We were just on the point of engaging six Albatros Scouts
(un "Scout" est un chasseur monoplace dans les termes de l'époque) away to our right when we saw ahead of us, just above Poelcappelle, an S.E. half spinning down closely pursued by a silvery blue German triplane at very close range. The S.E. certainly looked very hunappy, so we changed our minds about attacking the six V-strutters, and went to the rescue of the unfortunate S.E.
The Hun Triplane was practically underneath our formation now, and so down we dived at a colossal speed.
(Boom & Zoom). I went to the right, Rhys-David to the left, and we got behind the triplane together. The German pilot saw us, and turned in a most disconcertingly quick manner, not a climbin not Immelmann turn, but a sort of flat half spin
Avec les palonniers braqués à font il est dit que le Dr I pouvait effectivement tourner comme celà. En défiant les lois de la physique. By now, the German triplane was in the middle of our formation, and its handling was wonderful to behold. The pilot seemed to be firing at all of us simultaneously, and although I got behind him a second time, I could hardly stay here a second
Il faut garder à l'esprit que l'auteur est un des meilleurs pilote du RFC et vole avec 6 de ses équipes qui sont les meilleurs pilotes du RFC de l'époque, ou presque. His movements were so quick and uncertain that none of us could hold him in sight at all for any decisive time.
I now got a good opportunity as he was coming towards me nose on, slightly underneath, and had apparently not seen me. I dropped my noose, got him well in my sight, and pressed both trigers
Un Se5a a une mitrailleuse synchronisée et une mitrailleuse sur l'aile supérieure. As soon as I fired up came his nose at me, and I heard clack clack clak clack, as his bullets passed close to me and though my wings. I distinctly noticed the red-yellow flashes from his parallel Spandau guns. As he flashed by me I caught a glimpse of a black head in the triplane with no hats on at all.
By this time, a red-nosed Albatros Scout had arrived, and was apparently doing its best to guard the triplane's tail, and ti was well handled too (
Carl Menckhoff, 25 victoires. The formation of six Albatros Scouts which we ware going to attack at first stayed above us, and were prevented from diving on us by the arrival of a formation of Spades, whose leader apparently appreciated our position and kept the six Albatroses otherwise engaged
Il faut garder à l'esprit qu'avec des vitesses très faible et la nécéssité de conserver son énergie, on n'engage pas n'importe comment sans se faire coiffer. Il faut imaginer que la formation d'Albatros, en piquant, se retrouverait à la merci de la formation de Spads car elle aurait perdu son altitude et sa vitesse en engageant le Squadron 56.
The triplane was still circling round in the midst of sixe SE's who were all firing at it as opportunity offered, and at one time I noted the triplane in the apex of a cone of tracer bullets from at least five machines simultaneously, and each machine had two guns. By now, the fighting was very low and the red-nosed Albatross had gone down and out, but the triplane still remained. I had temporarily lost sight of the triplane whilst changing a drum of my Lewis gun
La mitrailleuse supérieure du SE5a était une mitrailleuse à tambour qu'il fallait recharger à la main en l'abaissant and when I saw him he was very low, still being engaged by an SE marked I, the pilot being Rhys-Davids. I noticed that the triplane's movements were very erratic, and then I saw him go into a fairly steep dive, and so I continued to watch, and then saw the triplane hit the ground and disappear into a thousand fragments, for it seemed to me that it literally went to poweder.
Strange to say, i was the only pilot who witnessed the triplane crash, for even Rhys-Davids who finally shot it down did not see his end.
It was now quite late, so we flew home to the aerodrome, and as long as I live I shall never forget my admiration for that German pilot who single handedly fought sven of us for ten minutes and also put some bullets through all of our machines. His Flying was wonderful, his courage magnificent, and in my opinion he is the bravest German airman whom it has been my privilege to see fight.