RAF_Louvert

. Evening All, I am up in the northeast corner of North Dakota for work, (again), and saw a sight about two hours ago that was truly an OFF moment. The land up here looks very much like northern France and Belgium, and as I was driving along a small two-lane road I came upon a spot that could have been a WWI aerodrome: A wide flat field a little less than a mile long, bordered on both edges by tall, wispy poplars, (just like those you see in old photos of the French and Belgian countryside). At the far end were three or four old oak trees, directly in the way if you were taking too long to get up in the air. At the near end, tucked in next to the north row of trees, were two old wooden sheds, unpainted and weathered, just like you see in BHaH. The entire field had a golden tan stubble about two inches tall, left behind from last season's wheat crop. The clouds were towering grey-white cumulus, hanging in the darkening blue sky of early evening. The sun squated on the far horizion, a giant reddish-orange orb. I pulled over and shut down my truck, stepped outside, and just soaked it all in. A gentle wind pushed lightly against me as I breathed in the early spring air; a single bird gave a short, clear call. Several miles to the west was the main highway, and as the big rigs zooming along hit the frost heaves, (that had been pushed up by the departed winter's cold), they gave out a muffled 'boom boom boom". It was no stretch at all to imagine them the big guns firing at the Front. I felt like I was standing "somewhere in France" in the Great War, waiting for the last patrol of the day to return. I lingered there until it was nearly dark. It was marvelous and eerie and etheral, all at the same time, and there was honesty a brief moment where I wasn't sure which century I stood in. Just thought I'd share this with you folks, as there are few others who could appreciate such a moment for what it was. Lou .

. Many thanks for your kind comments TaillyHo, Royce, Foreigndevil, Olham, Si, and Dej. I am glad you all could appreciate the moment, and I hope I was able to paint it for you with my words. Si, I lived in England for three years and travelled quite a bit around France, Belgium, Germany, Holland, and numerous other European locales. And bonkers about northeastern North Dakota having some very Northern France and Belgium features? I think not. Here are just a few photos to illustrate my point: Oh, and Happy Birthday Si! Lou .

. That is an AEG G.IV in the colors of a night bomber squadron. IIRC these were the first German bombers to feature an all-welded steel tube frame. I have no idea what MvR called them, unless it was "slow and ugly". Lou .

. Fun contest idea Olham. I wish I was around more these days so I could participate. But I think I'll stay on the sidelines for now and cheer on the team. .

. Greetings All, Over the last three weeks I've had the good fortune to add several new-old WWI books to my collection. The first is a near-perfect 1916 1st edition of Robert W. Service's collection of poems, "Rhymes of a Red Cross Man". For those who might not be familiar with his work, you owe it to yourselves to read a few of his verses. He is one of the masters of the genre. The next is General John 'Black Jack' Pershing's memoirs, "My Experiences in the World War". A large 2-volume work, the set I managed is the 1931 1st edition in their original dust jackets. The last is "The People's War Book and Atlas", published in 1920 and another 1st edition in wonderful shape. It's a mixed collection of various Great War articles, photos, and maps, but with one very significant claim to fame. Every copy sold has, at the front, a photo of Lt. Col. William A. 'Billy' Bishop, and is signed by the famed Canadian ace himself, (not a facsimilie). All of these were excellent finds, and combined cost me less than $40. Great bargains and then some! So, as of today, my library catalogue reads as follows. Personal Narratives and Biographies: "A Flying Fighter", E.M. Roberts, (1918 1st Edition) "Airmen O' War", Boyd Cable, (1918 1st Edition) "An Airman Marches", Harold Balfour, (Vintage Aviation Library Edition) "An Airman's Outings", Alan 'Contact' Bott, (1917 1st Edition) "An Aviator's Field-Book", Oswald Bolcke, English Translation, (1917 1st Edition) "A Rattle Of Pebbles: The First World War Diaries Of Two Canadian Airmen", Brereton Greenhous, (1987 1st Edition) "Beyond the Tumult", Barry Winchester, (1971 1st Edition) "Cavalry of the Clouds", Alan 'Contact' Bott, (1918 1st Edition) "Cloud Country", Jimmie Mattern, (1936 Pure Oil 1st Edition) 3-volume set "Days on the Wing", Willy Coppens, English Translation, (1931 1st Edition) "Death in the Air", William Heinemann, (1933 Edition) (famous faked aerial photos) "Double-Decker C.666", Haupt Heydemarck, English Translation, (1931 1st Edition) "En L'air!", Bert Hall, (1918 1st Edition) "Fighting the Flying Circus", Edward Rickenbacker, (1919 1st Edition) "Five Years in the Royal Flying Corps", James McCudden, (1918 1st Edition) "Flying for France", James McConnell, (1917 1st Edition) "Go Get 'Em!", William Wellman, (1918 1st Edition) "Guynemer, Knight of the Air", Henry Bordeaux, English Translation, (1918 1st Edition) "Heaven High, Hell Deep", Norman Archibald, (1935 Signed 1st Edition) "High Adventure", James Norman Hall, (1918 1st Edition) "Immelmann: The Eagle of Lille", Franz Immelmann, English Translation, (1930 1st Edition) "In The Clouds Above Bagdad", J.E. Tennant, (1920 1st Edition) "Kitchener's Mob", James Norman Hall, (1916 1st Edition) "Letters From a Flying Officer", Rothsay Stuart Wortlrey, (1928 1st Edition) "Memories of World War 1", William Mitchell, (1960 Edition) "My Experiences in the World War", John J. Pershing, (1931 1st Edition) 2-volume set "Night Bombing with the Bedouins", Robert Reece, (Battery Press Edition) "Nocturne Militaire", Elliot White Springs, (1934 Edition) "No Parachute", Arthur Gould Lee, (1970 1st US printing) "Rovers of the Night Sky", W.J. 'Night-Hawk' Harvey, (Vintage Aviation Library Edition) "Sagittarius Rising", Cecil Lewis, (1936 Edition, 1st US printing) "Stepchild Pilot", Joseph Doerflinger, (1959 1st Edition) "The Flying Poilu", Marcel Nadaud, English Translation (1918 1st Edition) "The Red Knight of Germany", Floyd Gibbons, (1927 1st Edition) "The Way of the Eagle", Charles Biddle, (1919 1st Edition) "Up And At 'Em", Harold Hartney, (1940 1st Edition) "War Birds; Diary of an Unknown Aviator", Elliot White Springs, (1926 1st Edition) "Whom The Gods Love", Lewis C. Merrill, (1953 1st Edition) "Wind in the Wires", Duncan Grinnell-Milne, (1918 1st Edition) "Winged Warfare", William Bishop, (1918 1st Edition) "Winged Peace", William Bishop, (1940 1st Edition) "With the Earth Beneath", A.R. Kingsford, (1936 1st Edition) "With the Flying Squadron", Harold Rosher, (1916 1st Edition) History, Reference, and General Interest Books: "A World Undone: The Story of the Great War 1914 to 1918", G.J. Meyer, (2006 Edition) "Air Aces of the 1914-1918 War", Bruce Robertson, (1964 Edition) "Aircraft of Today", Charles Turner, (1917 1st Edition) "Aviation in Canada 1917-18", Alan Sullivan, (1919 1st Edition) "Colliers New Photographic History of the World War", (1917 Edition) "Decisive Air Battles of the First World War", Arch Whitehouse, (1963 1st Edition) "Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War", W.M. Lamberton, (1964 Edition) "Flying The Old Planes", Frank Tallman, (1973 Edition) "Fragments From France", Bruce Bairnsfather, (1917 1st Edition) (Great War cartoons by the master of the genre) "Heros of Aviation", Laurence La Tourette Driggs, (1919 1st Edition) "High in the Empty Blue", Alex Revell, (1995 1st Edition with author's signature card) "Historic Airships", Rupert Holland, (1928 1st Edition) "History and Rhymes of the Lost Battalion", L.C. McCollum, (1929 Edition) "History of the World War", Francis March, (1918 1st Edition) "History of the Great World War", Rolt-Wheeler and Drinker, (1919 1st Edition) "Land and Water" Magazine, (entire April through September 1917 series, hard bound, ex-library copy) "Ludendorff's Own Story", Erich Ludendorff, (1919 1st Edition) "National Geographic" Magazine, (entire 1918 series, hard bound, ex-library copy) "Reconnaissance & Bomber Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War", W.M. Lamberton, (1962 Edition) "Rhymes of a Red Cross Man", Robert W. Service, (1916 1st Edition) "Source Records of the Great War", (1923 1st Edition) 7-volume set "The First War Planes", William Barrett, (1960 Edition) (the one that started it all for me) "The Great Air War", Aaron Norman, (1968 Edition) "The Great War", George H. Allen, (1919 1st Edition) 5-volume set "The Great War in the Air", Edgar Middleton, (1920 1st Edition) 4-volume set "The Imperial Russian Air Service, Famous Pilots and Aircraft of World War One", Alan Durkota, (1996 1st Edition) "The Lafayette Flying Corps", by James Hall and Charles Nordhoff, (1964 Kennikat Press limited edition two-volume set) "The People's War Book and Atlas", (1920 1st Edition, signed by Lt. Col. William A. Bishop) "The United States in the Great War", Willis Abbot, (1919 1st Edition) "The U.S. Air Service in World War I", Maurer Maurer, (1978 1st Edition) 4-volume set "The War in the Air", Raleigh and Jones, (1st Edition) 9-volume set including map cases, (originally in the military library at Whitehall; my personal Jewel of the Crown) "The Western Front from the Air", Nicholas C. Watkis, (1999 1st Edition) "Time-Life Epic of Flight", 23-volume set, (not old and not strictly WWI but still a lot of good info and photos) "True Stories of the Great War", (1918 1st Edition) 6-volume set "U.S. Official Pictures of the World War", Moore and Russell, (1924 1st Edition) 4-volume set "1920 World Book Encyclopedia", (entire set with addendums, great for cross-referencing in a contemporary context) Instructional Books: "Aeroplane Construction and Operation", John Rathbun, (1918 1st Edition) "English-French War Guide for Americans in France", Eugene Maloubier, (1918 Edition) "Learning to Fly in the U.S. Army", E.N. Fales, (1917 1st Edition) "Lewis Machine Gun 'Airplane Type' Service and Operation Manual", (1918 Edition) "Manual Of Rigging Notes Technical Data", (1918, possible reprint) "Practical Flying", W.G. Minnies, (1918 1st Edition) "The Art of Reconnaissance", David Henderson, (1916 1st Edition) "Science of Pre-Flight Aeronautics", (1942 Edition) "Self-Help for the Citizen Soldier", Moss and Stewart, (1915 1st Edition) Me so happy. Lou .

. Javito, read and study UL construction and design manuals; go and take note of how others are built; fly them a bit to understand their basic feel; then get busy. Shiloh, "They Fought For The Sky" is a pretty good book on the subject. I also recommend reading the personal accounts and diaries of the Great War airmen as well, many of which you will find in the WWI book downloads I put together and posted in the forum's DL section. Lou . .

. Hard to believe it's been 93 years. I was 14 when they noted the 50-year mark of his death, and I remember that like it was last week. Time's a tricky thing. "SALUTE" to the Ace of Ace's. .

. Gordohk, thanks for the additional links you PM'd. I have corrected the tag on the previous image I posted, and I'll keep working on those other medals. .

. Alex and I traded emails about that very statement and I told him just how lucky a man I thought he was, to have had the chance to know and talk with such people as AGL. Very, very lucky indeed. .

. You're a better man than I am, Gunga Tony. Once I have a book it is nearly impossible for me to part with it. And you will not be disappointed with "Sagittarius Rising", it is excellent. One of my personal favorites. .

. Gordohk, I have sorted out at least one of the medals for you that you didn't already give me information on. Here is where we are at: The next medal over from the Medaille d'Hononeur might well be an American Legion convention or officer's medal. The one on the end in the lower row could be one of dozens of other such awards. You should contact your uncle's old American Legion post and ask them to check their records for what honours they may have presented him. His Legion record might also tell you what conventions he attended and other offices he may have held over the years, which could help you zero in those last two medals. Also, it appears he had his Germany Occupation medal flipped around showing the reverse side. Lou .

. Actually Olham, the tempered aluminum tubing I am using for the axle and the diagonal supports, (and for the trailing arms which are not yet fitted), is quite "springy" and will absorb a lot of the shock on a hard landing, as will the BMX bike wheels. Of course, I am hoping there won't be too many hard landings. .

, Hee, hee. Hasse Wind, if I put a Lewis on that kite it will have to be built out of balsa wood, (the gun that is, not the plane). Olham, a "DH-2 Razor" is precisely what it will be. .

. Many thanks Gordohk and Carrick. I've been working on my library for a good many years now. Olham, sorry to hear that UL's haven't made much of an appearance in your country. As to the kite-like planes, they may look silly but they are a blast to fly. Here is the UL project I started about four years ago, but have had on hold for quite a while, (due to raising a family, work, travel, and such). I am hoping to get back to it this summer. The proposed aeroplane when finished: Fuselage, engine, stabilizer, and undercarriage assembly, (sans wings, elevator, rudder, trailing arms, cowling, etc): Yours truly trying out the "fit": And when it finally gets finished I will be able to take off and land right behind the barn. Someday...someday. Lou .

. Olham, 'UL' is short for ultralight aircraft, which are a class of planes that you do not need a pilot's license to fly. Weighing in at 254 pounds or less, (empty), and with a top speed not to exceed 55 knots, they are a lot of fun to fly. I particularly like the pusher designs as they give you a great view, (flown a few of them over the years). Also, there are numerous WWI styles fliting about, and it would be one of those I'd like to own one day. Here is a great little E.III: Sweet! .

. Thanks Shiloh, I have indeed focused on WWI 1st editions over the years. However, I do have many many other books relating to other wars and subjects. And if I sold off my WWI library I could buy a brand new UL outright. Thanks Olham to you as well. Also, no, the books are not the reason for my lack of time in the forums. That would be work and travel keeping me away from you folks and out of the OFF skies. .

. Gordohk, could you provide more information on your great great uncle, either here or in a PM. I need to know his name, rank, service number, AO's he served in, (apart from North Russia), time in service, etc. The more information the better in order to narrow the search. Also, if you haven't read it, you should look through the following book: The History of the American Expedition Fighting the Bolsheviki Published in 1920 by three officers of the 339th Infantry, this volume gives a good overview of that little known theater. .

. Gordohk, do you know what year the photo was taken? That might help to narrow down the field a bit. .

. Ah, there you go. I will see what I can sort out for you Gordohk. And about that Navy bar, I didn't realize it was quite so different from the Army bar. I checked it after your post and can see it is not very close in apperance at all. If I run across an Army version I will be sure and let you know. .

. Oooooooooh Sandbagger, such sweet work! Well done, as always Sir. .

. You're in luck Gordohk. Here is an eBay listing for a "Russia" bar for the VM that was made as a later addition sometime in the 1930's: Russia Bar for WWI Victory Medal Very inexpensive as well. .

. A most worthy quest Gordohk, and good for you taking it on. If you need a hand trying to figure out old medals from photos I might be able to lend a hand with that. And a 'Russia' bar for the Victory Medal. Was your great great uncle involved in Operation Archangel? You will likely be buying another VM just to get the bar as it is very rare to find the bars alone. .

. Greetings All, So then, I am wondering, (after Creaghorn's Ace of Aces came to his most unfortunate end), what is your longest surviving pilot in OFF? Please note the settings you use and any other relevant information. Mine is Leutnant Paul von Blum, currently with 288.1 flying hours, 149 missions, and 23 confirmed kills. He has been serving for nine months and was out of action for five of those months due to a near-ender that severely wounded him and killed his gunner/obs. I fly with everything cranked up on the RSS settings, and use Roll of the Dice for crash outcomes, (I personally find this more realistic than the DiD setting). I use no aids when flying, and no Warp, and navigate by "paper" map. Who else has an "old timer" in the sim that they would be so kind to share the particulars of. IMHO, it will be a very long time before any of us comes close to Creaghorn's acomplishment, but I'd like to see just how far along folks are. So please, post your heros' records here. Cheers! Lou .

. Nice to see a few more folks weighing in here with their veteran OFF flyers. Well done Gents. And really, IMHO, anyone who has cracked the 50-mission and/or 100-hour mark flying with the RSS settings, as either a DiD or Roll of the Dice pilot, deserves to brag a bit. It is very tough, even with the use of the TAC screen. I say, drinks all around for you lot. My treat! .

. My pleasure Sir, always happy to help when I can. I am curious Gordohk, are you putting together a medal grouping to honour a relative who served for Mother Russia way back when? .