1918 We will remember them (10 page)

It was a dull day but the cloud was relatively high.  I took my flight as high as I dared and began my loop. We saw the grey uniforms below and they took hopeful pot shots at us.  It was a waste of ammunition; we were too high. I saw the Bristols as they began to work across the fields.  We were ahead of them.  They had photographed the section over which we flew days ago. I was beginning to think that we had escaped notice when I saw the black shapes of the German fighters appear from the east. The ground troops must have sent a message and asked for support. I waved to Freddie and we began to descend.

“German fighters have appeared from the east.  Engaging.  Over.”

We were above them and they were climbing to reach us.  The Bristols would be invisible to them as they were flying so low and close to the ground.  I knew that Gordy and Ted would know the danger when they saw our two flights heading east. They would have to make the decision about the best time to leave. I saw that there were at least twelve German aeroplanes.  They were biplanes. Since my encounter with the Red Baron I had found myself dreading meeting with him again.  I felt I had been lucky the first time.

I cocked my Vickers and worked out who I would attack.  The Germans only had a ragged line.  Their field must have been close to the front. I was closer to the Germans than Freddie and his flight and so I aimed for the lead aeroplane. It would mean I could bank to port and rake their line.  If they were expecting us to do the same as we had before we might catch them napping.  Freddie was to starboard in any case. I flew, not directly at my intended target but the aeroplane next in line.  The Germans would make their plans based upon that. 

At three hundred yards I banked to port to line up on the lead German. I fired at two hundred yards which was before his guns could come to bear and I did not have to flip my nose up. At a hundred yards I gave another burst.  He turned to port to meet me and his Fokker ran into a hail of my bullets. I banked to port and I heard Lieutenant Hickey’s guns as he fired at the German. As I fired at the next Fokker I saw that the lieutenant had managed to damage the Fokker which was heading for the ground and a crash-landing.  I knew he would not make it as there were another three pilots who would take the opportunity to rake him.

My angle brought me towards the flank of the last Fokker in the first line. I fired a short burst and was rewarded by the sight of smoke and oil coming from the engine. He began to climb and I turned to starboard.  I guessed that he would head due east. He must have thought he had avoided me as he descended and tried to nurse his wounded bird home.  I fired a second burst and ripped through his tail and his rudder. He began to spiral towards the ground. As I completed my turn I saw that the Bristols had finished their work and were heading west. By continuing my starboard turn I would be able to follow them.

I checked my mirror and saw that all my chicks were following me but out of the corner of my eye I saw smoke.  One of Freddie’s flight was heading to the ground with smoke pouring from his engine.  I recognised that Johnny Holt was on the tail of the German attacker. As Johnny downed the Fokker I thought that it would be little consolation to Jock Macdonald as his aeroplane exploded when it hit the ground.  Another young man would not return to Blighty.  What had been a successful mission now left a sour taste in the mouth.

I let Freddie and his flight land first. I knew what Freddie and the rest of his men would be going through.  A flight was like a family. You watched over each other, quite literally and a loss would be keenly felt.

After we had landed I let Freddie and his pilots head to the mess together and I joined Ted and Gordy as we headed for Archie’s office. Ted was actually smiling.  I know he could not have been aware that we had lost a pilot.  “Your plan worked, Bill, and we got the photographs we needed.  Perhaps now we can stop being the Aunt Sally and go back to being fighters.”

“You would think so wouldn’t you?”

Randolph, too, was smiling. “Just one loss today.  You did well.”

“Don’t say that to Freddie.  He will be distraught.”

“How many did we get?”

“Probably three or four.”

“Then we are winning.  Just losing one pilot for three or four damaged Hun is a good deal.”

The others looked at me.  I knew that they were right but it had been the Camel pilots who had paid the price for the photographs. I put on a brave face, “I suppose you are right.  What are our orders for tomorrow?”

“Hit their rear lines.  Headquarters is sending over some bombers escorted by the first of the SE 5 buses.  We need to hit them all along their lines and spread out their defences.”

I laughed, “I see.  We are poking the hornet’s nest with a stick so that Headquarters can count the number of bugs!”

“Crudely put Bill, but you are right.  I think the General is hoping that the Germans will not be able to respond everywhere and will spread themselves too thinly.”

At the back of my mind was the thought that poor Bert would be going up against these German defences.  I would do my level best to make sure there were fewer of them when the push came.

It felt strange to be flying so low.  We had become used to using all the altitude we could get but we were hedge hopping. I had persuaded Archie to let us leave a little later than planned. I was being selfish.  If the other squadrons hit first then the Germans might react to them before us.  We also had to contend with a different formation.  We flew line abreast.  It would maximise our fire power.

We hurtled over the German trenches. We flew so fast that they had no time to even lift a gun let alone fire it. We were heading for their rear areas.  We would not have long over the target but with the Bristols dropping bombs and us strafing the ground it was hoped to cause as much disruption as possible. We were also to observe. The three of us with radios would report back what we saw and Randolph would be listening in and plotting our observations.  It was a new way of gaining intelligence.

As soon as we flew over their trenches I armed my gun. “Crossing the German trenches.  Over.” It was beginning to feel marginally less silly to say ‘
over
’. As we wanted to hit together the camels were not flying at full power.  I hoped the saved fuel would ensure we reached our field safely. I saw, ahead, a line of German vehicles and horse drawn carts.  There appeared to be a tented village and the vehicles were off loading. Machine guns began to fire at us.

I waited until we were just four hundred yards away and then began firing.  I fired a longer burst than I would have in the air for my sights were filled with German targets. I saw a German lorry explode and the explosion threw me into the air.  I remembered my radio. “We have found lorries and a storage area.  Attacking.  Over.”

I knew that Gordy and Ted would drop their bombs on the tents and the roads.  We needed maximum disruption. I banked to port and, as I saw German artillery pieces tracking me I gave them a long burst. I was so close that I saw their bodies as they disintegrated beneath the hail of .303 bullets.  I hoped that the guns had been damaged too. I banked to port again and saw burning vehicles and tents which were on fire. I opened fire on an undamaged tent.  When my guns clicked empty I pulled up my nose and waggled my wings to show the others I was leaving.

“A Flight returning to base.  Over.”

I glanced to my right and saw Jack Fall and Roger Jenkin. In my rear view mirror I saw the other two.  They must have been slow to see my turn. I started to climb. The German gunners would be ready for us when we came back and I was not certain if German fighters were on their way. I saw the puffs in the air ahead which showed where the Germans were laying a barrage to try to hit us. They would be very lucky to do so.  They had to adjust their guns for our height and our speed.  Neither was easy. We had just crossed the German lines when I saw the black crosses in my mirror.  The German fighters had arrived.  They had no chance of actually catching us and I relaxed.

“A Flight approaching the field.  German aeroplanes have just arrived. Over.”

For once we were the first back and by the time the others had landed I was with Randolph and we were plotting the position of the camp we had raided.  “From your speed and your reports I put it to be about here.” He pointed to a spot on the map.

“Yes that is about right.  The town we could see ahead must have been Fontaine.” I shook my head.  “That is worrying, Randolph. If I didn’t know better I would say that they knew we are going to launch an offensive and were getting their supplies ready early.”

“You could be right, Bill.  We will have to hit it again tomorrow and perhaps bomb the crossroads.”

“They will be ready for us tomorrow.”

“I know.  We were lucky today.  I had a message from my chum at HQ.  Some of the other squadrons had it far worse. The bombers were hit by the Flying Circus and they lost eight of them.”

I could imagine the carnage the Circus could cause. “Then we will have to be vigilant tomorrow.  How about if I take my flight in early and high?  We can act as top cover.  If the Hun fighters don’t appear then we can ground attack when the others have left.”

“I think it is a good idea.  I will run it by Archie when he lands.” As I rose to leave he said, “Oh your new pilots are here.  Yours is Lieutenant Davies.  He’s Welsh. I left him in the mess.”

Owen Davies was a very serious looking young man. He did not come from a privileged background but was a farmer’s son.  He and I had much in common.  We both came from the land and were more familiar with the sod rather than the city.

I held out my hand, “Major Harsker.  I am your flight commander.  How many hours in a Camel?”

“Six hours in training and the two hour flight here.”

It could have been worse but not by much.  “I am afraid we will have to hit the ground running. We are doing ground attack tomorrow. You will fly astern of me and copy everything I do.  Don’t worry if you don’t get the chance to fire your guns. You will need as many hours in the air as we can manage.”

He nodded, seriously.  “I won’t let you down sir.  I am a good pilot.”

“I am afraid that just being a good pilot does not guarantee your safety.  I have known some damned fine pilots and they bought it and I have know some bloody awful pilots who have had kills and survived to get home. If you have any favours with the man upstairs owing then now is the time to call them in.”

“Sir, I am Chapel and I do not like the lord’s name being taken in vain!”

I laughed, “If you are so close to God then who knows, you might just survive!” He was a very serious young man. As I headed for my quarters I met Freddie.  “Sorry about Jock. His replacement has arrived.”

“I know sir.  It was hard going up today. I kept looking in the mirror and he wasn’t there.”

“Well I don’t think it will be easy tomorrow. I have persuaded Randolph to let me give an aerial umbrella.  They will be expecting us.”

“It’s the same target?”

“Exactly the same target. They will have more guns and the moment we cross their trenches then they will be sending messages to their fighters. I am just hoping that my flight can disrupt their attack.”

He smiled, “If anyone can do it, sir, it’s you. I don’t know how you do it.  You seem to have a charmed life.”

“The problem with charms is that they rely on luck and that can run out.” I gestured with my thumb. “My new pilot is a Chapel boy, a Bible thumper.”

Freddie laughed, “Well he should fit in well!”

I called in to see the other pilots.  Each flight bunked in together.  “You all did well today, chaps.  Tomorrow is the same target but we will be the umbrella keeping the other lads dry.  We have our new pilot.  Owen Davies.  I have told him to stick close to my tail.  You had all best stay out of his way.  He has only had six hours in a Camel.” I smiled, “And I remember what you lot were like!”

They had the good grace to look embarrassed. George said, “I can’t believe how arrogant I was then.  I thought I was going to win the war all on my own.”

“There’s still time, George, there’s still time.”

As I went to my quarters the laughter I heard in their room gave me a good feeling. They were a tight knit bunch and I had managed to keep more of them together than any other flight I had commanded. Perhaps Freddie was right and I was lucky.  I prayed that my luck would continue.

We took off first to allow us to gain altitude. As I climbed to just below the cloud cover I thought about the new radios we had had fitted.  If only they could receive as well then we might have an idea what was going on around us. It was frustrating just being able to talk and not hear. Because we had been climbing, the rest of the squadron, now led by Archie, reached the target just as we were on station. We were flying in line abreast with the new pilot tucked in behind me. It was not my favourite formation but I needed all of my pilots to be able to bring his guns to bear immediately.

We flew diagonal legs over the other aeroplanes and we were just turning when I saw, below me, the twelve German fighters as they swooped down on the rest of the squadron. “Enemy in sight.  Over!”

I pointed down and began to dive.  I made sure, by looking in my mirror, that Owen had followed me and I cocked my guns.  The Germans had not seen us. Our altitude had given us the advantage but it also meant that the Germans would be able to hit the Bristols and Camels. I saw the tracer from the Bristol’s rear gunners and watched as Freddie and his Camels looped and dived away from the twin Spandaus. They would all be low on ammunition. 

I took the flight across the twelve aeroplanes.  It minimised the chance of us hitting our own aeroplanes and gave us the opportunity of hitting the entire enemy force. We were touching almost one hundred and twenty miles an hour as we screamed across them.  At that speed you have the target in your sights for seconds. I held down the triggers as I zoomed over them. I was flying too fast to see what damaged I caused but I knew that I was hitting them.  I stopped firing when I passed over the last Albatros. I pulled my nose up to loop.  I saw that my new lieutenant was desperately trying to copy me but the Camel needed a firm hand. At the top of the loop I rolled to regain the horizon.  It took the Welshman a little longer to realise he was flying upside down before he finally remedied it.

The Germans were chasing the Bristols west.  I quickly counted and saw only eight Germans.  Either some were shot down or they were elsewhere. Glancing to left and right I saw the rest of my flight were with me. I put the nose down and began to chase the Albatros with the green tail. He was a good pilot and he kept jinking from side to side.  I was patient.  He could not hit Gordy, whom he was chasing, whilst he was jinking.  Gordy’s gunner had no such problem and I saw his bullets hitting the Albatros. It must have irritated the German for he stopped squirming and flew straight to get his shot in. I was ready and I gave a five second burst. His tail was shredded. He tried to pull up but, as he did so, Gordy’s gunner let rip and the Albatros side slipped down to the ground where it exploded in a fiery inferno.

The rest had left and so we escorted the Bristols home. My flight had all survived.  I was not certain that my new pilot had fired his guns but that was not important.  He had another two and a half hours in the air and he had fought in aerial combat.  Days like this were rare and to be savoured.

I sought out Lieutenant Davies as soon as we landed. He was wide eyed and looked a little pale. “How was it Lieutenant?”

“A little hard to know what you were going to do, sir.  I nearly lost you a couple of times and after the loop…”

“You were disorientated.  I know. Well you survived your first flight over German lines and that is a bonus. The next time you fly you will be in the middle of the flight but you will do exactly what you did today.  Stick to the bus in front like glue,” He nodded.  “Did you get to fire your guns when we were up there?”

“No sir.  I was afraid of hitting you.”

“Next time we are up if you don’t get the chance to fire them in combat then fire them on the way back.  You need to know what it feels like.”

“I have fired guns on the range sir.”

“Have you fired from a Camel, in the air?”

“No sir.”

I nodded, “It will feel different.  We were lucky today, Owen, we caught the Hun with his trousers down.  Sometimes they will be waiting for us.  Remember to use your mirror and be aware of where the flight is at all times. Now if I were you I would go over your bus with your mechanic.”

“Sir.”

The early October weather was notoriously unpredictable and we were grounded for the next two days with overcast skies and sudden squalls. It was frustrating for all that we wanted was to get in the air and consolidate the good work. I used the enforced ground time to catch up on letters.  I told mum that I had seen Bert and that he was well.  I did not tell her of his new regiment.  She would not understand and it was, after all, still a secret. I wrote to Alice and Beattie too.  My letter to Beattie was full of concern about the raids on London but I was able to promise her that I would have a leave at around Christmas time.  I begged her to get leave at the same time.  The last thing I wanted was for her to be working.  When I reached London I wanted every single minute with her.

The skies cleared and so were we. Headquarters thought that they might have repaired the storage area we had raided and destroyed and we were sent back. I took the decision to repeat the same tactics.  Archie was certain that there was no need. “Listen laddie you mauled their fighters well last time. Besides we were about to head home anyway. If you join in the attack too then we can leave quicker.”

“If you don’t mind sir I will take my flight aloft.  I can still raid the supply depot but I will feel happier watching over you.”

“Your instincts have never let us down, Bill. Aye, take your flight aloft.”

I put Lieutenant Davies between Jack and Roger. They had proved dependable and I knew that Jack would watch over our new chick. We climbed over the trenches to take our position. I had just cocked my guns when I saw the enemy aeroplanes coming from the north east to intercept us. It was the Flying Circus. I recognised the strange shape of the leading six triplanes.

“I have spotted the Red Baron and the Circus. Over.”

It was a simple bald message but if anything happened to us at least they would know the reason. Below us I saw the rest of the squadron as they began their runs. I waved to the others and aimed my bus directly at the eighteen fighters. Alarmingly they did not make for the buses attacking the supplies, they came for us. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that a second squadron was approaching from the south to attack Archie and the rest. It was as fine a trap as I had seen.