Another Disaster.

[Ginger.]

On May 8th 1918 Taffy Jones was leading C Flight 74 Squadron over Wipers.3,000 feet above B Flight led by Young were being stalked by a bunch of Triplanes.Taffy's men fired off flares to warn their mates of the danger,to no avail.The Huns bounced B Flight shooting two down in flames,another crashed in the trenches.A fourth,badly shot up,limped over the lines and landed.Young was the only one to get home and his SE was riddled.Does anyone know who was flying the Tripes?
Answers quickly before the Gremlins strike again!!!

It was Fritz Loerzer and the boys from Jasta 26

Holck

[Ginger.]

Thanks Count.What colour would I paint Jasta 26 Tripes?

[Rick]

Black and white.

[Ginger.]

Thanks Rick.I found a colour picture in Squadron Signal,the models are only for wargaming so it's accurate enough.

[Ginger.]

Sorry to harp on chaps.I just looked up Fritz on the Aces section.Am I right in thinking he got one of 74s SEs,and did him and his brother serve in Jasta 26 at the same time?

[Graeme]

Ginger

74's losses on 8 May were:

Lt R E Bright in B8373, 8:35 east of Zillebeke (a toss up between Vfw Erich Buder, Jasta 26 and Ltn Helmut Lange together with Fritz Loerzer also Jasta 26)

and

Lt P J Stuart-Smith in C1078 - probably Fritz Classen of Jasta 26.

Big brother, Bruno Loerzer, took command of Jasta 26 in January 1917 and scored 21 victories before taking command of JG III in February 1918. His place as CO of Jasta 26 was taken by younger brother Fritz. Fritz was shot down on 12 June when he tangled with a patrol from 2AFC.

Graeme

Fritz was shot down and captured while flying a D.VII by Capt. Roy Phillips in SE.5a D6860. Loerzer was Phillips 4th victory on that patrol! (2 Dr.Is destroyed and an LVG C and Loerzer captured)

I think you can take at least 2-4 off the list of German aircraft (250 odd I recall) that are left to claim by the RFC/RAF/AFC from the previous thread. ; )