Better SPAD XIII in 1918 ?

[Olham 164]

Now I'm really wondering: since the release of HitR, I had not flown in 1918 much.

And now I meet those guys in their SPAD XIII - not even aces - and they smoked us!

They used a more "oval tactic" - all performing oval circling; approaching, firing, leaving fast!

An Albatros D Va can't follow that, particularly, when they dive after passing you.

So, each time I wanted to follow one, the oval of another came to it's closest point, and I got shot at.

I could not find a way into the fight, nor a way out of it - I was lost!

 

Did anyone else notice that?

 

(I must write to the Geneva Convention - changing the SPAD, without getting me informed! Tch!!)

 

It was a great flying of those French pilots - they used the best of their kites,

and I'll have to be much more careful next time.

[Hasse Wind 46]

That's how it should work, really. I'm pretty sure even the most newbie of all SPAD pilos was thought that the biggest strength of his plane was its tremendous speed, which should be used to dominate combat situations.

 

Maybe you encountered an elite Escadrilles? Did you see the emblems? Not all elite Escadrilles are part of the Storks (ie. Groupe de Combat 12).

[Barkhorn1x 14]

I am in the midst of Jasta 65 campaign *** in July of 1918 and I have just faced off against Esc. 38 - not soo good, and Esc. 31 - crazy good. So perhaps it is indeed the squad quality.

 

*** Flying the 7 Swabians skin of Gefreiter Wilhelm Scheutzel - only one of the best GAS paint jobs ever - unusually the right side graphic is different from the port side. (the scaled down screenshot does not do it justice).

Edited July 9, 2010 by Barkhorn1x

[nbryant 8]

You just have to love those beautiful SPAD's

[Olham 164]

Hasse Wind: Did you see the emblems?

 

Yes, they had reeper skelettons on their sides.

[Burning Beard 14]

When I was flying online in Red Baron with the 94th, we called that Spad Tag, hehe.

 

Beard

[Hasse Wind 46]

Olham, are sure they were French SPADs? Because I know the American 13th Aero Squadron has exactly that kind of an emblem, the Grim Reaper. I've flown several careers for them, as I like their emblem so much.

 

In the fierce action you described, it wouldn't be impossible to identify them wrongly as being French fighters. But of course it's possible that they really were French and some of their Escadrilles has a similar emblem. In any case, an exciting encounter.

[Olham 164]

They were French, Hasse Wind - it was a "non Full Did" flight, and I had switched the Labels on

to check, which aces I had met. But the ones I flew closly to, were normal airmen.

They were from Escadrille 94, which has a larger reaper than the Americans.

It is all white bones and scythe, running forward.

If you like that sign, this might be a French Escadrille for you - a good one even, as I saw!

[Hasse Wind 46]

Okay, good to know that Olham. I'll have to see about joining that Escadrille some day.

[Capitaine Vengeur 263]

Hasse Wind: Did you see the emblems?

 

Yes, they had reeper skelettons on their sides.

 

I know that a French pilot, and later his squadron, used an emblem picturing a long-walking white skeleton handling a scythe. Actually, the same picture that you can see in the movie "Red Baron" misused as Lance Hawker's emblem, painted on his SE5a (what a goof!). Unfortunately, I don't remember Which squadron it was.

[Olham 164]

As I said above - Escadrille 94.