1ere Escadrille
2 Henri Velleque
PilotStatus: ok
Squadron: Escadrille 1ere
Aircraft: Hanriot HD1
AircraftStatus: ok
TimeIn: -1 hour
narrative: Started off like the other times, my engine was having troubles again.After several false starts,I decided
to check the engine personally- took 30 minutes to do that.Started her up- purred like a kitten.I climbed to 2500 and
headed towards the front- crossing the lines just North East of Ypres.I checked my map, had some greyish black smoke come
out of the rotary which gave me a couple of seconds of terror,as an engine seizure over Hunland is not a good thing.
Decided to tempt Jerry into coming to me so I flew over a german drome and managed to stir up lots of flak- no jerry
planes though.I then flew south to another airfield which I believe has a jerry recon squadron operating from it. Lots
of Archie there!
I got a bit cocky and did a falling leaf then roared over the hun drome- unfortunately their machine gunners were
loaded for bear and they had the impertinence to greet me with a wall of tracers. I decided I'd overstayed my welcome
and pulled up and started to head over to the allied lines when a line of well-aimed bullets stitched themselves across
my tail.I heard a hideous crack and moan of wood. My tail was badly hit but not fatally so I put her nose down and sped
toward the front. I looked behind to make sure it wasn't a hun I may have attracted but it was a gunner, fortunately. I
crossed the lines South of Ypres and made my way back to the airfield.
I may not have seen the enemy, or anyone else on that last flight, but I am definitely glad to be back at my base!
(The CO is gonna blow his top when he sees what damage has been done to that new Handriot)
3 Ivan Roberts
PilotStatus: POW
Squadron: Escadrille 1ere
Aircraft: Hanriot HD1
AircraftStatus: ok
TimeIn: -1 hour
narrative: Shot up # 14 with fergie my wingy ,,, got attacked by 2 or more huns tried to run and Got flamed close to the
ground [survived but was nabbed by Huns from the nearby trenches.]
5 Fergie
PilotStatus: ok
Squadron: Escadrille 1ere
Aircraft: Hanriot HD1
AircraftStatus: ok
TimeIn: 1 hour+
Claims: #3, #4, #1 shared with #15
narrative: Took off with number 3 and went to rendevous point. Met Up with 3 spads. Spotted a bomber low, #12 engaged,
saw more contacts dive in. They were not friendlies. Me and Roberts engaged #14, hun #3 decided to join us, i got on his
6, fired a couple bursts into his fuselage. After about 4 secs, got him with aheadshot. 4 more huns came our way, so me
and Roberts decided to rtb. he waited a couple seconds to much, and got jumped by the 4 huns. I was in a terrible
position, and I could not go back to help him. I saw him try to land, but got downed with gunfire and crashed. I was
deeply saddened. As I was flying back, I noticed one of our Spads was missing. No it can't be, Flybert's spad was
missing, and he never showed up, That was it, Roberts AND Flybert!! Those huns must pay. After landing, me and the 2
remaining spads took off to patrol the front. Ran into 3 huns, #1, #4,and another one whose number i did not see. One of
the spads engaged #4, while the other chased after the other 2. i saw #4 start shooting at the spad, so i got on his tail.
Remember my friends, I fired, aiming for his head. As he was going to land on the front, he pulled up, putting me in
perfect position for a headshot. I fired away. Down he went. right about then #1 engaged me, then #15 and #20 engaged
him. #20 then had engine problems and disengaged from the fight (meched) #15 got the hun off my tail. The hun tried to
get him, so i got on his tail. he then tried to land, but stalled as u put bullets into him. He landed nose first in the
dirt. He did not survive. I RTB, and noticed that everyone was o.k. That'll show them for taking out my friends.
5me Escadrille
12 Flybert
PilotStatus: ok
Squadron: Escadrille 5me
Aircraft: SPAD 7
AircraftStatus: KIA
TimeIn: -1 hour
15 Flint
PilotStatus: ok
Squadron: Escadrille 5me
Aircraft: SPAD 7
AircraftStatus: ok
TimeIn: 1 hour+
Claims: Alb #2
narrative: Flew a Patrol with Fly, and McQ. We met up with a couple of HD1s from Esc1 and over the mud we spotted a
low con. Fly seemed to see it first and was heading south and flying lower and lower. I picked up the con south of me at
this same time and signaled to McQuerry.
Fly got lower and lower till he seemed co-alt with the con and trailing him. I figured he had himself a hun recon.
I began descending to help out. No other contacts could be seen so I dove in. I began peppering the #9 two-seater, but
quickly noticed him pulling up. I managed to pull to the right before colliding, but the Spad doesn't like quick turns
and I went end over end in a stall. I managed to pull out just before I hit the ground and could only helplessly watch
the next couple of minutes.
At least 3 other planes had shown up above the fight. At first I thought they were friendlies, but Fly began taking
firing from 2 of them. I tried to climb as quickly as I could, but they hammered him and I soon saw his plane fall out
of control. Seconds later Hun #1 jumped on my tail with another close behind him. I outran them to the west then climbed
to come back to the fight. I saw maybe 3-4 planes in a dog fight co-alt with me. another 3 low and rising to it. I figured
them huns and headed for them to keep them from piling it on my friends. They turned back for me and I exchanged bullets
with one in a head on pass. Sadly though the two belgians in the fight had dived low for home. The Huns quickly jumped
them and 1 hD1 caught fire. Only 3 of us escaped home.
Second Patrol Fergie, McQuerry and I set out to patrol hunland. We made our way up the mud and McQ siganled he had
spotted something. I followed him and soon saw 3 low cons ahead of us. McQ dove in on the trailing plane and soon had
him broke away from the formation. For some reason the other 2 huns kept on flying away. I shadowed them as I watched
Fergie and McQ tackle the lone hun. It seemed the two huns were more concerned with me than their flightmate being
doubled up on.
They began to turn back to the fight finally, so I dove in on #1 and pinged him a few times. He dove away, but I
declined to follow as #2 was coming up behind me and firing madly away. None of his rounds hit though. Evidently they
saw the serious state their friend was in for they soon dove towards the battle below. It had now drifted over into
hunland and at mud level. I followed #2 down and watched as he began opening up on McQ. I was right behind him though
and began peppering away. #2 followed McQ into a turn then suddenly the alb's wings blew off. For whatever reason why
I do not know, but #2 augered in quickly after that.
McQ and I turned our attention to #1. He was engaged with Fergie at the time and soon had 3 of us on him. I watched
Fergie shoot the Hun down at the mud's edge. The 2 of us then flew home for repairs and ended the day.
Flint
16 Willy Rogier
PilotStatus: ok
Squadron: Escadrille 5me
Aircraft: SPAD 7
AircraftStatus: ok
TimeIn: -1 hour
Claims: n/a
narrative: I had connect problems and meched several times. I only flew for 30 or 35 min. total, although I wrenched
on my crate all night! No contacts in those few minutes in the air.
20 McQuerry
PilotStatus: ok
Squadron: Escadrille 5me
Aircraft: SPAD 7
AircraftStatus: ok
TimeIn: 1 hour+
narrative: Took of from drome 4 Spads strong and headed to redevous point. We reached the point and now one was there.
We circled for a few minutes and then, follwing our flight lead we headed east. After several min I spotted some
contacts and dove to investigate. I tried to signal the other 2 (16 RTB engine failure), but didn't want to alert the
contacts incase they were not friendlies. As I drew closer I could make out the lines of two of our HD1 from Esc1 but
no R/B were in site. Engine failure as well kept them grounded.
We decided to join up together and go on an offensive patrol. Just Southwest of Roulers it was passed on up the line
that a flare had been spotted low and behind us. We hopped it was our R/B. Flight lead and his wing dove in to
investigate and the rest stayed high. We soon spotted tracer rounds and knew that flight lead and his wing were
engaged. I quickly began scanning and just out of the cloud banks below me but above my lead 3 targets dove out of the
clouds and attacked! I dove in and tried to break it up and warn them but it was to late. I continued my dive and by
training or by God, I looked up and just then spotted 4 more targets diving in.
In a twisting twirling fight I engaged a lone R/B but couldn't hit and was qucickly overwhelemed by bullets streaking
past me and impacting on my plane. I disengaged and tried to extend away. My assalant went past me and a hail of
machine gun fire caused him to break away and I escaped. I circled up and away and attempted to engage another target
but couldn't. I thought I saw one of our HD go in and I was surrounded by angry Dva and escaped back across my lines.
At the rally point only 3 of us were left and we had nothing to show for the loss of our two mates. We returned to
base and rearmned and refueled.
We headed off again after some rest and decided to do a barrage patrol. We climed up into the afternoon sky and
through cloud after cloud. It was breathtaking but at the same time all I could think of was our friends we had lost
and how we could avenge them. Suddenly 3 unknown were spotted below us. We knew they were enemy scouts becasue all our
people were accounted for. We dove on them and suddenly another fight was on! I twisted and turned trying to line up an
enemy plane but could do nothing but let them know I was there as I hit again and again but not enough to do damage.
These three German pilots were good. Suddenly I was joined in my attack by a an HD and the DVa attempted to dive away
but the combination of bullets and speed caused his plane to explode and impact into the Earth.
Another fell to my wingmate in the Spad and that left one against the 3 of us. I attacked again and again but the Dva
eluded my every effort. But his end came about with the guns of our flight and we were victorious! We had avenged our
flight with honor and glory with downing the entire flight!
End Report..
McQuerry OUT!
6me Escadrille B/R