One balloon and five Pups down

[Olham 164]

Today I had one of those flights, where you get it all right. Although fighting

over enemy terrain, I could down five Pups, without collecting a single bullet.

Here is the full claims report as copied from the Log.

4/;5/;1917 ;7h;50 ;Flanders ;Wasquehal ;

Balloon Busting ; Flying: Albatros DIII early. On this day claims: ;5 ;Sopwith Pup . ;

On our balloon busting mission, we encountered a flight of Sopwith Pup from RNAS-9

northeast of Ypres. They engaged flight 1, and I attacked them. I hit one craft with

about 100 rounds. It crashed at 08:11 h near Balloon base 678.

I destroyed the balloon and turned round to get out quick. But we saw a group of Pups

fighting German two-seaters. I would not let them alone and attacked them. I fought the

British ace Edmund 'Ed' Pierce; I shot him down and he crashed at 08:21 h, NE of Ypres.

Now I got engaged by British ace Harold F Stackard. In the following fight, I hit him fatally;

he crashed at 08:22 h NE of Ypres. Next I drove ace Fred Everest Banbury off the tail of

my wingman; he crashed at 08:23 h near balloon base 678, NE of Ypres.

Short of ammunition, I tried to return home, but found two more Pups ahead of me.

One of them was already damaged and descended. I engaged the other and shot all my last

rounds into the craft; it crashed at 08:26 h, NE of Ypres..

Witnessed by: Adam Barth, Paul Aue, Otto Hartmann, Max-Burkart Steiner, Edgar Nitzsche,

Julius Schlag, Theodor von Marchlewitz Status : Pending ;68

 

I had first forgotten the balloon, and when I tried to add it later, the option wasn't there.

But who cares - it was a wonderful flight !

Edited August 5, 2009 by Olham

[Duce Lewis 3]

Great fighten there Olham,

Iron Cross in a Day!

 

You can only claim the observation Balloon in the 1st Drop-down

And only if it was a Balloon Buster Mission ...as this was

 

Balloon Busters are one of my favorite missions

That tension of whether to dive on the balloon or engae/dodge the defenders raises the hair on the back of my neck

[Rickitycrate 10]

Herr Olham. The Kaiser may ground you soon. You have become an important national hero. The fatherland could not suffer your loss very well. You will go on tour for 3 months and speak to the Jasta's and the public. You will rub elbows with MVR and Anthony Fokker. You will be asked to give your opinion on the planes that are under consideration to be assigned to the Jasta's. Then you will be assigned a nice warm desk to pilot for the duration.

 

I think you would rather fly, yes?

[Hasse Wind 46]

Nice one, Olham! You showed the crumpets who rules the skies!

 

Herr Olham. The Kaiser may ground you soon.

 

(Un)fortunately there's no danger of that in the German Air Service. You're in for the duration, and either receive an iron cross or a wooden cross in the end. I've been getting the latter mostly. :yes:

[Olham 164]

Yes, Rickity and Hasse, I don't really fear that. They may suggest it, but you only have to

insist, you want to fight with your comrades until the very end, and they will let you, cause

there is a shortage of good pilots. MvR managed to fly on, so I will, too.

Right into the coffin with a big Hooray!!