Finally Got WOFF

[Sailor Steve]

Well, I've decided to carry on as best I can. I realized that I do have a copy of my personal logs, right here. My post reports are all copied directly from the original, so copying them back will take quite a bit of time, but will be fairly easy. Meanwhile it's still winter, so I have a few days of being grounded left before spring hits. Like today.

23 February 1915

The rain and snow are back again, and once again nobody is flying.

[Sailor Steve]

24 February 1915

Saint-Pol-Sur-Mer
Filimor Hanse writes: "0902: Defensive patrol over friendly rail yard, with Cpl Garros. 1 hour 38 minutes."

Saint-Omer
Dugan Vystavel writes: "0902: Recon patrol over enemy airfield, with Capt Mapplebeck and Sgt Crow. 2 hours 20 minutes."

Gonneham
Corrigan Aujla writes: "0951: Took off with Lt Cruikshank for offensive patrol over an enemy observation balloon. Barely underway before the engine started spewing oil. Made it safely back to field. 10 minutes."

Bertincourt
Lennart Altendorf writes: "1010: Test flight. Engine quit while landing. Came down short of field. Light damage. 36 minutes."

It's snowing over Verdun again.

[Sailor Steve]

25 February 1915

Once again the entire front is wallowing in rain, mud and snow.




26 February 1915

The winter continues. The flying does not.

[Sailor Steve]

27 February 1915

Gonneham
Corrigan Aujla writes: "0822: Bombing enemy railyard near Lens with Sgts Burr and Alford. 1 hour 24 minutes."

Bertincourt
Lennart Altendorf writes: "0822: Artillery spotting mission with Ltn Leffers supporting. Using the new aerial telegraph rather than the blinker light. Flight barely started when engine troubles forced us to return to field. 40 minutes."

Saint-Pol-Sur-Mer
Filimor Hance writes: "0902: Defensive patrol over friendly trenches, with Cpl Garros. 1 hour 35 minutes."

Saint-Omer
Dugan Vystavel writes: "1002: Scouting mission over enemy airfield at Hambourdin. Engine troubles on the way home forced us to land at La Gorgue. 1 hour 32 minutes."

Verdun
Noel Kay writes: "1013: Line patrol. 49 minutes."

Pontfaverger
Odis Först writes: "1219: Patrol the lines opposite Guignicourt down to Sillery. 1 hour 38 minutes."

[Sailor Steve]

28 February 1015

Bertincourt
Lennart Altendorf writes: "0801: Artillery Spotting again, with Ltn Leffers supporting, on the trenches near Lens. 1 hour 56 minutes."

Saint-Pol-Sur-Mer
Filimor Hance writes: "0903: Offensive patrol over rail yard south of Roulers, with Cpl Garros. Well inside enemy lines. Saw no hostile aircraft. 1 hour 57 minutes.

Gonneham
Corrigan Aujla writes: "0922: Artillery Spotting mission, Lt Cruikshank leading and us providing support. 1 hour 59 minutes."

Saint-Omer
Dugan Vystavel writes: "1003: Artillery Spotting with Sgt Crowe supporting, covered by Captain Mapplebeck. 2 hours exactly."

Verdun
Noel Kay writes: "1116: Line patrol starting over Fresne-en-Woëvre, following the trench line south past Saint-Mihiel, ending at Commerey. 1 hour 20 minutes."

Pontfaverger
Odis Först writes: "1412: Hptm Straub and I made a long scouting flight down to the aerodromes around Somme-Vesle. Things went smoothly enough, but given our last couple of experiences we spent the whole time worrying about the engine. We made it home right at sunset. 1 hour 51 minutes.

[Sailor Steve]

1 March 1915

And when everyone finally thought it was over, the winter returns, and flyers all over the region are looking for something to do to forget the boredom.


2 March 1915

The bad weather continues.


3 March 1915

No sign of letup in the weather.


4 March 1915

The weather is still bad. Hopefully this is winter's last gasp.


5 March 1915

Nothing has changed. The winter is winning the air war.


6 March 1915

The entire front is now blanketed in snow. Beautiful, but no flying.

[Sailor Steve]

7 March 1915

The weather over Flanders has cleared enough for some flying. Everybody rushes to get a mission in while they can.

Gonneham
Corrigan Aujla writes: "0901: Heavy overcast, but we flew a bombing mission against the aerodrome at Bertincourt anyway. 1 hour 51 minutes."

Saint-Pol-Sur-Mer
Filimor Hance writes: "0902: Offensive patrol over Ghistelles aerodrome. No enemy aircraft sighted. 1 hour 48 minutes."

Saint-Omer
Dugan Vystavel writes: "1001: Artillery Spotting, again with Sgt Crowe in support. 2 hours 7 minutes."

Bertincourt
Lennart Altendorf writes: "1015: Clear enough to fly. Artillery Spotting mission with Vfw Leffers and Gfr Grünwald in support. 1 hour 43 minutes. Gfr Grünwald crashed on landing. He and Gfr Max-Johann Heckert were both killed. While we were away some British planes bombed our aerodrome from high altitude."

The Verdun sector is still snowed in.

[Sailor Steve]

8 March 1915

Gonneham
Corrigan Aujla writes: "0925: Clear skies. Supporting Maj Salmond in Photo mission over trenches. 1 hour 39 minutes."

Saint-Omer
Dugan Vystavel writes: "0940: Artillery Spotting with Sgt Crowe supporting. 2 hours 22 minutes."

Saint-Pol-Sur-Mer
Filimor Hance writes: "1002: Defensive patrol over Alquines aerodrome. Adj Coupet leading. 1 hour 21 minutes."

Bertincourt
Lennart Altendorf writes: "1106: Bombing mission with Vfw Leffers. Bombed rail yard at Etrun. 1 hour 22 minutes."

[Sailor Steve]

9 March 1915

Another storm has moved in over Flanders, but for a change Verdun is clear.

Verdun
Noel Kay writes: "0525: Hazy but semi-clear. Set out tefore dawn on a scouting mission deep behind enemy lines. didn’t make it to the lines before the engine started acting up. Managed to land at La Cheppe. The heavy snow made it easy to see in the dark. A telephone call to let them know where we are. The mechanics here will attempt to fix the motor, and Lt Bordage and I will wait with the machine. 50 minutes.

Pontfaverger
Odis Först writes: "0819: Skies clear today. Short low-level scout over the trenches near Suippes. Took a couple of hits from ground fire, but nothing serious. 1 hour 40 minutes.

[Sailor Steve]

10 March 1915

Things are back to normal for this long hard winter. Flanders has another clear day while Verdun is fogged in again.

Bertincourt
Lennart Altendorf writes: "0821: Counter-Battery Direction, with Vfw Leffers. Leffers turned back early with engine troubles. 1 hour 40 minutes."

Gonneham
Corrigan Aujla writes: "0822: Overcast. Supported Lt Cruikshank on an Artillery Spotting mission west of Lille. 1 hour 23 minutes."
And then: "1516: Flew a second mission. Another Artillery Spot with Lt Cruikshank, this time east of Arras. 1 hour 44 minutes."

Saint-Pol-Sur-Mer
Filimor Hance writes: "0903: Offensive patrol over the lines at the coast. Lt Albin leading. Saw no enemy aircraft. 1 hour 31 minutes."

Saint-Omer
Dugan Vystavel writes: "1001: Artillery Spotting mission, with Lt Aldaine and Sgt Crowe supporting. 2 hours 8 minutes."

[Sailor Steve]

11 March 1915

The rain has returned to Flanders and the mud with it. Yet again the air services are all grounded.

[Sailor Steve]

12 March 1915

The storms are marching eastward. Flanders is still rained out but Verdun gets another semi-clear day.

Verdun
Noel Kay writes: "1013: Scouting mission over the factories at Rethel. 1 hour 21 minutes."

Pontfaverger
Odis Först writes: "1122: Scouting mission to the west, near Guignicourt. 1 hour 31 minutes."

[Sailor Steve]

13 March 1915

Rain is still falling all across Flanders.

In Verdun the sky is overcast and dry, but all the snow has semi-melted into a soft, squishy mud several inches thick.

At Pontfaverger the mechanics are setting up the equipment they've managed to scavenge a set of parallel bars and three springboards for exersize. The camp doctor has spent his own money to purchase a cinema projector, and the men at the trenches are given time off in shifts to join the aircrews and mechanics for the ocassional film.

[Sailor Steve]

14 March 1915

The weather is no better today than it ever seems to be.

[Sailor Steve]

15 March 1915

The weather continues to be bad.