26 July 1917 – Massed dogfights

The poor weather continued for much of the day on the Western Front, but started to clear by the evening. As is becoming common these days due to the presence of almost half of the German air strength in the area, a mass dogfight ensued over the Ypres Salient around 1915 and carried on for some two hours.

Otto Brauneck

The fight developed when two flights from 56 Squadron RFC attacked a group of German scouts, and were joined by flights from 19, 66 and 70 Squadrons RFC, and 10 Naval Squadron. Other German scouts from Jastas 11 and 27 then joined in. The Official History suggests there were more than 90 aircraft involved! Despite the size, or perhaps because of it, much of the fighting was indecisive with only one pilot on each side killed.

Early in the combat Captain Noel William Ward Webb in Camel B3756 from 70 Squadron shot down an Albatross with Jasta 11’s Leutnant Otto Brauneck on board. Brauneck crashed near Zonnebeck and was killed. Webb reported:

“There were about 6 EA below me and on the way back to lines I dived on the leading machine, letting off a burst of about 50 rounds. I saw the EA wobble and then fall plane over plane and finally spin. Later, I thought I saw this EA crashed on the ground”

Around the same time, 2nd Lieutenant Joseph Cecil Smith in Camel B3814 from the same squadron also claimed an Albatros out of control, though this could not be confirmed. Smith’s aircraft was also badly shot up but he was uninjured.

Captain Gerald Joseph Constable Maxwell and 2nd Lieutenant Leonard Monteagle Barlow from 56 Squadron both claimed enemy aircraft forced down. Shortly after this their Flight Commander Captain Phillip Bernard Prothero was killed when the wing of his SE5’s (A8925) wing collapsed. Vitfeldwebel Alfred Muth from Jasta 27 claimed this but Barlow and Webb reported the aircraft breaking up in a dive. Webb stated:

Philip Bernard Prothero

‘Early in the operation I saw a red nosed SE5 diving on an EA. The pilot seemed to me to dive his machine over the vertical and then both planes on one side folded back and the machine descended in a spinning nose dive.’

2nd Lieutenant A Wearne from 19 Squadron was taken prisoner when his rudder cable was shot through and unable to steer he landed at Faumont aerodrome escorted in by 3 Albatrosses.

As the combat came to a close, Lieutenant James Thomas Byford McCudden flying Sopwith Pup B1756 from 66 Squadron also claimed an Albatross Scout out of control. It was his second and last victory in the Pup before switching to the SE5a.

14 April 1917 – 60 Squadron bashed again

Following the loss of the unescorted RE8’s yesterday the task of photographing the Drocourt line was attempted again today by six FE2b’s from 11 Squadron with four Nieuport single-seaters of 29 Squadron as escort.

The reconnaissance was also timed to take place when the routine offensive patrols from 19 and 60 Squadrons. The photography formation was attacked over Vitry by Halberstadt and Albatros Scouts, but the escorting Nieuports and the FE2b’s fought so effectively that all the F.E.2b’s got safely home, although without their photographs. Unfortunately Corporal W Hodgson, the observer in FE2b 7702 flown by 2nd Lieutenant Arthur Woodhouse Gardner was killed.

2nd Lieutenant Eric John Pascoe from 29 Squadron was shot down and killed in his Nieuport 23 (A6794). 2nd Lieutenant Arthur Gordon Jones-Williams claimed an Albatros Scout in return.

The offensive formation from 60 Squadron were not so lucky. They got into a fight with Richthofen’s Jasta 11. The Nieuports had begun an attack on two German two-seaters, near Douai, when Richthofen appeared and shot four of them down.

• Lieutenant William Oswald Russell in Nieuport 17 A6796 claimed by Manfred von Richthofen.
• Captain Alan Binnie MC in Nieuport 23 A6772 claimed by Oberleutnant Lothar von Richthofen.
  

  Alan Bennie

• 2nd Lieutenant John Herbert Cock in Nieuport 23 B1511 claimed by Leutnant Kurt Wolff.
• 2nd Lieutenant Lewis Carlton Chapman in Nieuport 23 B1523 claimed by Vitzfeldwebel Sebastian Fester

John Herbert Cock

Russell, Binnie and Chapman were all taken prisoner but Chapman later died of his wounds. Bennie was badly wounded and had his arm amputated. Cock was killed outright. The fifth pilot, Lieutenant Graham Conacher Young managed to escape in Nieuport 23 B1509.

 

 

 

16 October 1916 – All noise on the Western Front

The fine weather returned this morning and aircraft from both sides were out in force.

Early in the day, Flight Sergeant Fred Barton and Lieutenant Edward Mervyn Carre from 15 Squadron were on patrol over Hebuterne when then ran into 5 aircraft from Jasta 2.  Their BE2c was shot up by Ostv Reimann and they crashed between the lines.. Their aircraft was shelled  and both were killed.

Seven BE12s from 19 Squadron RFC carried out a bombing raid on Ruyaulcourt and Hermies station and aerodrome this afternoon. On the way back they were attacked a a group of pilots from Jasta 2. 2nd Lieutenant John Thompson was shot down in 6580 and killed by Leutnant Manfred von Richthofen for his 5th victory. Captain Cecil Robert Tidwell was also shot down and killed, this time by Leutnant Jürgen Sandel.

Later in the afternoon the RFC suffered three more losses. First 2nd Lieutenant Valentine Francis Herbert Hugill and Lieutenant Archibald Douglas from 42 Squadron, suffered a direct hit on their BE2e (7107) from AA fire and crashed 1,000 yards behind German lines. Both men were killed.

Robert Tidswell

2nd Lieutenants Charles Moore-Kelly and Thomas Gibbs Gordon Sturrock from 1 Squadron suffered engine failure in their Morane BB (A137) and were seen descending. VItzfeldwebel Alfred Ulmer from Jasta 8 may have helped them on their was as he later claimed victory. Either way they crashed behind enemy lines. Kelly was wounded and taken prisoner but Sturrock was killed.

Finally, at around the same time, B Flight of 24 Squadron was jumped by Jastas 2 and 5. Lieutenant Patrick Anthony Langan-Byrne DSO was shot down in his DH2 (5818).  The victory was claimed by Oswald Boelcke and Hans Muller. Boelcke wrote of the encounter:

Langan- Byrne

‘We went into some fine turns. The English leader – with streamers on his machine – came just right for me, I settled him with my first attack; apparently the pilot was killed, for the machine spun down..’

Byrne had scored 10 victories to date including an Albatross earlier in the day.

26 August 1916 – N-n-n-nineteen

19 Squadron RFC, which had only arrived in France on 31 July with the new BE12, was decimated today following a bombing raid on the Havrincourt Wood area, reported to be concealing German troops.

Henry Maurice Corbold

Six aircraft took off to bomb the wood and reached their target easily enough. As was often the case, bad weather rather than enemy aircraft intervened on the return journey. A large storm appeared and scattered the aircraft, with only one making it back. The remainder were disoriented and attempted to land on enemy aerodromes – no one is sure out of necessity or mistake.

2nd Lieutenant Reginald Fitzroy Talbot (6513) was killed along with 2nd Lieutenants Eugene Cruess Callaghan (6545) and Henry Maurice Corbold (6551) when they crashed attempting to land. 2nd Lieutenants Arthur William Reynolds (6532) and Sydney Pallant Briggs (6562) landed safely east of the line but were taken prisoner.

Ian Henry David Henderson

The only member of 19 Squadron to return that day was Captain Ian Henry David Henderson (6548), who escaped the storm only to encounter 6 enemy LVGs. He was fortunate to escape.

7 August 1916 – Prime Minister at RFC HQ

Today the Prime Minister Herbert Asquith visited RFC Advanced Headquarters at Fienvilles as part of his tour of the Western Front.

He inspected a Martinsyde G100 from 27 Squadron, a BE12 from 19 Squadron who had just arrived on 1 August, and chatted to various pilots and crew from both Squadrons, including those who claimed to have driven down a Fokker and a Roland on an offensive patrol.

RFC Officers from 27 Squadron explain the bomb dropping mechanism on a MArtinsyde G100 to Asquith.

Asquith and Major Edward Gerald Thompson passing a BE12, clearly showing its faired over front cockpit due to hasty conversion from the BE2

Asquith chatting to a pilot who had apparently downed a one of the German aircraft on patrol.