Ted nodded to me as he lit a cigarette, “Bill thinks we ought to mix things up a little.”
“Go on.”
“The Germans will be waiting for us when we go over in two days time. We know that. Why not do things a little differently? Instead of going just after dawn we should go after lunch. We will have the sun behind us and they will have wasted fuel waiting for us. If we climb to a higher altitude before we leave our lines then the Camels can have the advantage of height and if we use the two flights to come from two different directions we might just catch them napping.”
“That’s all well and good, Bill, but it doesn’t help us in the Bristols.”
“I know, Ted, but you have to go in low to photograph. We can’t change that but by going in later we may throw them off. You only have a little more of the front to photograph anyway. If we can buy some time then you might be able to complete it this time. We could go before you so that we are ready to pounce on any Germans we see.”
“The problem with that is that you will be outnumbered.”
“So long as it is isn’t the Flying Circus then we can handle the biplanes. The Camel can mix it up close in.” I swallowed the whisky. “If we do things the same way we have always done them then we will get the same results. Next time we might not be so lucky and the wounds will be deaths.”
Archie nodded, “I don’t have a problem with making that change, Bill. It doesn’t make much difference when we fly. We only have two and a half hours over there anyway. We can’t leave it too late or else night will be falling but just after noon works. We can be back by three at the latest. We will try it and hope it works. The brass is very keen on this offensive. Randolph…”
“Yes, it appears that we are going to be involved in the actual attack. It will be like Arras all over again. I think that is why we had the radios fitted so that we could liaise closely with the ground attack.”
It all made sense now. Perhaps there was some planning going on at Headquarters. I hoped so.
The next day Archie gave us permission to go into Amiens for a well deserved day off. Freddie drove and the four of us went, along with Johnny to see what we could buy to brighten up our lives.
After we had bought some cheese and French bread we found our usual bar. It was crowded and we were forced to stand outside. It seemed there were lots of men in the town. It was always the way before an offensive.
“Bill!” I looked around and saw our Bert and his mates. He was not wearing the uniform of an Engineer. I did not recognise it. He came and shook my hand. He tapped my medals, “This is my brother, the hero. See he has the VC and the MC!”
I heard the pride in his voice. I was just as proud of him. Anyone who burrowed away like a mole had my admiration! I tapped his uniform. “What’s this then? Not in the engineers?”
He took me to one side. “All hush, hush, our kid.” He took me to one side and spoke quietly. “I am in the Tank Corps. I got fed up with being underground and with my skills as a mechanic and the fact that I am small, well, they were desperate for me. I am in line for promotion.”
I remembered that a few metal contraptions had been used the previous year. I didn’t know we had them in numbers.
“Are you involved in the next push then?”
He tapped his nose, “Can’t say.”
I nodded, “Well when you look up it will be our squadron keeping an eye on you.”
“And that makes me feel a whole lot better.” Gordy brought over our beers. “How is our Alice getting on?”
“She’s struggling but I think she will get through it. I heard from mum the other day. She says things are hard at the estate and she complained that you never write.”
He laughed, “I was never much with the old pen and paper but I promise that I will write.”
In the end we spent the whole afternoon with them and a tipsy Freddie drove us back to the field. But it had been good for us. We had met some of the soldiers we saw from the air. We were all closer as a result. I was silent all the way back thinking about Bert and how much he had changed. He was now confident and seemed to be enjoying life. Perhaps the army had been the best thing for him. Our buses were all repaired and lined up neatly at the side of the airfield. That evening in the mess we had a happy buzz as we discussed our new plans for the next day. It was amazing how a little trip out could do so much for morale.
We heard that the two squadrons who had gone to photograph the front in our absence had lost six aeroplanes when they were jumped by the German fighters. I felt that my plan was worth a try. Had we gone up with fewer aeroplanes then we might have suffered even greater losses.
Our morale was even higher after a lie in and a late breakfast. Freddie and I would lead our flights with a gap of half a mile between us. It had been some months since we had used the technique but we could fly long loops. We would intersect twice and never lose sight of each other. If there was danger we could respond quickly. We left slightly before the Bristols; we were faster anyway but we needed to be on station before they reached us. I prayed that I was right and the waiting German fighters had gone.
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 fli
ght 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.
Chapter 10
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 targ
et. 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!”
1918 We will remember them Page 9