Seventh DiD Mission for Ltn. Fritz Müller, Palestine theater, following the 20 Rules for DiD
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September 20, 1918
"Today we were awakened by what I thought was thunder but instead turned out to be exploding grenades and some bombs, hurled at us by two of those lumbering types and a Scout Experimental that had surprised us very early in the morning. Jenin aerodrome had quickly turned into an inferno, with two older Albatroses destroyed, an extra Pfalz incinerated that we had previously also cobbled together from parts, and three hangars completely wrecked. Nowotny tried to intercept these rude fellows with his D.V but they got away in low cloud cover. I had also attempted to go up but my engine would not start. Consoling at least was that Nowotny spotted another lumbering type to the southwest of us and managed to gain the upper hand, with the wandering Martinsyde side-slipping into the ground and bursting into flames.
Not less than an hour and a half later, after a quick breakfast, Nowotny and I were off again on a defensive patrol, ascending into some broken clouds and windy conditions. We were however not more than a kilometer or two away from our still ravaged aerodrome when we were jumped by two Camels that emerged from a cloud. A grueling kurvenkampf then ensued, with both Camels initially latching onto Nowotny's Albatros. One of these fellows then transferred his attention to me and we went round and round in several circles before I was able to send some shots in his direction. He quickly began to emit flames and disappeared towards the ground. I then managed to distract the other Camel long enough so that this fellow became irritated and began chasing me. The next several minutes turned into a very slippery fight, this character evidently being a veteran of the war or perhaps even an ace. Up and down he went, with excellent tight turns, easily evading my less maneuverable Pfalz. After several unsuccessful passes, I found myself underneath him and with a few shots destroyed his engine. His propeller spun down and he glided off, crash-landing into some sand dunes further away.
When we returned to the aerodrome, it now looked even more shabby than before we went on our patrol. 'What is now the matter?,' asked Nowotny of one of the mechanics. 'Horrible!, we were attacked with more bombs by a couple of Scout Experimentals that escaped quickly while you were being kept busy by your mission,' was the response. I rushed over to Von Wincklermann's tent - to find him packing some smaller items for transport. He informed me with a sad face that the latest orders, wired to us from Damascus, were to evacuate Jenin as soon as possible.
'Let us try to salvage at least some of our remaining aircraft, Lieutenant; fly your Pfalz towards Megiddo and continue northwards for some time; I will take the Rumpler. And tell Nowotny to fly the engined-up Albatros and to follow you. Leave the older Albatroses here, including the one Nowotny was in today - they are useless now. Don't waste time refueling since British soldiers are less than a dozen kilometers away. One mechanic will fly with me in the Rumpler, in the observer's seat; the other fellows are already being transported northwards by train. Steinmann has already left for Megiddo in a D.V that was unharmed.' I rushed off to execute orders with lightning speed. Could it really be that we were leaving our beloved aerodrome at Jenin? These and other questions I would meditate upon more thoroughly much later in the day when our flight officer informed me that my sixteenth and seventeenth victories had been confirmed by some remnants of the Asia Corps that were nearby, and that I would be awarded the Merit Cross Second Class for my continued perseverance in what was quickly becoming a losing battle for our men."