by Griff Hosker
I saw Johnny congratulate both of his friends. I would find time to talk to him about it later. “Ted I want you to be second in command.” I looked anxiously at Gordy. His face was non-committal. As with Johnny, I would need to find the time to talk to him. “We are getting nine new aeroplanes, ten pilots and nine gunners. I will be reverting to the Pup. Don’t get me wrong I like the Bristol but having the three Pups gives us an advantage over most other squadrons. We will all need to train the new boys. Each of you can work with two pilots. That includes you Johnny. I want them to survive more than most pilots in the RFC.”
I finished off my coffee. “The average number of hours a pilot has before he is killed or shot down is down to eighteen hours. All of you have more hours than that by a huge margin. We need to pass that knowledge on to the young pilots. They need to fly our way and not the way they were taught in flying school. We know that our way works. Any questions?”
There appeared to be none. “Randolph here has the details of the new pilots in your flights. You need to get to know them before they get here. I want this team to be the best in France.”
They all found a table and began to read their dossiers. “Gordy, could I have a word with you outside, please?”
When I was outside Gordy just said, “If this is about why you chose Ted over me then don’t worry about it.”
“You aren’t annoyed?”
“I assume there is no more money involved, “I shook my head, “And I don’t need the responsibility.” He lit a cigarette. “I’ll be honest with you, Bill. Since I married Mary my priorities have changed. If you add to that Charlie’s death then all I want is to get out of this war alive. If you want a word of advice I would ask for a new Squadron Leader as soon as you can. Lord Burscough, Major Brack and now Archie; it seems the job is hazardous.”
“But someone has to do it.”
“Then let someone do it who has nothing to live for. Beattie would not suit widow’s weeds.”
He stubbed out his cigarette and went back inside. I knew what he was saying but I could not abdicate responsibility. I would be letting down Lord Burscough, Colonel Pemberton-Smythe, everyone, if I did what he was suggesting. But he was right. The odds on me surviving the war had now become longer.
I put my head in the door. “Johnny, could I have a word please?”
He looked worried when he came out, “I haven’t done something wrong have I, sir?”
“No, of course not. I just wanted to explain why I picked Freddie over you.”
He grinned, “No need to, sir. I would have been amazed had you picked me over him. He is a more natural leader anyway. He is my best friend and I am delighted for him.”
I felt as though a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. “Well thank you for being so understanding.”
He gave me a puzzled look, “Sir, the other pilots and me would do anything for you. I hope you know that. We are all delighted to be serving under you.”
We had just had lunch when we heard the drone of Rolls Royce engines and our new pilots arrived. We went out to watch them land. Every one of my officers would judge them on their landing. Surprisingly enough most were satisfactory. Two of them bounced like Australian kangaroos and I saw Senior Flight Sergeant Lowery wince. He would have two sets of undercarriage to check over. One pilot, Lieutenant Alldardyce, had come over in the gunner’s seat. He would be flying Archie’s bus now that my Pup had been repaired.
They lined up next to their aeroplanes looking at the field that would be their new home for the next few months. I stood before them, “I am Captain Harsker and I am the acting commander of this squadron. As you can see we have had a difficult time of it lately and I do not anticipate it getting any easier. If you think your training was finished then think again. None of you will be allowed to fly combat until you have proved to my Flight Commanders that you can survive in the skies. Your training will start this afternoon.”
I waved to my Flight commanders. They stood behind me. “Lieutenant Alldardyce.”
He stepped forward, “Go with Lieutenants Carrick and Holt.” They led him off.
“Lieutenant Duffy, Lieutenant Ellis, Lieutenant Sanderson, go with First Lieutenant Dodds.” I watched their faces as the new young pilots followed a very nervous looking Harry Dodds.
“Lieutenant Ferry, Lieutenant Hanson, Lieutenant Short, follow Captain Thomas.” Ted actually tried to smile and look cheerful. Perhaps he, too, like the rest of us was changing.
Lieutenant Hargreaves, Lieutenant Foster, Lieutenant Simkins, you will be in D Flight with Captain Hewitt.”
Once they had gone I walked over to where the mechanics were checking the new buses. “Well Flight, when can we have our first operation?”
“These will be ready in the morning sir, but will the pilots?”
I laughed, “No, I am afraid not. Are these easier or harder to work on than the Gunbus?”
“Hard to say, sir. We were used to the Gunbus. I shall miss them. These are a much better machine though.”
“You are right there. Carry on.”
“Sir!”
Pilots were everywhere as Gordy and the others took them through the theory of actual combat flying. I heard the stories my pilots were telling them. They pulled no punches and the faces of the young pilots reflected that. I returned to the office to check with Randolph about our next operations. His face did not look full of joy when I entered. He was on the telephone and listening more than he was talking, “Well thank you, James. At least we know what the situation is now.”
“Problems?”
He nodded, “It looks like the Germans have started to counter attack. They have retaken some of our early gains. And that is not all. The German pilots have become bolder and they are flying deeper into our territory. I will have to make sure that our air defences are ready.”
That was always one of our nightmares. Our aeroplanes were at their most vulnerable when on the ground.
“And I take it they would like us in the air, if possible?”
He nodded, “I told them that we had too many new pilots but they want a presence tomorrow.”
“Very well. I will take C flight. We will leave Lieutenant Alldardyce with Gordy. The Pups are versatile enough to cause problems for the Hun.” I turned to the orderly sergeant, “Flight, go and ask Mr Lowery if he will make sure the Pups are in tip top condition. We fly tomorrow.” After he had gone I said, “And I want every pilot in the air tomorrow practising flying in formation. It is bad enough being shot down but I heard that we have lost many pilots through collisions. I will not have that.”
After we had finished all the paperwork for the new pilots and gunners I left the office. As I walked back to my quarters I realised that I sounded nothing like the nervous young sergeant who had joined the RFC with Lord Burscough. The steel in my voice had frightened me a little. Bates saw me coming. I saw he had a worried look on his face.
“You are flying tomorrow, sir?”
It sounded like an accusation. I smiled, “Yes, John. Is that a problem?”
“It might be, sir, if you are only taking three aeroplanes up.”
“The sad fact is that if I take up the young boys tomorrow then half of them will not come back. My mother might have asked you to take care of me but I have to take care of them.”
He sniffed, “I hope they appreciate you, sir!”
“Oh I dare say they will come to hate me but I am not here to be liked.” I entered my quarters and took off my tunic. “I think my hair could do with a trim, Bates eh? And then I shall write a couple of letters.”
I had much to tell Beattie.
I took the opportunity, at dinner, of asking Gordy and Ted about the day. I knew that Freddie and Harry would tell me that it had gone well but Ted and Gordy had done this before. They both had an eye for potential weaknesses.
“They are still training them badly in Blighty, Bill. They all think you fly in a straight line and keep the same altitude. It is a good
job they have a gunner in the rear of the Bristols. I think if they were flying your Pup they wouldn’t last a week.”
Ted nodded and took another swallow of whisky. “And no one seems to tell them about the German buses! They think they are all the same. I spent an hour with the models and the drawings explaining the differences.”
After they had gone through their individual pilots I asked, “Will they be ready for the day after tomorrow?”
“Possibly, it depends what we get through tomorrow.”
“Well you will need to have Alldardyce with you. Freddie and Johnny are coming up with me. We have to mount a patrol.”
They were both shocked. “Three of you? That is suicide! We haven’t seen less than six Huns in the past two weeks. They will outnumber you two to one.”
“I know but orders are orders.” I could see that both of them were unhappy with the patrol. “The thing is the Huns are counter attacking. Our lads on the ground have done wonderfully well. I know we are only three aeroplanes but we might be the difference between holding on to those gains and being back where we started. That is why you must impress on your young pilots that they have to become better pilots as quickly as possible.”
Ted emptied his glass, “Then we will have them ready for the day after tomorrow. I promise you that!”
I was up well before dawn. I had decided to be on station as the sun was coming up and to use the altitude to our advantage. I also wanted us in the dark when the sun came up so that we would see the Germans whilst being invisible to them. Bates handed me my goggles and helmet as I left for a quick breakfast.
“There is a letter for Miss Porter on the dresser, would you see it gets in the post?”
He frowned, “You could do it when you came back, sir?”
I knew what he was thinking. “It is not a goodbye letter, John, it is just my regular letter to her.”
He relaxed, “Well that is different, sir. You watch out up there. I know Mr Holt and Mr Carrick are fine boys but there are only three of you.”
As I ate my scrambled eggs on toast I wondered how we could use that to our advantage. Everyone seemed worried that we were just three aeroplanes. We were, however, very small, well armed and almost as fast as the enemy. If we used our manoeuvrability and agility we might disrupt their formations. I felt more confident knowing that that they could not fire as easily when we were in amongst them as we had predicted. They were afraid of hitting their own aeroplanes. The large formations were a danger then they came at you or were pursuing you.
I was waiting at the Pup for my two wingmen. “We are not going to be defensive today. We are going to hunt the enemy.”
Johnny looked shocked. “But there are just three of us!”
“That is correct. I intend to jump the first Jasta that we see. I want you two to fly on my port and starboard when I dive. We will get amongst them. When they are disrupted we head west. If we use altitude they will not see us.”
Freddie clapped Johnny about the shoulders. “Come on Johnny! This will be fun! Fritz will not be expecting this. Whoever heard of three Pups attacking a whole Jasta?”
“That’s the spirit, but first we have to find them. Let’s go!”
The mechanics lined the airfield with lanterns. They would all be in the mess by the time we were in the air, tucking into a hot breakfast. We would be in the chill April air heading towards a deadly encounter.
Chapter 21
I kept climbing until we reached ten thousand feet. I would have gone higher but there was cloud cover just above us. I just used my compass to take us east and estimated our position from the flight time. The wind was coming a little from the north and it did not affect us that much. Once I thought that we were behind the enemy lines I took us up into the clouds. It was a dangerous tactic for we risked crashing but I trusted my two wingmen.
When I saw the first lightening of the sky I took us down into the thinner lower parts. I suddenly had an idea. When we landed I would have the lower wing and the bottom of the fuselage painted a pale blue. It would make us harder to see. That way we could use altitude to hide us. I was not certain if it would work with the larger wing span of the Bristol but the Pup was just small enough that it might work.
We only had another forty minutes before we would need to head back and I worried that we might have arrived too early. Dawn broke to the east and I led us on a north to south course. I peered to the east hoping that we were still hidden in the dark of the west.
I saw the black crosses appear in the distance and I turned east and began to climb back into the clouds. This would take timing, a little good judgment and a huge amount of luck. I estimated that they were four or five miles ahead of us. After three or four minutes I descended. As we emerged from the clouds I scanned to the east and south to see them. They were a thousand feet below us and to the west of us. It was perfect. We could attack from their blind spot. I banked and waved my arm to signal the other two to assume their positions on my wing. I noticed, as a shaft of sunlight illuminated one of them, that they were the squadron with the green rudder. We had fought these before.
I made my dive shallower so that I could rake three aeroplanes before I needed to turn. There were twelve aeroplanes but their guns were all facing the wrong way. We would not have to run the gauntlet of death to reach them. I decided I would wait until I was just a hundred feet from them before I fired. That way I could not miss. Johnny opened fire just a little too early, when we were almost two hundred feet from them. I had to fire too.
Our dive meant that we were travelling faster than they were and we were overtaking them. I fired when the wings and the pilot came into the centre of my sights. I watched the bullets thud into the pilot and his body juddered. I lifted the nose slightly and headed towards the next Albatros. The pilot I had shot would be dead even if his Albatros continued to fly in a straight line. I fired at the next Albatros. He was trying to turn and face the new danger. My bullets smacked into his engine which poured smoke and he began to spiral towards the earth. He might not be doomed but he was too badly damaged to continue the fight.
The leader was the next in my sights and I anticipated a turn. I banked to port and, my luck held, he also turned to port. I felt bullets whizzing around my bus and I looked in the mirror. One of those to my right was firing at me but he was so far away he was wasting his bullets. However it was a reminder that I needed to strike and flee.
I matched the German’s turn. I still had more airspeed for I was above him. I dipped my nose to get a little more power and then gave a burst as he turned into my sights. I hit his engine and his fuselage. He must have been fully laden with fuel and his tank exploded. I flew through a maelstrom of metal and wood. I heard a ripping sound from my wings as debris struck me. I banked hard to port and put my bus on to a vertical axis. The Huns were not expecting that and the bullets of the ones following whizzed into fresh air. As I turned I gave every Albatros a short burst as I passed them. My manoeuvre took them by surprise and they took evasive action. It meant that they could not fire at the tiny insect which had buzzed into their world. As I came around I saw clear sky before me. I looked in my mirror and saw Freddie heading west while Johnny was busily defending against two Albatros.
I looped my aeroplane. Johnny tried to turn west too but his two opponents were very close to him. At five hundred feet, as I came out of my loop underneath one of the Albatros, I fired into his belly. He peeled off. I banked to starboard and took a snap shot at the other. I hit his rudder. As I climbed above Johnny I waved to the west. He nodded. I noticed that he had taken some damage to his bus.
As I levelled out I saw that we had totally disrupted their formation. The survivors were too busy trying to reform to worry about us. Freddie was almost a dot in the distance while Johnny’s uneven throb told me that his engine was not well. I climbed to be his guardian angel. When I reached the clouds I levelled out.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the British lines approach.
Then I heard the double chatter of two German Spandau machine guns. I saw Johnny take evasive action. I dived and banked. The brave Albatros pilot had no idea I was there. He had thought he had a wounded bird to finish off. I screamed down, almost vertically and emptied my magazine into him. My bullets smashed into his guns and his engine. I pulled to port as soon as my gun clicked empty. I saw the German as he turned to head east, his engine smoking and the British ground troops firing futile bullets into the sky. My ploy had worked…just.
I watched as Johnny finally made the field. The mechanics and fire crews had seen the smoke and they ran to see to him. I waited until they had moved his wounded bird from the field and then I landed. Gordy, Ted and the other senior pilots watched me as I landed. They ran over along with Senior Flight Sergeant Lowery. I climbed down. I watched Freddie as he landed his Pup.
“How is Holt’s bus?”
Sergeant Lowery took off his hat and scratched his head. “Sir, never mind Mr Holt, what about you?” He pointed to my Pup.
I turned and saw that the debris from the exploding German had torn holes not only in my wings but also my fuselage. There were holes big enough for me to put my hand in. “Oh, it was an Albatros which exploded in front of me. I didn’t notice any difference when I was flying.”
I left the mechanics and riggers to start the repairs. “How did the training and flying go this morning?”
“A mess, if I am honest. We are having the aeroplanes refuelled and then we will take them out again this afternoon. They need all the hours they can get. We daren’t have them test firing their weapons; they are just as likely to blow the tail off the bus in front.”
I noticed that it had been Ted who had answered. He had slipped into the mantle of second in command effortlessly. It had been a good decision to give him that responsibility.