1916 Angels over the Somme (British Ace Book 3) (14 page)

“Fokkers sir, to the east.”

I looked to where Hutton was pointing.  Eight biplanes were heading our way.  Hutton was guessing at the make; the Halberstadt looked identical to the Fokker from a distance. “Right, let’s go and meet them eh?” I waggled my wings to tell the flight that we were attacking. I banked east and I was glad that we had climbed.  The Germans must have been close to their base for they were much lower than we were. From the angle of their craft I could see that they were climbing to meet us.

They would expect us to go for the middle of their line.  It had been what we had done every time so far. I decided to vary this.  It was easier to do this with a flight rather than a squadron. “Lumpy, I am going to aim for the aeroplane on the far right of their line and then swing around behind them. I will edge that way gradually.”

“Righto sir!”

The Huns were too concerned with gaining height and keeping their formation and they did not appear to notice that we were not following our normal pattern. They were still a couple of hundred feet below us. The rising sun would not come into play yet and so I dived at the first biplane.  Hutton had been correct, they were Fokkers.  This was the blue squadron.  It was important to take out the first aeroplane and Hutton and I fired at the same time.  The climbing Fokker’s parabellums zipped over our heads but our converging fire ripped into him. He had been climbing and had not adjusted enough for our descent.  He wasted his bullets.

I banked right as the line of Fokkers tried to bank to meet us. We had the advantage of gunners who could fire to the side.  I had no targets but Hutton fired short bursts as we flew south.  There were no bullets coming back at us as the Germans were still turning. By the time we had reached the end of the line Sergeant Hutton had emptied the magazine. 

I banked and climbed as we headed back north. It was a glorious sight to behold as I turned.  The eight Germans had been riddled with bullets from our gunners.  I saw five of them heading east with smoke and damage.  Two were spiralling to the earth and the last was climbing in a desperate attempt to avoid Freddie and Sergeant Laithwaite who were both pouring .303s into it. When it began to drop to earth I headed west. We had enough fuel to get home and we had done our duty.

Although we had left first we had strayed further into enemy territory than the others and we were the last to land.  They were just lining up their buses when we landed.  The fact that there were no ambulances nor huddles of mechanics told me that the day had gone better than we might have expected. I knew we had been in the air for a long time when the wound in my shoulder began to ache.  I suspected that, once we came into wet weather, it would ache even more.  As I clambered out of the cockpit I was just glad to be alive.

“Well done, Lumpy.  That was fine shooting.”

“Do you reckon that is half a kill each then sir?”

I waved an airy hand, “You can have it all.” I patted the horse’s head, “After all you were upholding the honour of Harsker’s Cavalry.”

He grinned and a cheeky look came over his face, “You are right sir.  We are the cavalry.  I do like that.”

We waited for the others to join us.  I was anxious to see the reaction of Giggs and Fryer. I could see their animation as they came towards me with hands soaring, banking and diving. “Nice shooting, Sergeant Laithwaite and you Lieutenant Carrick.  Whose kill was that?”

Freddie nodded to his gunner. “I am certain that Sergeant Laithwaite would have been the one to make the killing shot.  Mine was just reactive.”

“And how about you Peter?”

He had genuine relief on his face.  “That was much easier sir.  I think I actually hit something up there and I changed a magazine.”

I adopted an amazed look, “A hit and a changed magazine?  Is there a pilot lurking beneath that youthful exterior?”

“I hope so sir.  Thanks for giving me a chance.”

“Don’t worry you deserved it.” I glanced at the other pair,   “And you two.”

“It was more frightening than we thought but we felt more confident when you hit that first German.”

“Good.  Now check your buses and then see you in the mess for a little tiffin eh?”

“Right sir.”

Gordy and Carstairs were waiting for me.  From the look on Carstairs’ face he had something important to tell me. I saw Gordy wink and had it confirmed.

“Sir, I shot down one Fokker and my gunner and I damaged a second.  I am off the mark!”

I shook his hand, “Well done.  That is excellent news.  I am genuinely delighted.”

“I know sir and I want you to know I won’t let you down and…” he hesitated and looked at the ground, “and I am thoroughly ashamed of being such an absolute fool when I first arrived.  I don’t know why you didn’t send me packing right away.”

Gordy laughed, “If we did that with every Second Lieutenant who behaved that way we would only have five pilots in the squadron! That’s the Captain’s job, Jamie.  He turns public school boys into pilots.” He tapped my chest, “He didn’t get the Military Cross for fighting Germans. It was for working wonders with the pride of Eton and Harrow!”

Archie, too, was delighted.  “Today went well, Bill. Very little damage to us and half a dozen Germans either shot down or damaged.”

I gave a word of caution, “We caught them napping today sir.  It might not be as easy in the future.  We know what quick learners they are. Let’s wait a week or so, until the end of July before we start congratulating ourselves.”

Captain Marshall laughed, “Are you turning into Doom and Gloom Thomas?  You sound just like him.”

“Let’s just say I have lost my naïveté since I was wounded.  Just when you think you have it all under control, bam! Something smacks you one.”

Bates was waiting for me when I reached my quarters.  “Really Captain Harsker, you need to look after yourself more.  You work harder than anyone.  I have drawn you a nice hot bath.  What would you like to drink?”

“Er, a cup of tea?”

“An excellent idea sir.  Now come along, get undressed I have your robe ready!”

He was a fussy little man but his heart was in the right place and, to be fair, the bath was the perfect temperature. He came into the bathroom, seemingly oblivious to my naked form.  He handed me a cup of tea. Cocking his head to one side he said, “I asked the mess orderlies how you liked your tea.  I shall soon get to know your little ways, sir.”

As I drank my tea I hoped he had not been looking in the bath when he said that.

Dinner was a boisterous affair with much good humour in evidence. I commented to Gordy that it was in direct contrast to the atmosphere when Major Hamilton-Grant had been running it. After dinner we crowded into the seating area of the mess.  The young officers all deferred to the older ones and allowed us the seats.

Ted said, “Captain Marshall, can’t you get the engineers to enlarge our quarters? We are a bigger squadron after all.”

“You are right but it still won’t help the seating arrangements. Quarter Master Doyle was playing darts. He had his usual cigarette dangling precariously from his lip. It seemed to be an art form. “Sir, if you give me a few bob of Mess funds I should be able to wangle something.”

“Really, Quarter Master?  How?”

He tapped his nose, “Let’s just say I have been getting to know the locals and I think I know where to lay my hands on some nice furniture.”

Randolph smiled, “I shall ask no questions Mr Doyle and then any legal ramifications will be your preserve.”

Interestingly enough Ted, Gordy and I found ourselves the subject of a barrage of questions. The main focus appeared to be how we had acquired our skills as pilots without having either gone to University or flying school. We answered them as best we could.  Jamie seemed almost disappointed by the answers. I think he thought that there was a blue blooded skeleton in our closets. He seemed convinced that my family came from a liaison between some noble and an obliging servant.  He had a vivid imagination. I found out that he came from a long line of noblemen.  Noblesse Oblige coursed through his veins. He was desperate for the old days of knights on chargers.  He told me that he would have joined the cavalry but he had heard that they no longer charged into battle. When I told him of my experiences it confirmed his decision.

“This is better.  We are knights of the skies. That is why I wish that I was in your flight.  You are the cavalry and you shall do noble deeds. I will have to find a way to find my own Holy Grail!”

I thought Ted was going to choke on his beer.

“I don’t know about noble deeds, Jamie, but we can make a difference to the troops on the ground.”

When I returned to my room I found my night attire laid out ready for me and a glass of whisky next to the bed.  Bates was a very thoughtful man and a most efficient servant.  I had not been anywhere near as good when I had served Lord Burscough.

Archie had decided that, as we had been so successful the previous day, we would use the same model.  I was not sure.  The Germans might be expecting us.  I gathered my pilots around me. “We need to be flexible today.  I have a feeling that the Hun will try something different.  If our normal method is going awry then Hutton will fire a Very Flare.  As soon as he does then I want Carrick to fly next to me.  Make it two aeroplanes width and Fryer will be his wingman.”

They nodded but Freddie asked, “Do you mind me asking why sir?”

“The last four patrols we have undertaken we have flown in line astern and gone directly for the leader. Then we have either flown across their rear or their front. If I was their squadron leader then I would be laying a trap. I would try to draw the leading aeroplane in and then attack the rear.  My plan is just a way out of that trap. By leaving the gap for two aeroplanes between us we might get at least one in crossfire from the two gunners and we could plough the field ahead.” They seemed relieved and all nodded. “Of course this puts a great deal on your new gunners.” I looked at my new men.  “Are they and you up to it?”

Giggs set his jaw resolutely, “We are sir!”

“Good man!”

As we headed for our sector I saw the brown lines wavering forward.  To the north and the south I saw the other flights on the squadron looking like so many dragonflies. I checked my altitude. We were flying at four thousand feet.  “I think we shall climb a little more, Sergeant.”

“Righto sir but it does use a lot of juice up.”

“We can always leave early.  I want to be above any trouble.”

There was silence for a while and then Hutton said.  “We ought to carry a couple of bombs, you know sir.  It wouldn’t add too much to the fuel consumption and we could do more damage to ground troops than with the just the Lewis Guns.”

“You are right.  We will try that tomorrow.”

“Sir, look in the east.”

I saw five Fokker biplanes.  They were flying in a V formation and heading for us. They were slightly below us.  If I had not taken us up we would have been flying at their altitude. Something did not smell right. “I’m going up a little more Hutton.”

“But sir, there are just five of them.  We took on eight yesterday; this is probably all that they have left.”

That decided me, “No, Lumpy, if they only had five left they would not have sent them out.  This is a trap.”

I was about to swing the flight around and abort the mission when Sergeant Hutton said, “Sir! Above us! Another ten Fokkers!”

They had the advantage of height and there was no point in fleeing.  Their superior speed would enable them to catch us.  We had to break them up and then try to get home. “Hutton, fire the Very Pistol.”

“Sir!”

As the rocket soared aloft I could see that they had worked out our Modus Operandi. If we had attacked the five Fokkers then the others would have swooped down on our unprotected rears.  We would have been picked off one by one. I eased back on the throttle to allow Freddie to join me. I pointed to the twelve Fokkers and he nodded. These were flying in four Vs of three aeroplanes each. The nearest flight to me was Gordy’s to the north.  I pointed to the second V and Freddie nodded.  We would try to isolate the end six aeroplanes.  The five which had been bait had a long way to climb to reach us. I was also acutely aware that we were nearing our ceiling height. At least that would give us an extra five miles an hour.

“Hutton, I want you and Laithwaite to take out the aeroplanes between us.  Lieutenant Carrick and I will fire at the Fokkers either side of the leader.”

“Right sir.  By the way do you see he has a red propeller!”

“You are right.  If we get back we will tell the adjutant about that. Here we go!”

It must have looked, to the Germans, as though we were walking into their trap. The six aeroplanes on the left of their formation would be able to sweep around and harry the end of our line. They would not know that we intended to blow a hole in the middle of their squadron.

The leader was a cool customer and he held his fire as long as we did.  When he did fire he aimed at me which meant he aimed his aeroplane at me and that, in turn, swung the whole of the line.  It was his first mistake. I turned my bus slightly and the bullets thudded into the fuselage just behind me. I opened fire at the second aeroplane and caught him moving so that he could not fire at me.  I hit his engine with one burst and then fired a shorter five bullet burst.  I saw his head disappear in a red mist and his aeroplane continued its turn.  I had time to watch the next aeroplane have to swing out of line to evade a crash.