Mannock by Norman Franks

Author:Norman Franks
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: HIS027140, Aviation / World War 1
ISBN: 9781909166851
Publisher: Grub Street Publishing
Published: 2008-09-21T16:00:00+00:00

Ben Roxburgh-Smith in his SE5A marked with a I on the cowling.

The formation was that of Jasta 2, or Jasta Boelcke as it had been named, the Staffel formally led by the German ace Oswald Boelcke in the autumn of 1916. When he died in combat on 28 October of that year, it was decreed that his unit be named after him. Today it was being led by Leutnant Karl Bolle and nearby were the Fokker Triplanes of Jasta 36. Mannock’s good eyes did not deceive him for it was indeed an unusual machine within Jasta B’s group. It was a Fokker DV.

The Jasta was about to change its equipment from Albatros DV and Pfalz DIII machines to Fokker Dr.I Triplanes and needed to gain experience on rotary-engined aircraft, rather than in-line engined fighters. So the Fokker DV, although a biplane, and a type not really up to front line operations, was being flown this day mainly to ‘make the numbers up’ as well as for experience. It was being piloted by Leutnant Ludwig Vortmann, a 22-year-old from Reckling, north of Essen.

As the fight began, Mannock picked on this unusual-looking machine, firing some 40 rounds into it during a frontal attack. The Fokker biplane immediately burst into flames and fell to earth, breaking up as it went. Meantime, Dolan fired at an Albatros and claimed that this too began to fall apart as it went down, while Captain Glynn went after a Triplane. He had been flying to the left of Mannock and had spotted the Triplane coming on from his left so pulled round towards it. As the two fighters closed with each other, Glynn began firing from both guns.

For a moment, as the two aircraft flashed past each other, Glynn lost sight of the Fokker but Mannock and Dolan saw it diving vertically and crash to the ground. This was Glynn’s first victory and he had scored well. The Triplane was being flown by the Staffelführer of Jasta 36, Leutnant Heinrich Bongartz, in Triplane 575/17, who was hit in the arm but more seriously by a bullet to the head. This bullet smashed into his left temple, eye and nose, but he managed to crash land near Mount Kemmel. Bongartz was an ace with 33 victories and holder of the Pour le Mérite, and this wounding put him out of the war. He was 26. He retained interest in flying post WW1 and died in January 1946.

Shortly after this action, Ben Roxburgh-Smith shot down an LVG C-type two-seater, although it has also been recorded as a Halberstadt in the 2nd Brigade work summaries. As the fight with Jasta B and Jasta 36 began to dissolve, Mannock had headed back towards the lines and spotted another German near Dickebusch Lake and dived to attack. As he began to fire, his gun jammed, so he pulled away to let ‘Rox’ and Dolan have a crack. Rox was just about to let fly when Dolan’s SE5 cut right across in front of him, which apart from putting him off his aim, frightened him to death.

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