by Griff Hosker
“The man is bloody incompetent Bill! You do not get lost going to your new base! Even a raw Second Lieutenant knows that! God help us when we get to fly combat.”
The new field was adequate but a little short for my liking. The old Gunbus would have struggled to get off with a fuel load of fuel and bombs. In addition none of us were happy about living in tents. When we approached the major about building wooden accommodation he became irate. “Gentlemen this is not a holiday. We are soldiers. The men in the trenches would love to have the comfort of a tent and so will we. There is nothing wrong with the tents.
Of course once it rained and the ground became churned up with mud he changed his mind but that would be a month away and so we endured the unnecessarily hard life of a canvas camp. The new standing orders were displayed for all to see. They were depressing. We were each allocated a sector, an altitude, a specific route and a time when we would patrol. We were forbidden to leave our sector even if one of our colleagues was in trouble. When we saw the regulations even Billy Campbell joined our discontented trio. As one of the younger pilots he had accepted all that the major had said until the orders were pinned up. He had flown in Belgium and knew the folly of such a strait jacket.
“This is madness. If we fly the same height, the same place and the same time then the Hun will know. It will not take him long to have something waiting for us when we get over there.”
I had thought this too but I had a half solution. “The thing is, lads, that we might all take off at the same time but we can vary our speed to reach the allocated sector at a different time each day. We can also vary the route we take over the sector and, unless we are unlucky enough to be next to the major, then we can vary the altitude.”
Ted was back to being grumpy again, “What if we are attacked?”
Gordy snorted, “I, for one, am not leaving any of you in the shit! I will help anyone who is attacked.”
I shook my head, “This one will court martial you Gordy. He is itching to find an excuse. You know that.”
He shrugged, “I think a court martial might be just the thing. Do you think that people like General Henderson would approve of his tactics and his orders?”
We had met the General who we knew approved of the colonel’s methods. “You may be right but you need to be careful Gordy. This is war time. They use the death penalty.”
With that sobering thought we prepared our aeroplanes for our first flight over the battlefield.
Chapter 3
Even though it was summer there was little sign of green growth. From the air the battlefield looked brown and was riddled with the black scars of trenches lined with faded sandbags and the sparkling savage teeth of the barbed wire. Once the autumn rains began it would become brown and rusted but for now it still looked like new metal. As we flew over the British trenches we saw the arms waving. I think we brought relief from the monotony of trench life. Once we had crossed No-Man’s Land the air cracked and crackled with gunfire as they tried to shoot us down. Despite our standing orders I took the Gunbus up a couple of hundred feet. It made the chance of us being hit less.
“They are a bit keen eh sir?”
“They certainly are Charlie. I think we will come in higher tomorrow.”
“Isn’t that against orders sir?”
“Oh yes!”
We reached the end of our outward leg and we headed south. I would vary this for, if we flew north to south each day, there would be German aircraft waiting to pounce. I dropped to the correct altitude briefly. “Sharp, keep your eye out for signs of artillery and roads.”
The railways had been shelled and bombed so much that the roads, this close to the front, were the only viable means of bringing up men and supplies. As we neared the trenches again I lifted the nose and began to climb. If you flew in a straight line at the same height then the gunners had more chance of hitting you. I went up and down as I flew the western leg of our patrol.
When we landed I was relieved. Leaving Sharp to check on the aeroplane with the mechanics I walked down the line of aeroplanes. There were just three without any damage; mine, Gordy’s and Ted’s. The others all had holes somewhere on the aeroplanes. When I came to Lieutenant Cole’s I saw that he had a hole in his wing the size of a football. “You were lucky to get down, Lieutenant Cole.”
“I know. Is the fire always this bad?”
I nodded. “And now that they know we are in the sector I would expect some German aeroplanes too.”
As I passed the major’s aircraft which had bullet holes along the wing he looked up from his inspection. “It looks as though you were lucky Lieutenant Harsker.”
Keeping a straight face I said, “Yes sir. It must be that rabbit’s foot I carry.”
When I handed my report to Captain Marshall he said, quietly, “Watch yourself, Bill. He has his eye on you.”
“Thank you, sir. I will.”
He smiled, “Us old ones are fewer in number, we have to stick together.”
At breakfast, the next day, you could sense the nervousness amongst the young pilots in the officer’s mess. One or two of them ate a little of their breakfast and then raced outside to bring it back up. The major’s orders had put the young pilots in danger. The altitude was too low to be safe from ground fire. Hundreds of German rifles firing in the air had a good chance of hitting something. The anti-aircraft guns, too, would be able to have more chance of striking if the aeroplanes flew at the same height.
“I am going to see the Major.”
Gordy snorted, “He won’t listen to you Bill. He has fixed ideas. Someone will have to die first.”
I shrugged, “I have to try. He can only say no.”
And of course he did say no. “I will not change my orders just because of a few bullet holes in the wings of our aircraft. The young pilots will learn to deal with it.” He smirked, “If you could manage that then I am sure that these well trained young men who went to the finest schools in England will have no problem. Breeding and education will prove superior.”
I had no argument to such an outdated and illogical argument. Gordy was right, someone would have to die before this stubborn man would change his mind.
Soon after we took off I began to veer to the south. I would fly a different outward leg. I had Gordy on one side of me and Ted on the other. I knew that I was safe from anyone reporting me. When Ted saw me getting closer I saw him wave and he, too, began to head south. I also began to climb. I climbed until I was beyond the effective range of a German rifle. As I passed the German trenches I could see the flashes of the small arms and hear the crump of their artillery. Clouds of smoke pockmarked the sky below me and I dipped the aircraft into a shallow dive to take us to our allotted altitude. The manoeuvre confused the gunners who had changed their fuses. The shells now exploded above us. A few pieces of shrapnel pierced the fabric of the upper wing but our stability was maintained. As I headed north I noticed a column of German vehicles moving up the road.
“Charlie, let’s attack that column. Get ready on your machine gun. I shall fly along the column from west to east and then turn when the magazine is empty.”
“Righto sir.”
We both knew that it was a safe manoeuvre for any guns in the vehicles would be pointing east. The chances of us being hit were slim. I dropped down to fifty feet from the ground. To the German drivers it must have looked as though we were flying into their cabs. One of them veered to the side before Sharp had even fired and I saw the lorry overturn into the drainage ditch. When Sharp did begin to fire he was able to hit the cab and then stitch a line of bullets into the interior. I had no idea what they were carrying. It could have been men or supplies. One of them, however, had to have been carrying ammunition for I heard the explosion behind me.
“That’s it sir. Out of ammo.”
I began to climb and turn north once again. Our attack meant that we were the last to land and there was a reception committee awaiting me. The major stood tapping his leg wit
h his swagger stick. Ted, Gordy and Billy Campbell were standing nearby as though examining Gordy’s aircraft.
As soon as I was out he strode over to me. “Well Lieutenant Harsker, have you an explanation?”
I gave him my most innocent look. “What do you mean sir?”
He pointed to my aircraft, “You are late back and you have fired your weapons! Explain!”
“Oh that, we saw a column of German vehicles and we attacked them.”
“That is not in my standing orders!” There was a triumphant note in his voice.
“With respect sir, you do not mention that in your standing orders. There is no reference to using our guns, attacking or defending ourselves. As there were no standing orders covering that eventuality I used the previous standing orders of Colonel Pemberton-Smythe.” I gave him a puzzled look, “Did I do wrong, sir?”
He reddened, “I will amend my orders immediately. There will be no attacks without my permission.” He turned to storm away.
“Sir, suppose we are attacked? Do we fire back or not?”
“Of course but you were not attacked by an aircraft.”
“Does ground fire not count as an attack?”
“Do not be pedantic. I will have a new set of standing orders within the hour!”
The others crowded around me once he had gone. “Well done ,Bill!”
I shook my head. “I am not so certain but it had to be done. Are we observers or airmen?”
The orders we saw pinned to the notice board were quite clear; unless so ordered there was to be no attacking of ground targets. We were allowed to return fire at aeroplanes but no mention was made of barrage balloons. However to make sure the Major had a briefing with us the next day to make doubly sure that we understood.
“Gentlemen, yesterday Lieutenant Harsker attacked a German convoy. I realise that I did not make myself clear and I have remedied the situation. We will patrol our sectors and report back what we see. Is that clear?”
The young pilots shouted, “Yes sir.”
Gordy put up his hand, “What if they put up balloons sir?”
The major sighed, “We leave them alone.”
“But sir, they are used to direct the fire of their batteries. If we do not attack them then our infantry may well suffer.”
“Lieutenant Hewitt, are you incapable of listening to and obeying orders? We leave them alone!”
He was wrong and the four experienced pilots all knew that. However we could do nothing about it. We had an uneventful patrol and we saw nothing. When we returned Gordy and I went to see Captain Marshall to have a quiet word. The adjutant was not a flier but he understood what we did.
“Sir, can you not reason with the major? This is an intolerable situation. Someone is going to die because of these rules.”
“Keep your voices down. He may not be here but he has eyes and ears everywhere. I have tried but he argues that the pilots need more air time before they can engage in combat of any kind.”
“Captain Marshall, when will the colonel be back?”
“I have no idea, Bill. But if you wish I will write to him and tell him that we are all missing him. If he is able to read between the lines then he could well return but he is very close to his son. You all know that.”
We nodded. He was right. His son came first. The captain’s hands were tied for he could not put more in the letter without it coming to the attention of the major. As commanding officer he had to randomly check the vetted letters. He would be sure to look at one addressed to the colonel.
The Germans had put balloons up. As we flew towards them they winched them to the ground but the extra machine guns they had packed around their bases made it a hot area. Sergeant Sharp and I still varied our route and our height. I would rather be punished than risk our lives for an order which made no sense at all. It was lucky that we did; three Aviatik aeroplanes were waiting for Gordy as he flew over the German lines. They only had a rear gun but three of them could have caused us trouble. Luckily Charlie and I had just gained height and were above them. They were in Gordy’s blind spot and he could not see them. They attacked in line astern.
“Sharp, get ready with the Lewis.”
Because we had the height, when I began to dive we picked up speed. I knew that we would not reach Gordy before he was attacked but I also knew that he was a clever pilot. I had to hope that he would be able to out fox them until I could come to his aid. I saw the first Aviatik open fire. Gordy looked around and he began to climb. I saw his gunner grab the rear Lewis and stand on the cockpit. The German knew of the Gunbus’ weakness and he was attacking from below. The climb aided Gordy but also allowed the other two enemy aeroplanes to bring their guns to bear on his engine and rear.
None of them saw me. “Charlie, wait until we are just forty yards from them before you fire. Short bursts!”
“Yes sir!”
I cocked the Lewis in front of me. If I got the chance I would add the fire of our second machine gun to that of Sharp. I saw smoke coming from Gordy’s engine. He had been hit. The Gunbus is a solid aeroplane and the new engine was a good one. That said he could not last long with three machine guns firing at him.
When Charlie opened fire the bullets stitched a line along the fuselage of the first aeroplane. I actually saw one of the cables severed. It sprang out of the fuselage and the rear Aviatik turned back to his own lines. The second Aviatik saw us and took evasive action to move away from Charlie’s gun. “Sharp, keep firing at the one on Gordy’s tail.”
As the second German tried to loop to come on to our rear I gave a short burst from my Lewis. I was lucky, I must have hit his propeller for the aeroplane juddered and then began to turn away. When Charlie opened fire on the last German he realised the hopelessness of his situation. He had fire from front and rear; he turned for home. Undamaged but chastened.
I flew next to Gordy who waved his hand. He held up his thumb to show that he was safe to fly and he waved me back to my allotted patrol. We had a safe journey back. When we landed I saw that three of the aeroplanes had suffered damage of some kind. Gordy’s did not show the damage but I knew he would not be flying the next day.
Leaving Sharp to see to our bus I ran to Gordy’s craft. Ted joined me. “Thanks Bill!”
Even as he said it, I saw Ted give him a slight shake of the head as a warning.
“Thank him for what Lieutenant?”
It was the major. I had been rehearsing my answer from the moment we had begun our attack.”Sir, three Aviatik attacked us. Two attacked Lieutenant Hewitt and one attacked me. I drove off mine and when I flew close to the other two they flew away.”
“You disobeyed my orders then?”
“No sir. Your standing orders were that we were allowed to fire at someone attacking us.”
“I also said that no one was to go to the aid of a fellow pilot.”
Gordy said, “Sir, aren’t those orders contradictory? Lieutenant Harsker was only obeying the order to return fire. The fact that he was able to help me was incidental.”
He came much closer to us and lowered his voice. “Proper little barrack room lawyers aren’t you? Typical of your class. Well you will not defeat me. I will reallocate the sectors. You will not be flying next to each other tomorrow.”
None of us felt elated. A gunner had died in one of the other aeroplanes and a second one had been wounded. The Germans had attacked four of our aeroplanes. We were just lucky that they had not managed to destroy any of our aeroplanes. If they had had a decent fighter then we would have been decimated. We would be three aeroplanes short on our next patrol and I would be flying next to green pilots.
Ted was more upset than anyone for he had not been able to help his friend. “I’m telling you this; no matter what the orders say if I see a pilot being attacked then I will go to help him. Anything else, well it’s cowardly!”
“I think that tomorrow the Germans will be waiting for us. There will be more balloons and more guns. Once they realise
that we are not attacking them on the ground they will have free rein.”
Gordy stubbed out his cigarette, “And you will only have nine aeroplanes. It will be like fleas on a dog! Make sure you have spare ammunition.”
The good news about being moved was that I was no longer flying over the same sector. I had been limited in my routes out and back. With a new sector I could fly on a new pathway that Lieutenant Holt, who had been hit by enemy fire and was grounded, had not flown. However I was flying between Lieutenant Davies and Lieutenant Foster. One of them would notice if my altitude was vastly different from theirs. I also knew that we would be bound to run into Germans for they had attacked Holt the previous day. Both Charlie and I were alert and on edge. As we headed east I was grateful that we could not be attacked from behind but on the homeward leg Charlie would have to stand and face the rear all the way home. Travelling alone brought a whole host of problems.
I managed to fly fifty feet higher than we had been ordered. It was not much but I hoped it would put off the gunners who began to pepper the skies with hopeful shells as we flew over the German lines. My senses were all attuned and I listened to the air whistling through the struts. I also listened to the powerful throb of the Rolls Royce Eagle. I liked the new engine; it purred powerfully as we went deeper into enemy territory. It was reassuring to know that we had such a reliable engine. It was one less thing to worry about.
As I peered over the side I saw that there were fewer roads in this sector and they were smaller than the ones I had passed before. There was no chance of attacking ground targets here. I smiled to myself. I would have to obey orders as there was no chance of breaking them.
When I came to the end of the leg and turned I noticed that I was flying towards Lieutenant Davies. As he was slightly below me he did not see me and I took the opportunity of gaining a few more feet in height. As we turned to head west I said, “Right Charlie, on your feet. This is where the buggers will be.”