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[Page 404]

3.

down vertically at first leaving a trail of smoke & then turned over & when last seen was disappearing into a cloud right upside down with a lot of black smoke coming out of him. I immediately turned my attention to another and got well on his tail firing a long burst till he too fell completely out of control through the clouds. The other eight had had quite enough especially as the rest of my flight were now getting near me, and they all scattered off East, so I collected my lads & came home. The two I shot down were a new type of scout I havn't met before & I fancy they are the new Fokker biplane. It was rotten luck that the clouds below prevented our seeing them actually crash because they were the deadest huns ever I've seen but as I did'nt actually see them crash to the ground I can't claim them except as "out of control". So now Claye & I have got a total of 5 destroyed and 6 out of control, which is so far the highest in the squadron. Poor old Claye has'nt had much chance so far as nearly all of them I've got with my front gun, but after all his gun is the defensive weapon and so long as we keep the offensive we are in far less danger! This life is really agreeing with me and I am as fit and cheery as I could be.

The other day the greatest of all Hun airman was killed on our side of the lines not far from Heilly. He was, to give him his full title, Rittmeister Freiherr Manfred von Richtofen. The Huns claim

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