Lionel Morris and the Red Baron by Jill Bush

Author:Jill Bush [Bush, Jill]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Biography & Autobiography, Military, Aviation & Nautical, History, World War I, Europe, Great Britain, 20th Century
ISBN: 9781526742230
Google: Sk8IEAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Pen and Sword
Published: 2019-04-30T00:47:04+00:00

Chapter 13

A Plucky Observer

On 31 July 1916 General Trenchard’s world very nearly turned upside down, according to Maurice Baring: ‘As we were coming back from the Chief’s house, the steering gear of the car broke, and we alighted in the ditch.’1 Despite this hiccup, the shared feeling amongst the Allied war leaders was one of optimism. Baring’s own favoured reading during the first phase of the Battle of the Somme was Dante Alighieri, concentrating on the Paradiso rather than the Inferno, and the Allies were moving forward.2 Trones Wood and Delville Wood had seethed with tenacious German soldiers but both had eventually fallen. By 17 July, the British Army had partially recovered from the mainly disastrous opening day of the Big Push to take Bazentin Ridge.

The RFC made a crucial reconnaissance discovery on 22 July that changed plans for the next phase of the battle. A major offensive was intended for the strong German position running to the north west of High Wood but a significant new trench full of infantry was discovered by airmen of No. 34 Squadron.3 Australian troops took the village of Pozières and then received the brunt of a German counter-attack. In a literally uphill struggle the Allies had reached the Albert–Bapaume road, but on the high ground ahead the German Army had the assets of long-held encampments to exploit, with none of the problems of rapid forward expansion. There were new challenges of communication and supply for the Allies to overcome before any wearing down of the enemy could be effective.4

In contrast, the German infantry were beleaguered by the energy and commitment of the Royal Flying Corps and bewildered at the apparent invisibility of their own aerial support: ‘You have to stay in your hole all day and must not stand up in the trench because there is always a crowd of English over us. Always hiding from aircraft, always with about eight or ten English machines overhead, but no-one sees any of ours.’5

Maurice Baring enjoyed hearing reports of exasperated Germans: ‘The Germans in the trenches put up a notice the other day saying: “Tell your __ Flying Corps to leave us alone. We are Saxons.”’6 It was a weaselly tactic that attempted to exploit a recognised history of distrust of militaristic Prussians amongst Saxons – and the British saw through it: ‘As it happened, they were Bavarians.’7

Baring’s easy-going manner contrasted sharply with Trenchard’s seriousness. RFC casualties were rising at a deeply worrying rate, and the commander’s letters to Brancker were increasingly demanding. Writing on 25 July, he addressed the recent problems at No. 11 that Morris had referred to in his diary just over ten days before:

When can I count on all 160 hp. Beardmores coming out will have [sic] the proper gudgeon pins and Idler wheels as every engine at present has to be taken down directly the machine arrives to change the gudgeon pins. Result – in No. 11 Squadron there is not a single machine serviceable to fly.’8

A piecemeal method of

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