Sometimes, you just manage to survive. What a tough flight!...
1. of May, 1918, weather: slate grey heavy clouds all around us. We should patrol our lines.
Flight 1, the aces flying Pfalz D IIIa; we are Flight 2, with 5 Albatros D Va.
We'd just reached the front line, when they appeared high above us: Two flights of 3 S.E.5a each. And they came down to shoot us up.
I order attack, and ask Krause to stay with me. But after some minutes, everyone is gone. I'm alone with two British fighters, and they show me,
how good the S.E.5a is at turning. I can only escape their fire by going further and further down. My only chance is, to fire on the one, who breaks to climb a bit - while the other get's behind me and fires again.
I collect hits - one after the other. But No. 1 is showing damage. He sways, and lost his turnability. In another steep turn, I come down on him to finish him off, while I expose myself to the other. My victim falls backwards, can't catch her, crashes besides a big house, whilst I collect more hits. Rollrate's almost zero now.
Quick check map: half a turn will bring me back towards our side; Moreuil airfield is very close. I must reach it! And I do - the ground crews firing from all guns!
Holes all over the plane - but she's a sturdy battle horse. And I'm safe for now!
PS: although I landed on the blue marked airfield Moreuil, right at the front line, I was said to have landed on enemy terrain, and got captured; but escaped after two days. ...???... Was the field overrun by the enemy, while I landed?
And: no claim report appeared. Was that, cause there were no wingmen of mine a witnesses?
1. of May, 1918, weather: slate grey heavy clouds all around us. We should patrol our lines.
Flight 1, the aces flying Pfalz D IIIa; we are Flight 2, with 5 Albatros D Va.
We'd just reached the front line, when they appeared high above us: Two flights of 3 S.E.5a each. And they came down to shoot us up.
I order attack, and ask Krause to stay with me. But after some minutes, everyone is gone. I'm alone with two British fighters, and they show me,
how good the S.E.5a is at turning. I can only escape their fire by going further and further down. My only chance is, to fire on the one, who breaks to climb a bit - while the other get's behind me and fires again.
I collect hits - one after the other. But No. 1 is showing damage. He sways, and lost his turnability. In another steep turn, I come down on him to finish him off, while I expose myself to the other. My victim falls backwards, can't catch her, crashes besides a big house, whilst I collect more hits. Rollrate's almost zero now.
Quick check map: half a turn will bring me back towards our side; Moreuil airfield is very close. I must reach it! And I do - the ground crews firing from all guns!
Holes all over the plane - but she's a sturdy battle horse. And I'm safe for now!
PS: although I landed on the blue marked airfield Moreuil, right at the front line, I was said to have landed on enemy terrain, and got captured; but escaped after two days. ...???... Was the field overrun by the enemy, while I landed?
And: no claim report appeared. Was that, cause there were no wingmen of mine a witnesses?