homepage Forums Air Combat & Civil Aviation Wings: Over Flanders Fields DEAD IS NOT DEAD

67

Freitag, 28 September 1917



The heavy fog of the morning has cleared, replaced by hazy conditions.

We saw little activity during the morning patrol.

We’re still relaxing until it's time for the mid-day patrol when the siren goes off.




Bombers are on the way to Menen.

The Flak bursts lead us to our quarry and we attack. Jasta 24, hot on our heels joins us shortly after we engage the Cockades.

CAPTION – in the foreground is the Albatros DV Uprated skin for Otto Keller of Jasta 24, next in line is that of Kurt Reinhold. Both skins are from Pack 6 of the More Skins by Jerbear Mod.

I see no bombs on these B.F.s.* It’s probably a photo reconnaissance flight.

The methods used by the British for their reconnaissance missions is very different from ours.

With us Germans, the observer is an officer in one of the principal arms; Infantry, Artillery, Cavalry or possibly a Naval officer. He was trained as such, and there are no exceptions to the rule that he must have seen active service for a period with his arm so that he possesses both practical and theoretical war experience in addition to general military knowledge.


*Bristol Fighters – The Germans often referred to Allied types as SEs, BFs, and other abbreviations.

With the English, the observer is not necessarily an officer. Very often he is only a machine gunner.

If he is an officer there is no compulsion for him to have served with any other arm and usually has not. He therefore lacks general military knowledge and practical experience of war.

Often, the man found unfit to be a pilot is deemed good enough to be an observer.

When the German general staff wants some particular information, a single machine is entrusted with the mission, often flying at 5-6,000 meters and attracting little attention. This crew brings back reliable information which, if necessary, can be checked by a second or third mission which usually brings back the same information.





CAPTION – From the Two-Seater Mod by jerbear: off_Rumpler_CIV_ace_t_FA(A) 28b9 Lb 1918_Reinhold_Ludecke – “May Beetle” Rumpler featured on the Wingnut Wings website. This machine actually belonged to FAA 239 but that unit is not used in WOFF, plus it probably would not have had one of the rare two-seater aces to fly it.

FAA 289 Lb does have an ace that fits the bill, Reinhold Ludecke flies a Rumpler in that unit from 15 April to 5 August 1918, a very rare bird. So, I used him for this skin.

The camouflage pattern is not exactly like that on Wingnut wings but, then again, that paint job is partially conjecture as well.

The reason the crew decided to use a May Beetle, or as we call them down South in the States, June Bug, is unknown. Probably one of them was a Coleopterist, or maybe both of them collected dead bugs, people do.

If the English general staff orders a reconnaissance for some specific information, they often dispatch a whole flight or even a squadron, which is frequently escorted by a flight or squadron of scouts to protect it. Thus attracting a great deal of attention.





These inexperienced observers frequently bring back differing reports, so that in the end, the staff is forced to sift them to find the probable truth and may end up dependent on their own guesswork after all.*

*Adaptation of the opinions expressed in “A German Airman Remembers,” Hans Schröder, translated by Claud W. Sykes, Vintage Aviation Library 9. It is somewhat of a generalization.

One of the Britishers turns back to the west while the others fight us, probably this is the photo plane. Berthold and I chase it back over the lines toward Zillebeke Lake where he brings it down.

Auffarth and Sepple also claim Bristols.*














*Eight Bristols #20 Squ on photo Rec over Menin. This was a formation of 8 Bristols from No. 20 Squadron on a photo reconnaissance over Menin/Menen, only 15 km from Harlebeke.

The British pilots reported that they were attacked by 25 Albatros scouts so this was at least two of the Staffels of Jagdgruppe 7 and possibly all three. I have only included Jasta 24 as they are at Harlebeke at this time.

British sources say that 20 Squadron had only two losses while Berthold, Auffarth and Veltjens each made a claim.

The casualties were Bristol F.2B A.7210, crew; Cpt. John Santiago Campbell and Private G. Tester and F.2B A.7241 crew; 2/Lt Harry Francis Tomlin and Harold Taylor Noble, all killed.

None of the three claims was announced in the Sep listing but appeared in the Aug-Sep supplement issued 5 weeks later. “Iron Man, Rudolf Berthold” by Peter Kilduff

This is Veltjens’ 7th and Auffarth’s 4th Luftsieg.

Veltjens claims to have brought his Bristol down east of Hollegeke.

Auffarth’s claim was south of Wervicq.




















ENDE

68

Sontag, 30 September 1917

Neuer tag.

During our mid-day patrol, we arrive in time to rescue one of our Arbeitsflieger (working machines) which is being attacked by what looks to be five or six Pups over Gheluwe.












Caption – this is a WOFF Skin Pack Sopwith Pup skin for Patrick Gordon Taylor for No. 66 Squadron.

Berthold fires his three shots and we dive into the fight below.

The Pups are agile but the chubby little green and brown machines are no match for the Albatros, especially when flown by the experienced fliers of Berthold’s Red Noses.

It’s about 1150 when Berthold sends one of them to a fiery death over Deulemont, his 27th.

Richard Runge has winged another and is forcing him down in a slow spin.*


*Runge forced down a Pup in a slow spin over St Marguerite at 1150. The pilot Lt J W Boumphry survived and was taken prisoner. “Iron Man, Rudolf Berthold” by Peter Kilduff

His son, of the same name, was a highly decorated ace in the 2nd World War.







CAPTION – The Pup skin is the WOFF Skin Pack skin for Robert ‘Oxo’ Oxspring. Oxspring was not Runge’s victim.

Auffarth cremates his fifth victim minutes later.

After a protracted chase, Sigi forced another Pup to land on the other side of the lines.*








CAPTION – This WOFF skin is Lt. Walbanke Ashley Pritt, MC, RFC 66, who was actually in this fight and was forced down behind his own lines.





*Two Pups were lost by Number 66 Squadron.

B2185 piloted by 2/Lt Joseph Gordon Warter came down in a spin south of Gheluwe and was killed.

B.1768, flown by Lt J.W. Boumphrey, Runge’s victim.

These three Luftsiege were not confirmed in the bi-weekly Nachrichtenblatt listing but appeared in updated accounting weeks later.

Captain Tone Bayetto was wounded and made a forced landing in the damaged B.2618 within his own lines.

Lt Walbanke Ashley Pritt, MC crashed B.2162, surviving unhurt behind his own lines. I chose to attribute Pritt’s machine to the fictitious Siegfried Keller character.

Pritt claimed to have sent an Albatros down out of control and Bayetto claimed one sent down smoking during this fight, but no German losses were recorded.

“Iron Man, Rudolf Berthold” by Peter Kilduff and Osprey “Jasta 18; the Red Noses,” Greg VanWyngarden.















ENDE

69

There’s a celebration this evening in our Kasino with all the pilots from Jagdgruppe 7 present.

We have exchanged visits with the Jasta 24 pilots since their arrival at Harlebeke but only informally.

This is the first Group-wide function we have had.

Sigi and I sit with Böhning and Patzer whom we know from our landing at Kuerne back in August.

I have copies of the photographs I took of them with their machines during the long spell of Fliegerwetter, as I do for a number of others from both our sister Staffels.





Caption - Albatros DV Uprated - Alfred_Hubner - Made to conform with his unused DVII OAW skin. This design is from Winsock’s “Fokker DVII Antology 2.” The actual pilot is unknown.

In WOFF, Hubner is not yet with Jasta 36 but I present it here as if he inherited it from someone else, an unknown pilot. Besides….it’s pretty.

The skin is in User Skins by Jerbear, Pack 2. Makes a good personal skin for any number of Staffels, even if they don’t use the blue nose as a Staffel marking.




Caption – This is off_Alb_DV_later_Ace_t_Jasta 24 1917_Wilhelm_Scheerer – The three antlers are the coat of arms for his place of birth, Tuttlingen in Württemberg.

The skin is from More User Skins by Jerbear, Pack 6

Böhning, they call ‘Hans der Bayer’ (Hans the Bavarian.) Although he’s a Leutnant in the Bavarian Army, he was born in the Sudetenland and speaks the North-German Hanseatic dialect because he grew up in Bremen.

Before the war, he studied history and archaeology at the University of Ertangen.

He fell in love with the easy going Bavarian mentality and considers himself a Bavarian of the heart.*

He brought down his third during the fighting on the 26th, one of the new type Nieuports.



*“Jasta Colors Volume 1,” Bruno Schmäling, Aeronaut Books. Schmäling interviewed Böhning’s widow. Böhning will not meet his future wife until 1918.

Offizierstellvertreter Klein and Leutnant Keller’s Ehrenbecher have come from the jewelers and are presented.*






Those of us who have them all toast the recipients with our own Erhrenbecher. Vater Turck’s hasn’t come in yet so I loan him mine for the toast. We include him in the celebration as well as all the other victories we have to celebrate this month, including Sigi’s Bristol of yesterday, confirmed or not, and of course, der Eiserne proposes a toast to the oberster Kriegsherr (Supreme War Lord.)





I’m not particularly impressed by the Supreme War Lord and reflect on the great ones I have served in the past. I’m afraid he doesn’t measure up in my estimation.



*This, cup of honor, is for Klein’s first victory, achieved 16 August 1917. It was customary with Berthold and most other commanders to present the victory cup for the first Luftsieg.

Berthold himself received his on 3 February 1917 after his 8th victory.

Keller’s fictitious aerial victory over a D.H.5 was 22 August.

Both von Bulow-Bothkamp and Heinrich Kroll speak briefly, honoring the efforts of the pilots and ground crews over the last month, during the British offensives, proposing a number of toasts.

After they sit, Berthold rises to give a glowing account of the activities of the Jagdgruppe, somewhat tastelessly over-emphasizing our Staffel’s achievements and his own.

“Four times this month Jasta 18 has cleaned up a supposedly unassailable force of the British bombing squadrons!”

“In our last fight, besides my opponent, which is my 27th, three others were brought down!



Cheers'.



“My Schwarzer Mann are beaming!”


“If we come back from a flight and no enemy is left lying in ruins, their faces are full of reproach, the fine fellows!

“In this horrible struggle in Flanders, my Jasta 18 has become a crack unit. Already in September it has brought its score to thirty-two Luftsiege!”