Your Time Machine is set for WW1...

[Dej 17]

A maybe slightly more thought-provoking thread to fill the Olham-shaped vacuum

 

Shredward contemplated a time machine in Morris' 'More P4...' thread. So, if you had one and it was stuck at WW1 (to rein in your flights of fancy a tad) to what combatant unit, war year and aircraft would it take you? And why, if you want to elaborate?

 

I'll start.

 

As much as I'm fan of Lanoe Hawker and have been since I were a lad, my time machine would transport me to a later interest... to St. Pol, in October 1916, serving with Naval 8, RNAS. There I'd be flying with many of my other latter heroes, Robert Little, Charles Booker, Robert Compston, William Jordan (perhaps) et al.

 

I'd start off flying the delightful Pup before, God willing, moving on to my beloved Tripe and then, if I survived, my boyhood joy and Biggles' own mount, the capricious Camel.

 

What about youse guys...

[DukeIronHand 8]

A maybe slightly more thought-provoking thread to fill the Olham-shaped vacuum

 

Hehe.

 

I would go for 56 Squadron in the late spring/summer of 1917. A very active and interesting unit that saw much action. Much attrition too but its my fantasy so I survive the war.

94th Squadron/USAS would be second choice in April 1918. Or maybe 60 Squadron early in 1917? Hmmmm....

 

MvR and Jasta 11 are also very high on my interest list but as a American I guess that would be considered traitorous! But if I was German that would be it starting in March 1917.

 

P.S. Oddly - or perhaps not - I notice this "wish/fantasy" list mirrors my consistent list of start-up OFF pilots. Just need to add an RNAS Squadron in a Sop/Triplane. Naval 10.

Edited February 12, 2011 by DukeIronHand

[Bullethead 12]

Ah, this reminds me of some of my favorite "Robot Chicken" sketches, called "Dicks with Time Machines"

 

First of all, I'm assuming I couldn't affect things prior to the outbreak of hostilities, but given that those started off in Serbia, first stop would be Berlin. There I'd beat Moltke the Dweeb about the head and shoulders until he was able to tell Kaiser Bill that yes, the direction of mobilization COULD be reversed at the last moment. Thus, the Schlieffen Plan wouldn't have been used at all, Belgium wouldn't have been invaded, and the UK wouldn't have become involved. France would have destroyed herself on the defensive wire of the Western Front and given up shortly thereafter in the absence of German aggression. Meanwhile, the combined might of German and Austria would have quickly smashed Russia. As a result, Italy wouldn't have become involved, either, nor would the U-boat campaign have ever started, so the US could have stayed out, too. Thus, the war might actually have been over by Xmas 1914 and many fewer people would have died. The net result would have been just another in the long string of European wars where a few provinces changed hands and civilization would not have collapsed as it did because of WW1. Thus, we'd still today be living in la Belle Époque instead of the Dark Ages.

 

Failing that, I'd have made sure Moltke kept the right wing strong.

 

And failing that, I would go to the flag bridge of HMS Barham at about 1500 on 31 May 1916, where I would ask Rear Admiral Evan-Thomas why he was steaming in the opposite direction of Vice Admiral Beatty despite there obviously being a fight in the offing. Then an hour or so later I'd teleport to the flag bridge of SMS Friedrich der Gross and ask Vice Admiral Scheer why he was chasing Beatty hell-for-leather when it was pretty obvious that Beatty was leading him to Jellicoe.

[Lewie 7]

Since Bullethead added a fictional element to this time travel, I would have to go back to a fictional late 1917 summer episode which borrows heavily from a couple of Arch Whitehouse stories with my own twists thrown in...

[Olham 164]

Nice idea, Dej.

Being back for 9 days (before I have to leave for another 10 or so), I wonder if I should be allowed

to help to fill the hole I left by leaving, when I'm back now? Time machine stuff can be complicated...

 

Well, I haven't been reading that much about all the units and famous pilots, but I have two choices.

First is Jasta 2, September 1916, when Boelcke is still alive, and they just get thenew Albatros D.I,

and shortly after, the Albatros D.II. I would have liked to learn from this great fighter pilot, and would

learn to know MvR, before he follows his own ways as the ace of aces with Jasta 11.

 

My second choice is Jasta 5. That unit has been flying my favourite kite, the Albatros, for most of the time.

Jasta 5 appears to me like a "modest" Staffel - successful, but not among the first 3 one would recall.

I would have liked to fly with Fritz Rumey, Otto Könnecke and especially with Josef Mai.

As a Vizefeldwebel, he was one of three non-commissioned pilots (along with Fritz Rumey and Otto Koennecke)

who flew together so successfully they ended up with 40% of the Jasta's victories among them, and Jasta 5

the third highest scoring unit of the war. The trio was nicknamed "The Golden Triumvirate".

Now, a Triumvirat is consisting of only three people, but perhaps I could have been the 4. Musketeer with them.

I would have preferred the time from April to the end of October 1917.

Edited February 17, 2011 by Olham

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

4 Squadron RFC, from the very beginning for me. In France in August of 1914, flying recce missions over Belgium in my trusty BE2. If I managed to survive until 1916, I would request scout training and transfer to 24 Squadron RFC to fly the DH.2's. I've always had an affinity for the early war era and the British efforts in Flanders.

 

.

[Olham 164]

Yo, 24 RFC is good. I have a pilot there in May 1916, flying the DH-2.

When you've got used to her, she is actually quite nice to fight in, with clear forward view, and a gun right ahead of you.

[Lewie 7]

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