1917 Eagles Fall (16 page)

“That was your proposal? I thought you would have got on one knee. “He seemed relieved somehow.

“We both understood that we wanted to be married and Beattie, she needed me to say it out loud. Women are different from men, Charlie.  They need reassurance. I thought it was taken for granted that we would marry because we got on so well together but she needed it saying.” I think I knew then where he was leading with this but I let him get there in his own time.

“I am going to ask Alice if we can get married on my next leave.” He smiled as though I would be delighted.

“Now steady on, Charlie.  You have missed out a stage.”

He looked confused, “It’s just like you and Beattie.”

“No it isn’t.  It is one thing to say you will wed but to name a date is something else.  What about Alice’s mum and dad?”

“You mean they might not like me?” He looked appalled.

“Don’t be daft, of course they will like you. But Alice isn’t twenty one yet.  They need to be asked for permission and even if she was twenty one, well, they deserve to be asked.”

“Oh,” he looked crestfallen, “I just wanted to write and tell her.”

“Then write to her and say that you would like to visit with mum and dad to ask their permission. But remember you have to have the banns read. It’s not like going into a post office and buying a postal order is it? You need to do some planning.  Our Alice will want to invite people and to get a nice dress… talk to Gordy.  It took Mary a couple of months to organise theirs and that didn’t involve any parents.”

I waved the orderly over and pointed to the glasses.

Charlie stared at the table.  Then he brightened.  “Of course you are right. Your way is just as good. After the offensive I will put in for a leave.  We can go to Burscough and then Alice can do like Mary did and organise the wedding. She will enjoy that.”

“That’s the ticket.  Now you are thinking straight. Women enjoy planning and anticipating.” I hated deceiving Charlie but there would be no leave for a long time.  We would be lucky to see Blighty before October at the earliest. I did not regret the deception, not then anyway, for he looked happy once more.

We were ready to fly before dawn.  The weather people had told us it might be clear and we waited in the dark to see if the snow would come, having breakfasted early in anticipation. The attack was not signalled by a barrage but a hurricane. It was five minutes of the most intense noise I had ever heard.  Every gun fired for five minutes and then, at five thirty the attack began.

We were helpless.  The snow still fell. As the morning drew on we became increasingly frustrated.  Finally at eleven, it stopped. “Archie, let me take the Pups up and see how the attack is going.”

He pointed to the field, it was covered in snow. “How can you take off in that?  You’ll never get up.”

“The Pup is the lightest fighter we have and needs the shortest runway.  It is worth a shot.  Then you can clear the field of snow.”

I could see the debate going on in the Scotsman’s head. If the attack had started then we needed eyes in the sky to watch for the Hun. “Right but you try it first and if you think you can’t get up then abort. I won’t risk all three of you.”

“You are a brick.  Freddie, Johnny, let’s go.”

I never had any doubt that I would get up but as the Pup skidded a little when I increased the power I began to wonder.  I had to coax her up but she rose and, once in the air seemed to shake herself as though she was pleased to be free from the earthly shackles. Soon Freddie and Johnny joined me. I led them towards the Arras, Cambrai road.  We knew it as major target for the offensive. 

The brown Tommies stood out against the white of the ground.  I could see that they were well on their way east and the village of Fleuchy was close to being taken. I was about to lead the Pups down to strafe the village when I caught sight of six crosses in the distance.  The white clouds made them stand out clearly.  They were Germans.

I banked to starboard and Freddie and Jonny followed.  As we drew closer to them I saw that they were two old AEG bombers escorted by the Albatros D.II.  This time we would not be taken by surprise.  I pointed to Johnny and signalled for him to attack the bombers.  Freddie and I would attack the fighters. We might be outnumbered but we could not afford for the Tommies to be bombed having made such impressive gains.

Luckily we were flying high and we had the advantage of altitude.  The fighters saw us and were drawn to us like moths to a flame. Johnny had learned to be cunning and he stayed with us until the German fighters were committed to the climb and then he banked and dived towards the two lumbering AEG bombers.  They were well armed but Johnny could run rings around them.

I did not worry about Johnny.  Freddie and I would have four machine guns against each of us. I opened fire, with a short burst, at a thousand yards. I wanted them to think I was a novice and become overconfident.  I edged away from Freddie. I wanted a gap so that I could use the manoeuvrability of the Pup to dive between them and make them hesitate. If we were close then they might not fire for fear of hitting one of their own. They held their fire.  They outnumbered us.  They were flying in two lines banked above each other. I kept edging to starboard while Freddie flew straight. I was drawing the two columns apart.

I made as though I was going to bank to starboard and flee west. It was a severe manoeuvre which I quickly reversed as two Albatros fighters turned to follow me. As I roared towards them I snap fired at both of them.  I fired four short bursts.  My turn meant I had them briefly in my sights and I managed to strike both of them. If I had caused damage then that would be a bonus for I wanted Freddie and I to be able to fire at the other two.

Freddie had already fired at both of them and was looping.  They were climbing to try to hit him when I opened fire at the first Albatros. My bullets struck his wheels first, then his lower wing and finally his engine.  I saw oil and smoke and he began to descend. The second tried to bank in my direction.  As he did so Freddie completed his loop and fired a long burst into the cockpit. I was close enough to see the pilot die and the Albatros tumble from the sky. We let the wounded bird limp home while I banked.  There were two Albatros fighters coming for us.

Freddie fired at the two of them while I side slipped out of their cone of fire. I twisted and climbed to get above them.  When I began to turn I saw that Freddie was looping again and Johnny having seen off the bombers was climbing to come to our aid. Freddie distracted them with his loop and I screamed down towards them both.  I fired at four hundred yards and made it a longer burst.  Freddie fired too and we both hit one of the Albatros fighters.  The second struck Freddie and I saw smoke begin to come from his engine.  I fired again and the Albatros we had both struck spiralled to earth. The last fighter had Freddie dead to rights.  Johnny’s Vickers fired from a thousand yards and his bullets smashed into the rudder of the Hun. He fled east.

I did not want to risk losing Freddie. Johnny and I escorted him back across our lines to our field. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that it was free from snow. Archie had had it cleared. I had no idea how much damage Freddie had suffered.

When Freddie had safely landed Johnny and I followed him down.  Senior Flight Sergeant Lowery and the mechanics crowded around the Pup. He shook his head as I approached.  “I’m sorry gentlemen but this one will not be flying tomorrow or the day after.  We will either have to get a new engine or rebuild this one.  Either way it will take at least two days.”

Freddie was downcast. “Sorry sir.”

“Don’t be silly it was not your fault.”

Archie and Gordy strode over to me. “Well?”

“The troops have made great strides but there were German aeroplanes trying to bomb them. Johnny here drove off the bombers and we scattered the fighters.”

Archie nodded, “Then it is a good job you went up.  We will have to get as many up tomorrow as we can.”

“Unless the state of the field improves, sir, then the Gunbuses will not get up.”

“Dammit! Headquarters must get their finger our and deliver those Bristols.  The new pilots and gunners arrived today.  I hope to God they don’t send replacement Gunbuses.  They might as well send the young lads a coffin. It means the same.”

When we were in the office and after I had finished my report. “I have one piece of good news though, sir.”

Archie looked up, “And I could do with some.”

“The two young lads and I had been working on some tactics and they seemed to work. I am not certain if they would work with the Bristol but the Pup is so manoeuvrable you can pull the Germans out of position and concentrate your fire on one of them.”

Randolph nodded, “The old Napoleonic strategy.”

“What?  An idea from a hundred years ago on the ground works in the air?” Archie was incredulous.

I nodded.  Randolph continued, “If Napoleon could he split his army in two to divide the enemy. He would move one half to draw the enemy forces in one direction and then use his speed to attack a smaller half of his enemy.”

“Except in our case we were evenly matched but I was able to attack them on their side.  Freddie held their fire and I had a clean shot. If we had had three aeroplanes Freddie might not have been damaged.”

Gordy looked at the models of the Gunbus and the Pup on Archie’s desk.  “So why couldn’t we try that with the Gunbuses and the Pups.”

“How do you mean?”

“Have the Gunbuses and the Pups fly one way to draw off the Germans and when half follow them the Pups return to join the Bristols.”

“That would leave the Gunbuses exposed.”

“They use the rear gunners and head back over our lines.  The ground fire has got really fierce and they might get lucky.”

We decided that, the next time we flew with the Gunbuses, we would try the new tactic. Charlie and Ted seemed quite happy about the idea when we told them. “Besides,” added Charlie, cheerfully, “we will soon have our new fighters anyway.”

We took just six aeroplanes up the next day.  Harry Dodds and Johnny were chuckling as we walked to our buses. “What is amusing you two?”

“Well, sir we have four chiefs and just two Indians. We just thought it was funny.”

“Aye laddie well just you two watch us older ones.  You may learn something.”

We had left earlier than usual in light of our experience.  We wanted to be on hand in case the Germans decided to catch the early worm.  We flew in two uneven columns. I took the Pups to starboard of the major and the formidably armed Bristols. We flew high. It was only when flying in formation with the Gunbuses that we needed to be lower.  We could see that Fleuchy had been captured but it looked as though the attack was struggling to take the fortified village of
Neuville-Vitasse.

We flew south to north and then turned. Had we had bombs we could have aided the Tommies who were trying to take the village house by house. However if we had had bombers then I think there would have been Germans to shoot them down. It looked as though the Germans were in another sector although I could not fathom out why. Then I saw the ten Germans as they approached from the east. Archie pointed towards them.  I waved acknowledgement. I began to draw away from the Bristols to tempt the Germans to do the same. Johnny had been told by Freddie of our manoeuvre the previous day and I was confident we could pull it off with two of us.  He was fifty yards behind me.  That was close in a Gunbus but there was plenty of room for the tiny Pup.

We had now learned that the firepower of most of the Germans was the same. They all had two machine guns. It was just that we seemed to be able to hold our own with the D.II models.  I also knew that we had not yet come up against the Flying Circus. They were the true test of our skills.

We were approaching at a collective speed of over two hundred miles an hour.  You needed quick reactions. I saw that the Germans had split their Jasta too. Four headed for us while the other six climbed towards Archie.  Either way they outnumbered us. At a thousand yards I sent a hopeful burst east and, when it missed I banked as though we were fleeing west. I hoped this was a different Jasta who had not compared notes with yesterday’s pilots.

They, too, began to turn and, as they did so, I pulled the Pup around again on its side and headed in the reverse direction.  We caught them by surprise and, as we passed their line, we both gave each German a burst as we passed them. They were too busy trying to readjust to our change of direction and failed to fire in return. The last aeroplane began to smoke as Johnny fired. 

Up ahead I could see the four Bristols engaged with the Albatros and Fokker fighters. The rear gunner was proving to be a nuisance and I saw my comrades throwing their fighters around to keep close to the Germans. I glanced in my mirror and saw that the three Germans who were undamaged had reformed and were trying to climb to catch us. I dived towards the rearmost Fokker and gave a short burst.  As my bullets hit his tail he banked to starboard and I followed him around.  In my mirror I saw Johnny peel off to attack the next Fokker. I had no wing man now.

My nippy Pup straightened up quickly and I fired another burst which struck the Hun. He jinked to port and I was able to adjust quickly and this time I hit him in the fuselage. He banked to starboard. I noticed that he was always heading east. He was desperate to escape.  I fired again and this time I banked to port before he did.  He came right across my sights. I gave a long burst and hit the pilot and the engine. The doomed pair fell from the skies. 

As I glanced in my mirror I saw that I had the first three fighters on my tail.  I pulled back on the stick just as the first one fired.  I felt the bullets as they hit my tail. When I reached the top of the loop I turned the Pup on its side as I headed west.  It made for a difficult target. Then I swung south, straightened up and flew directly towards the side of the flight of three who were still trying to work out where I had gone. I opened fire as I came at them unexpectedly.  I heard the chatter of a machine gun behind me.  I recognised the sound of Johnny’s Vickers as he joined me. It proved enough for the three Huns who turned east.

I began to turn north again to find the Bristols.  They too were heading towards us.  The Huns had had enough.  I saw them in the distance with smoke coming from two of them.  Our ploy had paid off.

Charlie joined us in the office, eager to hear of our patrol. “That worked out well, Bill.  Gordy here managed to bag an Albatros and we damaged two others. Perhaps the tide is turning.”

Randolph put the telephone down. “I would not get too excited, sir that was James at HQ.  We have lost in the past four days. We are the only squadron to have shot down any fighters since April the 4
th
!”

“Bloody hell!”

I tapped out my pipe on the ashtray.  Of course, sir, for the last few days we have not flown the Gunbuses and you can bet that most of a hundred and thirty one aeroplanes were the older aeroplanes.”

“And tactics, Bill! Your tactic, today, worked a treat. If we can repeat that…”

I was dubious.  “The Germans are quick learners, sir. When they work that out then we will be in trouble.”

There was a knock on the door. It was Senior Flight Sergeant Lowery.  “We have all of the aeroplanes ready for tomorrow sir. You can have four Bristols, three Pups and five Gunbuses.”

“Thank you Flight.” After he had gone Archie looked at Charlie. “I think I will fly with your flight tomorrow Charlie and watch your rear.  That will be one flight of six. Bill you lead the three Pups and Ted you lead the other three Bristols. We will keep the Gunbuses in the centre. The tactic we used to today might work even better if we have two flights taking the Germans off on a wild goose chase.”