[Sailor Steve]

May 20, 1917

Air War:
0640 New Zealand RNAS ace Thomas Culling, flying Sopwith Triplane N5444, shoots down a German two-seater for victory number 6.

0807 German pilot Otto Rosenfeld, in an Albatros D.III, shoots down an FE.2b for victory number 2.

0815 Hungarian pilot Stefan Fejes, in Hansa-Brandenburg C.I 29.63 with an unidentified observer, shoots down a SPAD VII for victory number 3.

0920 English RFC pilot Reginald Conder and Irish observer John Cowell, in FE.2d A6400, shoot down an Albatros D.III. Number 3 for each.

0920 Hungarian observer Franz Gräser, riding in Hansa-Brandenburg C.I 229.20 with an unnamed pilot, shoots down a SPAD VII for victory number 2.

0930 Italian pilot Pier Piccio, flying a Nieuport, shoots down an Albatros for victory number 2.

0930 English RNAS pilot Leonard Rochford, in Sopwith Pup N6461, shoots down an Albatros D.III for victory number 2.

1030 Galicia-born Austro-Hungarian ace Godwin Brumowski, in Hansa-Brandenburg D.I 28.10 and Hungarian pilot Karl Kaszala, in D.I 28.11, share a kill over an Italian two-seater. Victory number 8 for Brumowski, number 5 for Kaszala. Brumowski's listing at The Aerodrome.com doesn't show the shared kill, and says the victim was a "SPAD 2", which may be the two-seat SPAD S.XI. Kaszala's listing does show the shared kill but says the target was a Farman.

1110 German ace Karl Schäfer, in an Albatros D.III, shoots down FE.2d A6457 for victory number 27. Lt A.C. Lee and AM2 C. Beminster are both taken prisoner. The Aerodrome.com has this kill taking place on May 18, but The Jasta War Chronology says it was the 20th.

1110 German ace Adolf von Tutschek and pilot Arthur Schorisch, both in Albatros D.IIIs, were on approach to their field after an unproductive patrol when they are jumped by Lt Hyde Tregallas Garrett in SPAD VII B1587. Garratt focuses his attention on Schorisch. Von Tutschek peals off and then back in, but Garrett sees this coming and breaks off his attack to turn toward von Tutschek. Both planes are hit in the head-on pass, and Garrett runs for home. Von Tutschek gives pursuit, but Garrett manages to keep out of the German ace's line of fire. Then one of von Tutschek's guns jams. Firing with his one good gun von Tutschek finally scores more hits on Garrett's plane and the SPAD catches fire. Garrett crashes four kilometres inside the German lines. His body is never found, and to this day he is still listed as Missing. Victory number 10 for von Tutschek.

1115 French pilot Henri Joseph Marie Hay de Slade, flying a Nieuport, shoots down a DFW C.V for victory number 1.

1140 English RNAS pilot Bruno Philip Henry De Roeper, in Nieuport 17 N3209, shoots down an Albatros two-seater for victory number 1.

1200 Canadian RFC pilot Reginald Hoidge, in SE.5 A4862, shoots down a Halberstadt fighter for victory number 4.

1230 Two RFC Bristol F.2b teams share a victory over an Albatros D.III:
Harold Johnstone Pratt, England, and Hugh Leslie Owen, England, A7108. Victory number 1 for both.
Richard Raymond-Barker, England, and Lt R.N.W. Jeff, unknown, A7112. Victory number 1 for Raymond-Barker, unknown for Jeff.

1230 Richard Raymond-Barker and Lt Jeff are credited with a second Albatros at the same time. Victory number 2 for Raymond-Barker.

1245 Australian RFC pilot Alfred Shepherd, flying Nieuport 23 B1504, shoots down an Albatros D.III for victory number 2.

1410 English RFC pilot Edric Broadberry, in SE.5 A8903, shoots down an Albatros D.III for victory number 2.

1630 Canadian RFC observer George Walker Blaiklock, riding in Sopwith 1½ Strutter A8268 with pilot Sgt E.A. Cook, is credited with bringing down two Albatros D.IIIs for victories 1 and 2.

1850 German pilot Heinrich Kroll, in an Albatros D.III, shoots down a SPAD VII for victory number 4.

Italian ace Francesco Baracca, in a SPAD VII, shoots down a Hansa-Brandenburg C.I for victory number 12.

Italian pilot Flavio Torello Baracchini, flying a Nieuport 11, shoots down an "Enemy Aircraft" for victory number 1.

German ace Heinrich Bongartz, in an Albatros D.III, destroys two Allied observation balloons. Victories 6 and 7.

French pilot Marcel Hugues, in a SPAD VII, shoots down an "Enemy Aircraft" for victory number 2.

French ace Armand Pinsard, in a SPAD VII, shoots down an "Enemy Aircraft" for victory number 13.



North Atlantic Ocean, far west of Ireland:
Leo Hillebrand, commanding U-46, sinks British Q-Ship HMS Lady Patricia, 1,372 tons. Lady Patricia had previously survived an attack by Carl-Siegfried von Georg in U-57 on March 30. Hillebrand's score is now 28 ships and 58,444 tons.



English Channel:
Hermann Glimpf, in UB-20, sinks Norwegian freighter SS Normand, 2,097 tons, underway from Cardiff to Dover with a load of coal; north of Ushant. His score is now 9 ships and 8,699 tons.

Hans Howaldt, in UB-40, sinks two British freighters off Beachy Head:
SS Porthkerry, 1,920 tons, carrying a load of coal from Cardiff to Sheerness.
SS Tycho, 3,216 tons, heading from Bombay to Hull with a general cargo.
Howaldt's score is now 32 ships and 39,640 tons.

Gustav Buch, in UC-36, sinks three ships off Guernsey:
Bitish brigantine Dana, 182 tons.
British sailing vessel Mientji, 120 tons, travelling in ballast from Saint Malo to Fowey; scuttled.
Brazilian freighter SS Tijuca, 2,304 tons, en route from Rio de Janeiro to Le Havre.
Buch's tally is now 22 ships and 31,377 tons.



North Sea:
Johannes Spieß, in U-19, torpedoes Norwegian freighter SS Arnfinn Jarl, 1,097 tons, carrying a load of pit props from Narvik to Tyne; off Holmengraa. His score is now 19 ships and 26,235 tons.

Ernst Müller-Schwartz begins his U-Boat career in UC-64, attacking Dutch sailing vessel Voorwaarts, travelling from Karlskrona to Rotterdam with a load of deals and props. Gunfire doesn't sink the vessel. Explosives also fail. Finally the vessel is set on fire and abandoned. The fire goes out and Voorwaarts is towed to Great Yarmouth, where she is written off as a total loss. Müller-Schwartz is credited with the sinking.

Erich Haecker, in UC-79, takes two vessels as prizes:
Danish Brigantine Otto, 152 tons.
Dutch freighter SS Pomona, 789 tons out of Christiania for Amsterdam.
Haecker's score is now 10 vessels and 5,985 tons.



Mediterranean Sea:
Johannes Klasing, in U-34, sinks British freighter SS Caspian, 3,606 tons, en route from Antofagasta to Savona with a load of nitrate; off Cabo Cervera, Alicante. His score is now 24 ships and 30.734 tons.