1917 - 1918 Draper 11

On April 26 we carried out a special strafe, making 42 flights over enemy lines, involving 38 hours 10 minutes flying. We dropped 153 20-lb. bombs and fired 5,400 rounds at enemy batteries and machine-gun emplacements.


For sheer air fighting, 8 May 1918, was our most intensive day of action. After the confusion on the ground, it was of the utmost importance that a

low reconnaissance was made and No. 208 were detailed to provide cover. Two flights took off soon after 10.45 hours, made a rendezvous with the reconnaissance machines and climbed 7,000 feet above them, to have the advantage of height should any enemy aircraft attack.


Lieutenant E. G. Johnstone, leading one flight over the lines, spotted seven Albatros Scouts at around 6,000 feet coming in from the north-east between Pont a Verdin and Provin. Keeping a wary eye open he made no attempt to engage, as his responsibility was to the machines below, and it could well be a trap. But when the enemy dived to attack the reconnaissance aircraft Johnstone led his flight after them. Opening fire at close range he got in 50 rounds, pulled out of his dive and came up at the same machine again, which turned over on its back, sideslipped and went completely out of control to fall near Muirchin.


Meanwhile, the other patrol members, Lieutenants G. K. Cooper, H. H. Fowler, W. E. G. Mann and J. B. White, were each engaged and claimed an Albatros apiece which they reported to be camouflaged in the normal way with the exception of white-painted tail units. Lieutenant G. A. Cox, from another of No. 208‘s patrols, met up with the same tribe of Albatri and shot down one near Provin, while I got another during the afternoon.


It was soon after our arrival at Serny that we carried out a major modification on one of the Camels, which was, to say the least, a bit audacious. We converted it into a two-seater.


It was many years after that I learnt the Sopwith Company themselves produced one about the middle of 1918, which was used only for dual-control instruction at home, but our 2-seater must have been the first ever.


The idea was to have a gunner firing aft which meant a Camel with three machine guns; we hoped this might give the Jerry a bit of a shock.

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