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No.4364

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Y 1914 THE ONCE MIGHTY OTTOMAN EMPIRE WAS IN B TERMINAL DECLINE. WHEN THE GREAT WAR BROKE OUT HER RULERS SIDED WITH THE CENTRAL POWERS OF GERMANY AND AUSTRIA IN A DESPERATE BID TO REGAIN ITS WANING INFLUENCE OVER THE MIDDLE EAST. A KEY AIM WAS THE CAPTURE OF THE SUEZ CANAL ZONE, WHICH LED TO A SERIES OF CLASHES WITH BRITISH AND COMMONWEALTH FORCES. THIS MEANT AN IMPORTANT ROLE FOR THE ROYAL FLYING CORPS – BUT NOT ALL AVIATORS WERE CUT OUT FOR THE PERILOUS DEMANDS OF AERIAL WARFARE.

STORY FERG HANDLEY ART MORAHIN COVER IAN KENNEDY

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4 ON A MAY MORNING IN 1915, AN RE8 BIPLANE PLODDED ITS WAY ACROSS THE OPEN SKIES, PILOTED BY A YOUNG LIEUTENANT NAMED TIM BLAKE. IN THE REAR COCKPIT THE OBSERVER – LIEUTENANT JOHN SPENCER – SCANNED THE GROUND AHEAD THEN CALLED OUT IN A LOUD, CLEAR VOICE. TARGET IN SIGHT. TAKE US DOWN!

RIGHT YOU ARE, JOHNNY!

THE OBJECTIVE WAS A TURKISH FIELD DEPOT. HOWEVER, AS TIM DESCENDED, A GERMAN-BUILT FOKKER EINDECKER APPEARED ON THE HORIZON AND ALTERED COURSE TO INTERCEPT.

NO, HE’S MILES AWAY. WE’LL BE IN AND OUT BEFORE HE GETS CLOSE. SO KEEP GOING!

HE’S SEEN US, JOHNNY. WE’LL HAVE TO WASH IT OUT!

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5 TIM COMPLIED BUT THE THREAT OF THE ENEMY FIGHTER PANICKED HIM, CAUSING HIM TO OVERSHOOT THE TARGET.

YOU ABSOLUTE BUNGLER! WELL THERE’S STILL TIME, TAKE HER ROUND AGAIN!

SORRY, OLD CHAP!

TIM PUT THE “HARRY TATE” – AS THE R.E.8. WAS NICKNAMED – INTO A LOOPING TURN AND MADE ANOTHER ATTEMPT. THE GERMAN WAS STILL OUT OF EFFECTIVE RANGE, BUT THE ENGLISHMAN WAS TOO NERVOUS TO CONCENTRATE PROPERLY AND DROPPED THE BOMBS WELL SHORT OF THE MARK.

BLAST! RIGHT, GET US OUT OF HERE, YOU USELESS ARTICLE!

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6 THEY MADE IT BACK TO THEIR AIRFIELD, WHICH SAT IN A FLAT EXPANSE OF DESERT. AS THEY GOT OUT OF THEIR COCKPITS SPENCER TORE INTO TIM ABOUT THE BOTCHED MISSION. DON’T BE LIKE THAT, OLD CHAP. I WAS DOING FINE UNTIL THAT FOKKER SHOWED UP.

WE’RE AT WAR, YOU CLOT. THERE’S BOUND TO BE ENEMIES AROUND, THAT’S THE WHOLE POINT!

THAT EVENING, THE SQUADRON C.O. – MAJOR DAVID HAMILTON – WENT THROUGH THE DAY’S PAPERWORK WITH HIS ADJUTANT, CAPTAIN CHARLES MONTFORD. AS THEY DID SO, MONTFORT NOTICED A SCRAWLED NOTE AT THE FOOT OF SPENCER’S REPORT. I SAY, SIR. JOHNNY RECKONS HE’S HAD ENOUGH AND REFUSES TO FLY WITH BLAKE ANY MORE.

DID HE NOW? WELL, CAN’T SAY I’M ALTOGETHER SURPRISED.

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7 TIM HAD BEEN WITH THE SQUADRON FOR THREE MONTHS NOW, AND HAD MANAGED TO FALL FOUL OF EVERY OBSERVER THAT HAD FLOWN WITH HIM. SHAME REALLY, SIR. HE’S A DECENT ENOUGH CHAP BUT JUST CAN’T HANDLE ANY PRESSURE.

THE CAPTAIN REMINDED THE MAJOR THAT A COUPLE OF REPLACEMENTS WERE DUE IN SOON, AND ONE OF THEM – LIEUTENANT DANNY WOODS – WAS A QUALIFIED OBSERVER. HE’D BE JUST THE TICKET, SIR. HE’S NEW SO HE WON’T KNOW ABOUT BLAKE’S TRACK RECORD.

THAT’S TRUE. BUT IT’S STILL A LOT TO ASK OF A NOVICE. INDEED. AND IF WE TRY TO TEAM HIM UP WITH ANY OF THE OTHERS, WE’LL HAVE A MUTINY ON OUR HANDS.

SO, SIR, HE COULD BE JUST THE MAN WE NEED TO SORT OUT YOUNG BLAKE.

HAMILTON TOOK A LOOK AT THE FILE AND SAW A TRAINING OFFICER HAD DESCRIBED THE LIEUTENANT AS BRIMMING WITH CONFIDENCE. YES, I SUPPOSE HE COULD BE. VERY WELL, LET’S GIVE IT A TRY.

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8 THE NEW ARRIVALS SHOWED UP TWO DAYS LATER. DANNY WAS BRIEFED

BY HAMILTON, WHO TOLD HIM THAT THE SQUADRON HAD A MULTI-PURPOSE ROLE, WHICH INCLUDED OBSERVATION AND LIGHT BOMBING DUTIES.

AND THERE YOU HAVE IT. BUT REMEMBER, THIS IS GOING TO BE A LOT TOUGHER THAN TRAINING, WOODS. DON’T WORRY ABOUT ME, SIR. TAKING SNAPS IS EASY. IF A HUN COMES ALONG, I KNOW HOW TO HANDLE A LEWIS GUN.

WELL, WOODS, YOU’RE CERTAINLY CONFIDENT…JUST LIKE YOUR INSTRUCTOR SAID IN HIS REPORT.

DID HE, SIR? I SAY, THAT WAS JOLLY DECENT OF UNCLE HECTOR. UNCLE…?

NEVER MIND, IT DOESN’T MATTER.

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9 DANNY WAS DISMISSED AND, AS SOON AS HE HAD GONE, HAMILTON REACHED FOR HIS BRANDY BOTTLE AND POURED HIMSELF A GENEROUS MEASURE. I DON’T KNOW, MONTFORT. DO WE REALLY WANT A COCKY CUSTOMER LIKE HIM TEAMED UP WITH BLAKE? I’D SAY IT’S BEST ALL ROUND, SIR…ESPECIALLY FOR THE OTHER AIRMEN.

DANNY WAS SHOWN TO HIS TENT. AFTER HE PUT AWAY HIS KIT HE WAS TAKEN TO THE AIRFIELD’S PRIMITIVE MESS AND INTRODUCED TO TIM. GOOD TO MEET YOU, OLD CHAP. AND DON’T WORRY ABOUT BEING NEW, I’LL HELP YOU FIND YOUR FEET.

THE FOLLOWING DAY THE PAIR WENT OUT ON THEIR FIRST MISSION TOGETHER. IT WAS AN OBSERVATION RUN OVER TURKISH LINES AND, ON REACHING THEIR DESTINATION, DANNY WENT TO WORK WITH THE AIRCRAFT’S MOUNTED CAMERA. HERE WE GO. JUST HOLD HER STEADY…I SAID STEADY, MAN!

NO NEED FOR THAT. I MEAN, IT’S HARDLY THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, IS IT?

TIM WAS TAKEN ABACK BY THE POMPOUS RESPONSE, ALTHOUGH HE DIDN’T LET IT SHOW AND DID HIS BEST TO GIVE OUT SOME HINTS AND TIPS.

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10 AS DANNY TOOK HIS SNAPS TIM ANXIOUSLY SCANNED THE SURROUNDING SKIES FOR ENEMY AIRCRAFT. NONE APPEARED BUT HE GREW INCREASINGLY AGITATED.

COME ON, DANNY! HURRY IT UP THERE, WILL YOU?

DON’T RUSH ME. I‘M DOING MY JOB AND I WANT TO GET IT RIGHT.

IT TOOK AGES BEFORE DANNY WAS FINALLY SATISFIED. THEN HE GAVE THE NOD AND TIM GRATEFULLY SET A COURSE BACK TO BASE.

THANK HEAVENS FOR THAT. BUT WE’VE BEEN ALOFT SO LONG THE FUEL’S GETTING RATHER TIGHT.

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High above the arid deserts of Egypt during the First World War, two Royal Flying Corps officers in their RE8 biplane were carrying out vital reconnaissance missions over the positions of their Turkish enemies.

All was not running smoothly, though. Lieutenant Tim Blake was a decent enough pilot but got nervous under pressure. And he was teamed up with an abrasive know-it-all observer, Lieutenant Danny Woods.

So far, it looked like a recipe for disaster. Could they ever stop fighting each other long to concentrate on the enemy?

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