[Sailor Steve]

August 17, 1918


Air War:

0740 Two RAF SE.5a pilots share a victory over an LVG two-seater:
Louis Bennett Jr, United States E3947, victory number 2.
Lt F.H. Knobel, details unknown.

1000 German pilot Johannes Gildmeister, with Jasta 20, shoots down SE.5a F5910 for victory number 2. Lt W.G. Claxton, 41 Sqdn RAF, is taken prisoner.

1000 German pilot Karl Plauth, with Jasta 20, Shoots down SE.5a E4014 for victory number 5. Lt T.M. Alexander, 41 Sqdn RAF, is killed.

1710 German pilot Gustav Klaudat, with Jasta 15, shoots down a SPAD XIII for victory number2.

1715 German pilot Uffz Vahldieck (no first name given), shoots down a SPAD for victory number 1. This is possibly MdL Patay (no fiirst name given), SPAD VII 3257, Spa 26, listed as Missing.)

1720 German ace Josef Veltjens, flying a Fokker D.VII, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 31.

Two French pilots with Spa 75 share a victory over a German observation balloon.:
Capt Blandinièrs, victory number 1.
Antoine Laplasse, victory number 4.

French ace Jean Bozon-Verduraz, with Spa 94, destroys a German observation balloon for victory number 9.

Antoine Laplasse scores his second kill of the day, destroying another German observation balloon for victory number 5.

French ace Pierre Marinovitch shoots down a Fokker D.VII and a German two-seater for victories 14 and 15.