[Sailor Steve]

July 28:

"In the last weeks heavy demands have been made on me. As of 16 July, I departed from Abeilung 62 and am now at the BAO in Ghistelles. I have already had three combats with your 100 hp machine. Unfortunately after a few shots, the gun jammed. Enough to drive one crazy. The Parabellum gun is going to bring me to my grave. The five aircraft that were delivered to Douai with the MG 08 have proven to be excellent. My students there have not experienced a jam up to now. Yesterday, I was in Lille in Freyburg's Abeilung, and there an offizierstellvertreter had a combat during which 540 rounds were fired without stoppage."
-Otto Parschau, instructor at Brieftauben Abteilung Ostend ("Carrier Pigeon Section" - a code name for Germany's first bombing unit), letter to Anthony Fokker, July 28, 1915. The "100 hp machine" is the prototype E.II, delivered to Parschau after Fokkers demonstration tour.

"Have had a ripping journey back. The country down to Folkestone was just too lovely for words, especially around Ashford. Saw Milverton on the way. Had a first-rate crossing, and was met by one of the Rolls at Boulogne, so your wire arrived all right. Had lunch at the "Folkestone" before starting back, and then a topping run here. Went out to see the lads at F____ in the evening. Sippe is back again and Baillie in great form. He sends his chin chins, and I gave him yours.
A Hun came over at midnight last night and bombed us. His eight bombs fell nearly a mile away, though."
-Harold Rosher, letter to his father sent upon rejoing his squadron in France



United States: Another mysterious explosion at the Du Pont plant in Wilmington, North Carolina.



Air War: Welsh pilot Lionel Wilmot Brabazon Rees and Scottish gunner James McKinley Hargreaves, in Vickers FB.5 1649, are attacked by an eindecker and shoot it down, giving the pair their first victory. Later in the year Rees will be awarded the Military Cross for this and two other victories. The citation for this fight reads "On 28 July he attacked and drove down a hostile monoplane despite the main spar of his machine having been shot through and the rear spar shattered."



Atlantic Ocean, between the Faroe and Orkney Islands: Claus Hansen, commanding U-41, sinks Norwegian freighter SS Trondhjemsfjord, 4,350 tons, bound from New York to Bergen with a general cargo. Hansen ends his third war patrol with 26 ships and 37,268 tons.



North Sea: Walther Becker, in UB-13, stops and sinks British fishing smack Young Percy, bringing his total to 4 ships and 2,196 tons.



Hans Valentiner, in UB-16, sinks British freighter SS Mangara, 1,821 tons, carrying iron or from Bilbao to West Hartlepool. His score is now 7 ships and 9,763 tons.



German East Africa: At 0300 hours the tugs Sarah Joliffe and Revenger set out to sea. At 0445 Admiral King-Hall's flagship HMS Challenger follows. At 0900 the three arrive at Guani Island, where they are joined by the gunboats Echo and Rattler. With the two gunboats acting as minesweepers, the group proceeds to Kibondo Island. At 1500 the group is met by the gunboats Fly and Salamander. At 1630 they anchor off Ras Kipakoni for the night.