1917 Eagles Fall (12 page)

We headed north east on the 5
th
of March. I had a bad feeling as we took off. We had been lucky the last time we had been attacked; we had been very close to our lines. This time we would be twenty miles behind enemy lines.  We would have both ground fire and enemy aeroplanes to contend with.

I had spent some time talking to Freddie and Johnny about the mirror, the Vickers and our tactics.  We were all learning so much each time we went up.  I was in love again and this time it was with metal and canvas.  The Pup seemed to be an extension of me. I missed Lumpy but I did not miss the responsibility of knowing that I could be the cause of another’s death. Now I just had my own soul on my conscience.

We let the squadron take off and then we climbed high to be above them and use the superior ceiling of the Pup.  We saw the Gunbuses below us.  I felt for them.  The gunner had canvas and wood to protect him and the Gunbus was so slow and big that the Germans could not miss them.  Having flown a few missions in my Pup I could not believe how long I had survived in a Gunbus. They were such a huge target, how did the Germans miss them? We crossed the lines and, after we had passed the main German defences, the squadron dropped to an altitude where they could photograph the ground. Only a quarter of the aeroplanes had cameras.  The rest were watching for the Germans. 

We managed fifteen minutes before the black crosses appeared in the distance.  I waggled my wings, armed my Vickers and then began my slow dive to attack from above.  We needed to conserve fuel. The Pup only had an endurance of two and a half hours. I saw that there were at least two Jastas. They were a mixture of Halberstadts and Fokkers. I guessed that they only had one machine gun.  We had a chance; only a slight one but some of the squadron might survive and give the generals their precious photographs.  I knew I was being unfair.  The intelligence we would gather would save the lives of many Tommies but I was thinking about my squadron.

I knew that we would have to try our new tactic of flying as close to the enemy as we could.  Their formation could wreak havoc on the Gunbuses. They had seen us this time and six of them were angling up towards us. The word had got out about the new nimble little fighter. The puffs of smoke from the ground fire were alarming but, in reality, they were not even close. They stopped as the Halberstadts closed with us. I opened fire at a thousand yards.  It was comfortable range and our tracer rounds were a good way to see how close I was. I saw that I was aiming high and so I dipped the nose marginally. It was hardly a movement at all but the next burst struck the propeller. That was how quickly we closed. The leading Halberstadt peeled off as the power dropped. I moved the stick to starboard and hit another burst.  The Germans were now firing too, my move had taken me from the sights of the Halberstadt.  My rounds were striking too low and I pulled the nose up a little.  This time the German moved and bullets struck his wing.

I passed him so closely I could see that he had a waxed moustache! I pulled hard on the stick and banked to come up on his tail. It was like turning on a sixpence! The Pup was so responsive that I was able to fire a burst as he wiggled out of my sights.  I hit his rudder and I could see him becoming more sluggish. I glanced in my mirror and it was empty. I was so close to him now that I felt I could reach out and grab his tail.  I fired another burst and the bullets tore through the fuselage and into the pilot. As he slumped backward the Halberstadt rose into the air as his dead hands pulled on the stick.  It was dead along with its pilot.  It would loop until it either ran out of fuel or the controls I had damaged broke.  Either way I chose my next target.

I banked left and began to dive.  My first responsibility was to the Gunbuses below. As I passed a black cross I snap fired.  I had no idea if I hit him or not but I was so close I felt as though I must have.

Below me I watched the other Halberstadts swarming around the Gunbuses. I saw that Ted had four around him and his wingman.  I aimed the Pup at them and gave a burst at a thousand yards. I wanted them nervous.  I only fired twenty bullets but the effect was instantaneous.  The rear Fokker banked into my sights.  I fired a long burst and saw his tail shredded. His dive became terminal.  He was too close to the ground to avoid it. The concussion threw the other Germans and Ted’s craft into the air. I fired again and saw my bullets hit the Fokker in the engine. It dropped close to the ground, smoke pouring from a damaged engine.  The other two climbed east.  I fired again and heard the click of an empty chamber.  I was out of bullets.

I scanned the skies and saw that there was just Ted and I left.  High in the sky to the west, I saw the two Pups as they fought with the last Fokkers. We headed home.

As we landed I saw the medical teams around the Gunbuses and counted the aeroplanes.  I did not see Lieutenants Tinkler and Chapel from Ted’s flight.  We had paid a high price for the photographs.

I stood and watched as Freddie and Johnny landed.  I knew that they were flying on fumes.  The bullet holes in their Pups were testament to the combat.  However they both climbed safely from the tiny yet formidable fighters. I could see the grins on their faces. “It works sir.  If you get in amongst them and mix it up they can’t hit you.”

“But, my God, is it scary?”

The photographs were sent off.  Randolph had a message from Headquarters that we were stood down for the next day and another squadron would risk the German fighters.

We needed the time to repair our buses. I knew I had been profligate when firing.  I would have to revert back to the system I had used with Lumpy.  I would fire short bursts when I was close to the enemy. We were three aeroplanes against squadrons. We had to be better shots. We now had only eight Gunbuses and three Pups.  Ted was down to a flight of two. The Major would have to join us now.

Out first replacements were due at the end of the week.  After we had repaired our Pups I sat in the office smoking my pipe and drinking some whisky that Randolph had managed to acquire. “Will we have a squadron by the time the replacements arrive though, sir?”

“A moot point; I hope so.  Believe it or not, we have done damned well.” He pointed to Randolph.  “Randolph here tells me that 36 Squadron, who were on camera duty today, lost eight aeroplanes; three of them when the new pilots reacted badly and crashed.”

Gordy put down his whisky glass and stubbed out his cigarette.  “I am guessing here that you do not want to throw the new pilots in at the deep end.”

“You know Gordy you could get a job at the end of Blackpool pier as a fortune teller!” Archie downed his whisky and poured us all another. “What is the point of letting them go up under trained and watching them die?” He pointed to me, “Look at Bill.  He nurtured and molly coddled his two young pilots. The result is that Carrick and Holt saved the squadron today. Looking after young pilots is an investment in the future. I am not sending up the young lads until we have given them time to find their feet.”

There was silence. Ted and Gordy had been brought up the hard way; they had been sergeant gunners. Charlie sighed, “Look Gordy, the C.O. is right.  The four of us in this room were all gunners first and we learned how to fight in the air with someone else ferrying us around.  How many gunners could become pilots now?  The poor buggers are lucky to survive twenty hours in the air. This isn’t 1915 anymore.  The Eindecker was a pussycat compared with the D.III.”

I smiled at Charlie.  He would make a good brother in law.  I had liked him as a gunner.  As a friend and a pilot, there was none better.

We were given a sector further south and east for our next reconnaissance flight.  Although we had further to fly into enemy territory the flight there and back would be shorter. Sadly we only had nine aeroplanes to use for the photographs.  Archie was getting more time in the air than he wanted.

That was the day we worked out that the Germans must have used forward observers with a telephone link to the airfields for we were jumped before we even reached the German area we were to photograph. It was a mixed squadron of Albatros D.III and D.II. I had discussed this eventuality with Freddie and Johnny; we would have to mix it up with the deadly D.III and hope that the Gunbuses could handle the D.II.

The one advantage we had that day was that we had the advantage of height.  The Gunbuses had not descended to a lower altitude and the German airfield was close to the front and they were still climbing. This was when I missed Lumpy’s bugle.  When he sounded the cavalry charge it stirred my blood.

Our three Pups plunged down like hunting birds.  As we neared the Albatros fighters I raised my nose a little.  It was a risk.  I was inviting a shot at a bigger target but the nippy little Sopwith was so responsive that I knew I could react quicker than the German. When we were in firing range I dipped my nose and fired at the same time. The tracer arced towards the target as I adjusted my descent.  The German bullets whizzed into the air above my head striking the space I had just occupied while mine struck the German.  The pilot was protected by both his radiator and his guns.  I hit both and he peeled away.  He was not downed but he was out of the dogfight.

I saw bullet holes appear in my wings.  Glancing in my mirror I saw that there was no one behind me. I banked blindly left and then right to throw off the aim of my attacker. I saw him. He was below me. I went into a steep climb.  I almost crashed into Carrick as he dived after his target.  Had we not been flying such small craft then we would both have perished. I heard the twin Spandaus from behind me but no holes appeared.  I could feel the force of the turn as I completed my loop and began my descent. My opponent had tried to match my loop but he had only reached three o’clock.  I brought the nose of the Pup up and pulled the trigger. I hit his tail and his controls. The Albatros side-slipped out of my sights and headed towards the ground. I suspected he would be able to land and, as we were behind German lines, his aeroplane would live to fight us another day.

As I sought another foe I saw the pilot, somehow, regain control and he hedge hopped east. Johnny was on the tail of an Albatros but another, with the Austrian Edelweiss painted on the side, was descending to hit him in his blind spot. I checked that I had no one behind me and then I climbed. I had only fired a third of my ammunition and I risked a long shot.  I hit him and watched as he looked around for his attacker. He saw me and turned to fly directly at me.  He had the advantage of height and speed. He had two guns. I braced myself for the strike of his rounds.

I dipped my nose slightly; inviting the shot and then I dipped my wings to port. They were small adjustments but I knew that he would not have the killing shot he wanted.  He would wait until he was closer. As I straightened up I fired. The bullets sparked from the side of his radiator and I dipped my wings to starboard while lifting the nose slightly.  The German disappeared from view.  I heard the twin guns as I dipped the nose. I fired as the German’s engine appeared just ninety feet in front of me. I pushed the stick forward as I gave him a last burst.  I shot his undercarriage to pieces. It was fortunate that I did do.  I was so close to him that I would have struck it with my top wing.

I started to pull another loop to come up on his other side but he headed east. Instead of completing the loop I banked to starboard to level out.  I checked my mirror and it was empty. I saw the other two Pups.  They were heading west. There was no sign of the Gunbuses.  I climbed and headed west. I watched the ground as I did so.  It appeared that neither side had lost an aeroplane but I knew at least three which would need repairs. There were three D.IIIs which would not attack our reconnaissance aeroplanes the next day. Our mission had not been a total failure.

The stretchers on the field told their own story as I landed on the green sward. Lieutenants Swan and Walker’s aeroplanes looked to have suffered damage. Johnny walked over to me his flying helmet in his hand. “They both lost a gunner sir and Jack Swan took a round in the leg.”

“That means two more buses down.  Things are getting tight.”

“Thanks for coming to my aid, sir, although I thought you were going to crash into him.”

“Yes the Pup is nippy but you live on your nerves. We didn’t destroy any of them then?”

He shook his head.  “We damaged a couple and you hit three of them but no kills.”

Randolph was on the telephone to Headquarters when I entered.  He continued talking and pushed the whisky bottle towards me. “No sir, we didn’t manage to get any photographs today.  The squadron was attacked by superior numbers before we could reach the German lines but we did damage a number of aeroplanes.  Whichever squadron goes up tomorrow will have an easier time.”  There was a pause and I saw the captain’s eyes look up at the ceiling.  “But sir we have only ten aeroplanes… yes sir.  I understand.” He slammed the telephone down. “We go up again tomorrow.” He nodded towards the telephone. “Apparently our losses were the lowest on the whole front today.”

Everyone’s heads were down.  Charlie said brightly, “How about taking off in the dark?  If we fly high then the observers on the ground won’t be able to get a fix on our course.”

Ted shook his head, “Flying in the dark…”

I thought it was a good idea, “Think about it, Ted, all of our pilots are experienced.  Tomorrow the five senior pilots will all be flying.  We have to do it so let us give ourselves a chance. I think it is worth the risk.  If we get the mechanics to line the airfield with torches then we should be able to take off and we will be landing in the daylight anyway.”