[Sailor Steve]

June 23, 1918


Air War:

0600 Four RAF SE.5a aces share a victory over a Pfalz D.III:
John Bateman, England, B8254, victory number 6.
Percy Clayson, England, C1114, victory number 24.
Duerson Knight, United States, C1894, victory number 8.
Harold Kullberg, United States, C1835, victory number 10.

0710 Two RAF Sopwith Camel pilots share a victory over an LVG two-seater:
Lt W.J. Armstrong D3398, nationality and victory number unknown.
John Kenneth Summers, England, D3338, victory number 1.

0730 English RAF ace pilot Leslie Capel and ace observer Ernest Deighton, in Bristol F.2b C4604, shoot down a Pfalz D.III. Victory number 7 for Capel; number 13 for Deighton. This was the last aerial victory for both men. Leslie Howard Tandy Capel disappears from the records until February 14, 1939 when he recieves his civilian pilot's license, then is not mentioned again anywhere. Ernests Arthur Deighton also drops from sight until being commissioned as Second Lieuteneant in 1942. He leaves the RAF again in 1945, and is not mentioned again until his death on December 5, 1957.

0845 German ace Arno Benzler, with Jasta 60, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 7.

0945 German ace Friedrich riedrichs, in a Fokker D.VII, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 13.

0945 German ace Alois Heldmann, flying a Fokker D.VII, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 7. This is possibly Sgt Albert Voisin of Spa 62, in SPAD VII 7231, listed as Missing.

0945 German pilot Friedrich Schumacher, in a Fokker D.VII, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 1.

1210 German ace Ernst Udet, in a Fokker D.VII, shoot down a Bréguet 14 for victory number 31. This is probably Lt Pierre Tournadre and Soldat Pic (no first name given) of Br 216, both killed.

1215 English RAF pilot Ivan Couper Sanderson, in Sopwith Camel B7153, shoots down a Pfalz D.III for victory number 1.

1830 German pilot August Delling, with Jasta 34, shoots down DH.9 A7742 for victory number 5. Lt C.W. Pecham of 57 Sqdn is taken prisoer; 2nd Lt A.J. Cobbin dies of his wounds.

2015 English RAF ace pilot Joh Gurdon and Scottish observer James McDonald, flying Bristol F.2b C989, are credited with two Fokker D.VIIs. Victories 15 and 16 for Gurdon; 4 and 5 for McDonald.

2015 Ernst Udet scores his second kill of the day, another Bréguet 14, for number 32.

Three Spa 163 pilots share a victory over a Halberstadt CL.II:
Thomas Cassady, United States, victory number 3.
Sgt Guillet (no first name given), France, victory number 2.
Sgt Lederlin (no first name given), France, victory number 2.

French pilot Jean Fraissinet, with Spa 57, shoots down a Halberstadt two-seater for victory number 5.

French ace Lucien Gasser, with Spa 87, shoots down a Fokker D.VII for victory number 8. This is possibly Uffz Ernst Bielefeld, who is killed. According to Jasta 60 records an unnamed pilot was killed while riding as a passenger in a Rumpler two-seater the next day. Since Bielefeld was the only Jasta memeber killed on either day, either listing could be correct.

German pilot Bernard Linke-Schluckbier, with Jasta 9, shoots down a SPAD for victory number 1.