Flying Corps Gold Manual Win EN

ocs.
com
http://www.replacementd
288 fcg manual contents ENG 4/11/97 3:18 am Page 1
FLYING CORPS GOLD CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE - GAME OVERVIEW CHAPTER THREE - TACTICS
1.0 Introduction 3 Tactics 25
1.1 The Mission Editor 3 Mannock’s Rules 26
1.2 The Game 3 Formations 26
1.3 Scramble 4 The Approach. 27
1.4 Preferences 5 Attack 28
1.5 Multiplayer 8 The Dogfight 29
1.6 The Campaigns 11 Offensive Manoeuvres 30
1.7 The Aircraft Cockpit 17 Defensive Manoeuvres 31
CHAPTER TWO - FLYING Attacking Two- seaters 32
2.1 The Aircraft 19 Shooting 33
2.2 First Flight 20 Attacking Balloons 35
2.3 Combat Manoeuvers Training 21 Ground Attack 35
2.4 Advanced Combat Manoeuvers 23 Archie 36
The Half roll 23 CHAPTER FOUR - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES
Loop 23 Flying Circus 37
Immelmann Turn 24 German Markings 42
Dive and zoom 24 Jasta 11 42
1
288 fcg manual contents ENG 4/11/97 3:18 am Page 2
FLYING CORPS GOLD CONTENTS

Tank Battle-Cambrai 1917 43 Fokker Triplane 61
The Jastas 45 Albatros DIII 62
Jagdgeschwader 1 45 Sopwith Camel 63
German Fighter Aircraft at the SE5a 64
Front Nov 1917 46 Fokker DVIII 65
British Units 46 5.2 Other Aircraft 61
Cambrai in the Game 46 Nieuport 17 & Sopwith Pup 66
Spring Offensive 47 1 & 1/2 Strutter & Bristol F2a 67
54 Squadron 51 BE2c & RE8 68
German Fighter Aircraft at the FE2b & DH9 69
Front Feb 1918 52
Pfalz DIII & Aviatik 70
Hat in the Ring 53
Rumpler & Halberstadt CLII 71
Rickenbacker and the
‘Hat in the Ring’ Squadron 57
BIBLIOGRAPHY 72
The Jastas 58
CREDITS 74
CHAPTER FIVE - THE AIRCRAFT IN APPENDIX 75

FLYING CORPS GOLD QUICK START 78
5.1 Flyable Aircraft 59
Nieuport 28 59
Spad XIII 60
2
288 fcg manual chapter 1 ENG 4/11/97 2:54 am Page 1
CHAPTER 1 - GAME OVERVIEW

CHAPTER ONE GAME OVERVIEW the game. For full instructions on how to use the
Mission Editor, refer to the on-line manual which is
1.0 INTRODUCTION
activated in the Help menu within the Mission Editor.
Flying Corps Gold is a simulation of World War 1
aerial combat over France. You can choose to take
part in single “scramble” missions or to immerse 1.2 THE GAME
yourself in one of four major campaigns. Extensive To install and load Flying Corps Gold refer to the
configurable options allow you to customise Flying installation and loading instructions in the separate
Corps Gold to give you the style and type of game TECHNICAL SUPPLEMENT. The game begins
you require. The aircraft in Flying Corps Gold have with an animated title sequence. Should you not wish
been exhaustively researched and are characterised to view this, press the space bar to leave the title
by flight models which incorporate individual sequence and progress to the options screen.
characteristics and idiosyncrasies. The game’s
artificial intelligence is geared towards First World
War tactics, and each computer-controlled pilot is
treated as a separate individual with differing
priorities and abilities. The dogfights in Flying Corps
Gold take place over some of the most detailed
terrain seen in a flight simulation, using data taken
from period trench maps and actual wartime aerial
photography. Flying Corps Gold will take you closer
to the front than you’ve ever been before.
This manual is organised into five main chapters and
an appendix. This chapter deals with the overall
layout of Flying Corps Gold, and all of the options
within the game. Chapter Two provides the The Options Screen
information to enable you to fly the actual aircraft The options available at the start of the game are
available in Flying Corps Gold. Chapter Three covers displayed on the options screen:
the wide range of tactics you will need to employ as a
First World War pilot. Chapter Four details all of the
aircraft to be found in the skies while playing Flying Preferences
Corps Gold. Chapter Five is a detailed historical Preferences allows you to set up all of the detailed
account of the major air campaigns which are game characteristics ranging from your joystick and
featured in the game. This is followed by a detailed sound settings to precise characteristics of the aircraft
bibliography and game credits. The appendix lists the you will be flying. This feature is also available
keyboard and joystick controls for the game. in-flight.
Scramble
1.1 THE MISSION EDITOR The Scramble option gives you the choice of a
The Flying Corps Gold Mission Editor is installed number of single missions ranging from a simple ‘first
during the installation procedure. Although the flight’ to more complex stalking manoeuvres. This is
Mission Editor is a Windows 95™ only application, the ideal entry into the game, and it will teach you
missions and Campaigns can be saved for future play how to survive more complex missions.
with both the Windows 95™ and the DOS version of
3

Campaign
Campaign is the option which leads you to one of four
major campaigns, which will provide the most severe
test of your strategic skill and mettle. This is the heart
of Flying Corps Gold.
Load Game
Load game allows you to retrieve a previously saved
game, which may be stored on your hard disc.
Quit
Quit will end your session of Flying Corps Gold, after
you have verified that you wish to exit, and return you
to DOS or Windows.
1.3 SCRAMBLE
Multiplayer If you wish to get straight into the action select
Multi player allows you to play Flying Corps Gold Scramble. Here you will find and fly small individual
with someone else, but is an option only available to missions.
players who are running Flying Corps Gold under
First of all, you are presented with a list of the flyable
Windows 95. See section 1.5.
aircraft in Flying Corps Gold. Each aircraft has its
Credits own unique set of characteristics, and are described
Credits takes you to the game credit screen. more fully in Chapter Five of this manual. Select the
aircraft you wish to fly using the mouse or keyboard.
Selections can be made by highlighting an option with
The screen then displays the full choice of available
the mouse pointer and clicking with the left mouse
scramble missions.
button, or moving the highlight with the up or down
cursor key and pressing the Enter key. All selections First Flight
in Flying Corps Gold can be made using either mouse This is the simplest scramble mission. The aim is to
or keyboard. take off from your airfield, climb to 2000 feet and fly
The preferences, scramble and campaign options are a complete circuit around the airfield. Land and come
now discussed in more detail. In order to allow you to a halt in the centre of the field. Chapter Two has a
to make a quick start the next section, part three, section which deals with how you should approach
deals with the scramble option. The full range of this first flight.
available preferences are detailed in part four, and Follow Leader
details of the campaign elements of the game are
Starting in the air, follow your leader as he performs
supplied in part five. Part six provides a schematic
a series of manoeuvres designed to throw you off his
description of the aircraft cockpit.
tail. You need to stay with him for about 3 minutes.
Turkey Shoot
Dive on to the tail of a novice pilot who is flying a
straight and regular course. He presents a perfect
target but he might turn if he spots you.
4

One on One Joystick icon: Joystick setup
Your opponent will pass on your right, heading in the This allows you to configure Flying Corps Gold to suit
opposite direction. The aim is to get on his tail as your analogue control system.
rapidly as possible. The coolie hat and throttle controls are provided on a
Ground Attack number of advanced joysticks and the following
Fly low and disable tanks on the ground with your options apply to the CH and Thrustmaster products.
bombs. A truck convoy and an observation balloon If you are using a stick that is plugged into a separate Joystick
present further ground targets. programmable throttle then the coolie hat should be
Squadron Encounter programmed using the software provided by the
throttle adaptor manufacturer. In these circumstances
Lead your squadron of three flights against a large the Flying Corps Gold Coolie Hat option should be
enemy formation that is rushing towards you. disabled.
Aircraft
Stalking Prey If you are using a stick fitted with a coolie hat and if on grid
Your flight is above and to the rear of an enemy flight the stick is plugged directly into the games port, then
that is unaware of your presence. Stalk your prey and you should enable the Flying Corps Gold Coolie Hat
draw close enough to make a surprise attack. option.
First Patrol After you have chosen your desired setup the in-built
Lead two flights of three aircraft on a patrol of the calibration system will start. Follow on-screen Torque
front lines. You must be able to identify and respond instructions to set up the control system. Effects
to possible threats. Aircraft on grid icon: Aircraft setup
Quit This sets the flight preferences and therefore allows
Takes control back to the main options screen. you to adjust the realism and difficulty levels of the
flight model. Flight Preference Options are:
Torque effects
Wind
When enabled, the rotating propeller will affect the
flight model.
Wind
When enabled, wind will affect all aircraft.
Gyroscopic effects Gyroscopic
When enabled, this will allow the gyroscopic effects of effects
rotary engined aircraft to affect the flight model. In all
of the rotary engined aircraft featured, the gyroscopic
effect is clockwise from the pilots seat perspective.
See Chapter Two, which describes the gyroscopic
1.4 PREFERENCES effects in more detail. Slipstream
You may alter your game preferences on the main Slipstream effects effects
options screen, or while you are flying - in which case
When enabled, the slipstream from the propellor will
you must press the F12 key. The preferences screen
affect the airflow over the aircraft’s lifting surfaces.
displays a number of icons which you can select:
5

Co-ordinated rudder If the trigger is set to tactical, then real time is reset
When enabled, the rudder will be controlled in much earlier in the encounter. This will give you time
harmony with the stick, making flight easier. Disable to engage the enemy at a tactical level and allow you
if you have rudder pedals or you want a more realistic to gain height or manoeuvre, so that you may be able
response. to achieve tactical dominance. Enemy aircraft will be
Co-ordinated Spinning more cautious and act more realistically. For instance,
rudder Spinning they may turn tail and run! Use this setting for
Disabling the option will reduce the chance of your additional realism.
aircraft spinning if mishandled. Padlock
Power boost Padlock refers to the locking of head movements
When enabled, the engine of your aircraft will be from within the cockpit, or locking the viewing angle
more responsive and powerful, making flight easier. if you are using an outside view. Two types of padlock
Power boost Ground
Ground collisions are supported:
collisions
When enabled, collision with the ground will damage Only when visible: The enemy aircraft must be in view
or destroy your aircraft. before the padlock can be initiated. This is the more
realistic option.
Two aircraft icon: Difficulty options
In visible range: You will be able to initiate a lock
The following options set the level of game difficulty when an enemy is within visible range. It is not
Two aircraft Limited Arms when playing Flying Corps Gold. necessary to have the enemy in view to initiate the
Limited Arms lock.
When enabled you will be able to carry Bomb Weight
approximately 500 rounds. Otherwise your When enabled bomb weight and drag affects the
ammunition is unlimited. performance of the aircraft.
Vulnerability Spinning Vulnerability Blackouts
Compass When enabled you will be vulnerable to enemy fire. When enabled the pilot will temporarily blackout
Spinning Compass after pulling a high ‘g’ turn.
When enabled, the flight compass will behave more Whiteouts
accurately when the aircraft is turned violently - the When enabled there will be a whiteout when you look
compass will spin, and will only return to equilibrium into the sun.
Decelerate Padlock in level flight.
Trigger Auto Pilot skill
Decelerate Trigger
This refers to the AI settings of your computer
This setting is relevant after using the time opponents and therefore affects the skill level of
acceleration TAB key during the game. opposing pilots. Possible setting are novice, regular,
When the trigger is set to combat, your aircraft will ace. In the game, each enemy pilot can have a
drop back into real time when you are directly different skill level. By selecting novice, you will force
Bomb Weight Blackouts threatened and enemy aircraft can fire at you. Enemy the range of skills encountered to be low.
aircraft will also be more aggressive and will not try to Alternatively, selecting ace will mean that the range
escape. Use this setting when you want fast and of skills you encounter will be relatively high.
furious action.
6

Target size Cake Icon: Extra Switches
Altering this setting affects the accuracy of your guns. These are additional switches that allow you to
Possible settings are small, regular and large. The customise the game difficulty, game play and aircraft
smaller the target size the more realistic the setting. behaviour.
Treble clef icon: Audio Volumes Gun Jams Enabled/Disabled
These options enable you to customise your audio Translucent Smoke Enabled/Disabled
output: Blackout when Injured Enabled/Disabled
Whiteouts Auto pilot
SFX Mid Air Collisions Enabled/Disabled skill
Allows you to adjust the volume of in-game sounds
such as gun noise and explosions. Peripheral Vision Markers Enabled/Disabled
When this option is enabled a number of markers will
Engine be drawn in the 3D to indicate the position of any
Allows you to alter the level of engine noise. The aircraft that lie just outside the field of view ( just off
engine level is also affected by the SFX level. screen). In addition, when the option is enabled and
Film you are on an inside padlock view a wireframe Target size Treble clef
aircraft is drawn overhead. This wireframe gives
This controls the sound channel for the animation
orientation information that is supplied by the “seat
sequences.
of the pants” in real life.
Musical note
This controls the volume of music in the game. Priority Messages Enabled/Disabled
If disabled messages within the 3D will not appear.
Rectangular icon: Graphics Options SFX Engine
Adjusting the graphics parameters alters the way Healed Pilots to Reserve Pool Enabled/Disabled
your hardware will perform during the course of a
game. AI Pilots Sometimes/Always use Complex Model
The most significant performance factor is resolution. If AI pilots always use the complex model, both
Only attempt to run Flying Corps Gold at the highest player and computer controlled aircraft will conform
resolutions if you have fast and up-to-date hardware. to the same aerodynamic constraints. Film Musical note
Experiment with the settings that provide the best
compromise between frame rate and detail level. Stick Stiffness Enabled/Disabled
In Flying Corps Gold it is possible to set the
preferences and difficulty options in a great variety of Pause on entering 3D Enabled/Disabled
different ways. Player are encouraged to experiment When enabled press P to unpause the 3D.
with the settings to produce a customised version of Rectangular Cake
Flying Corps Gold which best suits their style of play. Auto Inside/Outside Padlock Toggle icon icon
When this option is enabled and you are on an inside
padlock view, the camera will automatically switch
between the inside and outside padlock views. The
switch to outside occurs when the tracked aircraft
gets behind you. The switch to inside occurs when the
tracked aircraft is in front of you.
7

1.5 MULTIPLAYER
PREFERENCES AND DIFFICULTY SUMMARY
This option allows players to host or join a
The Beginner Ultimate realism multiplayer game. Multiplayer only works using the
Windows 95 version of Flying Corps Gold.
Torque effects disabled Torque effects enabled
Selecting a service
Wind disabled Wind enabled
Firstly, select a service provider. A box will appear
Gyroscope effects disabled Gyroscope effects enabled containing a list of services that your machine
Slipstream effects disabled Slipstream effects enabled supports. Select the one you wish to use by clicking on
it and then click on the 'select service' option to
Co-ordinated rudder enabled Co-ordinated rudder disabled
confirm. See below for details of starting Wireplay
Spinning minimised Spinning enabled games. The various services supported are:
Power Boost enabled Power Boost disabled •IPX Connection (Network play) - Max players 8
•Internet TCP/IP Connection - Max players 8
Ground collisions disabled Ground collisions enabled •Modem Connection - Max players 2
Limited arms disabled Limited Arms enabled •Serial Connection (Null Modem) - Max players 2
Once a valid service has been selected you will be
Vulnerability disabled Vulnerability enabled
asked if you wish to create (host) or join a game.
Spinning compass disabled Spinning compass enabled Creating a game
Decelerate Trigger Combat Decelerate Trigger Tactical • IPX Connection & Internet Connection
Initiate Padlock if target is Initiate Padlock only Click on the create game option. You will then be
within visible range when target visible asked to enter your name. Type in your name and
Bomb weight & drag disabled Bomb weight & drag enabled click on the tick icon. From here you will go to the
pre-game preferences screen.
Blackouts disabled Blackouts enabled
• Modem Connection
Whiteouts disabled Whiteouts enabled
Click on create game option and enter name as above
Autopilot skill : Novice Autopilot skill : Ace for IPX and Internet. A Windows 95 dialogue box will
then appear allowing you to configure your modem if
Target size: Large Target size: Small
required and to wait for the other player to join.
Gun Jams: disabled Gun Jams: enabled When you have selected your modem setup click on
Tail Heaviness: disabled Tail Heaviness: enabled
the answer box. When the other player has dialled
you, you will be taken to the pre-game preferences
Mid air Collisions: disabled Mid air Collisions: enabled screen. When selecting the speed of your modem,
AI pilots sometimes AI pilots always
select the speed equal to or one higher than your
use complex model use complex model modem’s fastest speed.
• Serial Connection
Stick Stiffness: disabled Stick Stiffness: enabled
Click on create game option and enter name as
Auto inside/outside Auto inside/outside above. A Windows 95 dialogue box will then appear
padlock: enabled padlock: disabled
requesting your serial connection settings. Use the
highest baud rate with which you can create a session:
115200 baud or higher is a good rate, 57600 is
acceptable. Click on OK to confirm your selections
and you will be taken to the pre-game preferences
8 screen.

Joining a game • Wireplay Games
• IPX Connection To play using Wireplay you must first connect to a
Click on the Join Game option. A list of network Wireplay server using a Wireplay client. Details of
games available will appear. Select the one you wish how to do this will be available from the Wireplay
to join by clicking on it and click on Join Game again client. Once a Wireplay game has begun you will be
to confirm your choice. You will then be asked to taken to the pre-game preferences screen. Wireplay
enter your name and be taken to the pre-game Flying Corps Gold supports a maximum of 8 players.
preferences screen.
• Internet Connection The Pre-Game Preferences Screen
Click on the Join Game option. A Windows 95 This screen is used to select all the preferences and
dialogue box will appear asking you for the name, or options that will be used during the game. It also
IP address of the computer that is hosting the game. shows the status of other players and their
Enter the address (if known) and click on OK. If you accumulated score from previous games. You may
do not know the name of the host, leave the text box communicate with other players at this stage by
blank and click on OK. After a short period a list of moving the mouse pointer over the dialogue section
games available will appear. Click on the one you and typing in a message. Pressing return will send this
wish to join and then click on Join Game again to message to other players.
confirm. You will then be asked to enter your name
and be taken to the pre-game preferences screen.
• Modem Connection
Click on the Join Game option. A Windows 95
dialogue box will appear asking for the number of the
host of the game. You may also configure your
modem at this stage (see creating a game using
modem). Enter the phone number of the host and
click on OK. Your computer will then attempt to
connect with host. Once connected a list of available
games will be shown. Select the one you wish to join
and click on Join Game again to select. You will then
be asked to enter your name and be taken to the pre-
game preferences screen. Selecting the game duration
• Serial Connection Only the host may change the game time. This is done
Click on the Join Game option. A Windows 95 dialog by clicking on the clock icon. The available durations
box will appear requesting your serial connection are 5 mins, 10 mins, 30 mins and 1 hour.
settings (see creating a serial game above). Once you Selecting the game scenario
have selected your settings click on OK to confirm. A Only the host may change the game scenario. This is
list of available games will appear. Select the one you done by clicking on the map icon. There are two main
wish to join by clicking on it and then confirm your types of game: Deathmatch and Teamplay. Each has
selection by clicking on Join Game again. You will three different starting types:
then be asked to enter your name and be taken to the
pre-game preferences screen.
9

Random: All players start off facing in a random General Notes
direction and with different heights It is best for the host to have the fastest machine
Implode: Players start off in a circle facing inwards available due to overheads managing the game.
towards each other. In non-wireplay games when the host leaves the
Explode: Players start off in a circle facing outwards. game, that game ends and all players will be taken
In deathmatch play all players fight against back to the pre-game preferences screen. If the host
everybody else. In teamplay, teams are determined by exits from the preferences screen all players will be
aircraft type, german vs allied. Each team is taken back to the main game menu.
represented by a different colour on the preferences Changing game type from deathmatch to teamplay
screen. will wipe the scores as these are no longer
appropriate.
Selecting your aircraft and colour scheme In teamplay F/Fire stands for friendly fire. You will
All players may change their aircraft type and colour not be credited with a kill for killing your own team
schemes. This is done by clicking on the paint can members.
icon. In some cases a service provider may be listed but is
not usable for a game. This is because parameters
Selecting game preferences related to that service are not set up correctly. For
example, to use Internet TCP/IP your computer will
To make the game fair, all options that affect aircraft
require a valid IP address setting.
handling and game difficulty are controlled by the
host. Other options may be altered by any player. If you have been shot up or are out of ammo, landing
will regenerate your aircraft to full health/ammo and
put you into a resurrect spiral.
Starting the game
When the host is in the paint-shop or preferences
Once everybody is ready the host may start the game
screens other players will be unable to join. The host
by clicking on the large Flying Corps icon in the top
must be at the pre-game preferences screen for other
right of the screen.
players to be allowed to join.
Leaving the game

To leave the preferences screen click on the cancel
icon.
Multiplayer in-game keys

S: Resurrect. When you have been dead for 5 seconds,
you may press S in order to resurrect yourself. An
explosion will occur to notify other players that you
have done so.
Q: When you have been killed you will spiral upwards
in a regeneration phase. Once the view has gone in-
cockpit, pressing Q will give you back control. The
spiral will continue up to 10000 feet, or 2000 feet
above the highest other aircraft, whichever is the
10 lowest.

How to get the most from your an enemy aircraft is spotted attempt to stalk it so that
Preferences settings a surprise attack can be launched. Only use the
Padlock View once the enemy has been spotted.
On entering 3D flight you will be inside the cockpit. When you have initiated combat you should
Press TAB and the aircraft will fly in accelerated time endeavour to maintain the element of surprise as
along the patrol route. When the enemy are very close fighting from the cockpit requires considerable skill.
the aircraft will drop out of accelerated time. Toggle
the i key to get the full help text across the top of the Joystick users should note that joysticks with four or
more buttons can emulate some of the important
screen. Switch to outside view (F6) and padlock to the
view functions, and that a coolie hat can be used for
nearest unfriendly aircraft (F1). The nearest enemy
rotating the view.
aircraft will be moved to the centre of the screen.
Maneuver your aircraft so that it is pointing at the
enemy (i.e. away from you). Switch to the inside
cockpit (F7) view. Note that switching between
outside and inside view does not alter the padlock
status, so you are now on an inside padlock view. If
you cannot keep the enemy in sight then switch back
to the outside view. Keep flying until you are on the
enemy’s tail and can shoot him down. If you are still
having difficulty then change some of the Preference
options: for instance set Target Size to ‘large’ and
Auto Pilot Skill to ‘novice’.
For a more realistic game, consider enabling all of the 1.6 THE CAMPAIGNS
Preference options except Power Boost and Co-
ordinated rudder. Set the Decelerate Trigger to There are four campaigns in Flying Corps Gold.
‘tactical range’. This will result in accelerated time FLYING CIRCUS
being turned off just before enemy aircraft are visible. In this campaign you play the part of Lothar von
This will make it possible to stalk the enemy and Richthofen. On May 1st, 1917, Manfred, your
maneuver into a position of advantage before illustrious older brother goes on leave having scored
launching an attack. Set the Initiate Padlock View to 52 victories, goes on leave, and places you in
‘only when target visible’. The computer will now only command of the celebrated Jasta 11.
padlock onto a target that has already appeared on
You already have 16 victories to your credit but your
the screen. This is quite realistic as experienced pilots
objective is to exceed Manfred’s score before he
tend to stay aware of previously spotted aircraft and
returns in June. To accomplish this you will not only
keep them in view.
have to shoot down enemy aircraft but also lead the
For the most realistic play, read your mission brief squadron successfully, ensuring that morale remains
and go to the map screen. Plot the waypoints onto the high and that crack pilots apply to come and fly with
paper maps provided. When flying do not use you. You will be presented with a variety of typical
accelerated time, but navigate your aircraft along the fighter missions and must be wary of the ‘anti
patrol route using your map, looking out for Richthofen’ unit, the crack 56 British Squadron,
important landmarks to ensure that you are still on which has just arrived at the front.
course. Stay in the cockpit, using the number pad keys
This is a good campaign for learning the basics of
to look around. Constantly search the sky and when
squadron management and for perfecting your
11

dogfighting skills. Your aircraft is the Albatros DIII, win the war before the Americans reached France in
which is superior to most of the enemy machines that strength. You will need to prove yourself quickly, and
you will encounter. You are allowed to take an your objective is to help to halt the German advance
unhistorical option and use a Fokker Triplane instead and qualify for command of your own squadron.
of the Albatros if you wish. Initially you will take part in training missions before
THE BATTLE OF CAMBRAI flying over the front to undertake balloon busting and
In this campaign you take on the role of a German pilot other strike missions. When the German offensive
based at the forward airfield of Flesquieres. The British starts, you fly a variety of close air support missions.
have just launched a surprise attack, spearheaded by a The aim of the campaign is to weaken the German
large number of tanks. These are already approaching forces so that, when they launch their last effort to
your airfield when the campaign starts. take Amiens, they cannot break the British defences.
During this last effort you will be involved in the first
Your first objective is to escape in your Fokker Triplane
ever tank versus tank battle.
and delay the British advance while your ground crew
retreat to the rear base at Proville. To win the campaign This campaign features a wide variety of missions.
you must halt the enemy tanks and stop the British Your first mission is in the SE5a; thereafter you will
reaching Cambrai. fly the Sopwith Camel. Once you become squadron
leader you can choose which of these aircraft to fly.
Tanks can be destroyed by bombing or by shells fired by
field guns. You must therefore attack the British forces HAT IN THE RING
as they advance whilst protecting your own ground In this campaign you play the part of Eddie
troops from enemy aircraft and artillery. Rickenbacker. Your objective is to equal or exceed
This is a good campaign for planning missions on the his achievement of scoring 26 victories and becoming
map, attacking ground targets and prioritising efforts leader of the 94th ‘Hat in the Ring’ Squadron.
against the greatest threat. For instance, if there are Rickenbacker finished the war as America’s ‘Ace of
tanks approaching Cambrai, they must be dealt with as a Aces’ and won the Congressional Medal of Honor.
matter of urgency. If German field guns are being lost, In this campaign, the German Army is being driven
it may be necessary to fly in their support against back by Allied attacks but the German Air Service is
British aircraft or artillery. Attacks against British still a formidable foe - especially since the crack
supplies will slow the ground advances and raids against fighter units have been grouped into
British airfields can be initiated in order to reduce the Jagdgeschwaders and issued with the Fokker DVII,
enemy air threat. possibly the best all round fighter of the war.
History has been slightly altered in the presentation of This campaign features the Nieuport 28 and the Spad
this campaign to allow us to place more emphasis on air XIII as the flyable aircraft.
operations. The weather is better than it was - in the GETTING STARTED IN A CAMPAIGN
actual battle it was foggy - and your Jasta is equipped
with the Triplane. Historically this aircraft was grounded To start a campaign choose Campaign from the
at the time after a series of fatal crashes. options screen. Click on the large arrows to cycle
through the four campaigns available. Once you have
SPRING OFFENSIVE chosen the campaign you wish to play, confirm your
In this campaign you are a new British pilot who choice by selecting the Medal icon.
arrives at 54 Squadron in February 1918, just prior to
the massive ground offensive which the Germans
launched in March. The Germans were attempting to
12

rest of your campaign by letting you select missions,
alter your squadron formations, read news events and
examine mission maps. On the top right of the screen
there are a number of selectable icons:
Medal Gunsight
Select this icon to fly the currently selected mission.
You will start the mission in the cockpit of your
aircraft. At the end of the mission you will be given a
summary of what occurred.
1st
Mission Selection
The method of selecting a mission is different in each
The Introductory Campaign Screen of the campaigns.
This screen presents you with a basic overview of the In the Flying Corps Gold campaign, the Left/Right
campaign on a clipboard. On the right hand side of arrows can be used to cycle through the three areas to Pencil/Paper
the screen there are a number of icons which can be patrol: Arras, Cambrai and Douai. Douai patrols are Enlist
selected: behind friendly lines and are therefore the easiest.
The Cambrai area will be the most difficult because it
Gunsight is patrolled by the 56 squadron.
Select this to review the campaign objectives. In Hat in the Ring campaign you will have no choice
1st initially in selecting missions. Once promoted you will
Displays the briefing for the first mission. be able to choose which type of mission you wish to Medal
fly - balloon busting, escort, patrol or roving.
Pencil/Paper Enlist
In the Spring Offensive campaign your missions are
Allows you to enlist for this campaign. determined for you.
Medal The Cambrai campaign requires you to plan your
Arrow &
Select this to start the campaign. mission by positioning waypoints on the map.
Cross
Arrow & Cross Shield
Return to the previous screen. Selecting the shield brings up the squadron
Selecting the medal will start an animated sequence. information screen and preferences screen. Squadron
When this finishes you will find yourself in the information is where you plan the details of your
cockpit flying the first mission of the campaign. The mission. This allows you to ensure that the squadron
is using a suitable formation for the mission, that the Shield
animated sequence can be terminated at any time by
pressing the space bar. At the end of a campaign correct pilots are assigned and that they have been
mission you will be given a report on what occurred. issued with necessary orders. You can also access the
Select the TICK to continue the campaign. This will Paintshop, where you can assign markings and
lead you to the main campaign screen. insignia to the aircraft under your command.
The Main Campaign Screen News News
This screen allows you to decide how to conduct the Selecting this icon brings up news about events
13

occurring in your area. This can give useful assign aircraft and pilots for today’s mission, set the
information on local enemy activity. formation to be used and issue the pilots with their
Map instructions.
Select the map icon to see a map of your local area. Disk
Map Disk Use this to obtain information about your patrol Select this icon to save the game.
route, ground targets and balloon activity. In the Arrow
Cambrai campaign you will need to use the map to
plan your missions. Returns control to the main campaign screen
Selecting the shield icon leads to the squadron
Disk
information screen:
Selecting the disk allows you to save the game to a
specified drive or directory. The squadron information screen
Arrow/cross Medal
There are a number of selectable icons in the top right
Arrow/cross
of the screen:
Quit the current campaign
Right/Left Arrows
Selecting either the shield icon or the map icon takes
Select the arrows to view the possible squadron
you to further screens which allow you to configure
formations for your next mission. The formations are
the setup of your squadron or plan the campaign
Computer Joystick shown as flights on the main part of the screen, with
using a mission map. These further screens are now
each flight of the squadron in a separate box. Select
discussed in more detail.
the shield icon if you want to change the number of
The squadron screen aircraft or pilots in the flights. You can change the
This screen is accessed by selecting the shield icon on formation by clicking on the right/left arrows on the
the main campaign screen. There are a group of top right of each flight formation box.
selectable icons in the top right corner of the Shield
Paintpot Shield squadron screen:
Select the shield if you wish to transfer to the flight
Medal assignment screen, which allows you to select pilots
Selecting this icon takes you directly into flying a for today’s mission and to issue new pilot orders.
mission. Arrow with Cross
Computer Select this icon to return to the previous menu
Arrow Select to adjust difficulty settings and to configure without accepting any squadron changes.
sound and control devices. Arrow
Joystick Select this icon to confirm any squadron changes you
Select to configure the controls on your joystick. may have made, and go to back to the previous menu.
Paint Pot The orders for each flight are displayed in a grid at
Selecting this icon takes you to the Paintshop, where the bottom of the screen. Any order can be changed
you are able to assign individual colours and by selecting it. A clipboard will appear and new
markings to your squadron’s aircraft. orders can be chosen.
Shield
This icon transfers you to the squadron information
screen, and allows you to configure squadron
14 formations and select personnel. You will be able to

by another pilot then they will swap positions.
Flight select
Select or deselect an entire flight (or staffel) by
selecting the tick/cross in the left hand corner of the
flight’s box. This will determine whether or not the Shield Staffel /flight
flight will take part in the next mission. arrows
Pilot select
Select or deselect a pilot by clicking on the left hand
column to the left of his slot. If a pilot is selected then
his numbered plane will appear in the flight’s
formation box in the centre of the screen.
SQUADRON PLANNING AND PILOT ASSIGNMENT Arrows, +/- in Aircraft over
Flight arrows circles double arrows
SCREEN
Select the left/right arrows on any flight box to view
On this screen you can view the pilots in your
the names, skill level, position and orders of each pilot
squadron and their current assignments. Pilots are
in the flight. Select the left arrow once to view
attached to A, B or C Flight (or Staffel) or are
information on the pilot’s morale, character, skill and
unassigned in the reserve. New pilots appear during
current number of kills. Select a second time to view
the course of a campaign, and their quality will Tick Aircraft
details on a pilot’s position in the current formation.
depend on the morale of your squadron. The higher
You will be given his range from the flight leader,
the morale, the better the quality of the new pilots
bearing from the leader and altitude difference.
arriving. Many of the areas on this screen are
Select a third time to bring up the current orders
selectable:
assigned to the pilots in the flight. Select the orders
to display a clipboard which lists the orders which Top wing Rudder &
may be issued. Click on the order you wish to give to engine cowling
the pilot. Note that you cannot assign orders to the
flight leaders.
Formation arrows
Select the left/right arrows on the small formation
box of each flight to cycle through the different Bottom wing Fuselage
combination of available flight formations.
Tick
Select the tick when you have completed your Elevators
squadron planning. Head/Eagle
Pilot slots It is important that you assign individuals correctly. insignia
Each named pilot occupies a slot within one of the four Poor planning will lead to increased losses and this
flight boxes. You can move pilots within flights, to a will have a detrimental effect on the moral of the
different flight or to and from the reserve. Select the pilots in your squadron. It is usually unwise to assign
pilot you wish to move and then select the slot to which a rookie pilot to a rear or exposed position as this will
you wish to move him. If that slot is currently occupied put the pilot in extra danger. On the other hand you
15

might wish to have your most experienced pilots next Aircraft
Waypoint to you! Make sure that you have a clear Selects the eight overall paint schemes for the
understanding of the mission objectives as this will entire aircraft.
indicate the difficulty of the mission and therefore the
strength of the squadron required to accomplish Top wing
German airfield the task. Selects the colour scheme for the top wing only.
Paintshop screen Rudder & engine cowling
Select the paintpot on the Squadron screen to visit Selects the colour scheme for the engine cowling on
Allied airfield the Paintshop. As it’s name suggests, it is where you rotary aircraft or tail fin if stationary-engined.
can decorate your squadron’s aircraft. It is essential Bottom wing
that friendly aircraft and their pilots are swiftly
Selects the colour scheme for the bottom wing.
identified. Without radios the best way of facilitating
Field artillery this is to give each pilot an aircraft with a unique Fuselage
marking. At the top right corner of the screen there Selects the colour scheme for the fuselage.
are a number of selectable icons:
Elevators
Shield Select the colour scheme for the elevators.
Important bridges
Selecting the SHIELD causes all aircraft in the
Head/Eagle insignia
current flight or squadron to be painted in the
leader’s colours. This icon is disabled if the current Select the individual insignia for fuselage markings.
Active balloons pilot is not a flight or squadron leader.
Staffel/Flight arrows
Select the arrows opposite the name of the staffel or
flight to toggle through the flights.
Tank depot
Pilot arrows
Select the arrows to cycle through the individual
pilots of the chosen flight.
Tank convoy
Arrows,+/- in circles
Select this icon to rotate and zoom the view of the
aircraft in the paintshop.
Supply dump Aircraft over double arrows
Select the aircraft icon to change the aircraft type in
THE MAP SCREEN
the paintshop. The map screen is accessed from the main Campaign
Command centre screen, and displays waypoints and the course of your
Tick
flight path. The flight path is displayed as a line
Select the tick to confirm your paintshop orders. joining the waypoints. Each map screen also displays
Down the right hand side of the screen, underneath information about strategically important Allied and
the above icons, there are further selectable icons German facilities and munition dispositions. The
which indicate features that can be cycled by selecting symbols you will find on the map screens are as
the up and down arrows next to them: follows:
16

Each of these symbols will highlight when underneath Pressing i again gives tactical information (where
the pointer. If the symbol is in a square box then it is your target is for instance).
a German feature, if in a circle then it Pressing i the third time gives information on the
is an Allied feature. Selecting any symbol will open a current view selection being used.
dialogue which gives further information about the
feature as well as its map location.
ALTIMETER FUEL COMPASS
The map screen is especially useful during the Tank
Battle Campaign, where it must be used to alter your
patrol route by clicking on the waypoints shown and
dragging them across the map to the position
required. You can drop the waypoint icons on top of
other icons on the map. The waypoint action will then
change from patrol to attack, and your Jasta will
attack the item represented by the icon. When attack
waypoints are set, it is possible to use the F3 key
during flight to padlock on to the target.
Note that you will have to attack ground targets in
this campaign to make maximum impact on the
course of the ground fighting. To gain information on
the current status of ground units, select them with
the pointer. RPM SLIP INDICATOR SPEED
In the Flying Circus, Spring Offensive and Hat in the
Ring campaigns, the waypoint positions cannot be
altered. However selecting a waypoint will lead to
further information about that point. Click on the
buttons on the panel in the top right of the map to
gain additional information on places of interest, such
as the locations of active balloons and the location of
airfields and bridges.
1.7 THE AIRCRAFT COCKPIT
Players should note that not all cockpits have the
same instruments.
To receive further information on your aircraft’s
flight status press the i key. There are 3 levels of
information which may be obtained by pressing the i
key consecutively three times. Pressing it a fourth
time will remove all information from the screen.
Pressing i once gives stall warning lights (your aircraft
is in danger of stalling if either of these lights is not
green), current altitude (height above ground),
current bearing (course), machine gun ammunition
left, bombs remaining and current thrust (or rpm).
17
CHAPTER 2 - FLYING
However it was not just the fuel delivery system that
made the rotary engined aircraft difficult to master.
The huge mass of the engine rotating at high speed
gave rise to very large gyroscopic effects which forced
the aircraft to nose down in right turns and nose
upwards in left turns. These large gyroscopic forces
caught many inexperienced pilots by surprise and
were the cause of many fatalities during training.
Fortunately in Flying Corps Gold you will not have to
deal with the gyroscopic effect when doing your
initial training. The default aircraft model is fairly
CHAPTER TWO - FLYING neutral and, to some extent, it behaves like a modern
single prop two-seater. There are some differences
2.1 THE AIRCRAFT though. For instance, in the default model even
Of the many aircraft featured in “Flying Corps Gold”, slipstream and torque effects are turned off. Also,
six can be flown by the player. These six have been because World War One aircraft were tail heavy, you
chosen to represent the two main types of aircraft will find that at the beginning of a mission you will
available towards the end of the war. The rotary need forward pressure on the stick to fly level.
engines group, which includes the Sopwith Camel, Generally this tail heaviness weakens during the
Fokker Triplane and Nieuport 28, were highly course of a mission as fuel usage gives rise to a shift in
manoeuvrable and agile. However, when compared the centre of gravity.
with the stationary engined group, they were slow
To see the range of effects that can be introduced into
and underpowered.
the flight model, select Preferences from the main
The stationary engined group, which is represented by menu and then choose the “aircraft on a grid” icon.
the SE5a, Albatros D3 and Spad 13, were high Some effects are more apparent on certain aircraft.
performance aircraft with high speeds and good Obviously the rotary engined aircraft display the
sustained climbs. These aircraft were relatively stable greatest change in manoeuvrability when the
in flight and were generally easier to control than gyroscopic effects are turned on.
rotary engined aircraft.
The co-ordinated rudder option is less obvious. This
The rotary engine was very temperamental and option is designed to balance the adverse yaw effect
vulnerable to mistreatment. For instance, an aircraft that occurs during a roll. Consider a clockwise roll as
fitted with a rotary engine could not be left to tick viewed from the pilot seat. The roll occurs because
over. To avoid “meltdown”, the aircraft had to be the lift on the left wing is greater than the lift on the
airborne within minutes of ignition. right wing. Now there is always a drag associated with
Fuel delivery on the rotary engine was complicated. a lift and the bigger the lift the bigger the drag. This
The pilot had to balance the air and fuel intakes and drag acts to pull the wing backwards. The left wing has
even then there was not a great range of control. In the bigger lift and so it has the bigger drag with the
fact, on the early rotary engines the pilot had a blip result that the aircraft yaws to the left.
switch: he could choose between no power and full The effect is called adverse yaw because the aircraft
power. In Flying Corps Gold we have provided a ends up turning in the wrong direction. If a pilot
straight forward set of controls for power. It can be wants to turn to the right, he will roll the aircraft
changed in steps of one or ten percent. In addition, by clockwise. If the adverse yaw effect is not balanced
using the comma (0% thrust) and fullstop (100% then the aircraft yaws to the left.
thrust) keys, it is possible to “blip” the engine. 19
CHAPTER 2 - FLYING
Use the stick to control the speed to 55-60mph. This
In modern aircraft adverse yaw is designed out of the range of speed will give the best climb. To speed up
aircraft. However the effect was present on early push the stick forward and to slow down pull the stick
aircraft and is most noticeable on the SE5. Adverse back. Leave the power setting at 100%.
yaw is counteracted by use of the rudder. If you don’t At 500ft push the stick forward and try to fly straight
have rudder pedals we suggest that you enable co- and level. Don’t forget that because World War One
ordinated rudder. aircraft were tail heavy, you will need forward
pressure on the stick to fly level.
At this stage, you should be over the main railway
going south from Arras. Press m to get to the in-flight
map screen. The aircraft icon represents your current
position. The numbered icons represent the
waypoints for the current mission. In this case the
mission is a cross country familiarisation route.
Starting at Boiry St Martin, the route takes you down
the Ancre Valley to the town of Albert, then follows
the road up to Bapaume before turning north to
return home.
During the war, new pilots were sent up to get
familiar with the surrounding country side. You
2.2 FIRST FLIGHT should do the same so that you are able to find your
“Always wear a belt or harness when flying the way home after a mission. Boiry St Martin should be
Sopwith Camel as there is a tendency to leave relatively easy to find because of the railway junction
the seat when diving vertically” - Pilots’ Notes to the north of the airfield.
Select Preferences from the main options menu and Return to the cockpit by clicking on the icon or
then select the joystick icon. Configure your joystick pressing the return key. Now press p to pause the
by following the on-screen instructions. game and try to get your bearings. The number pad
keys or joystick coolie hat can be used to rotate the
From the main menu, select scramble. Choose to fly view around the cockpit. The view out the front is
the “Camel” aircraft and the “First Flight” mission. restricted by the engine and guns and so a view to the
Your first flight starts at Boiry St Martin airfield side is often better when navigating. This is especially
which is south of the city of Arras. As you enter the true when the aircraft is rolled slightly.
cockpit, the power is already set to 100% and the To get an even better view of the surrounding area,
speed is increasing. Press the i key to get the general press F6 to get an outside view. The plus and minus
information line at the top of the screen. Most of the keys can be used to zoom in and out when on
data provided on the information line is available the outside view. Press F7 to return to the cockpit.
from the cockpit instrumentation. However for your Press 5 on the number pad to reset the view to
first few flights, at least, we suggest that you use the facing forward.
information line because it is easier to interpret.
Press p to unpause the game and try some of the
At about 20mph the airflow on the tail is sufficient for other views available on Flying Corps Gold. F8 gives
the tail to lift off the ground. The aircraft will pick up a forward view with the cockpit removed, F9 gives a
speed quicker now that the tail is not dragging on the flyby which drops into a chase view and F10 gives a
ground. At about 40 mph gently pull back on the stick satellite view. Keys F1 to F5 are used for a set of
20
and the aircraft should leave the ground.
CHAPTER 2 - FLYING
padlock views. These will be described later when the
mission involves more aircraft.
Try a gentle turn by rolling the aircraft about twenty
degrees. Pull back gently on the stick to maintain
altitude.
At this stage you can either try the suggested cross
country route, get used to the aircraft or explore the
landscape. You have about two hours of fuel.
When TAB is pressed the view changes to the map
and the aircraft will follow the waypoints in
accelerated time. Accelerated time is disengaged
manually by clicking on the return icon. 2.3 COMBAT MANOEUVRES TRAINING
Press F12 during flight to access the Preferences. In your first flight, the recommended manoeuvres
Flight difficulty factors, like the gyroscopic effect, can were gentle, so you should not have lost control of the
be turned on and off during flight. aircraft. However during combat you will be flying
When exploring the landscape fly high, 3000ft at least, much closer to the “edge” and stalling and spinning is
to get your bearings. World War One pilots would very likely. The purpose of the next training flight is to
then fly really low, “chasing” the contours. Around the show you how to lose control, recover control and
Somme area the ground is quite flat and so you have avoid losing control.
to go really low when contour chasing. The height Fly the “First Mission” option again. Make sure that
figure on the information line is measuring the height all the flight difficulty options, except spinning, are
above the ground. Try to keep the reading below 20ft. disabled. The spinning option should be enabled.
When you are ready to land, approach the field on a After take-off press the u key a few times. This key
gentle glide (5-10 degrees) with the power off. You elevates the aircraft 500ft for every key press. This is a
should aim to cross the airfield boundary at about very useful cheat because in reality World War One
50mph and 50ft off the ground. Pull back gently on aircraft took a long time to gain altitude.
the stick. The speed should drop and contact with the
Set up for straight and level flight and then reduce the
ground should be made at under 40mph. When the
power to 0% but maintain the altitude by pulling
speed has dropped to below the stall, the stick can be
back on the stick. Over the course of a few seconds
pulled back so that the tail makes contact with the
you will have pulled the stick back as far as it will go
ground. This will increase the deceleration.
and the speed will slowly drop to around 35mph. At
Use short bursts of power to taxi the aircraft and steer this point the aircraft will either stall or spin.
with the rudder. It is also possible to steer on the
If you entered the maneuver flying absolutely straight
ground by making use of the adverse yaw effect
and level then the aircraft will stall. This means that
mentioned earlier.
the nose of the aircraft will drop even though you are
In Flying Corps Gold it is not necessary to land at the pulling back on the stick. Recovering from a stall is
end of each mission. You can exit the mission at any easy: release the stick, wait for the airspeed to build
point by pressing alt-x. up to about 50mph and then gently pull back on the
stick.
If the aircraft was rolling or yawing when you entered
the maneuver then the aircraft is more likely to spin.
21
CHAPTER 2 - FLYING
The spin can be guaranteed by applying and
maintaining full rudder when the aircraft enters the
spin. Recovering from a spin is a little more tricky:
release the stick and apply full rudder to counter the
spin, wait for rotations to cease and then release the
rudder. Allow the airspeed to build up to about lift
50mph and then gently pull back on the stick.

In the above example, the spin occurred at low speed.
In combat, spins will generally occur at higher speeds.
Try this example: Select full power and gain some angle of attack
altitude by pressing the u key a few times. Roll the

aircraft into a vertical or 90 degree bank. The aircraft If an aircraft which is flying straight level slows down,
will start to lose altitude, so pull back on the stick. then there is a tendency for the lift to reduce and the
Keep pulling on the stick to tighten the turn. At some aircraft will go down. To maintain level flight , the pilot
point you will lose control and, depending on aileron compensates for the loss of speed by increasing the angle
input, the aircraft will either spin in or out of the turn. of attack. This is done by pulling back on the stick. At
Neither situation is desirable in combat and so we some point though, increasing the angle of attack no
need to consider how to maintain control rather than longer results in an increase in lift. At this critical point
how to recover once control is lost. which is known as the stall, the lift actually starts to
decrease as the angle of attack increases.
If you are going to maintain control of your aircraft
during air combat, some understanding of the theory
of flight is necessary. Many books have been written
on the subject and we have recommended a few in the wing cross-section
bibliography. We cannot hope to do justice to the direction of

airflow
subject in a few lines, but we do have the advantage angle of

attack
that we can let you try things out on the flight model.
wing chord
First though, we need to define some terms. An
aircraft wing is design to provide a lifting force. When
this force is greater than the weight, the aircraft will
go up. The amount of lift provided by the wing
In Flying Corps Gold the top general information line
depends on the following factors:
contains angle of attack indicators for both left and
Shape Some wings are better lifters than others. right wings:
Velocity squared: The faster the air flow the bigger Indicator Colour Angle of Attack Meaning
the lift.
green <13O
Angle between the wing chord and the airflow: not stalled
This angle, which is shown in the diagram, is
yellow 13-15O
commonly called the angle of attack.
near stall
pink 15O
at stall
red >15O
stalled
22
CHAPTER 2 - FLYING
If the conditions of both wings are indicating red then However some manoeuvres are useful and as Bishop
both wings are stalled. If only one indicator is red said, practising aerobatics gives the pilot confidence.
then only one wing is stalled and the aircraft will spin You do have to be very careful when performing
because the lift on the two wings is not in balance. aerobatics in combat. There is the danger that you will
To maintain control, the wings should never be concentrate too much on the maneuver and not
allowed to enter the stall zone. In a tight turn the enough on what your opponent is doing. Also many
indicators should be yellow. After a few combat manoeuvres will slow the aircraft down and a slow
missions you will develop a feel for the aircraft, you aircraft is very vulnerable in combat. Even if you can
will recognise the initial signs of a spin and won’t have see that your opponent is not in a shooting position, it
to rely on the indicators. is still dangerous to slow down. There are other
Practice vertical turns by simultaneously rolling the aircraft in the sky.
aircraft to close to 90 degrees and pulling back on the THE HALF ROLL
stick until the indicators turn yellow. A tendency to Yeates described this as the “only stunt useful in
roll out of the maneuver is ideally compensated for by fighting” and in World War II, this maneuver became
using the rudder. Aileron can also be used but you known as the Split S. The stunt is useful when you
then run the risk of stalling the top wing and spinning need to shake someone off your tail. It is performed
out. Maintain full thrust and balance the aileron, by rolling the aircraft on its back and then pulling
elevator and rudder controls, to turn as tightly as back on the stick.
possible with the minimum of altitude loss. Push the
aircraft to the limit until you can turn on the “edge”
LOOP
but retain control.
If your aircraft will not spin even when you have
applied full elevator in a tight turn then you need to
recalibrate your stick. When the stick is calibrated
properly it is not possible to maintain control with full
elevator applied.
2.4 ADVANCED COMBAT MANOEUVRES
‘He must be able to loop, turn his machine on its back,
and do various other flying stunts - not that these are
actually necessary during combat but from the fact
that he has done these things several times he gets
absolute confidence, and when the fight comes along This maneuver is seldom used in combat. It simply
he is not worrying about how the machine will act. He involves pulling back on the stick and keeping it there.
can devote all his time to fighting the other fellow, the The aircraft will climb. At the top of the manoeuvre, the
flying part of it coming instinctively.’ - Bishop aircraft will be inverted and facing in the opposite
In a combat situation, most fighter pilots considered direction. Keep pulling back on the stick and the aircraft
anything more than a tight turn to be tooexotic. will dive. Eventually it will be right side up and flying on
Richthofen was not interested in aerobatics and said its original heading. A loop is best entered from a slight
that he would never do a loop. He was more dive and with relatively high speed. In the stationary
interested in a positive attitude and shooting ability. engined aircraft this maneuver is straightforward,
23
CHAPTER 2 - FLYING
whereas in the rotary engined aircraft, plenty of left There are many variations of the second version of
rudder will be required at the top of the maneuver the manoeuvre. In its purest aerobatic form it
whilst inverted. becomes the “Hammerhead”. However, this is no
In both types of aircraft you will need ‘to feel’ the good in combat because it involves going very slowly
amount to pull back on the stick. Too much or too at the top of the climb. In fact, the combat maneuver
little may result in a stall. is more like a Wingover: pull back on the stick and
immediately apply rudder and aileron in the same
direction. It is possible to intentionally stall the lower
wing to increase the rollrate. On rotary engined
aircraft, the pull back will result in a yaw to the right
which will make right turns faster.
DIVE AND ZOOM
This maneuver consists of diving down on your
opponent and opening fire at about 150m. When the
range is about 50m, stop firing and pull out of the
dive. As you fly over your opponent, he could pull up
sharply and get in a snapshot at you. To avoid this,
IMMELMANN TURN apply a little roll when pulling out of the dive. At the
This maneuver is used to reverse your direction and end of the maneuver you should have regained your
there are two versions. In the first, pull back on the height advantage over your opponent.
stick and keep it back, as if you were going to loop. Dive and Zoom tactics suit the stationary engined set
When the aircraft is inverted and facing in the of aircraft. These aircraft have a high performance
opposite direction to which it commenced the and can outclimb the lower powered rotary engined
manoeuvre, roll the aircraft the right way up. This is, aircraft. However, rotary engined aircraft are better
in effect, the half roll in reverse. Although it has the in turning fights.
advantage of gaining height whilst reversing
direction, it should be used with circumspection in
combat, as the aircraft is slow and vulnerable near the
top of the manoeuvre.
24
CHAPTER 3 - TACTICS
CHAPTER 3 - TACTICS ‘The commanding officer is responsible that neither
he nor any of his pilots are surprised by the enemy. If
he cannot see to that, he is no good as a leader.’ - von
Richthofen (80 victories)
Tactics can largely be divided into two sections. Firstly
those used by the patrol leader to approach the
enemy and gain an edge for the forthcoming dogfight,
and secondly those used by an individual during the
dogfight. Clearly, if the patrol leader has done his job
well, there will be no dogfight. The enemy will have
been surprised and destroyed before he has had a
chance to react.
‘The best way to shoot down an enemy aircraft was to
surprise him and get as close as possible before
opening fire.’ - Rochford (29 victories).
Fighter pilots in World War I had no previous
experience to draw on to guide them in air combat
and so had to devise the best methods for attack and
defence themselves. The earliest example of a set of
‘Always above, seldom on the same level, never rules for air combat was the ‘Dicta Boelcke’. These
underneath.’ - Mannock (61 - 73 victories) were drawn up by Oswald Boelcke (40 victories),
The function of aerial tactics is to gain an advantage, Germany’s leading air ace at the time and the guiding
and the good patrol leader will never attack without force behind the formation of the fighter Jasta
an advantage. Many of the factors to consider when (squadron) in 1916. Although he was killed later in
assessing advantages are just as important today as the year, the Jastas followed his principles and
they were in World War I. It is probable that decimated the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) during
maintaining the element of surprise will always be the ‘Bloody April’ 1917.
most significant factor. However, the patrol leader As the war progressed, air combat became
should also consider firepower, aircraft performance, more complex, and solo patrols became a thing of the
pilot skill and numerical advantage. The advantage of past. Flying in formation and teamwork became
height though is no longer as important as it was. more important.
During WWI, aircraft had little excess power and
gaining height took a long time. In WWI the pilot of ‘German air strategy was intended to be scientific;
the higher aircraft often had the luxury of being able they were unwilling to attack except from a winning
to choose whether he should enter the fray or position derived from the advantages of height,
disengage. Mannock’s simple instruction can be surprise and numerical superiority, and they did not
paraphrased as... never attack without an advantage. hesitate to avoid or run away from combat when
By 1917 success or failure in air combat was largely these factors were not in their favour. They also
dictated by the skill and ability of the patrol leader. avoided crossing the lines, to have the further
i.e. success was to do with choosing the time to fight advantage of fighting above their own terrain. ... They
rather than being good at fighting were also adopting the idea of large circuses, flying in
layers, and when you attacked one of the layers, it
25
CHAPTER 3 - TACTICS
melted away eastwards while the people above dived Pilots must never, under any circumstances, dive away
on you.’ Yeates (5 victories) from an enemy, as he gives his opponent a non-
It is this period of intensifying air combat that Flying deflection shot - bullets are faster than aeroplanes.
Corps Gold portrays. To be successful, a player will Pilots must keep their eye on their watches during
have to master the arts of both patrol leading and patrols, and on the direction and strength of the wind.’
individual combat. Many Allied fliers regarded ‘Mick’ ‘Fighting tactics varied with circumstances;
Mannock as the expert in both these fields, so it seems there were rarely two identical situations
appropriate to set down his rules. ... consequently adjustment of tactics had to be made
MANNOCK’S RULES to suit the occasion. However, the main principle
‘Pilots must dive to the attack with zest, and must remained the same: the enemy must be surprised and
hold their fire until they get within one hundred yards attacked at a disadvantage, if possible with superior
of their target. numbers so the initiative was with the patrol. To
achieve this objective, it was sometimes necessary to
Achieve surprise by approaching from the East (i.e. spend over half the time of the patrol maneuvering
from the German side of the lines). the enemy formation into an unfavourable position.
Utilise the sun’s glare and clouds to achieve surprise. Having got it there, pilots must dive to the attack with
Pilots must keep physically fit by exercise and the zest ... The combat must continue until the enemy has
moderate use of stimulants. admitted his inferiority, by being shot down or
running away’ - Mannock
Pilots must sight their guns and practise as much as
possible as targets are normally fleeting. FORMATIONS
Pilots must practise spotting machines in the air and ‘Formation flying ... was our great forte, our
recognising them at long range, and every aeroplane compactness and drill often intimidating superior
is to be treated as an enemy until it is certain it is not. formations.’ - Fullard (40 victories).
Pilots must learn where the enemy’s blind World War I aircraft did not carry radios, and apart
spots are. from some very basic signals such as flares and wing
Scouts must be attacked from above and 2 seaters waggling, communication was impossible once
from beneath their tails. airborne. Therefore pilots must be briefed,
Pilots must practise quick turns, as this maneuver is
more used than any other in a fight.
Formation flying at 25 yards apart must be practised.
Pilots must practise judging distances in the air as
these are very deceptive.
Decoys must be guarded against - a single enemy is
often a decoy - therefore the air above should be
searched before attacking.
If the day is sunny, machines should be turned with as
little bank as possible, otherwise the sun glistening
on the wings will give away their presence at a
long range.
Pilots must keep turning in a dogfight and never fly
26 straight except when firing.
CHAPTER 3 - TACTICS
instructions issued and the formation to be flown set The very best World War I pilots
out before the patrol leaves the ground. In some could possibly glimpse an enemy
cases the requirements of the mission and the aircraft at about 5 miles
availability of pilots and aircraft will dictate the (approx. 8,000 m). Most pilots
formation to be used. could start to pick out a target at
‘The formation adopted must admit of quick and around half this. In Flying Corps
easy maneuver by the formation as a whole.’ Gold the range at which there is
- RAF Instructions a reasonable chance of spotting
an aircraft is around 2 1/2 miles.
Ideally a formation should be stacked in layers, with
When aircraft are spotted the
the leader in front and all other aircraft above and
first thing to determine is who
behind him. The rear aircraft can convert this altitude
and what they are. The leader
into speed and close up with the leader when
must fix their position,
required. The leader is the strike force and
maneuver his flight to gain an
responsible for manoeuvring his patrol into a position
advantage and gain more
of advantage. His followers provide a look out and
information.
cover his tail. When setting up the formation, any
novices should go to the immediate right or left of the If the aircraft is under fire
leader as these are the safest positions. The tail is the from ‘archie’ - anti-aircraft or AA guns - , it may be
most vulnerable area of the formation and this is possible to deduce which side it is on, since German
where experienced pilots should go. AA shell bursts were black and the Allied white.
However, the situation is complicated by the fact that
‘Within the flight, each [pilot] has a distinguishing
the Germans developed a system of firing close to
emblem on his machine.’ Richthofen
their own aircraft in order to warn them of possible
Rapid identification of aircraft and pilots is vital in attack, although these tended to be individual shells
a dogfight, and aircraft should be clearly marked rather than full barrages. Nevertheless, if the machine
to help achieve this. This is especially true of the is over friendly lines and being fired at, it is
leader’s aircraft. reasonable to assume that it is hostile.
THE APPROACH In the absence of ‘archie’, the following information
‘The great thing is to see things. ... Many a fresh pilot can be deduced from the numbers and action of the
is shot down before he even knows there is a Hun unidentified aircraft:
within miles ... practise looking round you so that you A formation of six or more machines, flying on no
study every square foot of the earth and sky every definite course = an offensive patrol of fighters.
two minutes. Watch the region of the sun especially.’ -
A single machine low down, flying a regular oblong
Yeates
course = a two-seat artillery observation machine.
It is estimated that 80% of pilots shot down never saw
A single machine low down, flying a very irregular
what hit them until it was too late. Spotting the enemy
course = a fighter attacking ground targets.
before he spots you is therefore of crucial importance
in becoming a successful airfighter. A single machine, flying very high on a straight course
= a long distance reconnaissance mission.
‘Whenever you’re over the lines, you have to keep
twisting your neck in all directions every minute, or A formation of six or more machines, flying at
you’re sure to be surprised.’ medium altitude and two or three below them flying
a nearly straight course = a photographic patrol
- Rickenbacker (26 victories)
with escort.
27
CHAPTER 3 - TACTICS
Two large formations one above the other flying on a the patrol. When the enemy is spotted, it is the patrol
straight course = a bombing mission with escort. leaders responsibility to decide what to do - attack,
Depending on the aircraft’s position relative to the maneuver or disengage.
front lines, it may be clear whether they are hostile or ‘It must be impressed on pilots that the group is the
not. The patrol leader should also be aware that fighting unit and not the individual.’
fighters often fly in stacked formations, so having RAF Instructions
spotted one ‘layer’ he should check above and below
If the patrol finds itself being stalked, the decision
for more. Similarly, if a small group of aircraft is
must be made whether to attack, maneuver or
behaving rather recklessly, they could well be ‘bait’,
disengage. This decision may well be determined by
with a large group of friends above them, ready to
the relative abilities of the machines involved, or by
pounce on any ill-considered attack, or they could
the patrol’s mission. If the patrol’s aircraft are
be part of a large fighter formation out ‘looking
superior, they can maneuver and attempt to turn the
for trouble’
tables. If inferior, a swift decision must be made
‘Always remember it may be a trap!’ whether to immediately attack, which may be enough
- Lufbery (17 victories). to scare the attacker off, or to disengage. Ideally
To approach an unidentified aircraft, patrol leaders the latter should be done by a climb towards
should follow Mannock’s advice, and approach from friendly lines.
an unexpected direction, ideally using the sun and
cloud cover to gain a position of advantage. If in
doubt - climb! The patrol leader should be constantly
thinking ahead, planning his attack and keeping a
lookout for further aircraft.
‘Mannock planned every maneuver like a chess
player.’ - Jones (40 victories)
During the approach the target should be continually
observed. If it starts to climb or manoeuvre, one must
assume that it is hostile and experienced; if it carries
on undisturbed, it is either friendly or unaware; if it
ATTACK
dives for home, it can probably be attacked with
impunity ... unless it is bait! Once in position the attack is commenced. The
purpose of the first attack is to destroy or scatter as
‘Almost every evening we would find well-laid traps
many of the enemy as possible, to minimise the effect
set for us. It required careful manoeuvring to avoid
of a counterattack
falling into them. Several times we did, and it took a
lot of trouble to get out safely. Four or five Huns ‘The leader must always ensure that his formation is
would come along and we would engage them. Then well closed-up before attacking, giving the rear
suddenly as many as 15-20 would appear from all machines time if necessary, so that all pilots can attack
angles and join in the fight.’ - Bishop (72 victories) their adversaries simultaneously.’ RAF Instructions
The leader is the strike force of the patrol. All other Against enemy fighters, the attack will ideally have
aircraft are concerned with keeping a look-out. This been launched from above and behind. The leader
rule should apply no matter how many aircraft are in will start to fire at his target at between 100 and 200
yards, and keep firing until collision is imminent.
28
CHAPTER 3 - TACTICS
‘Mannock would take the leader [of an enemy to engage should perhaps be
formation] in order to give his pilots coming down reconsidered.
behind him a better chance of an easy shot.’ - Jones Finally, a lone pilot could launch a
During an attack, opinion was divided on whether it stealthy attack, ideally from behind
was better for pilots to concentrate on a single enemy or below (although the surrendering
or each engage an individual target. It was important of the advantage of height is not
to try and eliminate the enemy leader on the first normally recommended). The object
attack, yet at the same time, more targets engaged of such an attack is to pick off the
tended to mean more casualties inflicted and greater rearmost enemy, hopefully without
confusion. In addition, many pilots converging on a the other enemy pilots noticing. It is
single enemy tended to be worried more about suggested that a lone attack should
colliding with their friends than pushing the attack to only be contemplated if the
the limit. They had reason - there were far more attacker’s aircraft has significant
collisions in World War I air combat than in later advantage in either speed or climb -
conflicts. Mannock and von Richthofen were both or the lone pilot is supremely
of the view that it was not worth ‘ganging up’ on a confident in his own abilities!
single target. THE DOGFIGHT
After attacking, the decision must be made whether When two patrols meet with neither having
to stay and dogfight, entering a turning engagement a positional advantage, a dogfight develops
with the enemy, or to pull out in a zoom climb. ‘Dive fairly rapidly.
& Zoom’ tactics are generally safer for the attacker,
‘It was when five or six met five or six that real dog
especially if he turns as he zooms, since he gains
fights occurred.’ - Yeates
separation from the enemy thereby minimising the
chance of a counterattack whilst preserving the When one formation has surprised another, a
advantage of height, thereby allowing him to either dogfight will form after the initial shock has
attack again or disengage. This decision may well be dissipated. Formations tend to break up into a series
influenced by the types of machines engaged. Rotary- of one on one engagements with pilots desperately
engined scouts on the attack may prefer to stay trying to find a target, whilst avoiding becoming one
and enter a turning contest with a high performance themselves! In such confused aerial melees there is
enemy. still a vital role for both teamwork and leadership. A
patrol should fight as a team, with pilots looking to
If leading a smaller formation against a larger one, or
protect one another’s tails, and the leader ensuring he
even flying alone, it is especially important that the
remains aware of the general course of the fight.
first attack should inflict considerable damage and
confusion. Care should also be taken to ensure there ‘A patrol leader’s work is to pay more attention to the
is a safe retreat route. This could be a zoom climb to main points affecting the fight than to do all the
safety, or by using the speed built up in a diving attack fighting himself. The main points are
a run for home. If the smaller formation cannot 1) arrival of more enemy aircraft who have tactical
launch an attack with these advantages, the decision advantage i.e. height.
29
CHAPTER 3 - TACTICS
2) patrol is drifting too far east Secondly, most pilots find it easier to turn to the
3) patrol getting below the bulk of enemy formation. left, so perhaps an attack from the right should
be contemplated.
As soon as any of these conditions occur, it is usually
better to break off the fight temporarily, and to rally Thirdly, the opponent can sometimes be panicked
and climb above the enemy before attacking them into adopting foolish tactics. If an enemy looks as if he
again.’ - RAF Instructions is outdistancing you, a few long range bursts may
distract him and encourage him to start weaving. This
will slow him down and allow you to get within
effective range. Richthofen used this trick on more
than one occasion.
‘Being under fire is bad for the nervous system.’
- Coppens (37 victories)
Stark (11 victories) found himself up against a Camel
which continually evaded him by turning. Stark fired
a quick burst which so startled the Camel pilot that he
came out of his turn and flew straight, presenting an
easy target. The key things to remember in a dogfight
are to keep the initiative, make the enemy react to
you, try to stay above your opponent and always fly
with a cool head.
Note: Turning towards an attacker is the better way to proceed. Turning ‘He who gets excited in fighting is sure to make
away from an attacker is not recommended. mistakes’ - von Richthofen
Fourthly, constantly monitor what is going on around
OFFENSIVE MANOEUVRES
you. In a dogfight there are often no second chances,
‘The main point is to make tighter turns and to stay and one of the biggest mistakes that can be made is to
above the opponent.’ - Richthofen lose awareness of what else is going on and where the
‘I fly close to my man, aim well and then of course he other enemy machines are.
falls down.’ - Boelcke ‘It is well ... never to stay long after one machine.’
This in a nutshell is what offensive tactics are all - Bishop
about, keeping the advantage, manoeuvring to within Yet as Mannock said, every fight is different, there are
100 yards of the enemy and getting in position, ideally no ‘universal rules’ to success in the air, only guides.
directly behind, to deliver the decisive burst. There Established tactics must be adapted to the situation,
are however a few more tricks that may be of benefit and sometimes ignored completely.
to budding aces.
Finally, remember that all the great aces emphasise
Firstly, fight according to your strengths, not the that it takes considerable experience and practice to
enemies. If you are in a high performance stationary- become adept at dogfighting. The Flying Corps Gold
engined scout, it is folly to enter a turning contest on novice would be wise to bear in mind Yeates’ advice
equal terms with a nimble rotary-engined enemy. to a raw pilot on what to do in an aerial combat:
New pilots were told by 56 Squadron (SE5a) to ‘dive
‘Never mind about shooting down Huns; if one gets in
and zoom’, not dogfight.
your way, shoot at it, but make quite sure first that no
30
CHAPTER 3 - TACTICS
other Hun is getting into position to put a burst into With the defensive turn, timing is critical. Too soon
you ... give yourself a chance. Anyone can shoot you and the attacker has time to make a smooth
down if you don’t see him coming .’ Yeates adjustment and keep you in his sights. Too late and
DEFENSIVE MANOEUVRES you present him with a simple close range shot. If
possible, climb whilst turning, as in this way you may
‘He was no good, the durn fool just put his nose down be able to turn the tables on your attacker.
and flew straight. He was cold meat.’
‘If I am attacked by a single-seater from above, I
- Maclaren (54 victories). make it a point never to let up on the throttle; rather
If you are attacked, the important thing is to do to make all turns and dives at full speed. I turn
something, anything, to put the enemy off his aim. towards the opponent and try by pulling up in each
Many raw pilots simply froze and were shot down turn to attain the enemy’s altitude and get the better
with ease. Clearly, some defensive manoeuvres are of him’ - Richthofen
better than others, and the defender will have to make As an alternative to the turn, 56 Squadron advised
a quick decision on whether he wishes to simply new pilots:
evade the attack or attempt to turn defence into
offence. ‘If the enemy fire is too hot - hard rudder and no
bank - sideslip!’
When you are under attack from the rear, the best
defensive tactic is to turn in the direction the attack is Richthofen was against such a manoeuvre, possibly
coming from. If the attack is coming from the left, because it limited the chance of being able to gain the
perform a hard left turn.If the attack is coming from initiative and turn defence into attack. Clearly these
directly behind, a turn in either direction should be manoeuvres could be combined; many Camel pilots
made, but try to remember the relative performance found the best way of throwing an enemy off his aim
of the aircraft engaged. If you are flying a rotary, a was a hard turn with a sideslip, which made any
turn to the right is probably best, whilst if you are in a aimed shot at their aircraft almost impossible.
stationary-engined scout against a rotary, a left turn is German pilots could do much the same with the
advised. triplane, Voss utilising these tactics against
McCudden, turning defence into attack -
‘To my amazement, he kicked on full rudder without
bank, pulled his nose up ... gave me a burst ... and then
kicked on opposite rudder.’
A sudden zoom is another ploy which may be used,
but this works best if being attacked by a single
enemy who is very close, the aim being to make him
overshoot. This could be combined with a roll to
further reduce speed and maybe change direction, or
carried on into a loop or Immelmann. Much here
‘Watching carefully over your shoulder and judging would depend on the relative speeds and
the moment he will open fire, you turn your machine performance of the aircraft involved. A poorly-judged
quickly so as to fly at right angles to him. His bullets zoom would almost invariably be fatal as the
will generally pass behind you during this defender would be left at very low speed, offering an
manoeuvre.’ - Bishop easy shot. McCudden (57 victories) describes the
31
CHAPTER 3 - TACTICS
result of a zoom and turn contest where the inferior Lothar even sometimes used a spin to lure the enemy
machine initiated the manoeuvre - into close range before suddenly pulling out and
‘I zoomed, the SE just went up a little higher, then we surprising his attacker, turning the tables.
both turned inwards and the Hun losing height, I at What all pilots were instructed not to do when
once did a quicker turn and got behind him.’ attacked was simply to dive away. Even fast-diving
Most pilots thought the loop a waste of time in aircraft such as the Spad and the SE5a couldn’t
combat, Mannock saying that a zoom followed by a outrun bullets, and the straight dive away simply
turn was far better. presents the attacker with an easy shot. If you are in a
fast machine and wish to disengage then you must
A roll may also force an attacker to overshoot. first throw the attackers aim off or get out of the field
Although presenting a difficult target, it has much the of fire before commencing your dive to safety.
same disadvantages as the zoom, and was especially
dangerous against multiple enemies. Most pilots If you do find yourself under attack and are unsure
advised against this ploy. what do:
If a pilot simply wanted ‘follow the very simple rule of not diving away, but
to escape, a spin turning sharply from an enemy’s fire.’ - Jones
would sometimes be
deliberately induced. This
made the aircraft a very
difficult target and might
possibly persuade the
attacker he had got in a
fatal burst. But this
maneuver involved the
loss of a great deal of
height, with the added
disadvantage that if the
attacker followed the
defender down, he was
given an easy shot when ATTACKING TWO-SEATERS
his target pulled out of Two-seaters with their lower performance were often
the spin. Most aces regarded as ‘easy victims’, especially the poorer
recommended against British aircraft such as the BE2 and RE8.
this ploy, but most also
used it at least once to ‘If you sat properly under its tailplane, the Hun
escape during their couldn’t touch you. Of course you had to keep there
career! and that was a matter of flying, and a scout ought
always to outfly a two-seater.’ - McCudden.
‘For 1,500m, with almost full motor, I spun, nose dived
and slithered.’ - Brooks Despite McCudden’s views a two-seater with an
32
CHAPTER 3 - TACTICS
observer manning the rear gun was both much harder
to surprise than a fighter and had the added
advantage of being able to fire both forwards and
backwards. The approved method to attack one of
these machines was, as McCudden said, to fire from a
position about 100 yards behind and 20 yards below.
The RAF instructions also advised that a short
vertical dive directly onto the two-seater could work,
as this would present the observer with a difficult
shot. Richthofen suggested:
‘One attacks the two-seater from behind at great
speed... the only way to avoid the adroit observer’s
machine gun fire is to stay calm and put the observer
out of action with the first shots’
However, a well handled two-seater could make lone
attacks both difficult and dangerous, and several aces
were killed attacking a so-called ‘easy victim.’
A rather better method for the average flight was to SHOOTING
attack as a team.
Nearly all the great aces emphasised that the most
‘At least two Camels should work together against a important skill in aerial combat was accurate shooting
two-seater; while the observer was firing at one, the
‘The most important thing in fighting was shooting,
other killed him. The same might be said of any other
next the various tactics in coming into a fight and, last
scout, for it took a great man like McCudden to work
of all, flying ability itself.’ - Bishop
alone.’ - Yeates
Yet, apart from a few natural shots, most World War I
The standard defence of a two-seater under attack
flyers found actually hitting the target in a dogfight
was either to dive for home, hoping to prevent the
very difficult indeed. Beauchamp-Procter (54
attackers from getting in the observers blind spot
victories) and McElroy (47 victories) hit nothing
under the tail, or to turn and lose height at as slow a
during their first five months of active service whilst
speed as possible, forcing the attacker to overshoot or
Jones (40 victories) took part in 16 aircombats before
pull out to a point where the observer could have a
claiming a victory.
clear shot.
‘When one has shot down one’s first, second or third
opponent, then one begins to find out how the trick is
done.’ - Richthofen
33
CHAPTER 3 - TACTICS
As with every other facet of this new war with surprise - to give his pilots the benefit of the
in the air, successful aerial gunnery simplest shot possible.
required both practice and experience However, determined pilots could work out
In pursuit of successfully engaging the rudimentary methods of hitting targets which were
enemy, pilots were handicapped by their not in the ideal position. For deflection shooting,
weapons. Machine guns were prone to Mannock advised his pilots to sight about 5 yards in
freezing at high altitudes and there was front of the target’s engine, fire, and, whilst firing,
always the risk of them jamming, bring the sight back as far as the enemy pilot and then
especially if a long burst was fired. Most push it forward again. Jones achieved several of his
aces spent hours on the ground checking victories following this technique. In the twisting,
their guns and loading the ammunition turning dogfights of 1917 and 1918 mastery of this
themselves, to minimise the chance of a skill gave a pilot a huge advantage.
malfunction at a crucial moment Recognising some of the problems the RAF gave the
‘A well- firing machine gun is better than a smooth- following advice on aerial gunnery:
running engine.’ - Richthofen ‘Opportunities in the air are almost invariably
Aircraft on both sides carried about 500 rounds of fleeting. Fire should therefore be reserved until a
ammunition per gun, enough for about 50 seconds of really favourable target is presented and should then
firing. German scouts could carry more but most be in rapid bursts. Fire should only be opened at
pilots preferred not to, in order to save weight. The ranges over 300 yards when the object is to prevent
ammunition load normally comprised a variety of hostile machines from coming to close quarters. ... and
rounds, the Germans tending to have a mix of should not be opened at ranges of over 500 yards
standard ball, armour-piercing and phosphorus. This under any circumstances. In offensive fighting the
was fine for short ranges, 50 yards or less, but added longer fire can be reserved and the shorter the range,
to the inaccuracy of long-range fire due to the the greater the probability of decisive result. Pilots
different ballistic properties of the assorted rounds. must accustom themselves to judging the range by the
According to a RAF pamphlet the cone of fire from apparent size of the hostile aeroplane ... this needs
an aerial machine gun was 10’ by 15’ at 200 yards and constant practice ... A reserve of ammunition should
this inaccuracy made a destructive burst of long range be kept for the return journey when fighting far over
fire unlikely. the lines.’
With unreliable weapons and primitive sights, pilots, Before embarking on a full Flying Corps Gold
ideally, wished to be directly behind and within 30 campaign, you are advised to practise your gunnery in
yards of an enemy in order to have a reasonable the SCRAMBLE missions, for, as Mannock said:
chance of hitting and destroying him with a short ‘Good flying has never killed a Hun yet; get
burst. Short bursts were important to minimise the on with sighting your guns and practise
chance of a jam. Successful fire from outside this spotting Huns. Then shoot them down before they
envelope was simply beyond most pilots. This was shoot you.’
why the objective of every patrol leader was to attack
34
CHAPTER 3 - TACTICS
ATTACKING BALLOONS
Due to the large amount of ‘archie’ (anti aircraft
guns) around a balloon position, attacks on these
targets were normally cordially disliked by most
pilots, although there were specialists such as
Coppens who shot down 36. The generally preferred
method was the fast, steep dive, 56 Squadron in SE5s
going in at 250 mph, hoping that the speed gained
would protect the attacker from archie and surprise
the crew so that they had insufficient time to pull the
balloon down to safety. The diving attack also allowed
the assailant to either zoom to safety above the archie
or streak towards the sanctuary of the front lines at
low level and high speed, either way minimising
exposure to hostile fire.
However, the sneak attack was also used, often by a
lone aircraft. This involved approaching the target at
low level from an unexpected direction. The preferred
times for these raids were either dawn or dusk.
Sometimes the approach would be made with the
engine off, by Rickenbacker for example, to minimise
the chance of detection. Allied pilots reported that pulled out, at 50’, the second aircraft would
German scouts employing this method were commence its attack. This latter method did appear to
sometimes painted in dark colours to help them blend reduce casualties.
into the gloom. As for hitting the target:
Regardless of whichever method was used, the ‘The method found by experience to give the best
attackers often had to get perilously close to their results is to dive the machine steeply at a point on the
target, British Buckingham (i.e. incendiary) ground a few yards in front of the target. The lag of a
ammunition being of little use beyond bomb released from a few hundred feet on a steep
150 yards. dive is very little. Individual pilots must find out by
GROUND ATTACK experiment exactly how far ahead they must aim.’ -
RAF Instructions
Although some pilots enjoyed this work, most hated
it, the feeling being that no matter how good or lucky Experienced RAF pilots preferred a rather different
you were, sooner or later, ground fire would get you. method, and also suggested ways in which the danger
Attacks were normally made in pairs. Camels tended from ground fire might be minimised:
to attack the same target simultaneously, both ‘Machine guns were difficult to attack. You had to
converging on it from different directions, but 84 look out for them more to avoid than encounter, for
Squadron in SE5s preferred a method where one if you went diving right down on a nest, giving them
pilot would dive on the target from 500’ and, as he a no-deflection shot, it would certainly be your last
35
CHAPTER 3 - TACTICS
dive. ... If you had any bombs, you could try a lucky If fire from archie was unusually persistent or
drop without diving, but the great thing was to keep accurate pilots were advised:
turning and side-slipping.’ - Yeates. ‘The enemy’s aim can be thrown out temporarily ... by
ARCHIE (ANTI AIRCRAFT FIRE) turning sharply, diving or climbing, but it is seldom
‘It was said that he [Archie] had once brought down advisable to lose height, especially when far over the
an enemy aircraft, but the story was apocryphal.’ - enemy lines.’ - RAF Instructions
Yeates But archie had other uses apart from shooting down
Anti-aircraft fire was not a great menace to fighters aircraft. By merely firing on a formation, ‘he’ tended
unless they were damaged, flying under 1,000’ or to make it open out and become preoccupied,
there was a large number of guns, for instance around possibly allowing an enemy patrol to launch an attack
a balloon. Nevertheless, being under fire from archie in the confusion. Archie could also send signals to
added to the strain of a patrol, and could distract friendly aircraft, warning them of danger, or
attention at a vital moment. Besides, there was always informing them of an opportunity. Archie can be
the chance of a lucky hit. laughed at, but it’s better not to ignore him.
‘His sudden appearance was more surprising than
dangerous, but it was not advisable to go on flying
straight for long when he was active.’ - Yeates
36
288 fcg man flying circus ENG 4/11/97 3:25 am Page 1
CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES THE FLYING CIRCUS 1917
being on the defensive. Strategically this defensive

posture was later revealed to be a mistake, and a
misuse of airpower, but tactically it gave the Germans
significant advantages.
B oth sides recognised the importance of achieving

supremacy in the air and the first pure fighter
units were created. Initially these tended to be flights,
sometimes of only two aircraft, ‘tacked’ onto an
existing reconnaissance squadron, but as airfighting
grew in intensity, specialist units consisting only
of fighters were formed. For the RFC, 24
Squadron arrived in France on the 27th February 1916,
equipped only with a single-seat fighter aircraft, the The Battle of Arras gets
DH2, which helped put an end to the ‘Fokker Scourge’. underway, and the stakes
The French formed the Cigones (Storks) at Verdun and become high.
in August the Germans introduced the Jagdstaffel
THE FLYING CIRCUS (Jasta), a fighter squadron of 14 aircraft. The first
W hen the First World War started in August 1914,

military aviation was new and no one knew
quite what to make of it. As the Western Front became
to be formed was Jasta 2, commanded by the leading
ace and tactician of the period Oswald Boelcke.
Equally importantly, a Jastaschule was set up at
deadlocked, the generals came to rely more Fomars, where would-be fighter pilots received final
and more on reconnaissance aircraft for information training in aerial combat from experienced instructors.
on what was going on ‘the other side of the hill.’ By October there were seven Jastas in existence with
Very soon it became apparent that, not only the German Air Service, and their impact was
was it essential for your aircraft to gather information immediate, as they had three significant advantages
behind the enemy front line, but it was also necessary over their opponents:
to stop him from doing the same behind yours.
Consequently, experiments in fitting weapons to Firstly, the pilots were generally hand-picked for their
aircraft commenced, and fighting in the air started. skill and aggression.
Secondly, they tended to operate in larger formations
A fter various false starts it became obvious that
the most effective weapon for an aircraft was a
machine gun, ideally mounted to fire directly forward.
than the Allies over the front lines.
Finally, their formation coincided with the
By mid 1915 the Germans had developed a introduction of new German fighters, notably the
synchronisation gear, allowing the pilot to simply aim Albatros DII. This aircraft not only had a performance
his aircraft at the enemy and pull the trigger, his gun advantage over many of the Allied machines in service
only firing when there wasn’t a propeller blade in the but also mounted two machine guns firing straight
way. With this weapon the Fokker Eindecker gained a forward, giving it a significant edge in firepower over
measure of air superiority for the Germans and the first Allied fighters which only mounted one.
aces, such as Boelcke and Immelmann, were created.
The general tone of the air war was also set with the
Germans, usually having less aircraft than the Allies, O n the Allied side, the Royal Flying Corps (RFC)
was going through a phase of dramatic
expansion. Whilst this would later pay dividends, it 37
THE FLYING CIRCUS 1917 CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES
meant that, for the moment, the vast of the Somme the previous year. The average life of a
majority of British aircrew had RFC fighter pilot at this time was less than 2 weeks. The
insufficient training, little experience French lost approximately 55 aircraft in April. The
and were flying machines of inferior German pilots claimed 298 Allied aircraft destroyed
quality. As losses mounted, this became including 34 balloons, whilst the Allies claimed 196
a vicious circle with more and more German aircraft destroyed with a further 206 out of
pilots committed to action with both control but German records, which are incomplete,
less training and a growing shortage of indicate losses of only 76.
experienced leaders to look after them.
In addition, the British Staff, unlike the
French and German Staff, distrusted the
policy of grouping the better pilots into
elite units.
B oelcke (with 40 victories) was killed in a collision

on 28th October 1916 but his place was swiftly
filled by Manfred von Richthofen, who shot down
Britain’s leading pilot Lanoe Hawker on 23rd
November 1916. By the spring of 1917, there were 37
Jastas, led by hand-picked pilots who had already
proved themselves in combat. On 14th January 1917,
von Richthofen took command of Jasta 11, arranging
for his brother, Lothar, who had just finished pilot
training, to be posted to the unit. The war in the air was
about to enter a new phase.
This crushing German victory was due to a
F or Spring 1917, the Allies planned a huge joint
offensive between Arras, the British, and the
combination of circumstances.
Aisne, (the French). To support the British offensive,
the RFC deployed 25 squadrons with around 365
serviceable machines, of which perhaps a third were
F irstly, the average German pilot was vastly more
experienced than his British counterpart. The
autumn and the spring had been spent training,
fighters. There were further British squadrons to the mastering the new aircraft and being taught the ‘tricks
north, including many naval units, from the Royal Navy of the trade’ by experienced masters.
Air Service or RNAS, which were based in France to
support the ground fighting. When the Arras battle
commenced on 9th April 1917 there were five German
S econdly, the German aircraft were generally
superior to those flown by the Allies (although not
exclusively so). The introduction of the Albatros DIII
Jastas in the region. This number rose to 8 as the battle
only widened the margin of superiority, when, that is,
continued. The month of April 1917 was almost
the aircraft held together.
catastrophic for the RFC, and has since been known as
‘Bloody April’. A total of 245 aircraft were lost due to
enemy action during the month, with 211 aircrew killed
or missing and 108 taken prisoner. This compared to a
T hirdly, because the Jastas operated on the
defensive with faster machines, they could pick
and choose when to engage. A good Jasta leader would
38
grand total of 499 aircrew lost in the five month Battle only fight when he had the advantage and there was
little the British could do about this. For the British, sided. Konig (6 victories, Jasta 2) was killed on 2nd
this meant that they tended only to be in combat when April 1917 attacking a FE2d, Osterroht (7 victories,
at a disadvantage over enemy lines, often having to Jasta 12) was killed on 23rd of the same month and
fight their way to safety in slower machines, Festner (12 victories, Jasta 11) was killed two days later,
outnumbered and with fuel running low. 25th April. Lothar von Richthofen’s plane was
seriously damaged attacking a FE2b on the same day
F ourthly, the Jastas normally operated over their
side of the lines. This minimised the chance of
capture if a machine was damaged or an engine
and he was only saved by the timely intervention of
Schafer. It is sobering to bear in mind that, of the 14 top
German scorers in April 1917, only 2 would survive the
malfunctioned. In addition the prevailing wind was
war, one of these being Lothar von Richthofen himself.
usually in the German’s favour. This made it easier for
them to escape if things went badly whilst further
adding to British problems when they, in turn, were
trying to fight their way home.
I n addition, although the
British policy of a non-stop
aerial offensive has been much
criticised for resulting in heavy
F inally, because British aircraft were always on the
offensive, the Germans operated in ‘a target-rich
environment’; there were always opportunities to
losses, it did give an advantage
in both morale and experience
which would be vital in the
score, normally against inferior machines, such as the
climactic battles of 1918. No
elderly BE2 and FE2 observation machines. The
British aircraft was lost on its
French, who were rather more circumspect, and who
airfield to a German aerial
had, in the main, better machines and pilots than their
attack, whilst the Germans were
allies at this time, suffered far less. Due to the less
quite often surprised or strafed
aggressive nature of French pilots, German pilots
at their home base; in 1918, for
thought of a posting to the French front as something
example, Jasta 40 lost all its
of a rest, although there were some very capable
aircraft to a British attack on its
French pilots, especially those in the elite Les Cigones.
airfield.
H. A. Jones, the official RAF historian, described von
Richthofen’s leadership and tactics as follows:
’Richthofen’s task was to inflict the greatest
T he influence of an experienced and aggressive
leader on a fighter unit can be seen from Manfred
von Richthofen’s Jasta 11. When he took command
damage with the minimum of loss to his own of the Jasta, it had no victories. Only one other
service, and he knew that, on any day suitable for pilot, Schafer, had scored prior to joining Jasta 11,
flying, great numbers of aeroplanes of the Royal despite the fact that all the pilots were experienced
Flying Corps would be over the German lines. flyers. Under Richthofen’s leadership, Jasta 11 scored
He seldom had to seek combat and he 36 victories from January to March and 89 victories in
could make his choice, and if it was ... to avoid April, accounting for about a third of all RFC losses!
or to break off a fight, Richthofen would Richthofen himself claimed 36 of these victories,
never hesitate... [Richthofen’s unit] was, bringing his total to 52, and making him the leading ace
therefore, not only extremely active, but also of the war when he went on leave at the beginning of
extremely elusive.’ May. His brother Lothar, meanwhile, had scored 16
victories, but Manfred was not altogether satisfied with
D espite the Jasta’s advantages it should be noted

that the combat was not always completely one
Lothar’s performance, feeling that he was too reckless,
a ‘shooter’ rather than a ‘hunter’ and overly-fixated
39
about scoring a kill on every flight. Nevertheless, that was equal, and in some areas superior, to the best
Lothar was placed in command of Jasta 11 during his that the Jastas were equipped with. The SE5 also
brother’s absence. mounted two machine guns and was a very stable firing
platform.
April had been a terrible month for the RFC
but there were some promising signs.
Firstly, despite the high casualties, the RFC
A lthough 56 Squadron was not officially formed
as an ‘anti Richthofen’ squadron, it was soon
seen as such, and, in effect, perhaps it was, as 56’s
was still able to operate in German airspace.
mission was to re-establish Allied air superiority over
Secondly new aircraft, such as the SE5 and Arras, which meant that sooner or later it would have
the Bristol Fighter, were on the way or had to engage and defeat Jasta 11. It is also interesting to
just been introduced. Although due to note that 56 tended to follow Jasta 11 and later JG1 up
faulty tactics the Bristol Fighter had been and down the front for the rest of the war. In response,
savaged by Jasta 11 in April, it was later to the German press indignantly claimed that the British
become one of the finest aircraft of the war. had put a price on the head of their leading ace.
Curiously some German pilots also thought that 209
Thirdly, future leading aces, such as Bishop Squadron, which was engaged by Manfred von
and McCudden, had survived. Richthofen in his final fight in 1918, was also a special
‘anti Richthofen’ squadron, perhaps because the
F inally, and possibly most importantly of all,
56 Squadron had arrived at the front, flying
its first patrol on 22nd April 1917. For the formation of
squadron marking was red noses!
this squadron, the RFC had overcome its dislike of

grouping crack pilots into a single unit and had combed
France for experienced flyers. Of 56’s initial
complement, seven pilots would go on to become aces,
and three of the pilots who joined in May 1917 would
also become aces. By the end of the war, 56 Squadron
would claim 427 victories. Amongst 56 Squadron’s
initial complement was Albert Ball, commanding A
Flight, who already had 31 victories. The brand new
squadron was given a brand new fighter aircraft - the
SE5. For almost two months, the squadron practised
with their new machine just outside London, far away
from the slaughter over Arras. Although initially the
new aircraft was not popular, being rather less
manoeuvrable than the Nieuports which most of the
pilots were familiar with, the squadron soon came to
appreciate its excellent qualities, including speed,
ruggedness and rate of climb. It was easy to fly and had
no serious vices. The RFC now had a fighter aircraft
40
Ball either became disorientated during his combat

M eanwhile, on the other side of the lines, the
Germans had formed the first fighter group,
combining Jasta 3, 4, 11 and 33 into a single fighting
with Lothar and lost control, or suffered a mechanical
malfunction, possibly due to battle damage or low fuel.
unit. This concentration of fighter Jastas would later Only 5 pilots of 56 Squadron made it home, one other
become a permanent ‘Jagdgeschwader’. It would move pilot being killed and four crash-landing (with two
up and down the front, being sent to wherever the wounded) on the British side of the lines. They claimed
fighting was hottest, and this mobility, combined with four definite victories and two possibles but Jasta 11
the brightly coloured planes its pilots flew, led to it lost only Pluschow wounded, although other aircraft
being dubbed the ‘Flying Circus’ by the Allies. may have been forced down without injury to the pilot.
Although April had been a successful month for the 56 Squadron’s defeat may have been due to over
Jastas, the Germans still planned to fight a defensive air aggressiveness in its showdown with Jasta 11, but the
war as they were still outnumbered. The entry of Jasta seems to have had the clear edge in tactics, its
America into the war on the side of the Allies meant various flights providing much better support for one
that the numerical odds would tip further against the another than the scattered individuals of 56. It was a
Germans in the future. sobering lesson for the RFC, one that it would
eventually learn very well indeed.
W ith his brother away on leave, Lothar steadily
increased his score, shooting down three
aircraft in the first week of May - an FE2b, an FK8 and A fter his battle with Ball, Lothar further increased
his tally. On 9th May 1917, he shot down a
a Nieuport 17. On the other side of the lines 56 Bristol, on the 10th a Pup and on the 11th another
Squadron got steadily more aggressive with its patrols Bristol. On the 13th, flying with Karl Allmenroder,
and, with growing confidence, had several brief
encounters with red Albatrosses. Ball’s victory tally had
reached 44 by 6th May 1917. The following day, despite
poor conditions, both Jasta 11 and 56 Squadron were
patrolling the front around Douai, the home of Jasta 11,
as were 19 Squadron (Spads) and 8 RNAS Squadron
(Triplanes) together with some Nieuports and Bristol
Fighters. Jasta 3 may also have been in the area. What
followed was one of the most hotly-debated combats of
World War 1, the exact details of which will never be
known. Taking off at 5.30 p.m., the 11-strong 56 fought
a series of running battles with various numbers of
Albatrosses in worsening visibility, gradually getting
split up in the process. Finally Lothar was left locked in
single combat with Ball, the end result being Lothar
crash-landing and Ball being killed in a crash behind
German lines. Eventually the Germans decided that
Lothar must have shot him down, although Lothar
himself claimed a triplane, but it is equally likely that
41
Lothar, his score now 23, chose these colours as recognition symbols. Schafer...
spotted a BE2 which had his elevator, rudder and most of the back part of
dived away. Lothar the fuselage black, Allmenroder used white on the nose
pursued and shot it down and spinner, Wolff used green and I had yellow’.
at low level. With a light
haze obscuring the area,
Lothar stayed low looking
I ndeed, most of Jasta 11’s aircraft at this time were
mainly, but not entirely, red. Typically, aircraft
would have red fuselages and struts, sometimes red
for landmarks so he could
tailplanes and wings. Individual markings, applied in
find his position. Anti-
addition to Jasta markings, were often based on the
aircraft guns opened fire
colours of the pilot’s former army regiment.
on him, hitting the
Richthofen’s aircraft soon became known as ‘le diable
Albatros and wounding
rouge’ or ‘le petit rouge’, as he referred to it. A rumour
Lothar in the left hip. He
went round the RFC that it was flown by a girl in the
managed to stagger over
fashion of Joan of Arc. Schafer meanwhile was referred
the lines and crash-
to as ‘the Pink Lady’ by British pilots.
landed, waking up in
hospital at Douai. His JASTA 11
brother, upon hearing the
news, remarked ‘Lothar has been playing the fool
again.’ His wounds would keep Lothar out of combat
O n 1st May 1917, when Manfred von Richthofen
went on leave, Jasta 11 included, in addition to
Lothar, the following pilots who had scored victories:
for five months, his only consolation being the award of
the ‘Orden Pour le Merite’, otherwise known as the Pilot Victories to date Final total
Blue Max, on the 14th, a mere four months after it was
Wolff 27 33
awarded to his brother. Manfred later wrote ‘Had my
brother not been wounded, I believe that, after my Allmenroder 9 30
return from leave, he likewise would have gone on
leave with 52 having been dispatched.’ By June 18th Schafer 23 30
Manfred was back in combat. Mohnicke 1 9
GERMAN MARKINGS Niederhoff 2 7
I n early 1917, Manfred von Richthofen hit upon the

idea of painting his Albatros red. Whilst this could
be seen as an example of bravado, it did have practical
Brauneck 7 10
Of these Lothar, Mohnicke and Brauneck would
benefits. During air combat it was important for pilots survive the war.
to instantly identify their leader, and it also helped
ground observers follow the course of an engagement.
Its impact on morale for both friend and foe should L othar’s wingmen on the evening of 7th May were
Allmenroder (10 victories to date), Mohnicke (1)
and probably Simon (1). Although there are reports
also not be underestimated. Before long, other German
pilots were following his example. Lothar wrote: that Wolff was flying, these are almost certainly
o
incorrect as he had been posted to command Jasta 29.
‘It had long been our wish to have all the aeroplanes The confusion probably arises from Simon flying a
of our staffel painted red... the request was granted... similarly marked Albatros.
42 As we could not see each other’s faces in the air, we
288 fcg man battle camb ENG 4/11/97 3:22 am Page 1
CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES BATTLE OF CAMBRAI 1917

TANK BATTLE- CAMBRAI 1917
T he Allied ground attacks in spring 1917 achieved

little and left the French army on the verge of
mutiny. To keep the pressure off the French, the British
launched a series of offensives in Flanders, culminating
in 3rd Ypres. In October, the British attacks were
fought to a standstill in the mud and blood of
Passchendaele. Above the trenches the war in the air
intensified as both sides strove to achieve an advantage
that would tip the ground fighting in their favour.
T he RFC continued to expand and was bolstered

by the arrival of new aircraft. The SE5 was given
a more powerful engine and, as the SE5a, became one
of the most successful fighter aircraft of the war. In The Somme sector, south
June, the Sopwith Camel arrived, and swiftly
established itself as the supreme dogfighting aircraft,
of Arras, 20 November
claiming the destruction of 1,294 enemy aircraft by the 1917... Hundreds of
end of the war. British training facilities had been
greatly improved following the Bloody April
nightmare. At the start of 1917 new British pilots
I n response to numerical and equipment inferiority,
the Germans officially formed Jagdgeschwader 1
(JG1) in June. This grouped Jastas 4, 6, 10 & 11 into a
British tanks are bursting
through the Hindenburg
reaching the front had often had less than 20 hours single unit under the command of Manfred von
flying training - just sufficient to teach them the Richthofen, who could hand-pick his pilots. The unit line, with six infantry
rudiments of aircraft control, but not how to fly in was given its own transport and was fully mobile. Its job divisions close behind. The
combat. By September new pilots arrived at their was to achieve air superiority over any critical area and
squadrons with about 48 hours flying experience. so, as the British offensives continued, JG1 moved up German defense is
Across the lines, Jasta pilots soldiered on with the and down the front to counter them. collapsing. Cambrai, a
Albatros, and although a new model was introduced,
the DV, many pilots complained of having to fight in
inferior machines. Richthofen referred to ‘this damned A s the fighting intensified, both on the ground and
in the air, some massive dogfights erupted over
the front lines. On 26th July 1917, up to 100 aircraft
bastion for the German
army, is menaced.
Albatros’, whilst Osterkamp stated:
were engaged in a single dogfight near Ypres. The day
‘The Albatros is no longer sufficient; the Camel of the lone flyer was all but over; what mattered now
and Spad are its superiors.’ was teamwork and formation tactics. Through the skill
and experience of their pilots, the Germans still,
T he Pfalz DIII was introduced in the autumn but
offered little in the way of improvement, and the
one hope for the Jasta pilots was the Fokker DrI, or
perhaps, had a slight edge in aerial combat, but this
could not last forever. Allmenroder (with 30 victories)
died in June, leading Jasta 11 against the British
triplane. Unfortunately, although it exhibited dazzling
triplane squadrons. Schafer was killed in July (30
manoeuvrability in the hands of a skilled pilot, there
victories) and Dostler in August (26 victories) whilst
were a series of fatal crashes in October which resulted
Manfred von Richthofen was wounded in July. Schafer,
in it being taken out of service, whilst the reasons
Dostler and von Richthofen himself were shot
were investigated and modifications made. It was
attacking lowly two-seaters. In September Wolff (33
not until late December that the triplane returned to
victories) was killed by Camels and Voss (48 victories) 43
front-line service.
BATTLE OF CAMBRAI 1917 CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES
lost an epic battle against 56 Squadron. around the 25th but, although further gains were made,
Both Wolff and Voss were flying early the opportunity for a decisive success had passed. On
versions of the Fokker Triplane. the 30th, the Germans counterattacked after a one-
Increasingly, the German aces and hour barrage. German stormtroopers, who had spent
Jasta leaders had to fly to the limit to the year perfecting their specialised assault tactics
offset the increasing numbers and against the Russians and Italians, supported by
dominance of the RFC, the result dedicated ground attack aircraft, broke through the
being that more and more of them British lines. British reinforcements halted the German
were killed or wounded. The war in the offensive and after several days of see-saw fighting, the
air was now becoming a very deadly battle petered out on December 6th with both sides
business indeed and there were few largely in their original positions. Although not
easy victories. decisive, Cambrai pointed the way to how
N evertheless, some daredevils still survived. In the

summer of 1917 Sibley (‘Squibs’) and Shone in a
Bristol Fighter flew over Germans on leave, who were
socialising with their girlfriends on the promenade at
Ostende, and showered them with rotten oranges.
They later dive-bombed a German aerodrome with a
bright red football and several streamers. In both
cases they were careful not to fire - that would have
ruined the joke!
T he Third Battle of Ypres finished on 10th

November 1917 and it seemed that this would be
the end of serious ground fighting for the year.
However, the British had one last card to play. On 20th
November, they launched a surprise attack at Cambrai.
After a lightning barrage, the British went ‘over the
top’, the assault spearheaded by 374 tanks, with another battles would be fought in the future - with tanks,
102 in reserve and supported by fighters flying ground specialised assault troops and the widespread use of
attack missions. Handicapped by poor visibility, the ground attack aircraft.
German lines in many places collapsed completely, but
a combination of desperate German defence, notably
at Bourlon Wood and Flesquires, and poor British
F or Cambrai the British had massed 300 aircraft in
the area, including 134 fighters, some of which
came from 56 Squadron. In opposition, the Germans
staffwork, meant that a complete breakthrough ‘to the
only had Jasta 5 with some support from Jasta 12 and
green fields beyond’ was not achieved. Especially
37. They were fortunate that Jasta 5 was one of their
important in halting the British advance was the
best fighter units, claiming 251 victories by the end of
German artillery which was the best weapon to use
the war which made it the third most successful Jasta.
against tanks. It often continued firing until it was
On the 23rd, JG1 was rushed to the area, for once
overrun. At the end of the first day, 65 tanks had been
mirroring the movements of 56, and the air fighting
knocked out, 71 had broken down and 43 were stuck in
intensified. 50 aircraft dogfights over Bourlon Wood
44
the trenches. The British continued the attack until
CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES BATTLE OF CAMBRAI 1917
became common. Casualties were heavy, British Germany’s leading surviving ace with 62). He had a
squadrons undertaking ground attack missions white chevron on his nose and a white ‘LO’ (after his
suffering 30% losses a day. Despite these casualties, girlfriend) on the fuselage.
both sides continued to attack ground targets during
the see-saw fighting. The objective of these missions,
according to a German memorandum, was ‘to shatter
A lso in the area was ‘Green Tail’. McCudden, a
leading RFC ace with 56 squadron, had several
encounters with an unusually aggressive Albatros
the enemy’s nerve by repeated attacks in close
Flight which had a very capable leader. On at least one
formation and thus to obtain a decisive influence on
occasion, this Flight forced 56 to ‘run for it’. The
the course of the fighting.’ The British admitted ‘the
German leader’s aircraft had a green tail, yellow
morale effect of this was very great and no doubt
fuselage and red nose. There was a large capital ‘K’ on
tended to facilitate the enemy’s success.’
the top wing and an inverted white ‘V’. His flight all
THE JASTAS had red noses and yellow fuselages but different
coloured tails - green, red, light blue, black, yellow and
J asta 5 machines had green tails with a thin red
outline and red spinners. Wings were in the normal
German camouflage, although later white chevrons
black and white striped. Their first encounter with 56
was on 23rd November. On 19th December Mayberry,
were usually painted on these. Individual pilots often of 56, who had 21 victories, was shot down by ‘Green
had large numbers or initials on the fuselage to aid Tail.’ On 18th February 1918, McCudden in turn shot
identification. In reality, this unit received Triplanes in down ‘Green Tail.’
May 1918 from JG1 and these aircraft probably JAGDGESCHWADER 1
remained in their original markings. However, there is
Jasta 4 Triplanes had engine cowlings, wheels and
some evidence that certain aircraft had new markings
interplane struts in an off-white
painted on, but whether these were the Jasta 5
colour.
markings or individual pilots insignia is unclear.
Notable pilots with Jasta 5 at Cambrai were Rumy (2 Jasta 6 Triplanes had black
victories at the start of the battle, finishing the war with engine cowlings and black and
45), Konnecke (8/35) and Mai (2/30). white stripes covering the
tailplane.
Jasta 12 aircraft had black tails and white spinners.
Their Triplanes had white cowlings. Jasta 11 Triplanes had red
engine cowling and interplane
J asta 37 aircraft had tailplanes diagonally striped in
narrow black and white bands. The fuselages were
all black with white numerals on the nose and white
struts. Sometimes wings and
fuselage were also red.
symbols on the fuselage. At Cambrai, the Jasta was led Jasta 10 was never issued with
by Udet, who had 14 victories (finishing the war as Triplanes.
45
BATTLE OF CAMBRAI 1917 CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES
GERMAN FIGHTER AIRCRAFT AT THE

FRONT NOVEMBER 1917
Fokker Dr1 - 17 in October, 35 in December. Aircraft
in reality grounded in November.
Albatros DIII 446
Albatros DV 526
Albatros DVa 53
Pfalz DIII 276 (in December)
BRITISH UNITS
A t Cambrai, the British committed the following

fighter squadrons: 64 and 68 with DH5s, 41, 56
and 84 with the SE5a, 3, 43 and 46 with Camels and 11
with Bristol Fighters. Aces included McCudden (19
victories at the start of the battle, final score 57),
Bowman (20/32), Mayberry (18/21) all from 56
Squadron and Maxwell (11/27) with 11 Squadron.
McCudden flew an SE5a with a white ‘G’ on the
fuselage and a white band around the fuselage
immediately in front of the tail. Later he fitted a large
red spinner from a captured LVG to the nose of the
aircraft and had a huge red ‘6’ painted on the planes.
CAMBRAI IN THE GAME
We have made a few changes to the Battle of
Cambrai for game purposes.
Firstly, we have made the weather better than it
actually was to encourage air operations.
Secondly, we have allowed the Fokker Triplane to re-
enter combat faster than it did in reality. This is to allow
you to fly this classic First World War aircraft in a
campaign setting.
o
Finally, we have allowed the Triplane to carry 4
bombs, which in reality it never did, in order to assist
you against the British tank offensive.
46
288 fcg man spring off ENG 4/11/97 3:29 am Page 1
CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES SPRING OFFENSIVE 1918
Schlactstaffels and enlarged. To further the quest for air

superiority JG2 (Jasta 12, 13, 15, 19) and JG3 (Jasta 2,
26, 27, 36) were formed.
J asta equipment remained relatively unchanged.

The Fokker Triplane was back in active service, but
it was seen only as a ‘stopgap’ measure until the Fokker
DVII became operational, and relatively few Jastas
were equipped with it. Jasta 6 and 11 (JG1) were all
Triplane units, Jasta 4 (JG1) had some delivered in
April. Jasta 10 (JG1) never received Triplanes, possibly
because von Richthofen was hoping for the swift
arrival of the DVII. The Jastas of JG2 all had some
Triplanes, with Jasta 12 becoming all Triplane, as did Early 1918, and the
JG3 (Jasta 27 all Triplane). This somewhat patchy German lines are cloaked
introduction of the Triplane and the retention of the
in secrecy. Plans for a last
older aircraft meant that formations of mixed aircraft
SPRING OFFENSIVE types were common. great push are afoot. Can
the Germans recapture all
T he winter of 1917 passed relatively uneventfully
on the ground after Cambrai, with both sides
preparing for 1918 which would in all likelihood prove
T he RFC looked forward with confidence to spring
1918. Nearly all of the fighter squadrons had been
losses since 1915? Can
they break through the
re- equipped with either the SE5a, the Camel, the Spad
decisive. The collapse of Russia allowed the Germans XIII or the Sopwith Dolphin. The lessons of 1917 had entire Somme front?
to shift large numbers of troops from the Eastern to the been taken to heart and, under experienced leaders, it Their goals include
Western Front, giving them the opportunity to resume was felt that the RFC could overcome whatever the
the offensive here once more. Indeed, they had little Arras... Amiens...
German Air Service threw at them. Despite the
choice as the Americans were starting to arrive and and beyond.
growing strength of the enemy, the RFC continued its
soon the Allied strength would be unbeatable. For policy of a perpetual offensive. In addition, unlike the
Germany it was a race against time. Britain and France Germans, the British did not form specialised ground
had to be decisively beaten before the American build- attack units, but preferred to use normal fighter
up became irresistible. Extensive preparations were squadrons for this work. This was proved to be the
made for a war-winning attack. A vital factor in its correct decision as it was a far more flexible doctrine,
success would be obtaining control of the air. To further allowing fighters, normally Camels, to bomb the
this objective the ‘Amerika Program’ was drawn up. enemy and then undertake a normal patrol, something
This doubled the number of Jastas from 40 to 80, the Schlactstaffels were unable to do. Indeed the
although many of the new Jastas had only 8 or 9 aircraft Schlactstaffels were to prove a disappointment in 1918,
and these tended to be the inferior types such as the making little impact on the ground battle and operating
Albatros DV and Pfalz DIII. Although engine and at a disadvantage in the air.
aircraft production was to be increased, and the
facilities for training new pilots expanded, the new
Jastas were never brought up to full strength. The two-
seater ground attack units were formed into
T he British Army, exhausted by the battles of 1917,
and given an extra 28 miles of front line to occupy
due to the weakened state of the French, adopted a
47
SPRING OFFENSIVE 1918 CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES
defensive posture. It was confident that, despite the squadrons the attack cannot go on.’ Nevertheless,
increasing number of troops recalled from Russia, the under incessant German attacks, the British line
German offensive would be ‘shot to pieces’ when it continued to crumble, leading to the order ‘Squadrons
eventually came. After all, the British had been will bomb and shoot up everything they can see ... very
attacking across no-man’s-land since 1915 and they had low flying is essential. All risks to be taken. Urgent.’
never achieved a breakthrough. Why should a German The British fighters accordingly attacked at very low
advance fare any better? level, one German account saying ‘Lieutenant Nocke
had to fling himself flat on the ground, but for all that
T he German High Command planned to smash the
British Army first and then turn on the French.
The attack was meticulously planned and would use the
he was struck on the back by the wheels of one
machine, thus literally being run over.’ The cost of such
attacks was high, however. Stock of 54 Squadron wrote:
‘stormtroop’ tactics seen at Cambrai. Some 1,680 ‘We had very few pilots left of the old squadron by this
aircraft were massed against the British, 730 of them to
support the first attack, leaving only 367 to fight the
French. JG1 and JG2 were both employed against the
British, JG2 in the north around Ypres, whilst JG3 was
on the border between the British and French
positions. The RFC in the area chosen by the Germans
for their offensive could muster 579 aircraft. The
German assault commenced on 21st March after a
lightning barrage. Concealed by mist, the
stormtroopers rapidly broke through the British
positions. At the end of the first day of the ‘Kaiser’s
Battle’, the British had suffered 38,000 casualties, lost
532 guns and been driven back 10 miles. The RFC was
hurled into the battle to turn the tide. Despite its
numbers, the German Air Service (Luftstreitkrafte),
was unable to gain control of the air, the Jastas largely
remaining on the defensive. Offensive operations were
time. About six were missing and five had been
largely left to the Schlactstaffels, who fought at a
wounded.’ Many aircraft staggered back to base,
disadvantage if caught by British fighters. If the
riddled with holes. A mechanic noted ‘Own aircraft
German Air Service had concentrated on ground
badly shot about, rather stirring times.’
attacks with all its aircraft, it is possible that the British
retreat might have been turned into a rout. As it was,
the British flyers started to exert a decisive influence
on the ground fighting. One German regiment
A lthough the priority for the RFC was to support
the troops on the ground, there was still
substantial fighting in the air. Trollope of 43 Squadron
reported ‘Under the ... frequent attacks by air (Camels) scored six victories on 24th March. On the
48
27th, the Germans claimed 26 victories (13 by JG1) and

a further seven from anti-aircraft fire. In reply, the
RFC claimed 16 confirmed victories. The following
O n April 9, in poor visibility, the Germans
launched a second offensive, once more against
the British, who had disregarded reconnaissance
day, Trollope was wounded and shot down and reports from their pilots warning of the new German
43 Squadron lost five Camels from a patrol of 9 when build up. The German assault troops swept through the
they ran into JG1. However, despite the pressing need British lines again, putting the Allied positions in grave
of their troops for air support, many of the Jastas peril. Field Marshal Haig issued an order of the day to
seemed reluctant to abandon their old defensive the British forces:
tactics, much of the fighting being done by JG1; von
Richthofen scored 9 victories during the course of this ‘There is no other course open to us but to fight
first German attack, taking his total to 75. But JG1 it out. Every position must be held to the last
could not be everywhere at once. Stock, flying a man. There must be no retirement. With our
bombing mission, encountered six German aircraft backs to the wall and, believing in the justice of
above his formation: ‘The Huns went east, thus showing our cause, one must fight on to the end.’
their usual spirit of avoiding a scrap unless the
advantage is with them.’ This led a German ground unit
to complain ‘The English got valuable support from
D espite some poor weather, fighting in the air
intensified with JG1 being particularly active
and successful for the Germans. For the RAF,
their aircraft, which attacked regardless of the ‘Willie’ Woollett of 43 Squadron equalled Trollope by
consequences ... Our own airmen were absent.’ shooting down six German aircraft in one day on 12th
April. By the 18th, with the help of French
T he first German attack was halted on the 5th of
April, 10 miles short of the vital town of Amiens.
Although there was a lull in the ground fighting, the
reinforcements rushed to the front, British troops
halted the German advance.
battle for air supremacy continued, 43 Squadron losing Nevertheless, over the battlefield,
another 5 Camels on the 6th when they once again the air fighting continued, with
came across JG1. Meanwhile on April 1st the RFC and some huge, multi-layered
RNAS were merged into a new independent dogfights developing.
organisation - The Royal Air Force. Although the long On 21st April, Captain Roy
term results of this were to be highly significant, to the Brown of 209 Squadron (Camels)
weary British pilots at the time it meant little other filed the following combat report :
than amusement that in the new uniform they tended
to get mistaken for generals, and rather less happily ‘Dived on a large formation of
that pay would now be paid a month in arrears rather 15 to 20 Albatros Scouts and
than a month in advance. To co-ordinate the ground Fokker Triplanes, two of which
battle better, the French general Foch had been placed got on my tail and I came out.
in supreme command of the Allied Armies on Went back again and dived on a
April 3rd. pure red Triplane which was
49
firing on Lieut. May. I got a long burst into him ‘There were dangerous Huns about, circuses like
and he went down vertically and was observed to Richthofen’s ... [but] the German habit of
crash ... I fired on two more but did not get draining their best pilots away into circuses, left
them.’ the ordinary people very ordinary’ and
The pilot of the red Triplane was Manfred ‘Their wind up was enormous; they were
von Richthofen, who the day before had exceedingly difficult to find and never attacked
claimed his 80th victory. He was dead. without odds of four to one in their favour and
the advantage of height ... The only people with
On the ground, heavy fighting continued any fight left in them seemed to be Richthofen’s
until the 25th, when the Germans broke off crowd.’ - Yeates, 46 Squadron.
the battle. Their next blow would be against
the French and, although this would bring
their artillery to within range of Paris, the
final chance for a German victory was gone.
G erman flying operations were further
handicapped by having to move forward to
strange aerodromes as the British were driven back.
The RAF retired onto its supply lines, but the Germans
T he RAF emerged from these defensive
battles with a huge amount of credit.
Although losses had been heavy, their missions
were continually advancing beyond theirs, sometimes
seriously limiting the amount of support they could
give to the ground battle.
had been ‘an important factor in stemming the
German onrush.’ (Liddell Hart). For the German Fighting in the air was now both a complex and
Air Service, spring 1918 had been less satisfactory. sophisticated affair. Typical activity along the front
Although certain individuals and Jastas had scored lines would consist of the following:
heavily, overall they had failed to achieve air
1. Over the front line itself there would be
superiority for some of the most crucial battles of the
ground attack and contact patrol aircraft, flying at
war. In part, this was because they were suffering from
1,000’ or less.
the rapid expansion, brought about by the ‘Amerika
2. Just over a mile behind the front line would be the
Program’. There were not sufficient experienced pilots
observation balloons, directing artillery onto
to man all the Jastas, especially when the best ones
enemy positions. These would be protected by
generally went to the Jagdgeshwaders. This tended to
anti-aircraft (‘archie’) batteries.
mean that the average British squadron was superior to
3. At about 4,000’, corps aircraft (2 seater
the average German Jasta, especially as the British had
reconnaissance machines) would flit to and fro
the edge in the quality of their aircraft. In addition, the
across the lines, directing artillery and
Jastas seemed to have had difficulty in adjusting to
photographing enemy positions. Hovering above
offensive operations. One British pilot wrote of the
them at around 7,500’ would be fighters tasked
German fighters:
with protecting their own observation aircraft and
50
shooting down the enemies; for the British, these

fighters would normally be Camels, the Germans
often using Triplanes at this altitude.
4. At about 14,000’, there would be further fighter
patrols, the British tending to use SE5a squadrons
at this height, the Germans Albatros, Pfalz or
Triplanes.
5. At 18,000’, there would be further high-altitude
fighter cover, the British having Bristol Fighters or
Sopwith Dolphins here. At this height the top layer
of the Jagdstaffels would also lurk (Albatros and
Pfalz), usually in the sun.
I n addition to all this aerial activity, Allied bombers

and long range reconnaissance missions would tend
to fly at between 10,000 and 14,000’, often with fighter
cover, and the Germans would have single high-
altitude reconnaissance machines, nosing about
between 18 & 25,000’.
target, only to be jumped in turn by another enemy
formation in the area. A simple flight against flight
F or the British, Camels would tend to patrol up to
about 10 miles behind enemy lines, the SE5s and
Bristols about 20 miles, although trips of 40 miles into
dogfight could suddenly escalate into a massive aerial
melee with over a 100 aircraft engaged. In this
‘Hunland’ were not unknown, whilst the long range confusing and constantly changing situation, good
reconnaissance and bombing machines would venture squadron and flight commanders were at a premium.
up to 100 miles behind the front. Experienced leaders were required to keep friendly
losses to a minimum whilst inflicting maximum
T he result of all these air operations was that there
was nearly always some sort of air activity going
on between ground level and 20,000’, over a strip of
damage on the enemy.
territory at least 20 miles wide. There were constant 54 SQUADRON

opportunities to surprise an enemy aircraft or
formation - and to be surprised oneself. Often a
formation would dive on what appeared to be an easy
T his was a fairly typical RFC (later RAF) fighter
unit. It was formed in May 1916. After a period in
which it held its own in the air, flying Sopwith Pups, it
51
GERMAN FIGHTER AIRCRAFT AT THE

FRONT - FEBRUARY 1918
Albatros DV 250
Albatros DVa 475
Pfalz DIII 182
o
Pfalz DIIIa 261
Fokker Dr1 143
was re-equipped with Camels in December 1917, which

it flew until the end of the war. It finished the war with
something over 125 victories. During the fighting 11
pilots became aces whilst flying with 54. It was heavily
engaged during the German Spring Offensive, often
flying ground attack missions, losing 40 Camels
between February and April, mainly to ground fire.
Notable pilots with the squadron at the start of the
German attack were Hackwill (3 victories by 21st
March and a final score of 9), Kitto (4/9), Gonne (5/5)
and Maxwell (5/9).
U nlike the Jastas, most British units tended not to

use colourful markings. The Camels of 54
Squadron were in the standard British colour scheme,
with metal cowlings and large white numerals on the
fuselage sides, sometimes in front of the roundel,
sometimes behind.
52
288 fcg man hat in ring ENG 4/11/97 3:26 am Page 1
CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES HAT-IN-THE-RING 1918
opportunity for a ‘knock out’ blow had passed and the

German armies went onto the defensive. The initiative
in the war was now firmly with the Allies, especially as
300,000 fresh American troops were now arriving in
France every month. British, French and American
forces all prepared to attack. Germany’s last hope was
to fight a defensive war until the Allies became
exhausted, so avoiding battlefield defeat and allowing
some sort of compromise peace to be negotiated.
T he Americans were also making their mark in the

air. On the 14th April 1918, the 94th Aero
Squadron - ‘Hat in the Ring’- scored its first two
victories, a Pfalz and an Albatros falling to Campbell It’s 1918, and the US
and Winslow. From this beginning, the squadron would Expeditionary Force is
score 67 victories by the end of the war. Although these unleashing its new aero
victories were not the first scored by Americans during pursuit squadrons, to
THE HAT IN THE RING the war, they were the first scored by an ‘official’ US
squadron. This was a significant achievement for a
help roll back the German
O n 27th May 1918, the Germans attacked French

positions along the Chemin des Dames, and once
again a breakthrough was achieved. Most of the crack
force which in 1917 had mustered only 250 aircraft,
none of which were fit for combat, and 131 officers. The
lines once and for all.
Control of the air is vital.
Americans, struggling to develop an effective aero
German Jastas flew in support of this offensive, and industry, were equipped with British and French
accordingly many French squadrons suffered heavy aircraft. Initially the main fighter was the somewhat
losses. American troops were moved forward to suspect Nieuport 28, which had been largely rejected
contain the German advance. On 29th May, the 1st US by the French in favour of the Spad XIII, but
Division attacked and captured the village of Cantigny, shortcomings in material were to a degree offset by the
fighting off a series of violent German counterattacks excellent quality of the American flyers. The
in the process. The first offensive operation by requirements for a pilot were:
American forces had been a success. Further US forces
were committed to the fighting as the German attack ‘The candidate should be naturally athletic and have
continued. Between 30th May and 17th June, the 2nd a reputation for reliability, punctuality and honesty. He
and 3rd US Divisions checked and then repulsed the should have a cool head in emergencies, a good eye for
German advance at Belleau Wood and Chateau distance, a keen ear for familiar sounds, a steady hand
Thierry. The Germans had driven a bulge over 20 miles and a sound body with plenty of reserve; he should be
deep in the Allied lines since 27th May, but this had quick-witted, highly intelligent and tractable.
been a last effort. Two further German offensives were Immature, high strung, over-confident, impatient
launched, but with little effect. By 17th July, the candidates are not desired.’
53
HAT-IN-THE-RING 1918 CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES
It is, however, curious to note that surviving ace. The RAF declined to use it, believing
these latter characteristics would have ‘that pilots, given a means to escape, would be tempted,
disqualified many of the top when under threat, to abandon their machines
European aces from achieving prematurely.’ An astonishing insult to the courage of
greatness in the air. airmen who had flown a non-stop offensive from the
dawn of air combat, often in inferior machines, and
T he first American operations
were conducted on the relatively
whose morale had never cracked.
quiet Meuse - Argonne front. In June
the 1st Pursuit Group (94th and 95th
Aero Squadrons) moved to the
B y now, the infamous Triplane had been largely
withdrawn from German service (there were
only 65 at the front in July), partly because it was too
main battle front in the Chateau slow and partly because a shortage of lubricating oil
Thierry-Soissons area. Initially, the made it almost impossible to maintain. A few aces
inexperienced pilots had a very tough managed to hold on to a triplane for personal use,
time against the vastly more knowledgeable Jastas,
especially as most of the Jagdgeschwaders were, by
now, flying the Fokker DVII. On 1st August, six
American pilots were lost. However, the combat was
not all one-sided. Menckhoff, the commander of the
successful Jasta 72 with 39 victories to his name, was
shot down and captured over Chateau Thierry by the
95th Squadron on 25 July. The situation continued to
improve when the 2nd Pursuit Group arrived, and the
Americans replaced their Nieuports with Spads. They
were also given a respite when JG1, 2 and 3 moved
back to the British front to counter the attack at
Amiens. The RAF, in turn, also suffered heavily from
this concentration of German aerial expertise. But the
Jagdgeschwaders could only hinder, not stop, Allied air
operations, and they could not cover the entire front.
despite an official order that all were to be withdrawn,
D uring the August fighting a new invention was
seen. On 11 August, Gardner (RAF, 19
Squadron) attacked a Pfalz which started to burn. The
but it was an uphill struggle to keep them serviceable.
Jacobs (Jasta 7, flying an all black aircraft) was forced
to use captured Camel engines in his machine, offering
pilot leapt from the cockpit and deployed a parachute,
German infantry a crate of champagne for every
the first time this had been done from an aeroplane in
engine they could salvage for him from the front lines.
combat. Only the German Air Service would utilise this
He managed to keep his aircraft airworthy into
invention during the war and it would save many pilots,
October. Jacobs finished the war with 48 victories. 30 of
including Udet who would finish the war as their top
54
these scored whilst flying a Triplane, making him the successes, it had lost all 4 of its Jasta commanders,
most successful Triplane pilot of the war. The Fokker Lowenhardt killed, Lothar von Richthofen and Wenzel
DVII was a worthy replacement, but there were simply wounded, and Udet withdrawn from active duty,
not enough. Jastas which had failed to establish a exhausted. JG1 was also equipped with DVIIs, and
reputation had to continue to use the now severely possibly some of the new monoplane Fokker DVIII.
outclassed Albatros and Pfalz. The next generation of The Jastas continued to claim victories but Stark of
German fighter aircraft; the Fokker DVIII and Jasta 34 commented:
Siemens-Schuckert DIV, were delayed due to engine,
‘The enemy’s material superiority was making itself
fuel and oil shortages.
more and more felt, and so dooming us to failure.’
O n 12th September, the Americans launched

an attack around St. Mihiel to keep the pressure
on the Germans. In the air, they were supported
S eptember was to be an extremely bloody month
for all of the opposing air services. Indeed, it
almost made the losses of Bloody April pale into
by 12 fighter squadrons, 3 bombing squadrons, 10
insignificance. For the Jasta pilots, it was to be their
observation squadrons and one night reconnaissance
‘final hurrah.’ Shortages of fuel and equipment were
squadron. To these American units, ‘Billy’ Mitchell,
starting to seriously curtail their operations, and the
commander of the 1st Army Air Service, could add 61
strain of continual combat was taking its toll. Many
French squadrons. This combined force totalled 701
Jastas were lucky if they could mount patrols with more
fighters, 366 reconnaissance aircraft, 323 day bombers
than six aircraft, and success mainly depended on one
and 91 night bombers. In defence, the Germans had
or two skilled pilots. Jasta 11, so long the scourge of
around 72 fighters, 24 bombers, 105 reconnaissance
Allied squadrons became a shadow of its former self,
aircraft, six ground attack aircraft and six long distance
scoring only eight victories in September. Jasta 36 of
photo aircraft. Some of the German fighter units in the
JG3 was withdrawn from the
area were currently re-equipping with the DVII. On
front after being reduced to
the second day of the battle, JG2 arrived, which could
three aircraft. Unlike Bloody
only field about 40 aircraft, but these were all Fokker
April, during September 1918
DVIIs with the more powerful BMW engine. During
the German fighters were
September, this unit claimed more than 80 victories for
normally prevented from
the loss of five pilots. An American infantryman would
getting at the vulnerable Allied
write of JG2’s activities:
two-seater reconnaissance
‘They had absolute control of the air where I was and machines, and, although they
flew at will over us ... they flew in squadrons of 5 to 35.’ had the ability to inflict a lot of
damage on the escorting Allied
J G1, now commanded by Herman Goring, arrived
in the area towards the end of the month, partly to
check the Americans and partly because its pilots
fighters, their impact on the
battlefield was minimal. In the
main the Allied fighter
needed a rest. Against the British in August, despite its squadrons were more than
55
capable of looking after themselves. It was only if they the Allies claimed 765 to 1,180 victories. German
were unlucky enough to come across a Jagdgeschwader records admit to at least 107 losses but figures are
at full strength or a top quality unit such as Jasta 5 that incomplete, and generally only refer to crew casualties
losses could be severe. rather than aircraft lost. Although the raw figures
might indicate an Allied defeat in the air, this was not
T he Americans played a vital role in sustaining
Allied air supremacy in September. Their fighter
pilots were aggressive, and their commanders were far
the case. The Germans could inflict casualties on Allied
air operations, but not stop them. This aerial support
greatly aided Allied ground offensives with strafing,
more willing than their RAF counterparts to patrol in
bombing, reconnaissance and artillery spotting
large numbers with multiple squadrons. However, their
missions. Equally importantly, they prevented German
bombing squadrons took a large number of
aircraft from carrying out these tasks, making it even
unnecessary losses, mainly due to operating in small
harder for the German Army to respond to the almost
flights without escorts. Nevertheless, despite the
continual advance of the Allied forces. Yet, despite the
sometimes heavy casualties often incurred when
intensity of the combat, there were still occasions when
chivalry between opponents was seen. Stark had the
following encounter with a RAF pilot :
‘... we attack and begin to turn ... neither can get on
the other’s tail and put in a burst ... is it not senseless to
think of fighting now? The other pilot raises his hand
and waves to me; simultaneously both machines pull
out of their turns. Now they are flying side by side, quite
close to one another. Weary of the combat, two birds of
prey soar through the evening sky on peaceful wings ...
I wave to him for the last time; we detach our thoughts
from one another and break off our flight.’
T he American squadrons continued to grow in

strength and expertise after September. By the
end of the war, there were 45 American squadrons at
the front with 740 aircraft. Victories claimed by the
Armistice totalled 781 (with 88 aces) for 289 losses.
confronting the best of the Jastas, American squadrons

O n 27th September, Allied Armies attacked the
much-vaunted Hindenberg Line defences. This
German position fell remarkably quickly and, by 8th
continued to operate effectively over the battlefield. October, it was in Allied hands. The advance continued
The Americans lost 87 aircraft (37 of these being and on 17th October, a Camel landed at the recently
fighters) in September and claimed 135 victories. Total liberated port (and favourite leave destination for
Allied losses in September were 560 aircraft. In total German troops) of Ostende. Although the German
56
defences were crumbling, air combat could still be again. He scored at least six victories in September
intensive - and deadly. On 30th October, the RAF lost piloting a Spad XIII, flying against the best of the
41 fighters (and claimed 67 victories). The Jastas German airforce. By the end of October, he had scored
continued to fight to the end, but it was to no avail. As 26 victories and was commanding the 94th ‘Hat in the
the British fought their way through the Hindenberg Ring’ Squadron. Other American pilots were not
Line, the American Army was pushing forward in the far behind, Lambert scored 18 to 22 serving
Meuse-Argonne region. Fighting was bitter and initial with the RAF, Iaccaci 17 to 18 (also with the
progress was slow as German reinforcements rushed to RAF) and Luke, who also won the
the area. At the start of November, fresh troops led a Congressional Medal of Honour
resumption of the American assault. The final German (posthumous), scored 18. A German
defensive positions were overrun and American who witnessed Luke’s last fight
spearheads broke out into open country. wrote:
O n 11th November Germany accepted defeat, the

guns fell silent and the Great War was over. The
cost of the war in the air had been enormous. The
‘He was a man of dazzling
courage, one of the bravest we
fought in the war.’
German Air Service had lost 5,853 men killed, 7,302
wounded and 2,751 prisoner or missing. The RAF had
lost 6,166 killed, 7,245 wounded and 3,212 prisoner or
T he 94th Squadron tended to
sport rather more colourful
aircraft than most Allied units.
missing. Yet, for some, there remained regrets, and the
Rickenbacker’s Spad had a red
wingless future was regarded with uncertainty:
band around the nose, a red ‘1’ on
‘The land that encircles us is an alien land. The life the top wing and fuselage, and red,
that swallows us up is an alien life. We live in an alien white and blue stripes on the upper
country that we cannot know. Our home - our home is wing. Chambers’ aircraft had a blue
dead. And this home of ours was the Jasta.’ - Rudolph nose with white stars, red and white
Stark, commander Jasta 35 striped fuselage (fore to aft), red and
white striped upper wing and a blue tail
RICKENBACKER AND THE with white wings. Palmer had an aircraft with
‘HAT IN THE RING’ SQUADRON red and blue diamonds on the upper surfaces and
a blue and white striped fuselage. Other aircraft
R ickenbacker claimed his first victory on 29th
April, and by 30th May, he was an ace with five
victories (despite flying the unpopular Nieuport 28)
included one covered in black and white stripes and
one with white wings, blue fuselage and covered in red
and had been promoted to flight commander. and blue spots.
Unfortunately, he developed a serious ear infection
which kept him out of combat until September. Indeed,
initially it was feared that he would never be able to fly
N otable pilots with the squadron (in addition to
Rickenbacker) included Coolidge with 8
victories, Chambers 7, Cook 7 and Campbell 6.
57
THE JASTAS
Jagdgeschwader 2 fought extensively against the Jasta 15 DVIIs had blue fuselages, red noses and
Americans. Its markings were as follows: white upper wings and fin.
Jasta 12 DVIIs had dark blue fuselages with white Jasta 19 DVIIs had yellow noses, dark blue fuselages
noses and tails. and tailplanes and a white rudder and fin.
J asta 13 DVIIs had green noses and dark blue

fuselages. Tailplanes were blue and the wings were M enckhoff’s Jasta 72 had white fins and lozenge-
covered wings and tailplanes. Menckhoff’s own
aircraft carried a large white ‘M’ on the fuselage and
covered in the standard German lozenge camouflage
pattern. Buchner who ended the war with 40 victories, top wing centre section.
mainly scored on the American front, had a DVII in the
above markings but with the addition of a white and
green chequer board stripe around the fuselage,
O ther notable German pilots active against the
Americans included Haussmann (Jasta 13, 15
victories), Hantelmann (Jasta 15, 25 victories including
and the fuselage cross was replaced by a picture the American aces Putnam and Wehner), Becker (Jasta
of a werewolf. The 94th had several encounters 12, 23 victories) and Beaulieu-Marconnay (Jasta 15 and
with this Jasta. 19, 25 victories).
T he above were not the only Jastas flying against

the Americans, merely some of the more
successful ones. Rickenbacker reports that JG1 aircraft
all had red noses and JG2 all had yellow undersides. An
American officer reported a unit (which from the
context would appear to be JG2) as having red noses,
yellow and black sides and white tails with a black
o
cross. There are also references to all red aircraft and
aircraft sporting a chequer board pattern.
58
288 fgg man planes pages ENG 4/11/97 3:42 am Page 1
CHAPTER 5 - THE AIRCRAFT IN FLYING CORPS GOLD

NIEUPORT 28
TECHNICAL DATA
Speed: 128 mph at sea level, 123 disengagement from an aerial encounter
mph at 6,500’, 121 mph at problematical. Consequently, pilots are advised
9,800’, 119 mph at 13,100’ always to maintain a height advantage over their
Climb Rate: 5.0 minutes to reach 6,500’, opponents. Allowing the enemy to get above you in a
9.0 minutes to 9,800’, dogfight is invariably hazardous; doing so in a
21.25 minutes to 16,400’ Nieuport can be fatal as the German fighters can
Maximum Ceiling: 20,000’ trade this edge for superior manoeuvrability far more
Wingspan: 26’ 9” efficiently than the Nieuport. Diving away from an
Length: 21’ aerial battle is always dangerous; in the Nieuport it is
Weight approx: 1,540 lbs loaded doubly so. Similarly, diving attacks must be executed
Armament: 2 Vickers machine with care. All enemy fighters are superior to the
guns firing forward. Nieuport in dive performance.
Fuel endurance approx: 36 gallons, endurance Changes in throttle setting should be gradual, as the
approx. 2.25 hours aircraft is sensitive to sudden changes in power. This
applies to both level flight and take off, where aileron
FLYING THE NIEUPORT 28 assistance may be required to keep the aircraft
The Nieuport is a rotary-engined scout with a 160 hp under control.
powerplant. It is therefore a fast and manoeuvrable
machine, but its performance is compromised by
serious structural weakness. Pilots should generally
attempt to outmaneuver their opponents in a turning
fight for although the Nieuport is capable of
competing in a zoom and dive engagement with the
older German scouts (such as the Albatros and Pfalz),
these tactics should be used with circumspection as
the Nieuport ‘has a grim tendency to shed its wings’. The Nieuport’s high altitude NIEUPORT 28
performance may be suspect as many
Wing failure is likely either during a prolonged power of them struggle to get above 18,000’.
dive, or when the aircraft is pulled into an overly
abrupt climb at high speeds. Equally, stunting or The Nieuport therefore requires a
spinning the aircraft are not recommended. Should gentle hand, it does not take kindly to
the machine’s wings start to collapse, it may be being thrown about. However, provided
possible to crash land if the aircraft can be righted pilots are prudent in how they handle
and flown with minimal throttle. their aircraft and are mindful of its
shortcomings, they should find
Although the Nieuport is fast for a rotary-engined it adequate in most aerial
aircraft, the more recent German fighting machines combats.
have a speed advantage. This, coupled with the
aircraft’s structural weakness, can make
59
SPAD XIII
TECHNICAL DATA FLYING THE SPAD
Speed: 133 mph at 6,500’, The Spad is very fast, very powerful and very stable.
131 mph at 10,000’, To succeed, pilots need to make maximum use of
127 mph at 13,000’. these qualities. The aircraft takes considerable effort
Climb Rate: 2.3 minutes to reach 3,280’, to turn and sudden changes of direction are difficult.
5.0 minutes to 6,500’, 8.3 Pilots are strongly advised not to dogfight with
minutes to 9,800’. enemy triplanes or Fokkers but rather stick to dive
Maximum Ceiling: 22,000’ and zoom tactics or the vrille manoeuvre. The Spad is
Wingspan: 26’ 6’’ immensely strong and can be dived at considerable
Length: 18’ 11’’ speed. This speed can, in turn, be converted into an
Weight approx: 1,850 lbs excellent zoom climb. Pilots should therefore dive
Armament: 2 Vickers machine guns onto their prey and climb out after the attack using
firing forward. the speed which has built up and prepare for another
Fuel endurance approx: 2 hours go. High-speed attacks are rendered easier as the
Spad is a very stable gun platform due to its inherent
stability. It is comfortable at all altitudes and a
suitable aircraft for ground strafing.
To avoid enemy attacks, pilots are encouraged to
utilise either the Spad’s fine climb performance or a
prolonged dive with evasive manoeuvres. Not even
the Fokker can stay with the Spad in this area. The
superior speed of the Spad makes disengagement
from a difficult situation possible by the simple
expedient of outrunning the enemy, but this still
requires a degree of careful timing.
SPAD XIII Pilots are advised always to keep the Spad’s speed
high in combat. Firstly, because this is one of its main
advantages over enemy aircraft and secondly,
because the Spad is difficult to handle at low
airspeeds and is tail-heavy. Caution should be
exercised when switching the engine off in flight, as
the sole method of restarting the motor is a long dive
of around 1,500’ to force the propeller to revolve.
Care must also be taken when landing the Spad. It
has a dauntingly high glide angle and so has to
be brought in under power and it is also prone to
ground looping.
60
FOKKER DRI TRIPLANE

TECHNICAL DATA
Pilots should be aware that the triplane does have two
Speed: 110 mph at sea level, 97 mph
major weaknesses. Firstly, it is slow, both in level flight
at 3,000m, 86 mph at 4,000m.
and the dive. Even the
Climb Rate: 2.9 minutes to reach 1,000m,
Camel, the enemy’s most
5.5 minutes to 2,000m,
9.3 minutes to 3,000m.
Maximum Ceiling: 19,600’
Wingspan: 23’ 7’’
Length: 18’ 11’’
Weight approx: 1,290 lbs loaded
Armament: 2 Maxim machine guns
firing forward.
notable rotary-engined scout, FOKKER DRI TRIPLANE
Fuel endurance approx: 1.5 hours
is superior to the DrI in this
respect. This is especially
FLYING THE DRI marked at high altitudes.
The DrI is a classic rotary-engined fighter, a superb Secondly, the triplane is a very
aerobatic machine. Indeed, it is an inherently unstable lightly-built aeroplane and
machine which ‘climbs like a monkey and has difficulty in withstanding
manoeuvres like the devil’. It is, however, rather slow, the heavy strain of the
especially when compared to the high-performance sharp turns and dives
Allied machines such as the Spad XIII and the SE5a. which are so often
necessary in a
Pilots should be aware that the triplane is very dogfight.
sensitive on every axis, it is light and follows the
slightest movement of the controls. One can turn on The aircraft
the spot like a top and the aircraft climbs like a lift. In also has some
combat, pilots should make maximum use of its idiosyncrasies which pilots need to be aware of. The
manoeuvrability and stick close to their opponent. nose goes down in right- hand turns and up in left-
The triplane turns sharply, especially to the right and hand turns. In both cases, to maintain a constant
is capable of rolling rapidly. It delights in snap altitude in steep turns, left rudder is required. The
manoeuvres and is capable of very rapid flat turns. triplane is also laterally unstable on the ground so
Because the triplane has such extraordinary climbing care must be taken during take off and landing.
ability, it is superior in aerial combat to any enemy.
In summation, pilots will find the triplane an
The triplane can also hang on its prop for a
extremely flexible machine, but possibly too slow
considerable period of time.
for a truly effective fighter. Because of its
When attacked, pilots should always turn to the right, manoeuvrability, it is hard for the enemy to shoot
as in this direction it should be able to out-turn every down. On the other hand, because the enemy
Allied aircraft. Left turns should be avoided, as is generally faster, it is easy for him to escape
machines such as the SE5a have an equal the same fate.
performance in this direction.
61
ALBATROS DIII
TECHNICAL DATA fighting. The Albatros performs best at under 12,000’,
an altitude it can reach efficiently by climbing at
Speed: 108 mph at sea level, 96 mph
about 60 mph. Below this height, the Albatros can
at 2,000m, 93 mph at 4,000m
waltz around most enemy machines if its superior
Climb Rate: 3.7 minutes to reach 1,000m,
climb and speed are utilised. Pilots will find the
8 minutes to 2,000m,
engine reliable, and the Albatros is comfortable to fly
12 minutes to 3,000m
due to the absence of torque effect from the
powerplant. Pilots should also note the advantage
they have with regards to armament compared to the
Length: 24’
enemy machines. The Albatros is fitted with two
Weight approx: 1,950 lbs
synchronised machine guns, firing through the
Armament: 2 Maxim 08/15 Maxim
propeller arc. Currently no Allied machine carries
machine guns firing forward.
such a concentration of firepower.
Although it is a fine machine, pilots should be aware
FLYING THE ALBATROS that the Albatros does have some shortcomings. At
This aircraft is a scout with a 160 hp in- 15,000’, it is an uncertain swimmer and is heavy and
line engine. It is therefore a fast clumsy when turning. When fighting at this altitude,
machine whilst the sesquiplane layout the Sopwith Pup can comfortably out-turn the
a l s o Albatros so pilots will have to use their speed
advantage to offset this. It is said that the enemy
Nieuport can outclimb the Albatros. If this is so,
pilots should use the Albatros’ superior speed
and zoom climb.
Regrettably the wings of this scout are relatively
weak. Structural failure can occur in high speed dives
or during an over-vigorous pull up.
ALBATROS DIII makes it manoeuvrable. This layout
also increases the view from the Overall, the aircraft is easy to fly with few vices. It is
cockpit. It is generally superior to the unlikely to catch fire, has a comfortable gliding angle
enemy rotary engined machines with and good fields of view from the cockpit. Pilots will
regard to speed, and, although care be pleased to learn that the radiator has been
must be taken when entering a moved from the wing centre section, thereby
turning engagement, the Albatros can minimising the chance of scalding, should it be
compete effectively in this style of damaged during combat.
62

SOPWITH CAMEL
TECHNICAL DATA
machine will come out of the spin. It can be forced out
Speed: 122 mph at sea level,
more quickly by applying opposite rudder and pushing
115 mph at 6,500’,
the stick forward briskly but this does not always have
113 mph at 10,000’ the desired result. Pilots are advised to allow lot of
Climb Rate: 6.5 minutes to reach 6,500’, height for spin recovery.
10.8 minutes to 10,000’,
21.8 minutes to 15,000’ The drawback of the Camel is its speed - if it was only
Maximum Ceiling: 19,000’ 50% faster! A Camel can neither catch anything
Wingspan: 28’ except by surprise, nor hurry away from an awkward
Length: 18’ 9” situation and seldom has the option of either accepting
Weight approx: 1,450 lbs or declining combat. Camels are happier at lower
Armament: 2 Vickers machine guns firing altitudes, and patrols should generally be carried out at
12,000’ or below as above this the machine becomes
forward.
less manoeuvrable, giving the advantage to the Hun.
They are, however, good machines for ground strafing
and can dive straight down on anything, and, when a
FLYING THE CAMEL few feet off the ground, go straight up again.
Camels are wonderful fliers once you have got used to
them, which takes about three months of hard flying. The Camel is generally robust and is armed with twin
synchronised machine guns firing forward, being
At the end of that time you are either dead, a nervous
the first Allied scout to equal the Germans in
wreck or a terror to the Huns. The Camel is inherently
this particular.
unstable and has to be held in flying position all the
time as it is out of it in a flash. Steep turns are a real
joy, nothing in the skies can follow so tight a circle and
the Camel can turn three times to the right in the time
it takes an Albatros to do two. Full left rudder is
required to stop the nose from sliding down towards
the earth in right hand turns and from climbing
towards the sky in left hand turns. Do not be afraid to
let the speed fall below 70 knots when turning. Nothing
will half roll like the Camel. A twitch of the stick and
flick of the rudder and you are on your back. The nose
drops at once and you pull out, making a complete During take off or landing the Camel SOPWITH CAMEL
change of direction in the least possible time. Although must be treated with respect. Keep plenty
the Camel can be dived at speed, care must be taken of speed when low down and remember to
not to lose engine pressure, and at over 150 knots the use plenty of left rudder to keep the nose
aircraft does not handle so well. straight. Visibility is poor over the
engine cowling and, when taking
The Camel will loop very quickly but this stunt
off, it is suggested that the tail
requires a great deal of practice and is seldom of any
use in combat. skid is brought off the ground as
soon as speed allows in order to
The Camel does have a tendency to spin. To recover, improve this.
centralise the controls, and after about four turns the
63

SE5A
TECHNICAL DATA
Speed: 137 mph at sea level, Camel). It is more agile than the Spad and easier to
126 mph at 10,000’, handle. Although the SE5a is a capable dogfighter, for
123 mph at 15,000’ best results pilots should utilise dive and zoom tactics.
Climb Rate: 4.92 minutes to reach 5,000’, The SE5a has such a climb and reserve of power that
11 minutes to 10,000, it is quite usual for a machine to get some speed first
19.9 minutes to 15,000’ and then do a vertical zoom, getting in a burst. It
Maximum Ceiling: 20,000 delights in a steep dive, and is steady and quick to
Wingspan: 26’ 8’’ gather speed whilst diving. It can be looped, rolled
Length: 20’ 11’’ and dived vertically at speed without fear of breaking
Weight approx: 1,980 lbs up. It is well-armed with two machine guns and is a
Armament: 1 Vickers synchronised to stable gun platform.
fire through propeller arc, 1 In combat a well-handled SE5a should be able to
Lewis mounted on top wing outzoom any hostile scout encountered. Against the
Fuel endurance approx: 2.5 hours German triplane don’t ever attempt to dogfight it on
anything like equal terms as regards to height,
FLYING THE SE5A otherwise he will get on your tail and stay there until
The SE5a is a stationary-engined scout and is the he shoots you down. To avoid a triplane, stay in a
fastest fighter currently in service. It is a high vertical bank (preferably to the left) with full throttle,
performance machine and performance flick out of the turn as soon as the triplane appears to
means initiative which is the most valuable be changing his position and then run like hell for
and practical asset in any form of war. home, kicking your rudder hard from side to side.
Pilots Pilots will find it very fine to be in a machine which is
will faster than the Huns, and so be able to run away
should things get too hot.
The SE5a can be used for ground attacks, the
suggested method being to dive from 500’, pulling out
at about 50’. The dive and steep pull out can be made
without fear of structural failure.
SE5A rapidly appreciate its good points; great The SE5a poses no difficulties with regard to take off
strength, diving and zooming powers and or landing, being easy to handle at low airspeeds due
its splendid view. It is a very easy machine to its stability. It can be floated onto the airfield.
to fly with innocuous stalling characteristics.
With its new and more powerful engine, the Possessing an excellent combination of speed,
SE5a retains its performance and manoeuvrability and performance at altitude, the
manoeuvrability at high level (unlike the SE5a can be used successfully both as an offensive
and defensive machine.
64
FOKKER DVII NOTES

TECHNICAL DATA This was one of the outstanding fighters of the war.
Speed: 115 mph at sea level, 114 It was fortunate for the Allies that there were only
mph at 3,000m, DVIIF 124 407 in service by July 1918. Donald Hardman (19
mph at 3,000m Squadron RAF 9 victories) detailed its strengths
Climb Rate: 3.9 minutes to reach to as follows:
1,000m. DVIIF 2.5 minutes ‘It could climb to 20,000’ at terrific speed, very good
to reach 1,000m speed on the level and could dive at almost any rate
Maximum Ceiling: 20,000’ to 23,000’ ... it turned at lightning speed and would perform any
Wingspan: 29’ 2’’ stunt better than any other machine. Its success was
Length: 22’ 10’’ attributable to the fact that it was a fairly easy, yet
Weight approx: 1,900 lbs loaded responsive machine to fly.’
Armament: 2 Maxim 08/15 Maxim
machine guns firing forward.
Fuel: 21 imperial gallons,
endurance approx. 2 hours
65

SOPWITH PUP
TECHNICAL DATA
Speed: 111.5 mph at sea level, 106
mph at 6,500’, 104 mph at
10,000’, 94 mph at 15,000’
Climb Rate: 5.16 minutes to reach 5,000’,
approx. 13.75 minutes to
10,000’
Length: 19’ 4’’
Weight: 1,099 lbs loaded
Armament: 1 Vickers or 1 Lewis
Fuel: 18.5 imperial gallons,
endurance 3 to 4 hours
NIEUPORT 17
NOTES TECHNICAL DATA
British designed stablemate to Speed: 103 mph at sea level,
the Nieuport, the Pup, was a 99 mph at 6,560’,
very popular machine being ‘a 96 mph at 9,840.’
delight to fly’. Its strengths were Climb Rate: 3.09 minutes to reach 3,280’,
that it was fully aerobatic to over 6.83 minutes to 6,560’,
15,000’ and, at high altitude, completely outclassed 11.5 minutes to 9,840.’
the Albatros, being able to turn twice as quickly and, Maximum Ceiling: 17,390’
equally importantly, maintaining height whilst Wingspan: 26’ 9’’
turning. Its weaknesses were similar to the Length: 19’
Nieuports; it suffered from being relatively Weight: 1,232 lbs loaded
slow and the initial climb was mediocre which Armament: 1 Vickers or 1 Lewis
meant that at low level it fought with a definite Fuel: 17.6 imperial gallons,
disadvantage against the German Scouts. In common endurance 1.75 hours
with all Allied fighters at this time, the standard
armament was a single machine gun against two on NOTES
the Albatros. Its wings were stronger than the
The French Nieuport was generally liked by its pilots
Nieuports with at least one pilot diving at 180 mph,
who appreciated its manoeuvrability. Its strengths
although this was not recommended.
were that it could turn tightly and had a fair rate of
climb. Its weaknesses were that it was slower than the
Albatros, had only 1 machine gun and exhibited a
tendency to shed its wings in a dive. The Nieuport 17
equipped many RFC and French squadrons in 1917.
A more powerful engine was later fitted
which improved performance but the Albatros
still held the advantage.
66
BRISTOL F2A
SOPWITH 1 1/2 STRUTTER
TECHNICAL DATA
TECHNICAL DATA
Speed: 110 mph at sea level,
Speed: 91 mph at sea level, 101 mph at 10,000’
87 mph at 10,000’ Climb Rate: 14.5 minutes to reach
Climb Rate: 29.5 minutes to reach 10,000’ to 10,000’
Maximum Ceiling: 16,000’ Maximum Ceiling: 16,000’
Wingspan: 33’ 6’’ Wingspan: 39’ 3’’
Length: 25’ 3’’ Length: 16’ 2’’
Weight: 2,223 lbs loaded Weight: 2,600 lbs loaded
Armament: 1 Vickers firing forward, Armament: 1 Vickers firing forward,
1 Lewis manned by the 1 Lewis manned by the
observer for rear protection observer for rear protection
Fuel endurance approx: 3 to 4 hours Fuel endurance approx: 3 hours
NOTES NOTES
A British two-seat aircraft mainly used for The Bristols’ introduction at the start of ‘Bloody
reconnaissance and bombing, the Strutter was April’ was disastrous when 48 Squadron lost four
originally designed as a two-seat fighter and was from a flight of six to Jasta 11. This was mainly due
the first British aircraft to carry a synchronised faulty tactics which relied on the rear gunners for
machine gun firing forward through the propeller, defence. Following this easy victory, the Germans
whilst the Scarff No2 mount gave the observer a regarded the Bristol as yet another lumbering two-
better field of fire than on previous British two- seater unable to adequately defend itself. However,
seaters. Unfortunately it was rapidly outclassed by the once British pilots learnt to use the ‘Brisfits’
Albatros in the fighter role. Although more capable performance offensively and dogfight, German pilots
of looking after itself in a battle than most Allied two- learnt to treat it with respect and a degree of caution.
seaters in 1917, it still suffered when caught by the The later versions combined the performance of a
Jastas. On bombing missions it often flew without the fighter (Stark commented on it being ‘amazingly
reargunner to allow more bombs to be carried. nimble’) with the added protection of a rear gunner.
67
BE2C RE8
TECHNICAL DATA TECHNICAL DATA
Speed: 72 mph at 6,500’ Speed: 98 mph at 6,500’,
Climb Rate: 20 minutes to reach 6,500’ 93 mph at 10,000’
Maximum Ceiling: 10,000’ Climb Rate: 22 minutes to reach
Wingspan: 37’ to 10,000’
Length: 27’ 3’’ Maximum Ceiling: 13,000’
Weight: 1,650 lbs loaded Wingspan: 42’ 7’’
Armament: 1 Lewis manned by Length: 27’ 10’’
the observer Weight: 2,600 lbs loaded
Fuel endurance approx: 3 hours Armament: 1 Vickers firing forward,
1 Lewis manned by the
NOTES observer for rear protection
This was the standard British reconnaissance aircraft Fuel endurance approx: 4.25 hours
in 1917. It had first flown in 1912 and then been
modified to increase its stability, leading to the NOTES
nickname ‘Stability Jane.’ Whilst this principle made it A reconnaissance machine conceived as a
an admirable machine for leisurely reconnaissance, it replacement for the BE2 when the requirements of
was disastrous for a fighting aircraft. Initially air combat were becoming known, the ‘Harry Tate’
unarmed, at least in 1917 it carried an observer armed must rank as one of the worst designs to see action
with a Lewis gun for defence, but, unfortunately, as he in WWI. It was slow, underpowered and
sat in the front cockpit, his field of fire was somewhat unmanoeuvrable. Pilots found it difficult fly, it would
limited. Written off as ‘Fokker Fodder’ in 1915, it was spin at the slightest opportunity and was tricky
to suffer worse in ‘Bloody April.’, 75 being shot down to land. Structurally weak, it also showed a tendency
in that month. to burn when damaged. On 13th April 1917,
59 Squadron sent out six RE8s on a reconnaissance
mission; all were shot down by Jasta 11 in around
68 five minutes.
FE2B DH9
TECHNICAL DATA
TECHNICAL DATA
Speed: 118 mph at 10,000’
Speed: 93 mph at 6,500’
Climb Rate: 11 minutes to 6,500’
Climb Rate: 10 minutes to 6,500’
Maximum Ceiling: 13,000 - 17,500’
Armament: 1 Vickers firing forward,
Armament: varied, typically 2 to 3
1 Lewis manned by the
Lewis guns manned by
observer for rear protection
pilot and observer
Fuel Endurance aprox: 4.5 hours
Fuel endurance approx: 3 hours
NOTES
NOTES
Based on the highly successful DH4 the DH9 was
Another aircraft used by the RFC for observation
designed to be a fast strategic bomber. However,
and bombing work, it played an important role in
there were problems with the Siddeley Puma engine
ending the ‘Fokker Scourge.’ It was a ‘pusher’, with
which resulted in the DH9 being underpowered,
the engine at the rear of the fuselage. Although this
being a ‘good aeroplane spoiled by a bad engine’. As
layout gave an excellent field of fire forward for pilot
a result, early DH9s with a full bomb load struggled
and observer it did increase the danger from rear
to reach 13,000’. Consequently DH9 squadrons on
attacks. Visibility behind was poor and the observer,
long-range missions could suffer heavy casualties,
having to stand up in the nose of the aircraft, had
being less able than the DH4 to either outdistance
great difficulty in bringing his gun to bear in this
pursuit or fight their way out of trouble. It was not
direction. Although obsolete by spring 1917 ‘Fees’
until the American Liberty engine arrived that the
(unlike the BEs) could give a good account of
aircraft lived up to its potential.
themselves if cornered. The FE2 was sometimes
used in the fighter role and later went on to pioneer
night bombing
69
PFALZ DIII AVIATIK C

Speed: 112 mph at 700m, Speed: 97 mph at 2,000m.
103 mph at 3,000m Climb Rate: 7 minutes to reach 1,000m
Climb Rate: 3.25 minutes to reach to Maximum Ceiling: 15,000’
1,000m, 7.25 min to 2,000m, Wingspan: 42’ 10’’
11.75 min to 3,000m Length: 26’ 1’’
Maximum Ceiling: 17,000’ Weight approx: 2,948 lbs loaded
Wingspan: 30’ 11’’ Armament: 1 Maxim firing forward,
Length: 23’ 2’’ 1 Parabellum manned
Weight approx: 2,000 lbs loaded by the observer
Armament: 2 forward firing 08/15 Maxim Fuel endurance approx: 4.5 hours
machine guns
Fuel: 21.5 imperial gallons, NOTES
endurance approx. 2.5 hours The Aviatik was a two-seat reconnaissance aircraft
NOTES introduced in 1917 which tended to operate at lower
Introduced in late 1917, the Pfalz does not seem to altitudes than the Rumpler. This, together with a
have been overly popular with German pilots, whose relatively poor speed (despite a streamlined
preference generally was Fokker first, Albatros appearance) and a tendency to either disintegrate or
second and Pfalz last. A notable exception to this burn when hit, made it vulnerable to Allied fighters.
was Berthold (44 victories) who preferred the Pfalz Its best defence was a dive to safety, although on
to the Albatros. It’s strengths were a very good occasion a skilful crew could fight their way out of
dive rate (‘a famous diver’ - Rickenbacker), general trouble. McCudden (57 victories) shot down at least
manoeuvrability and fairly rugged construction. It 12 Aviatiks but twice he was outfought by one, and it
was possibly better at high altitude than the Albatros. was a tougher aircraft to tackle than the RE8 was for
Weaknesses were a slow roll rate, a tendency to catch German pilots.
fire and a poor glide. It suffered from being unable to
either outmaneuver the Allied rotary scouts or outfly
the high performance Spad or SE5a.
70
RUMPLER CV HALBERSTADT CLII

Speed: 101 mph at 3,000m Speed: 97 mph at 3,000m
Climb Rate: 4 minutes to reach 1,000m Climb Rate: 39.5 minutes to 5,000m
Maximum Ceiling: 17,500’, later models 20,000 Maximum Ceiling: 13,500’
Wingspan: 41’ 6’’ Wingspan: 35’ 4”
Length: 26’ 11’’ Length: 24’
Weight approx: 3,400 lbs loaded Weight approx: 2,500 lbs loaded
Armament: 1 Maxim firing forward, 1 Armament: 1 or 2 machine guns firing
Parabellum manned by the forward,
observer. 1 Parabellum machine gun
Fuel endurance approx: 4 hours manned by the observer
Fuel endurance approx: 3 hours
NOTES
NOTES
German two-seat reconnaissance aircraft introduced
in 1917. Its strengths were its relatively high speed This aircraft was designed as a specialised ground
(for a two-seater) and good performance at high attack machine and was first seen in action at
altitude. The Rumpler’s best defence was to fly high Cambrai. It was efficient in this role, having good
and alone, thereby making discovery and interception performance below 1,000’ and a strip of armour
by Allied fighters problematical. If it was caught, the plating on the underside. This, coupled with the pilot
advantage was generally with the fighter. Although a and observer (who had a good field of fire) being
veteran crew could make life difficult for the attacker, close together to facilitate a co-ordinated defence,
the best defence was usually a dive towards the made it a tough aircraft for Allied fighters to attack.
German lines, and the Rumpler’s speed and dive McCudden, a master at destroying two-seaters had
ability gave it a good chance of escaping. If the crew several encounters with this aircraft but never
were inexperienced or failed to spot the attacker in managed to shoot one down. Its weakness was that it
time, their chances were poor. was over-specialised and lacked the high level
performance which the Bristol had to be a true
two-seat fighter.
71
288 fcg manual bibliogr ENG 4/11/97 2:51 am Page 2
FLYING CORPS GOLD BIBLIOGRAPHY

P. Kilduff, Over the Battlefronts, London, Arms and
Armour Press, 1996
P. Kilduff, Germanys First Airforce, London, Arms
and Armour Press, 1991.
P. Kilduff, Richthofen, Beyond the Legend of the Red
Baron, London, Arms and Armour Press, 1994
R. Jackson, Aces Twilight, London, Sphere Books
Ltd, 1988.
N. Franks, Aircraft versus Aircraft, London, Guild
Publishing, 1986.
M. Hiscock, Classic Aircraft of WWI, London,
Osprey, 1994
N. Franks, F. Bailey, R. Duiven, The Jasta Pilots,
London, Grub Street, 1996
A. Imrie, The Fokker Triplane, London, Arms and
Armour Press, 1992 R. Barker, The Royal Flying Corps in France (from
Bloody April 1917 to Final Victory), London,
C. Bowyer, Sopwith Camel, Bourne End, Aston Constable, 1995.
Publications Ltd, 1988
A. Scott, 60 Squadron 1916 - 1919, London, Greenhill
J. Bruce, British Aeroplanes 1914 - 1918, London, Books, 1990
Putnam, 1982
Maj. O. Stewart, Strategy & Tactics of Air Fighting,
P. Liddle, The Airmans War 1914 - 1918, Poole, London, Longmans, Green & Co, 1925
Blandford Press, 1987
D. Ogilvy (Editor), From Bleriot to Spitfire,
A. Clarke, Aces High, London, George Weidenfeld & Shrewsbury, Airlife, 1991.
Nicolson, 1973
B. York, Bristol F2b Fighter, F. A. Stokes Co, 1919
N. Franks, R. Guest, F. Bailey, Bloody April, Black
September, London, Grub Street, 1995 E. Rickenbacker, An Autobiography, London,
Hutchinson, 1967
N. Franks, F. Bailey, R. Guest, Above the Lines,
London, Grub Street, 1993 I. Jones, King of Air Fighters, Bungay, Richard Clay
(The Chaucer Press) Ltd, 1986 edition
C. Shores, N. Franks, R. Guest, Above the Trenches,
London, Grub Street, 1990 W. Bishop, Winged Warfare, New York, Arco, 1981.
D. Winter, First of the Few, London, Penguin Books I. Jones, An Air Fighters Scrapbook, London,
Ltd, 1982 Greenhill Books, 1990
A. Revell, Brief Glory, London, William Kimber & D. Grinnell-Milne, Wind in the Wires, London,
Co Ltd, 1984 Mayflower, 1966
C. Bowyer, Albert Ball, VC, Wrexham, Bridge V. Yeates, Winged Victory, St. Albans, Mayflower, 1974
Books, 1994 J. McCudden, Flying Fury, Whitstable, Baily Brothers
D. Baker, Manfred von Richthofen, London, Outline and Swinfen Ltd, 1973
Press Ltd, 1990 E. Udet, translated by R. Riehn, Ace of the Iron
Cross, New York, Arco, 1981
72
288 fcg manual bibliogr ENG 4/11/97 2:51 am Page 3
FLYING CORPS GOLD BIBLIOGRAPHY

A. Gould Lee, No Parachute, London, Jarrolds, 1968
A. Gould Lee, Open Cockpit, London, Jarrolds, 1969
G. Lewis, Wings over the Somme, London, William
Kimber, 1976
N. MacMillan, Into the Blue, London, Duckworth,
1929
N. MacMillan, Offensive Patrol, London, Jarrolds,
1973
W. Moore, Early Bird, London, Putnam, 1963
P. Hill, To know the Sky, London, Kimber, 1962
M.Kahnert, Jagdstaffel 356, London, Greenhill, 1985
Letters of an American Airman: a war record of Capt.
H. Coolidge, USA
C. Walsh, Mud, Songs and Blighty, Hutchinson
K. Munson, Fighters 1914 - 1919, Poole, Blandford,
1976 (rev.)
W. Green & G. Swanborough, Flying Colours,
London, Salamander, 1981
J. Woodhouse & G. Embleton, The War in the Air
1914 - 1918, London, Almark, 1974
Flt. Cdr. W. McMinnies, Practical Flying, London,
Temple Press,1918
J. Noffsinger, WW1-An annotated bibliography of
aviation books, London, Scarecrow Press, 1987
Flying Vintage Aircraft, Talk given by Wing
Commander Hartman, DFC RCAF
Fighting in the Air, RAF Manual 1918 edition.
Notes on Teaching Flying for Instructors Course at

No 1 Training Squadron
British Military Aircraft of WWI - Official Technical
& Rigging notes for RFC & RNAS Fighting &
Training aeroplanes 1914-1918
54 Squadron Songbook
73
288 fcg manual credits ENG 5/11/97 2:21 am Page 2
FLYING CORPS GOLD CREDITS
FLYING CORPS CREDITS

PROGRAMMING TEAM: Paul Dunscombe, Rod TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE & SPECIAL THANKS:
Hyde, Andrew McRae, Andrew McMaster, Rob Andy Kemp, Stuart Leslie, Andy Sephton
Slater, James Taylor, Dave Whiteside E.I. TEAM: Tony Bond, Mark Havens, Terry Phillips,
ARTWORK TEAM: Richard Cook, Andy McCann, Alison Ryan, Nick Walkland, Benedict Wilkins, Phil
Andy Manns Goldfinch, Matt Venn, Gary Lucken, Sharon O’Neill
GAME DESIGN: Rod Hyde, Mark Shaw and Clare Brown
MUSIC: Paul Robotham
PHOTOS: Steve Hyde Uses Miles Sound System. Copyright © 1991-1996 by
Invisible, Inc. d.b.a. RAD Software. Uses Smacker
SOUND EFFECTS: Sounds Appealing Video Technology. Copyright © 1994-1996 by
VOICE ARTIST: Adam Longworth Invisible, Inc. d.b.a. RAD Software. Images used in
LANDSCAPE: Andy Curry, Amanda Fair McCann, this manual courtesy of the Stuart Leslie Collection,
Andrew Wilkins and Chris Hollis the David Baker Collection and the Archives
Division of the National Air and Space Museum,
TESTING TEAM: Darren Thompson, Tristram
Smithsonian Institution.
Defries, Mahendra Sampath, Danny Rawles, Nick
Fellas, Derek Davies Internet: Len Hjalmarson,
Dennis Newberry, Nos in Vancouver © 1997 Rowan Software Ltd.
74 Published by Empire Interactive.
FLIGHT CONTROLS - KEYBOARD AND JOYSTICK FLYING CORPS GOLD APPENDIX
SIGNALS TO OTHER PILOTS

Flight
Inform squadron to break off and re-form R
Aileron Left (to bank to the left) Joystick to Left or Left Cursor
Inform squadron to break off and go home H
Aileron Right (to bank to the right) Joystick to Right or Right Cursor
Elevator Forward (to push nose down) Joystick Forward or Up Cursor GAME CONTROLS
ElevatorBack (to pull nose up) Joystick Back or Down Cursor Screenshot Ctrl P
Left Rudder Num Pad Ins
Right Rudder Num Pad Del The following controls are enabled during flight:
Keyboard Sensitivity K Exit Key Alt x
Keyboard Sensitivity Shift K Infopanel Toggle (3 levels of information) I
Pause P
WEAPONS Accelerated Time Tab
Fire Guns Joystick Button 1 or Space key Detail level change Ctrl D
Unjam Guns [ Joystick Configure Alt J
Drop Bombs Num Pad Enter or ] Configure Menu F12
POWER Map M
rpm 10% 1 Multiplayer resurrect S
rpm 20% 2 Multiplayer Rejoin (after resurrect) Q
rpm 30% 3
rpm 40% 4 NB: When flying with ‘spinning enabled’, keyboard control
rpm 50% 5 of aileron, elevator and rudder is not recommended. When
flying without rudder pedals enable co-ordinated rudder.
rpm 60% 6
See TECHNICAL SUPPLEMENT for joystick button
rpm 70% 7 configurations.
rpm 80% 8
rpm 90% 9
rpm 100% 10
rpm 100% .
rpm minimum ,
rpm: big step up shift equal, i.e. +
rpm: big step down shift minus, i.e. _
rpm: small step up equal (=)
rpm: small step down minus (-)
75
FLYING CORPS GOLD APPENDIX
VIEWS PANNING VIEWS

Padlock next nearest enemy F1 Rotate down Num Pad 2
Padlock next nearest friendly F2 Rotate up Num Pad 8
Padlock next nearest ground target F3 Rotate right Num Pad 6
Padlock next waypoint F4 Rotate left Num Pad 4
Padlock subject of message F5 Rotate down & left Num Pad 1
Turn off padlock Esc Rotate down & right Num Pad 3
Padlock nearest enemy Ctrl F1 Rotate up & left Num Pad 7
Padlock nearest friendly Ctrl F2 Rotate up & right number pad 9
Padlock nearest ground target Ctrl F3 Holding down the shift key when pressing a rotate view key will
accelerate the movement.
Padlock next waypoint Ctrl F4
Rotate and Zoom Reset Num Pad 5
Outside View F6
Zoom In Num Pad +
Inside View F7
Zoom Out Num Pad -
Invisible Cockpit F8
Fly by/Chase Toggle F9
FIXED VIEWS
Satellite View Toggle F10
Left Back Quarter View Num Pad 1
ImpactToggle F11
6 o'clock View Num Pad 2
Padlock On/Off Toggle Enter
Right Back Quarter View Num Pad 3
Inside/Outside View Toggle Backspace
Left View Num Pad 4
Toggle Panning Views/Fixed Views Scroll Lock
Look Straight Up Num Pad 5
Right View Num Pad 6
Left Forward Quarter View Num Pad 7
Forward View Num Pad 8
Right Forward Quarter View Num Pad 9
Next Fixed View to the Left /
Next Fixed View to the Right *
Look Up/Down Toggle +
Look up toggle enable/disable. Num Lock
76
FLYING CORPS GOLD APPENDIX
The camera will only remain on the following views while the keys ROTATE AND ZOOM VIEW KEYS
are held down. Releasing the keys will cause the camera to revert to
Holding down the shift key when pressing a rotate view
the previously selected view. Holding down the Num Lock key in
key will accelerate the movement.
conjunction with the following keys will produce a version of the view
with the camera pitched upwards.
Front inside cockpit view Rotate and Zoom Reset Num Pad 5
Home Zoom In Num Pad +
Right front inside cockpit view Page Up Zoom Out Num Pad -
Right rear inside cockpit view Page Down
Left rear inside cockpit view Delete
Front left inside cockpit view Insert
6 o/clock Inside Cockpit View End
The versions of these views with the camera pitched upwards are
duplicated on the following key combinations;
Front Cockpit View Ctrl+Num Pad 8
Right Front Cockpit View Ctrl+Num Pad 9
Right Cockpit View Ctrl+Num Pad 6
Right Rear Cockpit View Ctrl+Num Pad 3
Left Rear Cockpit View Ctrl+Num Pad 1
Left Cockpit View Ctrl+Num Pad 4
Left Front Cockpit View Ctrl+Num Pad 7
77
FLYING CORPS GOLD QUICK START

GAME CONTROL GLOSSARY ‘It was him or me, and I would sooner it was him’
Accelerated time - speeds up the flight time between - Mannock
waypoints. Cannot be used in combat. 1) Install and start the game after referring to the
Invisible cockpit - removes your cockpit from the installation instructions in the TECHNICAL
screen, giving a much wider field of view. A set of SUPPLEMENT.
cross-hairs will appear on the centre of the screen to 2) The game starts with an animated title sequence.
assist you when firing. Press any key to go to the Options screen.
Impact view - switches the view to target when hit. 3) Highlight the configure option either by using the
Outside - view from behind object with heading and mouse pointer and clicking with the left mouse
pitch maintained. button, or moving the highlight with the cursor key
Padlock - lock the view onto the object indicated. and then pressing the Enter key. All selections in
Flying Corps Gold can be made in this way.
Padlock next nearest - will toggle the padlock views
through all the indicated objects. 4) The preferences are initially set up for a beginner,
so for your first flight you only need to configure your
Padlock subject of message - using this view option joystick. Select the tick icon to return to the options
will padlock your view onto the subject of the last screen.
message printed at the top of the screen.
5) Select the scramble option, which allows you to fly
Padlock reverse angle - view from the object you have a single mission.
padlocked (i.e. from target to you).
6) In the scramble menu screen first select Camel and
Satellite - view the object from above. then select First flight.
Viewees - the object being viewed. This will appear at The first flight scramble option requires you to fly a
the centre of the screen. simple circuit of the airfield. For more guidance on
ENDING A FLIGHT flying this particular mission, refer to Chapter Two of
You can end a flight by either landing and coming to the main manual. Check the controls listed in the
a halt, pressing alt-x . . . or by being shot down. appendix, which define all of the keyboard and
joystick definitions. If you wish to pause the game
78
FLYING CORPS GOLD QUICK START

while in flight, press p. For more information on how The four campaigns are:
your aircraft is performing whilst flying, press i. FLYING CIRCUS You are Lothar von Richthofen
7) Use the joystick to control your aircraft’s attitude and must exceed your brother’s score whilst he is on
and direction when flying. Pull the joystick back and leave. Try this campaign first.
the nose of the aircraft will rise and you will start to TANK BATTLE You lead a German Jasta and try to
climb. Push the joystick forward and the nose will halt the British tank offensive before your last
drop and the aircraft will begin to dive. Moving the defences are overrun.
stick to the left or right will cause the aircraft to roll
SPRING OFFENSIVE You fly with the RFC as the
in that direction. To turn gently, roll the aircraft into a
Germans make their final attempt to win the war.
bank and then ease the stick towards you. Extreme or
sudden movement of the stick can cause the aircraft HAT IN THE RING You attempt to emulate
to stall. Use the number keys to control the engine Rickenbacker to become America’s ‘Ace of Aces’.
power setting (1 minimum, 0 maximum). See Chapter For more details on the campaigns see the main
2 for more details on flying. manual.
8) Once you are familiar with flying an aircraft select 10) Finally, before you start, remember the following
the second scramble mission - ‘Follow the Leader’. four ‘Golden Rules’:
On this mission you have to follow your leader 1. Every attack must be made with determination and
through a series of manoeuvres. Once familiar with with but one object, the destruction of the opponent.
the basics of flying, you can move onto the scramble
missions which involve combat. 2. Surprise must be employed whenever possible.
9) You will get the real opportunity for long term 3. If surprised or forced into an unfavourable
strategy and combat when you take part in a position, a pilot must never, under any circumstances,
campaign. To do this, select campaign on the main dive straight away from his opponent. To do so is to
options menu and then select the left/right arrows to court disaster, since a diving machine is an almost
rotate through the available campaigns. Click on the stationary target. Moreover, the tactical advantage of
large medal icon when you have decided which height is lost by diving, and the initiative surrendered
campaign to play. to the hostile machine.
4. Height invariably confers the tactical advantage.
RAF Instructions
79

Flying Corps Gold Manual Win EN

Uploaded by

Document Informationclick to expand document informationFlying Corps Gold Manual Win EN

Document Informationclick to expand document information

Copyright:

Available Formats

Flying Corps Gold Manual Win EN

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Flying Corps Gold Manual Win EN

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

ocs.

FLYING CORPS GOLD CONTENTS

FLYING CORPS GOLD CONTENTS

CHAPTER FIVE - THE AIRCRAFT IN APPENDIX 75

CHAPTER 1 - GAME OVERVIEW

CHAPTER 1 - GAME OVERVIEW

CHAPTER 1 - GAME OVERVIEW

CHAPTER 1 - GAME OVERVIEW

CHAPTER 1 - GAME OVERVIEW

CHAPTER 1 - GAME OVERVIEW

CHAPTER 1 - GAME OVERVIEW

CHAPTER 1 - GAME OVERVIEW

Leaving the game

Multiplayer in-game keys

CHAPTER 1 - GAME OVERVIEW

CHAPTER 1 - GAME OVERVIEW

CHAPTER 1 - GAME OVERVIEW

CHAPTER 1 - GAME OVERVIEW

CHAPTER 1 - GAME OVERVIEW

CHAPTER 1 - GAME OVERVIEW

CHAPTER 1 - GAME OVERVIEW

50mph and then gently pull back on the stick.

altitude by pressing the u key a few times. Roll the

bibliography. We cannot hope to do justice to the direction of

subject in a few lines, but we do have the advantage angle of

CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES THE FLYING CIRCUS 1917

being on the defensive. Strategically this defensive

B oth sides recognised the importance of achieving

W hen the First World War started in August 1914,

THE FLYING CIRCUS 1917 CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES

B oelcke (with 40 victories) was killed in a collision

CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES THE FLYING CIRCUS 1917

D espite the Jasta’s advantages it should be noted

THE FLYING CIRCUS 1917 CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES

this squadron, the RFC had overcome its dislike of

CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES THE FLYING CIRCUS 1917

Ball either became disorientated during his combat

THE FLYING CIRCUS 1917 CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES

I n early 1917, Manfred von Richthofen hit upon the

CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES BATTLE OF CAMBRAI 1917

T he Allied ground attacks in spring 1917 achieved

T he RFC continued to expand and was bolstered

BATTLE OF CAMBRAI 1917 CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES

N evertheless, some daredevils still survived. In the

T he Third Battle of Ypres finished on 10th

CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES BATTLE OF CAMBRAI 1917

BATTLE OF CAMBRAI 1917 CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES

GERMAN FIGHTER AIRCRAFT AT THE

A t Cambrai, the British committed the following

CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES SPRING OFFENSIVE 1918

Schlactstaffels and enlarged. To further the quest for air

J asta equipment remained relatively unchanged.

SPRING OFFENSIVE 1918 CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES

CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES SPRING OFFENSIVE 1918

27th, the Germans claimed 26 victories (13 by JG1) and

SPRING OFFENSIVE 1918 CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES

CHAPTER 4 - CAMPAIGN HISTORIES SPRING OFFENSIVE 1918

shooting down the enemies; for the British, these