Free 1916 Angels over the Somme (British Ace Book 3) by Griff Hosker

three days and then back to the reserve trenches.”
    “Look sir! Fokkers!”
    I looked to where Hutton pointed. Twelve Fokkers had appeared out of the sky and were diving on the rear of the Gunbuses.  I recognised Freddie Carrick’s aeroplane at the rear and saw his gunner standing and firing.  You could see, from the ground, just how much faster the Fokkers were. The advantage the squadron had was that they were low and it was hard to get in the blind spot but poor Freddie was being targeted by Fokker after Fokker.  I saw him suddenly climb.  It took the Germans by surprise and allowed Sergeant Laithwaite to bring his gun to bear.
    I suddenly saw that you could have three Gunbuses stacked one above the other and they would be able to protect one another. I thought they had escaped unscathed when smoke began to pour from the engines of both of my flight’s aeroplanes. Thankfully the ground fire from the British trenches drove the Germans back but I wondered if the two young pilots would make it back in one piece.
    Colonel McCartney was an astute man, “I take it you gentlemen will want to get back to your squadron to see how your lads are.”
    Colonel Pemberton-Smythe said, “Thank you colonel we are a little concerned.  Those two aeroplanes are from Captain Harsker’s flight.”
    I nodded, “If my bus wasn’t damaged then I would have been up there with them.”
    “I understand.  We aren’t that different are we?  I won’t leave the field until I know all my lads have left.” He shook his head, “Its daft I know but they become like family.”
    “I think, Colonel McCartney, that they are all our family, at least until this nightmare is over!”
    “Amen to that Captain Harsker.”
    All three of us were silent as we drove back to the airfield. It had been a lesson to us all. I could not imagine sleeping in a hole in the ground.  We had suffered one shell but to have to endure shelling at night whilst sleeping underground would be the worst kind of nightmare.  It made me think of Bert, tunnelling underground.  I did not know if he was in this sector but I hoped not.
    When we reached the airfield we saw that Freddie and Johnny had both landed successfully but they had been badly shot up.  Flight Sergeant McKay stood looking at them. “We no sooner get your bus sorted out than these two need major repairs.  These will take a couple of days to repair Captain Harsker.  Sorry, sir.”
    “It can’t be helped.”
    In the adjutant’s office I found Archie and Randolph in deep discussion.  “There is a pattern to all this.” Archie looked up as I entered, “I was just saying there is method in this madness. We tootled up and down for our patrol without seeing anything.  We went down to attack a column of Boche coming up the road and they jumped us.  Your lads did well, Bill.  They kept the Fokkers off our tail.”
    The colonel had come in during the conversation. “We know, we had a grandstand view from the trenches.”
    “You were there?”
    “Yes and it was a valuable lesson. You might have been attacked, Archie, but it was worth it to help those poor boys in the trenches. They are having it hard. If you had seen the conditions in which they were living it would have broken your heart.”
    I nodded, “And Sergeant Hutton was talking to his wife’s cousin.  The ordinary soldiers are really grateful when we shoot up the Germans. It is making a difference.”
    Randolph held up an order, “And this came in today. We are escorting bombers tomorrow. They are the BE 2s I am afraid.”
    I groaned, “Why couldn’t they be the Martinsyde?  They are even faster than we are.”
    “I know but I think it is a measure of the problems they are finding in the trenches.  The artillery simply hasn’t the range to hurt them when they are bringing up troops. They have to resort to using Fokker Fodder now. We have to stop their reinforcements reaching the front.”
    Colonel Pemberton-Smythe put his hand