54 Sqdrn. 'B' Flight - End of Day Report - 19 April, 1917.

Mission 71: Dawn Patrol

Patrolled 12 hexes (+120)
Mission Offset (-80)
+40 VP's

Mission 72: Trench Strafing

Trench Strafing (+57)
One Allied Aircrew Slightly Wounded (-10)
Two Allied Scouts w/ Minor Damage (-6)
Mission Offset (-10)
+31 VP's

Mission 73: Photographic Reconnaissance

Failure to Undertake Mission (-10)
-10 VP's

Mission 74: Twilight Patrol

Patrolled 5 Hexes (+10)
Trench Strafing (+10)
+20 VP's

Victories

None Today
To Date: 7 Aircraft and 12 Balloons

Casualties

One Slightly Wounded (2Lt Carson-Jeffries)

Replacements

One SPAD VII
Denied:
Four Scout Pilots
Two SPAD VII's

Ratings Changes

None Today

Victory Point Totals

+81 Today
+128½ To Date

54 Sqdrn. 'B' Flight - Twilight Patrol - April 19, 1917.

Sir:

Since there were no pilots from B Flt, No. 54 Sqdn, available to conduct a Twilight Patrol this evening, I decided to take it on myself. Like my previous twilight patrols, I climbed to 15,000 feet and waited for twilight over Arras. Just as the light started to fade, I was rewarded with the sight of three Albatros D2s 3000 feet below me. One of the Albatroses was trailing smoke, and I thought the need for the other two to protect it would balance the odds, so I attacked. Even though my gun jammed once, I managed to clear it, and I fired on the enemy four times, from favorable positions. And yet, I saw no effect. When we'd fought our way down to 6000 feet, the Albatroses disappeared into the overcast.

It was now too dark to have a reasonable chance of spotting enemy aircraft, so I descended to 1000 feet, and made my way southward along the lines, waving to our troops and strafing the German trenches. I went as far as Bapaume, and returned to Corbie low on ammunition.

(signed) Major Benjamin Wagner
C/O No. 54 Sqdn RFC
April 19, 1917

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Victory Points

Patrolled 5 Hexes +10
Trench Strafing +10

Total +20

54 Sqdrn. 'B' Flight - Photographic Reconnaissance - 19 April, 1917.

Sir:

2Lt Carson-Jeffries was wounded this morning, and Lt Grün and 2Lt Kerneels-Pépin were forced down and will not return until evening. As all replacements were refused yesterday, B Flt, No. 54 Sqdn has no pilots available to escort this afternoon's Photographic Reconnaissance mission. I regret that it must be cancelled.

(signed) Major Benjamin Wagner
C/O, No. 54 Sqdn RFC
April 19, 1917

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Victory Points

Failure to Undertake Mission -10

Total -10

54 Sqdrn. 'B' Flight - Trench Strafing - April 19, 1917.

Zone B

Sir:

Lt Grün took 2Lt Kerneels-Pépin and myself to strafe enemy trenches between Arras and Mercatel. Except for a brief snow shower, we flew toward the lines under heavy cloud and at 1000 feet. A single Halberstadt D3 was spotted in the clouds above us when we reached the trenches near Arras, but it did not interfere as we began slowly making our way southward, methodically strafing the German positions.

Halfway to Mercatel, a thunderstorm began. Lt Grün signaled that he had engine trouble, and we should accompany him back to the Mercatel Advanced Landing Field. Kerneels-Pépin and I made one final pass over the German trenches, but when we pulled up, the Lieutenant was nowhere to be found. Fearing the worst but hoping for the best, we decided to continue strafing. My chest was grazed by a bullet from the ground on our next pass, but I did not want to interrupt the mission. The machine-gunners along this sector of trench were very good, and on our next pass Kerneels-Pépin's fuselage was holed and his controls damaged. Now we really had no choice but to return. I was escorting Kerneels-Pépin toward the Mercatel Advanced Landing Field, but the gusts from the thunderstorm were too much for his damaged controls, and he was forced down before we reached it.

I returned to Corbie alone, with the thunderstorm ending just before I landed. A message from the Lieutenant had arrived before me, saying that his engine had quit but that he'd set down safely in a clearing, and would return this evening.

(signed) 2nd Lieutenant Gerald Carson-Jeffries
B Flt, No. 54 Sqdn RFC
April 19, 1917

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Victory Points

Trench Strafing +57
One Allied Aircrew Slightly Wounded (Carson-Jeffries) -10
Two Allied Scouts w/ Minor Damage (Grün, Kerneels-Pépin) -6
Mission Offset -10

Total +31

54 Sqdrn. 'B' Flight - Dawn Patrol - April 19, 1917

Sir:

While I would not, of course, normally conduct a Dawn Patrol, I had reason to want to observe Lt Grün in action, so I asked him to accompany me on this morning's mission. We took off and climbed to 1000 feet in a snow shower that soon stopped, so we made our way toward the lines under heavy cloud cover. Crossing into enemy territory between Bapaume and Cambrai, we passed west of Cambrai to skirt its defences. The snow resumed as we passed east of Doui and Beaumont, and changed to rain for the segment from the enemy Advanced Headquarters to Vimy. It was snowing again when we flew over Arras, changing to rain which stopped by the time we arrived at the aerodrome. Unfortunately, no HA were spotted, so my attempt to observe Lt Grün was frustrated.

(signed) Major Benjamin Wagner
C/O, No. 54 Sqdn RFC
April 19, 1917

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Victory Points

Patrolled 12 hexes +120
Mission Offset -80

Total +40

April 19 Assignments

WEATHER:

Snow Showers but becoming fine later. (AM 16+) (PM 3+)

“B” Flight No.54 Sqdrn:

Dawn Patrol. Any Time: Photo Reconnaissance, Trench Strafing.