Fighting a "Brisfit" - Olt. von Tutschek's report

[Olham 164]

Here is an excerpt from the very interesting book

"Das Kriegstagebuch der Jasta 12" by Michael Schmeelke, VDM-Verlag (ISBN 3-925480-95-1):

 

The morning began rainy and firstly without flying activity on both sides.

Then, at 7.40 h, seven Bristol Fighter, spiralling up west of the line, were reported to Jasta 12

per telephone call. Olt. von Tutschek immediately started towards the front with 5 more Staffel

members.

Near Biache over the front line, they met their opponents, Bristol F2b from 22 Sqdn., which

attacked immediately.

"[...] The third time, the "Wimpelmann" (burgee man) - that's how we called this excellent English

aircraft - set behind me by performing a looping, so that I had to evade his machine gun fire by

quickly performing the same manoeuver. Then the Englishman turns an unskilled curve; for a moment,

the enemy gunner can't see me, cause I'm hidden by his fuselage, and already I am close behind

and below him.

I pull the craft up vertically, close up to 10 Meter (30 feet), aim, and after 20 - 30 rounds, the

enemy craft goes down in uncontrolled spirals: it's leader is hit hard, perhaps dead.

 

Already, a second Englishman comes down to help his comrade. I quickly throw myself into a

huge cumulus cloud to evade him, and to watch the descend of my shot down Englishman

below it.

He turns in even, but uncontrolled spirals out of the cloud, close to me. I fly very near and marvel:

the gunner, descending and facing certain death, takes his machine guns and begins to fire at me,

though without hitting me. A desperate, gutsy fellow!

I move to a more respectful distance, see how the observer climbs forward, pushing his dead pilot

aside. He really succeeds in catching up from the dive, and shortly after that, the English craft

stands head over in an artillery crater 2 - 3 kilometers behind our lines."

 

The crew of the Bristol F2b A7169 survived the crash. The observer, 2AM W. Richman, only had a

laceration on the head, and some ribs broken.

During a visit in the hospital, von Tutschek promised the badly wounded Chambers, to drop a letter,

written to his mother by himself, over the English lines. Two days later, Chambers died in hospital

from his injuries. [end of quote]

 

In a questioning, Richman said, he could have shot down von Tutschek easily, had his Lewis MG not

had a jam. In the German interrogation report Richman was given great credit for his landing of the

Bristol, without having had any piloting training.

Edited March 1, 2010 by Olham

[Von Paulus 8]

Nice account.