Free 1915 Fokker Scourge (British Ace Book 2) by Griff Hosker Page A

magazine and then watched as Sharp manhandled the young lieutenant from the cockpit. When Sharp began to carry him back I knew that he was still alive.
    The German aeroplanes were less than a mile away.  I cocked the Lewis.  As I did there was an almighty crump as the Very flare ignited the fuel spilled from the downed craft. It distracted the two German pilots and I took advantage spraying each aeroplane with a short burst as they flew towards us. I must have hit both aeroplanes for they veered away.  Sergeant Sharp dumped the injured pilot in the front cockpit and then scrambled on board.
    He began passing me the magazines he had stored behind his seat. “We’ll be nose heavy with these , sir.  They will help the balance.”
    He was right, of course . I began to gun the motor but the two Germans were already banking to come around again. They were trying to get on both sides of me where their machine guns would have a cross fire. “Hold tight Charlie!”
    The speaking tube was not working and I would have to shout now to pass instructions to Charlie. I gunned the engine to maximum revs. If it had been the old la Rhone engine we would never have got off the ground but the Rolls Royce Eagle was a powerful beast and the nose gradually came up.  I saw Sergeant Sharp struggling to fire the Lewis at the Aviatik which was flying almost alongside us.  The Fokker could not bring his gun to bear yet and so I banked towards the Aviatik. My manoeuvre took the pilot by surprise and Sharp’s burst struck his engine.  It began to cough and falter.  I immediately banked to port. To my horror the Fokker had banked to starboard.  For one horrible moment I thought that we were going to collide but, more by luck than anything else, I lifted my nose as he lowered his.  He had the presence of mind to fire a burst at us and I felt the undercarriage shudder.  He had hit us.
    I used all the power I had to take us as far away from the two Germans as it was possible to get. We had suffered damage and we were overloaded. The odds did not look good. Once again I began to climb.  There would be ground fire ahead and I needed the height to avoid them. I also needed the speed I would gain from that height. When I reach two thousand feet I glanced astern.  The Fokker had a game pilot aboard.  He was trying to catch me even though we were faster at this altitude. He was still following me but he was now three miles adrift.  He would not catch me unless we were hit by ground fire.
    I was desperate to know how Lieutenant Holt was but this was neither the time nor the place for conversation.  That would have to wait. The puffs of shell fire around us told me when we were over the German lines and I breathed a sigh of relief when it stopped.  I was almost back in friendly territory.
    The field looked huge and welcoming after landing on the tiny road. I remembered being hit and so I shouted, “Brace yourselves.  This could be rough!”
    Rough is an understatement. The undercarriage had been so badly damaged that as soon as we touched down it sheared.  If it had not been for the nose wheel we would have done a cartwheel but it held long enough for the fuselage to slither and slew across the grassy airfield. The random thought crossed my mind that the ground crew would not be happy with the scar I would leave on the ground. Eventually we stopped. 
    I heard Charlie give a little cheer and kiss the front of the cockpit. I was aware of a large number of people waiting for us. A crowd of people raced over with hosepipes and medical equipment. I saw the doctor and his orderly as they helped the lieutenant from the cockpit and then Ted and Gordy helped me down.
    As I clambered down I caught sight of the major and Sergeant Shield with two armed airmen. I wondered why they had their guns. I was about to say something about using one of my nine lives to Gordy when I heard the major roar angrily, “Arrest that officer immediately. Lieutenant