Aces Falling: War Above the Trenches, 1918 by Peter Hart

Author:Peter Hart [Hart, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: 20th Century, Aviation, History, Non-Fiction, Transportation, War & Military, World War I
ISBN: 9780297855705
Google: JG0Canlj1M4C
Publisher: Hachette UK
Published: 2008-10-01T23:00:00+00:00

Engaged eight Pfalz scouts - I got one in flames who was on a Bristol’s tail and did not see me coming. Jones thought he got one too. Then, when the formation was a bit scattered, ten Fokker Biplanes came out of the sun, astern and suddenly the sky was full of tracer. A Bristol wrapped in flames spun slowly ahead of us while two Fokkers danced a jig around it. Jones leaned over my shoulder for a moment and then everything happened at once. Jones tapped me on the top of the head, our ‘extreme emergency’ signal and I kicked full left rudder, stick hard forward to the left and ducked. There was a very brief stuttering burst from a Fokker’s twin guns, I felt a blow on my left elbow as if I had been hit by a hammer, the aileron controls went out of action, one of the landing wires flew free and thrashed the fabric of the bottom plane, and a bullet went through my windscreen 6 inches in front of where my nose had been a moment before. Then, as suddenly as it had happened, it was over. I expect another Bristol made a pass at the Fokker who had me cold, only able without ailerons to fly straight and fairly level. Having found the aeroplane would fly and pointed her for the lines, I looked round to see Jones sitting quietly on his little seat, his head resting on the butt of his gun. When I put my hand on his shoulder I knew he was dead. I discovered that my arm which I had thought shot through had only been bruised by a round from one of Jones’ ammunition drums that had been hit; or perhaps by a bullet that had spent itself penetrating Jones’ gun mounting. I decided to land at Marie Capelle, the first field I came to, though I felt sure nothing could be done for him. One of the undercarriage struts had been shot through and collapsed when we touched down, but we crunched to a stop without turning over and I shouted to some men for an ambulance. A stretcher party came quickly and Jones was lifted from his cockpit, but there was nothing to be done: he had died instantly.15 Lieutenant Thomas Traill, 20 Squadron

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