by Griff Hosker
The End
Glossary
BEF- British Expeditionary Force
Beer Boys-inexperienced fliers (slang)
Blighty- Britain (slang)
Boche- German (slang)
Bowser- refuelling vehicle
Bus- aeroplane (slang)
Corned dog- corned beef (slang)
Craiglockhart- A Victorian building taken over by the military and used to treat shell shocked soldiers. Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen both spent time there.
Crossley- an early British motor car
Dewar Flask- an early Thermos invented in 1890
Donkey Walloper- Horseman (slang)
Fizzer- a charge (slang)
Foot Slogger- Infantry (slang)
Gaspers- Cigarettes (slang)
Google eyed booger with the tit- gas mask (slang)
Griffin (Griff)- confidential information (slang)
Hun- German (slang)
Jagdgeschwader – four German Jasta flying under one leader
Jasta- a German Squadron
Jippo- the shout that food was ready from the cooks (slang)
Kanone 14- 10cm German artillery piece
Killick- Leading seaman (slang-Royal Navy)
Lanchester- a prestigious British car with the same status as a Rolls Royce
Loot- a second lieutenant (slang)
Lufbery Circle- An aerial defensive formation
M.C. - Military Cross (for officers only)
M.M. - Military Medal (for other ranks introduced in 1915)
Nelson’s Blood- rum (slang- Royal Navy)
Nicked- stolen (slang)
Number ones- Best uniform (slang)
Oblt. - Oberlieutenant (abbr.)
Oppo- workmate/friend (slang)
Outdoor- the place they sold beer in a pub to take away (slang)
Parkin or Perkin- a soft cake traditionally made of oatmeal and black treacle, which originated in northern England.
Pop your clogs- die (slang)
Posser- a three legged stool attached to a long handle and used to agitate washing in the days before washing machines
Pickelhaube- German helmet with a spike on the top. Worn by German soldiers until 1916
Rugger- Rugby (slang)
Scousers- Liverpudlians (slang)
Shufti- a quick look (slang)
Scheiße- Shit (German)
Singer 10 - a British car developed by Lionel Martin who went on to make Aston Martins
Staffelführer- Jasta commander
The smoke- London (slang)
Toff- aristocrat (slang)
V.C. - Victoria Cross, the highest honour in the British Army
Maps
Map courtesy of Wikipedia
Courtesy of Wikipedia –Public Domain
Historical note
This is my fourth foray into what might be called modern history. The advantage of the Dark Ages is that there are few written records and the writer’s imagination can run riot- and usually does! If I have introduced a technology slightly early or moved an action it is in the interest of the story and the character. The FE 2 is introduced a month or so before the actual aeroplane. The Red Baron is shot down six weeks before he really was. The Sopwith Camel arrived at the end of may rather than the middle. I have tried to make this story more character based. I have used the template of some real people and characters that lived at the time.
The Short Magazine Lee Enfield had a ten shot magazine and enabled a rifleman to get off 20-30 shots in a minute. It was accurate at 300 yards. Both cavalry and infantry were issued with the weapon.
For those readers who do not come from England I have tried to write the way that people in that part of Lancashire speak. As with many northerners they say ‘owt’ for anything and ‘Eeeh’ is just a way of expressing surprise. As far as I know there is no Lord Burscough but I know that Lord Derby had a huge house not far away in Standish and I have based the fictitious Lord Burscough on him. The area around Burscough and Ormskirk is just north of the heavily industrialised belt which runs from Leeds, through Manchester, to Liverpool. It is a very rural area with many market gardens. It afforded me the chance to have rural and industrial England, cheek by jowl. The food they eat is also typical of that part of Lancashire. Harsker is a name from the area apparently resulting from a party of Vikings who settled in the area some centuries earlier. Bearing in mind my earlier Saxon and Viking books I could not resist the link, albeit tenuous, with my earlier novels.
The rear firing Lewis gun was not standard issue and was an improvised affair. Here is a photograph of one in action.
The photograph demonstrates the observer's firing positions in the Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2d. The observer's cockpit was fitted with three guns, one or two fixed forward-firing for the pilot to aim, one moveable forward-firing and one moveable rear-firing mounted on a pole over the upper wing. The observer had to stand on his seat in order to use the rear-firing gun.
This artistic work created by the United Kingdom Government is in the public domain. This is because it is one of the following:
It is a photograph created by the United Kingdom Government and taken prior to 1 June 1957; or
It was commercially published prior to 1964; or
It is an artistic work other than a photograph or engraving (e.g. a painting) which was created by the United Kingdom Government prior to 1964. HMSO has declared that the expiry of Crown Copyrights applies worldwide.
An F.E.2 without armament
This image is in the public domain because the copyright has expired. This applies to Australia, the European Union and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 70 years.
Sopwith Pup courtesy of Wikipedia
Bristol F2b Courtesy of Wikipedia
This variant was faster than the F2A of which only 52 were built. Ted and Harry’s are the F2A variant and the later ones the faster F2B which could reach speeds of 123 mph.
Baron Von Richthofen was actually shot down by an FE 2 during the later stages of the Battle of the Somme. In this novel it is Bill who has that honour. The Red Baron is portrayed as the pilot of the Halberstadt with the yellow propeller. Of course the Red Baron got his revenge by shooting down the leading British ace of the time, Major Lanoe Hawker VC. Major Hawker, was flying the DH2 while the Red Baron flew the superior Albatros DIII. The Red Baron took over Jasta 11 in January 1917 and he made a huge difference. Until he had arrived not a single aeroplane had been shot down by the Jasta. He had a kill on his first day. His squadron was known as the Flying Circus because they were all painted differently and in very bright colours. His was all red but every one of his aeroplanes had the colour red somewhere in the colour scheme. In the summer of 1917 the Germans reorganised their Jastas so that Richthofen was in command of four fighter squadrons.
The circle devised by Bill and Billy really existed. It was known as a Lufbery circle. The gunner of each F.E.2, could cover the blind spot under the tail of his neighbour and several gunners could fire on any enemy attacking the group. There were occasions when squadrons used this tactic to escape the Fokker monoplane and the later fighters which the Germans introduced to wrest air superiority from the Gunbus. It made for slow progress home but they, generally, got there safely.
This is the Immelmann Turn as a diagram. The Immelmann Turn was named after the German Ace Max Immelmann who flew the Fokker E1. He was apparently shot down by an FE 2 although one theory is that his interrupter gear malfunctioned and he shot his own propeller off. I prefer the first theory.
I have no evidence for Sergeant Sharp’s improvised bullet proofing. However they were very inventive and modified their aeroplanes all the time. The materials he used were readily available and, in the days before recycling, would have just been thrown away. It would be interesting to test it with bullets.
The Mills bomb was introduced in 1915. It had a seven second fuse. The shrapnel could spread up to twenty yards from the explosion.
The tunnels at Arras were astounding. Work had been going on underground to construct tunnels for the troops since October 1916. The Arras region is chalky and therefore easily excavated; under Arras itself is a vast network of caverns, underground quarries, galleries and sewage tunnels. The engineers devised a plan to add new tunnels to this network so that troops could arrive at the battlefield in secrecy and in safety. The scale of this undertaking was enormous: in one sector alone four Tunnel Companies worked around the clock in 18-hour shifts for two months. Eventually, they constructed 20 kilometres of tunnels, graded as subways for men on foot tramways which had rails and was used for taking ammunition to the front and bringing casualties back; and railways. Just before the assault the tunnel system had grown big enough to conceal 24,000 men, with electric lighting. Bert and his company are part of this undertaking. However the Germans knew of the tunnels and they were digging countermines. Both sides fought a deadly war beneath the surface.
The Battle of Arras was delayed because the French were not ready and consequently began during a snowstorm. Despite that the British and Commonwealth troops made astonishing gains in the first few days. The German front line troops were, quite literally, shell shocked from the two week barrage they had endured. The defences ceased to exist.
General Henderson commanded the RFC for all but a couple of months of the war. The Fokker Scourge lasted from autumn 1915 until February 1916. It took the Gunbus and other new aircraft to defeat them. The BE 2 aeroplanes were known as Fokker fodder and vast numbers were shot down. There were few true bombers at this stage of the war and the Gunbus was one of the first multi-role aeroplanes. The addition of the third Lewis gun did take place at this stage of the war. The Germans had to react to their lack of superiority and in the next book the pendulum swings in Germany’s favour when the Albatros D.III and other new aircraft wrested control of the air away from the RFC.
Trenchard was in command in France although he was a controversial figure. He was the first Chief of the RAF. He was known for his penchant for offensive rather than defensive flying.
More aeroplanes were shot down by ground fire than other aeroplanes and I have tried to be as realistic as I can but Bill Harsker is a hero and I portray him as such. He does achieve a high number of kills. Lanoe Hawker was the first ace to reach 40 kills and he died just at the end of the Somme Offensive.
Selected Specifications for the aeroplanes mentioned in the novel
FE2b
2 crew
47 feet wingspan
12 feet 6 inches height
Rolls Royce Eagle engine 360hp
Maximum speed 81 mph (up to 88 at higher altitude)
Ceiling, 11000 feet
2 Lewis machine guns and up to 517lb of bombs
AEG G1
3 crew
52 feet wingspan
11 feet four inches height
2 Mercedes 8 cylinders in line engines 100 hp each
Maximum speed 78 mph
Ceiling 7874 feet
2 machine guns
Aviatik B1/B11
Crew 2
Wingspan 40 feet
Height 10 feet 10 inches
Mercedes D11 Engine 99hp
Maximum speed 60 mph
Ceiling 16404 feet
1 machine gun
Bristol F.2A
2 crew
39 feet 3 inches wingspan
9 feet 9 inches height
190 hp Rolls Royce Falcon v-12engine
Maximum speed 123 mph
Ceiling 18,000 feet
1 .303 Lewis (rear facing) machine gun (+an optional Lewis on a Foster mount)
1 Vickers .303 (synchronised) machine gun
Fokker E1
1 crew
29 feet wingspan
9 feet 5 inches height
.7 Cylinder air cooled rotary engine 80 hp
Maximum speed 81 mph
Ceiling 9840 feet
1 machine gun (later variants had a machine gun firing through the propeller)
Arco DH2
1 crew
28 feet wingspan
9 feet 6 inches height
Gnome Monosoupape 10 hp Rotary engine
Maximum speed 93 mph
Ceiling 14,000 feet
I machine gun either fixed or moveable
Nieuport 11
1 crew
29 feet wingspan
7 feet high
1 Le Rhone Rotary Engine 80hp
Maximum speed 97 mph
Ceiling 15,000 feet
1 machine gun
Fokker D.1
1 crew
29 feet wingspan
7 feet 5inches high
Mercedes D 111 160 hp Engine
Maximum speed 93 mph
Ceiling 11000 feet
1 7.92 Spandau mg
Albatros D.1
1 crew
27 feet 10 inches wingspan
9feet 8 inches high
Mercedes D 111 160 hp Engine
Maximum speed 109 mph
Ceiling 17000 feet
1 x 7.92 Spandau mg
Albatros D.11
1 crew
27 feet 10 inches wingspan
8 feet 8 inches high
Mercedes D 111 160 hp Engine
Maximum speed 109.4 mph
Ceiling 17000 feet
2 x 7.92 Spandau mg
Albatros D.111
1 crew
27 feet 6 inches wingspan
9feet 6 inches high
Mercedes D 111 160 hp Engine
Maximum speed 102 mph
Ceiling 18000 feet
1 x 7.92 Spandau mg
Fokker D.11
1 crew
28 feet 8 inches wingspan
8feet 4 inches high
Oberursel 100 hp Engine
Maximum speed 93 mph
Ceiling 14700 feet
1 x 7.92 Spandau mg
Halberstadt D111
1 Crew
28 feet 10 inches wingspan
8 feet 8 inches high
Argus As.11 inline 120hp engine
Maximum speed 99.4 mph
Ceiling 14764 feet
1 7.92 Spandau mg
Sopwith Pup
1 crew
28 feet wingspan
9 feet 6 inches height
La Rhone 9C 80 hp engine
Maximum speed 105 mph
Ceiling 17,500 feet
1 synchronised Vickers .303 machine gun
Sopwith Camel
1 crew
28 feet wingspan
8 feet 6 inches height
Clerget 9 cylinder air cooled rotary piston (130 hp) engine
Maximum speed 117 mph
Ceiling 19,000 feet
2 synchronised Vickers .303 machine guns
I used the following books to verify information:
World War 1- Peter Simkins
The Times Atlas of World History
The British Army in World War 1 (1)- Mike Chappell
The British Army in World War 1 (2)- Mike Chappell
The British Army 1914-18- Fosten and Marrion
British Air Forces 1914-1918- Cormack
British and Empire Aces of World War 1- Shores
A History of Aerial Warfare- John Taylor
First World War- Martin Gilbert
Aircraft of World War 1- Herris and Pearson
Thanks to the following website for the slang definitions
www.ict.griffith.edu.au/~davidt/z_ww1_slang/index_bak.htm
Lyrics of That Daring Young man on his Flying Trapeze courtesy of http://lyricsplayground.com.
Bill will return with the fifth in the series 1918.
Griff Hosker November 2014
Other books
by
Griff Hosker
If you enjoyed reading this book then why not read another one by the author?
Ancient History
The Sword of Cartimandua Series (Germania and Bri
tannia 50A.D. – 128 A.D.)
Ulpius Felix- Roman Warrior (prequel)
Book 1 The Sword of Cartimandua
Book 2 The Horse Warriors
Book 3 Invasion Caledonia
Book 4 Roman Retreat
Book 5 Revolt of the Red Witch
Book 6 Druid’s Gold
Book 7 Trajan’s Hunters
Book 8 The Last Frontier
Book 9 Hero of Rome
Book 10 Roman Hawk
Book 11Roman Treachery
Book 12 Roman Wall
The Aelfraed Series (Britain and Byzantium 1050 A.D.- 1085 A.D.
Book 1 Housecarl
Book 2 Outlaw
Book 3 Varangian
The Wolf Warrior series (Britain in the late 6th Century)
Book 1 Saxon Dawn
Book 2 Saxon Revenge
Book 3 Saxon England
Book 4 Saxon Blood
Book 5 Saxon Slayer
Book 6 Saxon Slaughter
Book 7 Saxon Bane
The Dragon Heart Series
Book 1 Viking Slave
Book 2 Viking Warrior
Book 3 Viking Jarl
Book 4 Viking Kingdom
Book 5 Viking Wolf
Modern History
The Napoleonic Horseman Series
Book 1 Chasseur a Cheval
Book 2 Napoleon’s Guard
Book 3 British Light Dragoon
Book 4 Soldier Spy
The Lucky Jack American Civil War series
Rebel Raiders
Confederate Rangers
The Road to Gettysburg
The British Ace Series
1914
1915 Fokker Scourge
1916 Angels over the Somme
1917 Eagles Fall
Other Books
Great Granny’s Ghost (Aimed at 9-14 year old young people)
Adventure at 63-Backpacking to Istanbul
For more information on all of the books then please visit the author’s web site at http://www.griffhosker.com where there is a link to contact him.
Table of Contents
Dedication
Chapter 1