A History of the 17th Aero Squadron - Nil Actum Reputans Si Quid Superesset Agendum, December, 1918 (WWI Centenary Series) by Anon

Author:Anon [Anon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: History, Military, World War I
ISBN: 9781528765688
Google: 5hEZEAAAQBAJ
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
Published: 2021-01-08T00:45:40+00:00

(Sgd.) WILLIAM J. ARMSTRONG.

Indecisive.

(SGD.) SAMUEL B. ECKERT.

1st Lieut., A.S., Sig. R.C.,

Commanding 17th Squadron.

12

Pilot: Lieut. R. D. Williams.

Date: August 9, 1918.

Time: 8:40–8:45 A. M.

Locality: 1 mile south of Armentières.

Duty: Offensive Patrol.

Height: 7000 feet.

Result: 1 E.A. driven down out of control.

Remarks: Three scouts, apparently of new type with no overhang and tails rather like Camels, short flat nose that looked like rotary motor, going north. Guns firing forward, speed about same as Camel. Performance not as good.

While on O.P. at 8:40–8:45 A. M. this date, I became separated from our formation, which was split up in fight near Lille, and while trying to overtake it I was cut off by three scouts which appeared about 400 feet above me. I turned and attacked leader and was immediately attacked by remaining two. After several minutes manoeuvring I succeeded in putting burst of thirty or forty into leader at about 50 or 75 yards. He fell in steep spiral nose dive but was not seen to crash. Continued fight with remaining two, one of which fired burst of 100 rounds or more piercing my pressure tank. I switched on to gravity and dived zigzag for clouds which were at 3500 to 3000 feet. Crossed lines near Bailleul at 8:45.

(Sgd.) RODNEY D. WILLIAMS.

While on O.P. at 8:40–8:45 this date, coming back from the engagement near Lille our formation was heavily archied, and one of our machines was left about a mile and a half behind. Three E.A. appeared on his left just south of Armentières. He immediately turned to attack them, employing chiefly a climbing right turn, and seemed to get on the tail of one of them, which I then saw fall in steep spiral nose dive and go below the clouds which were about 2500 feet. Shortly after this the Camel disappeared into the clouds in a series of sweeps from left to right, followed by the remaining two E.A. The fight started at 8:40–8:45, about 3000 feet which was the height of our formation.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.