[Sailor Steve]

May 1:

Air War: The precise date is unavailable, but it is around this time that Idflieg asks all the major aircraft manufacturers to look at the captured Morane of Roland Garros and see if they can copy his deflector plate system for shooting through his propeller. Several will try, but the initial success will come from the Fokker corporation. The M5K monoplane, itself an unlicensed version of Morane's model 'H', will be fitted with the world's first working synchronizer and put into service the following month.

Louis Strange doesn't give the exact date in his autobiography, but sometime right around the end of April and first of May he scores his second victory, which is unconfirmed.

It was out of the question to think of trying to mount Lewis guns on our B.E.2c's, and as the German anti-aircraft guns had grown more numerous while many German pilots became more daring when their aeroplanes were equipped with machine guns, we did not often fly without excitement of some sort or other. Many duels were fought in the air above Houthulst Forest, Menin, and Hollebecke, usually without any definite results, but one day Lieut. Awcock and I managed to account for an Aviatik which had attacked us six times.

It was getting late in the evening when we fought this Hun machine, and the setting sun sent out dazzling rays. After a certain amount of maneuvering I managed to get our machine between the sun and the enemy, meaning to have a shot at him when he came close enough. My patience was rewarded, for I was able to pounce on him when he had the sun in his eyes, and I do not think he saw me at all, for he let me fly under him at so close a distance that it was impossible to miss. Awcock only needed to fire one shot from the old, stripped rifle, and when we got clear we saw the Aviatik roll over and shoot down out of the sky in a vertical spin. We watched it until it disappeared in the hazy dusk over Houthulst Forest. We followed our vanquished foeman down, but failed to discover the wreckage of his machine ; in all probability it crashed in the wood itself, which at that time was a veritable armed camp. It was unhealthy for us to drop low, and so we were never able to get confirmation of this lucky hit.

During this same period Strange is wounded by anti-aircraft fire:

Not long afterwards the gunner of a German Archie did his best to avenge our victory over his fellow-countryman, for a spent piece of one of his shells hit me in the leg. It made a nasty wound, which was not very deep, and so I did not report it when I got back to the aerodrome, but merely dosed it with iodine and bandaged it myself. My leg was stiff for some days afterwards, but otherwise I was none the worse for this amateur doctoring and achieved my main object, which was to avoid being sent back to the base for treatment and then posted to some other squadron when discharged. I was greatly attached to No. 6 Squadron and would have done anything to avoid a transfer.

I greatly missed the Lewis gun of my old Avro in No. 5 Squadron, but after dint of much pleading I was given a scout machine like Hawker's.

The Martinsyde S.1 scout is the preferred single-seat fighter of the RFC at this time, and is fitted with a Lewis gun mounted to the top wing.



New York: RMS Lusitania departs for Liverpool. On April 22 the German embassy had issued a warning that British ships would be attacked and anyone travelling on them did so at their own risk. Despite this the ship carries many American passengers. This notice was placed alongside the advertisement for Lusitania's sailing, published on the same day, May 1.





Atlantic Ocean: In the Western Approaches Erich von Rosenberg-Grusczyski in U-30 sinks two ships: SS Edale, 3,110 tons, bound from Rosario to Manchester with a load of wheat and linseed, and the French steamer SS Europe, heading from Barry to St. Nazaire with a load of coal. He also damages the American tanker SS Gulflight. His score is now 8 ships and 18,165 tons.

Walter Forstman, commanding U-39, sinks the Norwegian freighter SS Balduin, 1,059 tons, heading from Drammen to London with a cargo of lumber and wood pulp. He then stops and sinks the Swedish sailing vessel Elsa, 120 tons, travelling from Halmstad to Granton with a load of mine props.

Erich Haeker in UB-6 also scores his first sinking when he torpedoes the destroyer HMS Recruit.



German East Africa: At 0415 HMS Chatham sights the Moresby Point lighthouse at Mafia Island. At 0650 she anchors off Niororo Island. At 0830 she begins coaling from SS Cento.

HMS Hyacinth departs Niororo for Zanzibar. HMS Weymouth accompanies her on the trip.

HMS Kinfauns Castle departs Niororo for North Fanjove Island for Durban.
HMS Laconia anchors off Niororo Island, and notes Kinfauns Castle's departure.



Saudi Arabia: Suleiman Pasha, Sheik of Al Wajh, takes a liking to Hellmuth von Mücke and helps him collect the camels necessary for the next stage of their journey. Suleiman also tells von Mücke that he will personally conduct their caravan through his territory.