greek Government formally apologized to Allied Governments for refusing the Entente demands in December 1916.
January 25
German destroyers shelled Southwold and Wangford on the Suffolk coast in England.
A British attack on the Turkish salient at Hal met initial success but was beaten back by a Turkish counterattack.
January 26
British and Indian troops recaptured the trenches lost on 25 January at Hal.
January 27
The British steamer SS Artist was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-55 west of The Smalls near Newport in Wales.
January 31
The German Government announced that it would resume unrestricted naval warfare from the 1st February.

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

News of the World for May 1917 - Warbirds Rising Group:

May 1
The Polish Council of State presented demands to the Central Powers regarding the creation of an independent Poland.
May 2
The first USA destroyer flotilla arrived at Queenstown in Cork, Ireland.
May 3
The Third Battle of the Scarpe and the Second Battle of Bullecourt began during the Arras Offensive.
May 4
French forces captured Craonne on the Chemin des Dames ridge.
May 5
A major military engagement was fought between the forces of the Central Powers and the Entente near Vardar as part of the Allied Spring Offensive, designed to break the stalemate on the Macedonian Front.
May 7
With support from Australian troops part of Bullecourt was seized by the British.
May 8
Germans recaptured Fresnoy on the Arras front.
May 9
French, Russian and Serbian troops launched a coordinated offensive in Macedonia, but Bulgarian and German defenders repulsed them.
May 10
Major General John J. Pershing was appointed to command the United States Expeditionary Force.
May 11
British and French war commissioners paraded down Fifth Avenue in America to celebrate the United States' entry into the war. The slogan "Show your colours" brought forth a patriotic flurry of Union Jacks, Tricolores and Stars and Stripes.
May 12
The Tenth Battle of the Isonzo began when once again Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops battled each other along the Isonzo River.
May 14
The German Zeppelin L22 was destroyed in the North Sea by a British flying boat during a reconnaissance mission.
May 15
Fourteen British drifters were sunk in the Otranto Straits when British and Austrian naval forces clashed.
Philippe Petain replaced Robert Nivelle as Commander-in-Chief of the French Army. He was tasked with turning back an imminent German offensive and quelling the mutinies in the French army.
May 17
Honduras severed diplomatic relations with Germany.
Following fierce German resistance the Second Battle of Bullecourt ended. Few of the initial objectives had been met.
May 18
The Compulsory Service Act became law in the United States. All American men aged 21-30 had to register for the draft.
May 19
The United States Government announced it would send a Division of the US Army to France.
May 20
Thanks to the actions of the French Commander-in-Chief, Philippe Petain, a month of sporadic mutinies in the French army came to an end.
May 21
British troops captured the Siegfried line from Bullecourt to one mile east of Arras.
May 22
Brigadier-General Nash succeeded Sir Eric Geddes as Director-General of Transportation.
Count Istvan Tisza resigned as Prime Minister of Hungary.
May 24
The British Royal Navy introduced a newly created convoy system, whereby all merchant ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean would travel in groups under the protection of the British navy.
May 25
Heavy casualties were sustained in a German aeroplane raid on Folkestone, Kent on the southeast coast of England.
May 26
HMS Dover Castle was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine UC-67 in the Mediterranean en route from Malta to Gibraltar.
May 28
An Anglo-French conference in London discussed the deposition of King Constantine of Greece and considered the occupation of Athens and Thessaly.
May 29
The French liner SS Yarra was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine UC-74 near Kreta in Greece.
May 30
The South African military commander General Jacob van Deventer succeeded Major General Reginald Hoskins in command of British forces in East Africa.

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

Thank you for the news report Fullofit. They are always informative!

Carick;

It seems likely someone sent a notice to the Huns that your boy was coming for a visit!

MFair, I also learn something new when I prepare the news.

Jasta 18
1 February 1917, over the Front

Two Albatros D.II's are flying side by side, bobbing slightly up and down, and front and back in relation to each other. The weather is good with some heavy clouds in the distance and above them. Visibility is better than what one would consider average. The whole scene would look serene if it weren't for the two large columns of black smoke behind them, where two enemy airplanes had just crashed. The two pilots in the biplanes looked at each other and even though their faces were bundled tight to fend off biting wind, they could each tell the other one was smiling. It was Offizierstellvertreter Aldi Schwarzkopf and Leutnant Walter von Bülow-Bothkamp and they had each bagged a Pup. No small feat in the death-traps they were flying at the present and to boot each one has witnessed the other's achievement.
It all started earlier this morning when the Staffel C.O. Oberleutnant Heino Grieffenhagen decided that Aldi will fly as his wingman. The mission objective was balloon defense north of their base at Halluin. Halfway to the balloon, as it now has become a habit, Grieffenhagen's machine started to cough and he had to leave formation to look after it. This left Aldi in lead and effective command of the flight. He had been over the balloon in question numerous times and was not afraid he'd get lost. Just in case, he looked around to make sure that he is where he thought he ought to be. He was reassured by the railway line below that led over a particular bridge, which was a well known navigation landmark. He looked back to check that von Bülow and Strähle were still in formation and led the Kette the rest of the way to the designated patrol area.
Once over the balloon all hell broke loose. 4 Sopwith Pups swooped down from the cloud layer above. One got on Strähle's tail, second went after von Bülow and Aldi got stuck with the remaining two. While jockeying for position, meaning diving in circles, Aldi could see that von Bülow was holding his own and was trading head-on passes with his opponent. Strähle wasn't so lucky. The Pup stuck to his tail and stayed there while the two of them maneuvered all over the sky. Aldi was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Any attempt at gaining advantage over one of the Sopwiths resulted in disadvantage to the other one. During one of those maneuvers Strähle's pursuer found himself in Aldi's sights. He squeezed the trigger and for one second a stream of bullets went through the Pup. This did the trick and Strähle was free of the chase and on the offensive. Von Bülow kept jousting with Pup without any of them gaining a clear advantage. Aldi ended up with one enemy behind and the other in front. He let the Spandaus do the talking again and the Pup in front was hit, he in turn was hit by the plane behind.



A violent maneuver later and both Pups were lost from sight. There was no sign of von Bülow nor of Strähle. A few desperate moments to regain visual contact. More unpredictable moves to confuse any potential stalkers. Searching. Searching. There! One Pup! The other one is nowhere to be found. "Let's take care of the immediate threat first and we'll worry about the other one later." Aldi was calculating his odds of survival. If the other Pup bugged out, then the odds have improved. If he is still somewhere around, hiding in the clouds, then the odds won't matter. The Pup definitely did not look comfortable after getting separated from the other machine and started moving toward the front lines. Aldi managed to get behind him and was slowly reducing the distance. Finally he was in range and started to pepper the British machine. He reduced the revs to minimum and was gliding behind his target. Just before getting too close he let loose another salvo and banked to make another run, but that was unnecessary.



As he turned he saw the Pup catch on fire. With a great plume of black smoke the crippled machine plunged downwards and into the ground just over the lines.
Aldi looked around and saw immediately von Bülow forcing down his opponent. The machine touched the ground, flipped over and exploded instantly. The 2 aviators saw each other, formed up and returned to base where Grieffenhagen with his dud engine and Strähle with his damaged bird were already waiting for them.

Here is the status report for the entire month that I was away. Sunday, I'll prepare the regular weekly status report.

Hey guys, I've added the option to fly as an American with either the British or French. When the Americans actually get a separate air force then I'll add a separate section for them. Let me know what you think.

Gilbear du Bassy
Esc 81
La Noblette Ferme,
Verdun, France.

2 June 1917.


Mission : Intercept on the enemy side .

Loc: North East of our assigned sector.

E/A: 1 Dfw escorted by 4 D-III Albatross Scouts.

2 Sec: 5 Spads

Alt: 2100 meters then down to the deck

Claims: 2 E/a Scouts

Losses: 1 Spad + 3 damaged.

Remarks: The flt leader spotted the e/a flight at the end of or patrol before RTB point. I was zee the last dog on the chain in our flight so attacked the Dfw. As I swung around the Big Bus, just dove for home pulling away. I did a wingover and attacked the e/a scouts. Finally, I got on the tail and opened up at 300 meters then more at 200 meters. Firing in bursts, I pumped the last of the bullets in him. The lower right wing came off and he went down.

Gilbear du Bassy
Esc 81
La Noblette Ferme,
Verdun, France.


June 3, 1917.


An Oil line broke shortly after take off ,but I found a dusty road to land on so much for the Dawn Patrol. My old create was patched up for the afternoon cover the Aerodromes flight. 2 Sections 5 a/c were going in between zee clouds when I spotted 2 Recon types maybe 500 meters below us. I waved to the flight but they couldn't see me in the white vapor so broke off and attacked. I was able to make 2 high side passes before my gun jammed. I think I only got 7 hits out of 291 rds fired so RTB.

.

The DID Centenary Challenge Commendations Officer is pleased to present the following awards.


To pilots of the Entente Alliance

550 Hours Medal presented to: Banjoman, (Squadron Commander Arthur Ethelstan).
175 Hours Medal presented to: RAF Louvert, (Capitaine Allard Tremblay).
100 Hours Medal presented to: Fullofit, (Squadron Commander Cyrus Gold); Lederhosen, (Major Cecil Vernon Gardner).
75 Hours Medal presented to: Raine, (Flight Commander Colin Urquhart); Fullofit, (Capitaine Dominique Urbain); Robert Wiggins, (Sergeant Albert Earl Godfrey).
25 Hours Medal presented to: Hasse, (Sergent Bruno Berthier); Fullofit, (Sous Lieutenant Etienne Valois); Macklroy, (Adjutant Armande Arquette),


To pilots of the Central Powers

425 Hours Medal presented to Banjoman, (Rittmeister Ahren Auge)
25 Hours Medal presented to MFair, (Offiziersstellvertreter Drago Duntz).


Well done Gentleman, you make your respective countries proud! You may pick up your spiffing new gongs on the table below.

That's awesome. Thank you Lou. I really miss that award animation from Red Baron.

Lou

Albert thanks you profusely!!

Best Regards

Gilbear du Bassy
Esc 81
La Noblette Ferme,
Verdun, France.
2 Confirmed Victory's


Jun 4, 1917.


Well, I go back to the Hospital. The morning flight went fine. 2 Sections 4 Spads ran into a Recon escorted by 3 Albatross Scouts at close quarters. Zee Bosche fought like mad dogs and we each lost a machine + one of my flight was wnd. All of us had holes in zee a/c. The Afternoon flight started well until my motor caught fire. ( Oil lines ? Gasket ? ) I cut the motor and fuel lines the found a level spot to land. Unfortunately, A fence also occupied the spot. The medics will have me for 13 days.

Jasta 18
4 February 1917 Halluin

It was loud and Leutnant von Bülow's words could barely be heard over the noise of the celebration.
- "Paul, please check on our new Leutnant. He has the early morning patrol and we need him to be awake."
Paul Strähle understood and his neck started to do the exercise of searching his surroundings that he knew so well. He spotted Aldi at the next table behind a row of bottles making most of the racket. He stood up and approached him.
- "Leutnant Schwarzkopf, you are needed at the next table." Paul yelled in Aldi's ear and pointed in von Bülow's direction. Aldi picked himself shakily up and wobbled to von Bülow's table.
- "Offizier ... I mean Leutnant Schwarzkopf reporting for duty!" His attempt at saluting failed miserably as his hand missed the general area of his head.
- "Sit down before you hurt yourself." Von Bülow offered Aldi a seat beside him. Aldi slumped down beside him nearly missing the chair.
- "Want me to tell you how I got thish pretty medal?" Aldi tried to point at his chest where a fresh Militär-Verdienstorden was hanging, but his hand only managed to go as far as his belly button.
Walter cringed as he was forced to listened to the story twice this evening already, but responded. - "If it'll keep you from drinking, by all means. Regale us with your latest exploits. Here, drink this. It's coffee." Paul Strähle was carrying two steaming cups of the mentioned brown stimulant-laxative. Aldi grabbed the mug and took a deep gulp.
- "Thash goot!" He announced wiping his mouth with his sleeve. The freshly minted leutnant put the coffee down and started his story.
- "We had line patrol that day over ... Paul, help me. You were there." Aldi turned to Strähle for the location of the patrol almost falling off the chair again.
- "Rumbeke" Paul offered the answer, helpful as always.
- "Yesh! We barely shtarted our patrol when five of the French machines showed up."
- "Four." Paul corrected. Aldi looked at Strähle as if he had just kicked a puppy.
- "We encountered FOUR Nieuportsh." Aldi continued. - "But theesh weren't any ordinary Nieupesh, theesh were the old N 10'sh ..."
- "N 11's" Paul interjected. Aldi dismissed the comment and continued.
- "They were shpeshal becaushe they were shlower than our Albatrosh and shooting them wash like shooting ..."
- "Fish in a barrel?" Paul tried to help again.
- "Like ducksh!" Aldi rejected Strähle's help on purpose.
- "But Aldi, ducks aren't easy to shoot." Paul tried to argue.
- "It ish if you have twin Shpandaush!" Aldi started a maniacal laugh which concluded with a cough when some spittle ended up down his breathe hole. Von Bülow slapped him on the back to help with Aldi's cough. Unfortunately the slap threw Aldi off balance which in turn caused an indiscrete sound come out of Aldi - a result of Aldi's recent indigestion. A pungent smell of rotten eggs hung in the air for a few moments. Aldi intent on disregarding the incident continued.
- "I wash able to hit the little bashtard on the firsht pash. He shtarted to shpin and went down all the way to the ground. I wash shocked and shurprised at the shame time. I wash already looking for the neksht target. I shaw Shträlhe being chased by one of them..."
- "I was chasing him, not the other way around. They were easy to shoot down, remember?" Paul was defending himself.
- "I wash too bushy to notishe." Aldi rebuked. - " I found the neksht Nieupe on my tail, sho I made my move like thish." He extended his hand with his palm down and then twisted his hand upside down and then made a swooping move and threw his arm behind him, nearly hitting Paul on the nose.
- "Then I went like thish." He made move with his hand straight in front of him.
- "And he went like thish." He made a slashing move with his hand nearly chopping off Strähle's head. Paul slowly moved away to avoid any further maneuver demonstrations.
- "And thatsh how I got on hish tail. I dove after him and finally shtarted to shoot. Rat-tat-tat!" Aldi made sounds with his mouth to mimic the sounds of his Spandaus. - "Boom!" and with that he lost his balance and fell under the table. He raised one hand to try and pick himself up, but abandoned the feeble attempt. He curled up under the table and started to snore.
Von Bülow and Strähle breathed a sigh of relief. Paul started to pick his inebriated friend off the floor to get him back to his room and sleep it off. While straining under Aldi's weight Sträle commented through clenched teeth:
- "I hope he doesn't get promoted too often. I don't think I could survive another one. He causes more damage than the French and British combined when he's not sober." With that he had Aldi on his feet, albeit unconscious, dragging him to his room with one arm over his shoulder.
- "Paul, give him two Aspirins when he wakes up in the morning. He'll thank you for it". Von Bülow yelled after the pair. Walter finished off his drink, got up to his feet, adjusted his tunic and added: - "And keep an empty bucket close to his bunk."

Albert Earl Godfrey

1 Feb 1917 @ 08h18 Attack on Phalempin

Well, Murphy has struck again! At briefing today we were informed we would be repeating the raid on Phalempin to hopefully do some significant damage to the Hun airfield. This announcement by the C.O. was followed by much grumbling from the rank and file. The C.O. ignored the noise and quickly announced that the weather forecast was for much heavy cloud from 4800 ft upwards with winds of 8 kn from the NNW.

Caldwell, Meintjes, Fry and Godfrey exited the briefing room in silence heading towards their mounts which were already being run out to the line. “A” flight consisting of Graves, Pidcock, Smith and Hall followed just a quietly.

The quietness in it’s own right said everything.

“B” flight was the first to leave the field, followed by “A” flight and they all formed up just north of Savy at 08h29, attaining an altitude of 3800 ft before setting out on the first leg of the mission towards Loos.

At 08h34 they arrived just north of Loos at 4600 ft barely below the heavy cloud cover. Caldwell a descent towards the lines coming down to 3400 ft as they crossed over. Godfrey noticed the shelling below and immediately thought how much more effective their mission would be if they could shed the LePrieur’s for some of those shells.

They were making good time and at 08h40 they passed just north of Lens at which point the Huns sent their usual greetings up in the form of thick black puffs of smoke and fire. Caldwell wasted no time in turning NE towards Phalempin, saying a hasty goodbye in the process.

At 08h43 Caldwell signaled the attack on Phalempin and the boys went in.
Albert stayed up high for a time observing the operation and keeping an eye on the sky for Hun scouts. He observed that the LePrieurs were making a spectacular show on the ground with smoke and flame but little damage was actually being done.

Albert finally went in to shoot up the scouts lined up nicely on the field and having strafed them he climbed out to join his mates. He spotted Caldwell just west of the field and headed towards him to join up. That’s when he spotted a nice fat sausage just hanging in the air less than a kilometer from Phalempin field. Being completely fed up with the effect the last two days of rocket attacks had on Phalempin, he set his mind to taking his frustration out on that sausage. It took three passes before it finally burst into flame but somehow that made up for some of the depression he had been bearing.

It was 09h04 when Albert noticed the boys forming up for their return to Savy, and he joined them quickly. The trip back across the lines was free from harassment by enemy scouts but Hun Flak continued to pester them all the way to the lines.

Back at Savy, reporting in to the R.O. it was made clear by the pilots that little damage had been done with the LePrieur rockets. Caldwell and Graves both spoke up requesting some decent ordinance to do the job right.

There was nothing left to do but wait to see how the brass hats reacted to the latest report of the attack. On the plus side, all the boys had made it back safely but four of the 8 aircraft would require two to three days repair as a result of ground fire from Phalempin.

Carrick, I feel you have grown too fond of the nurses! Hope you heal fast.
Fullofit, Congratulations on the promotion. Easy on the celebrations though![/b]
[b]Robert, oh how I abhor ground attack!

Flight Lt. Edgar Everheart
St-Pol-sur-Mer
Flanders

The squadron had orders to transfer to their new aerodrome. They were to turn in their Pup's which would be sent back home for home defense. The squadron would be reequipped with the new Triplane. Everyone was in high spirits as they walked to their machines. Flight Commander Urquhart waved at Edgar as he climbed aboard his mount. Edgar was fond of the Flight Commander. He had informally taken him under his wing since joining the squadron and was always willing to share tactics that would save him time and again. Edgar smiled and waved back as Colin climbed aboard "Sheila" as his Pup was named.

At St-Pol-sur-Mer, Commodore Everheart was standing next to a hanger with his adjutant. He was at Dunkirk with the fleet and had come to see his son. They heard the distant sound of the radial engines as the Pups came into view high overhead. There were two Strutters already on final approach. "That will be your Edgar's flight there Sir" the adjutant said while pointing skyward. The Pup's started to descend in a circle as they entered their landing pattern. As the Commodore watched he saw one suddenly break off in a dive soon followed by the other 4 machines in the flight. Soon the staccato of machine gun fire from the air and the ground broke the monotone drone of the engines. Then the archie batteries started to throw their lead into the air also. The adjutant took the Commodore by the arm. "We need to get to cover Sir!" The Commodore flicked his arm away as he took in the scene. "We are as safe here as anywhere else" the Commodore replied. With that he stiffened and crossed his arms with his eyes taking in the mayhem.

An Albatros was chasing one of the Strutters as it was trying to land, its engine smoking badly. The Hun machine looked every bit the hawk after its prey. The Commodore was watching his helpless countrymen trying to land as the Hun sent burst after burst into him. Then he saw a Pup dive in behind the Hun and start to pour his deadly fire into the hawk. The hunted had become the prey. The Hun broke off but it was too late for the Strutter. It sat down on the field engulfed in flames. In an instant, another Albatros came in behind the Pup and sent a deadly burst into it. The Commodore saw the Pup shudder as pieces of fabric tore off the wing and into the slipstream. The Pup pulled up but it was clear he was having trouble controlling the machine. The Commodore kept his eye on it. The Pup turned, dipped a wing, and looked like it might stall and go into the trees before recovering to level out at low altitude across the field. One more turn, this time a bit more in control and the Pup just cleared the burning Strutter and sat down hard on the field. Above, machines were twisting and turning in a massive dogfight. The Commodore was spellbound by the sight. He watched as the Pup came to a rolling stop and the prop stopped with a jerk. The pilot instantly unbuckled and jumped out of the machine while tearing off his flight helmet. Commodore Everheart gasped and then composed himself again as he realized it was his son running across the field.



Edgar ran to the nearest machine gun pit and helped the gunners any way he could. In just minutes, it was over with the Huns headed east and the rest of the Pup's landing. "Welcome to your new home!" Edgar thought.

The visit between father and son was brief but was a moment Edgar would never forget. As the Commodore started to climb into his staff car he turned to Edgar and placed his hand on his shoulder. "I could never be more proud to call you my son" he said with a smile. Edgar did not speak. He could not. There were no words. Then the Commodore said with a start "I almost forgot!" He reached into his coat pocket and withdrew an envelope to hand to Edgar. "Congratulations Flight Lieutenant!"

Drago Duntz
Jasta 28w

Drago got the transfer he wanted, or at least he thought. His first flight with his new Jasta was almost his last.

Time to start over...

Flight Commander Colin Urquhart died in a collision with an Albatros on 7 February 1917. He closed out his time at Vert Galant with his 9th confirmed kill, a Halberstadt DIII on 26 January 1917. After that his flights were either uneventful or inconclusive, the latter category including two exciting mix-ups with well-flown Rolands. On 2 February, the Detached Squadron turned in its Pups for Tripes and moved to St-Pol-sur-mer, where it was renamed No 8 Squadron, RNAS (or simply Naval Eight). Urquhart had a day off and joined Everheart for lunch in Dunkirk with the Commodore. Dalgleish went AWOL but was picked up at "wee Mary's" farm and brought back.

Urquhart's riggers had "Sheila" painted on his Tripe. After several safe line patrols and defensive patrols, he led his first offensive patrol in a Tripe. They spotted two Albatros DIIs and gave chase. One turned to meet the Sopwiths and the fight turned dangerous as too many Tripes were going for a single enemy. Just as I thought it was time to leave the dance, the Hun turned towards me. I tried to dive under him, but lost the top wing in the collision and thundered into no man's land and an unmarked grave.

I'll be away for about a week and back with a new pilot and story...