The British attempted another advance between the Ypres-Roulers railway and Houthulst Forest today. However heavy rain made ow lying areas impassable and the advance was mostly a failure.
The RFC committed 10 squadrons to assist the advance carrying out low-altitude machine-gun and bombing attacks, contact and counter-attack patrols, and zone calls to the artillery for fire on active batteries, troops, transport, and machine-gun posts.
Concentrations of German troops were reported in the Passchendaele area were reported by air reconnaissance at 1300 and were severely shelled by the British artillery. In the end though no counter attacks developed most likely because the British advance had been so limited.
The concerted effort by the RFC proved very costly however. 66 Squadron lost three of its Sopwith Pups from an offensive patrol. 2nd Lieutenant Martin Newcomb (A635), 2nd Lieutenant Robert William Brownlee Matthewson (B1830) and Lieutenant Alfred Wylie Nasmyth (B1836) were all shot down by pilots from Jasta 36. Newcomb and Matthewson were taken prisoner but Nasmyth was killed.
45 Squadron RFC also lost two of its Camels when they were shot down by aircraft from Jasta 35 and their pilots killed on an offensive patrol – Capt Horace Bertram Coomber (B2375) and 2nd Lieutenant Kenneth Hugh Willard (B2386). Captain James Humphrey Cotton Minchin and 2nd Lieutenant Clifford Gordon Vandyk from 21 Squadron RFC, were hit by AA fire in their RE8 (A3768). The plane crashed on the British side of the lines but both were wounded.
Kenneth Hugh Willard
Lieutenant Samuel Hall Allen and 2nd Lieutenant Graeme Cecil East Smithett from 57 Squadron RFC (in DH4 A7515) failed to return from a bombing mission on Hooglede after being shot down by Leutnant Harry von Bulow-Bothkamp from Jasta 36. Both were killed. Later in the day, their colleagues 2nd Lieutenant George Wheeler Armstrong 2nd Lieutenant Hubert Pughe-Evans were taken prisoner when their DH4 (A2135) was shot down by Leutnant Fritz Kieckhäfer from Jasta 29. Sergeant H L Clear and 2nd Lieutenant Frederick William Talbot from 25 Squadron RFC were also taken prisoner when their DH4 (A7426) – failed to return from a bomb raid on Beythem.
2nd Lieutenant Harry Ronald Hicks from 19 Squadron RFC was killed on a ground attack mission in his SPADVII (B3574). Finally 2nd Lieutenant Wilfrid Gilbert Morgan and Lieutenant James Morgan Atkinson from 4 Squadron RFC were shot down in their RE8 (B5040) on a counter attack patrol and photography mission. Morgan was badly injured and later died of his wounds and Atkinson was taken prisoner.
airwar19141918 