Topped an ace recently?

[themightysrc]

I'm used to flying around and having the crap kicked out of me by superior scouts hunting in seemingly kamikaze stylee, and occasionally yearn for a little R&R in terms of other people's tales of derring do, particularly when they involve downing enemy aces.

 

I was fortunate enough - once, and once only - to apparently bring down Max Immelmann after he foolishly decided to take on the might of a flight of BE2c's, of which I was part. Pah, that showed 'im. Since then, unsurprisingly, I've seen neither hide nor hair of enemy aces in missions, with the possible exception of taking down Lothar von Richtofen (which never amounted to a claim) in a frenzied firefight near Arras.

 

However, I'm well aware that most of you chaps out there (and it's a shame it's only chaps, we could do with input here from female OFFers in my humble) fly scouts and therefore you must have come up against aces on both sides.

 

At the risk of turning this into a willy waving contest, I'd be interested to know who's knocked down some of the leading lights of WWI in combat and how it came about. If you've got screenies of your exploits, feel free to put them up.

[+Olham]

Well, I'm flying OFF since the late Phase 2, and so I have spent many an hour in varous cockpits - mostly of scouts.

 

As a British pilot with No. 24 RFC, flying the DH-2 in summer 1916, I met German ace Rudolf Berthold.

I felt his craft (the Eindecker) was a bit inferiour to my Airco, and I shot him down. (But Berthold survived

the war, so I can't have done really well).

 

As a French SPAD XIII pilot, flying from near the North Sea coast (Koolkerke?), I shot down Hermann Goering -

also later known as "Herr Meyer" - twice. Both times he fell into the North Sea, which made a mighty splash.

Mmuahahahahahahahaaa!!! (I know it's my German Hollywood-Baron laughter, but it fits so well here!)

 

As a German pilot (and I'm flying Albatros versions the majority of all flying) I shot down several British,

Canadian, Australian and French aces; of which I cannot remember many of the names.

Among them were Mick Mannock, Roderick Dallas, Richard Minifie, Robert A. Little, Arthur Gould Lee (sorry,

Arthur - I really enjoyed your great book), ... Mc Gregor, Bernard Beanlands, and several others.

 

One who is still on my mind was Albert Ball in an S.E.5a. We fought over the lines, and he had not at all

guessed, that I would fire that long range burst. His craft was partly crippled, before he could even start

to show me, what he could do. I felt a bit bad during the following fight because of that. Ball was still flying

like a devil; extreme curving at barbed-wire-level! He was hard to hit, but he could never get into the offensive

anymore. I still see the bulky craft with the square wings lying on it's right side in a totally banked turn, right

in front of me, when I pressed the trigger. He was fully hit, remained banked and slammed in. I was not really

proud of the way this was achieved, and I felt I had just shot down one of the very great flyers from the other side.

Edited October 12, 2011 by Olham

[Shiloh]

I've only been flying OFF since April so I haven't had that many opportunities to fight against aces. I did however shoot down some aces with my current RFC-74 pilot flying an SE5a Viper.

 

1) Harry Von Bulow-Bothkamp (Jasta 36) flying a Dr.1

2) Walter Boning (Jasta 76b) flying an Alb.DVa - I shot him up and he was utterly helpless (couldn't maneuver and would have crashed) when one of my mates fired a burst that put him down. I didn't get the credit but I did all the heavy lifting.

3) Karl Koller (Jasta 76b) flying an Alb.DVa - I shot him down just 2 minutes after Boning on same mission

4) Werner Junck (Jasta 8) flying an Alb.DVa

 

I tend to seek them out when I see them as I'd rather get on them quick then give them an opportunity to get me later in the fight when I'm not expecting it. I'll have to go back and see if I can find those screenies.

 

That's an impressive list there Olham!

Edited October 12, 2011 by Shiloh

[carrick58]

I had a few shots at Kurt Wolf during his early years flying a Halbt, Saw a RED airplane in the distance 2 times and been shot up and down many times.

[+Olham]

Thanks, Shiloh - but let's not forget, how often I had to die to achieve this.

 

Carrick, yours don't sound so spectacular, but most believeable to me, Sir.

[carrick58]

Its a hold over from my Army Days. Most days were boring, dull ,and hum drum. But there were a few days that I will always remember.

[Hellshade]

Here was an exceptionally lucky day for me in a campaign awhile back.

[Hellshade]

and then I spotted these two during a single mission. As I recall, I shot one down and the other chased me all the way home to my airfield. I don't recall which one I shot down though.

Edited October 13, 2011 by Hellshade

[Shiloh]

Wow Hellshade - the best of the best.

 

My encounters have only been with 'second or third-tier aces' but I do hope to meet someone on the level of MvR or Boelcke someday. The fact that a meeting with them is so rare is a good thing. It's the 'white whale' in this sim and when one meets these top-level aces, win or lose, it's truly a special thing.

[+Olham]

Well, to be accurate - Manfred wasn't an ace, when he flew the Halberstadt.

As far as I know, he made his first kill in an Albatros.

[Shiloh]

I'm not sure if it's correct Olham but according to his bio in the Aerodrome he had 6 victories in the Halb.D.II in March 1917.

 

MvR Aerodrome

[Creaghorn]

he scored his first kills and earned his PLM in the Albatros, but in Jasta11 after receiving the Albatros DIII it had structual problems, so he flew the Halberstadt for a while until the problems got solved.

[+Olham]

Yes, that was in early 1917 then, Shiloh.

In 1916, Jasta 2 used Halberstadt before they got the Albatros D.I in September.

Von Richthofen was in Jasta 2 (CO: Oswald Boelcke), before he became the CO

of the newly formed Jasta 11.

In Jasta 2, he made his first kills on Albatros fighters.

[Shiloh]

Ahhh. So Hellshades' encounter with MvR was pre-Alb days? The date stamp (upper left) says 1/26/1917 but according to Aerodrome, MvR was flying Albs at that time. I'm a bit confused.

Edited October 13, 2011 by Shiloh

[Creaghorn]

Ahhh. So Hellshades' encounter with MvR was pre-Alb days? The date stamp (upper left) says 1/26/1917 but according to Aerodrome, MvR was flying Albs at that time. I'm a bit confused.

 

he was with jasta 2 when he flew the Albatros DII. in end of 1916 or january 1917 he was assigned to lead Jasta 11, and they were flying Halberstadt DII's until the Albatros DIII arrived. (JFM, please correct me if i'm wrong )

[+Olham]

Okay, my fault: I had not checked the time stamp. Sorry, Shiloh and Hellshade.

By 26 January 1917, MvR had shot down 18 craft. So he WAS an ace by then.

[Shiloh]

It's all good Olham. I got a bit of a history lesson and who would have thought MvR was flying a Halb.DII in early 1917.

Edited October 13, 2011 by Shiloh