Volume 19, Number 10

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Volume 19, Number 10

Indy Squadron Dispatch

May 5, 2007

Indy's Lacy Calls for Ace/Experienced Pilots

VDP Gains Altitude - Overview and Game Report

Rampant Lion Book Review and Exclusive ISD Interview

Russell Smith to Paint Cover Art for THE STAND

TIME TO SUBMIT YOUR BEST PILOTS

for the 2007 Ace/Experienced Pilot Roster

The Indy Squadron's Rick Lacy has once again stepped forward to take charge of the ever-popular Fits Society's Ace and Experienced Pilot List. IndySquadron.com is carrying a direct download to this year's submission form to make it easier for everyone to submit their top pilots. Using the download is recommended because it is already formatted and saves Rick the trouble of re-typing all entries individually. The form is also available for download on the Apache Jadgstaffel's site.

Please see the link at the bottom of this article to download the submission form, or jump directly to the special page created for the Ace/Experienced Pilot List (see main menu bar above). This page will stay on ISD's menu until at least the first of June when the deadline for submissions passes.

Directions for FitS Ace and Experienced Pilot Roster Submissions

by Rick Lacy

1) The form is simplified and streamlined this year, please note that there are no separate areas for pilots from different countries. Just put your pilots on one sheet and I’ll sort them when I get them.

2) I realize that different players organize their pilots and the planes they fly in different ways. I will sort out the groupings of planes as best I can and try to stay true to the intent of the player wherever possible.

3) We are going to post a version of this online for anyone that wants to submit electronically (which I greatly encourage as it will help greatly with my typing time), it will be either on the dawnpatrol.org, or indysquadron.com (and maybe the apache site also) for anyone that wants to download, fill it out, and return it to me that way. My email address is rlacy40@hotmail.com for anyone who wishes to send information this way.

4) Submission deadlines will be tight this year, I’d like to have as many as possible by 6-1-07.

5) If you have any notes for specific pilots or anything you’d like me to consider when compiling the lists, please note that on the form or contact me at the email address above.

6) Column headings are defined as:

Nat – Nationality the pilot flies for

Rank – rank of pilot in service flying for

First Name/Last Name – name given to pilot

Origin – Country pilot is from (if different than Nat)

Aircraft/Aircraft Group – what plane(s) pilot flies (try to categorize by largest %)

M & K – Missions and Kills

Medals – any awards for pilot (use chart at bottom of submission form please)

Player/City/St/Since/Sqdn – information on the player playing this pilot

Thanks everyone - Rick Lacy

Click here for the Ace/Experienced Pilot Page on ISD and download this year's submission form

Russell Smith to Paint

Cover Art for THE STAND

Indianapolis – Award-winning World War I aviation artist Russell Smith will create an original work exclusively for the cover of the upcoming Schiffer Book publication THE STAND: The Final Flight of Lt. Frank Luke, Jr. by Stephen Skinner.

Smith’s work has been featured in every major World War I aviation periodical in the world and has earned accolades from the American Society of Aviation Artists as well as the Experimental Aircraft Association, but the task of accurately painting a work on Frank Luke is a rare challenge.

“Many artists have steered away from painting images of Frank Luke simply because there have been so many unanswered questions surrounding him,” Smith said. “Thanks to Stephen's research, I have the opportunity not only to paint a truly accurate image of Frank Luke but also to have that image associated with his book.”

Russell’s painting will be in a vertical format to facilitate a more complete reproduction on the book’s cover. Plans are also underway for a combined release of the print in conjunction with the 2008 publication of THE STAND: The Final Flight of Lt. Frank Luke, Jr.

VDP Gains Altitude

Editor's introduction - Vassal Dawn Patrol (VDP) appears to be flying high after a month-long effort gave it the kickstart that online gaming has long awaited. Kirk Hoffman, Rex Morton and Kevan Sumner have combined to help launch a new and successful series of Dawn Patrol games over the internet using the Vassal game engine and a series of new aircraft counters and rules designed to facilitate online play. Andy Priest and Paul Naylor came along to expand the field and lend their assistance and now Dawn Patrol fans worldwide who never before had an opportunity to play are now gaming weekly. See the Forum for details or the VDP section of this site.

April 22^nd VDP Game Report

by Kevan Sumner

The sky was bright blue and clear of clouds on a still day in September of 1917. More than a mile and a half behind enemy lines, two Nieuport 17 pilots (for some unknown reason, one flying a borrowed Belgian plane) were on patrol at 12000’. Kirk’s pilot, the Australian Lt. Ian Irwin, and Kevan’s Canadian Lt. Bob Angers were so enjoying the crisp autumn air and their fancy new planes that they were momentarily oblivious to a pair of approaching Albatri flown by Andy’s 4/1 pilot and Stephen's pilot, Ltn. Bernhard Roesche (11/3).

300’ below the Nieuports, the Albatri climbed to engage. The Nieuport pilots responded by taking evasive action, climbing to avoid the menace below. Ltn. Roesche (Stephen) took a 400’ bottom shot that went well clear of Kevan’s plane.

Poor Lt. Angers, momentarily overwhelmed by the chaos of battle, continued to climb to safety on turn 2. Lt. Irwin, however, showed his plucky Aussie spirit as he dove down and onto the tail of Roesche's V-Strutter and opened fire. As bullets began to punch through canvas and plywood, the battle was finally seriously joined.

Buoyed by the bravery of his colonial counterpart, Lt. Angers finally dove his Nieuport into the thick of things on Turn 3, raking Stephen’s DIII with an unimpressive interrupted burst from both deck and wing guns. Alas, Lt. Irwin was paying the price for his colleague’s timidity, as both Albatri had now closed on his Nieuport, Andy raking him with a 50’ shot from below while Ltn. Roesche bravely lined up for a 300’ front shot. As a steady stream of bullets from Roesche's twin Spandaus chewed into his engine, striking sparks and sending ricochets past Lt. Irwin’s head, Kirk frantically took a shot, but missed by a mile. Roesche had hoped to score even more hits but suffered a jammed gun during the pass.

On turn 4, events went from bad to worse for the allied pilots. Kirk was able to manoeuvre on to Roesche's tail, but this left him open for Andy to close for another burst from below. Lt. Irwin heard his engine cough, sputter, then fall silent… his engine was finished. Lt. Angers joined his colleague in the attack on Roesche, but heard the unmistakeable sound of his Lewis gun jamming as he raked him from 50’ above.

On turn 5, the allies were forced to concede defeat Kevan chose to climb to safety and Kirk glided off in search of friendly territory. While he did find friendly territory, what he did not find was anything resembling flat, clear terrain. Friendly French infantry retrieved him, miraculously alive, from what remained of his plane after landing in rough terrain.

Book Review

Rampant Lion

The life of Eduard Ritter von Schleich

Germany's Black Knight of WWI

Publisher: A&S Publishing 2007

Author: Darren J. Whiteside

Pages: 312

ISBN: 978-0-9791946-0-3

Size: 8.75x5.75

Price: $22.50 US

Presenting new information from fragmented sources in old German script to an English-speaking audience is not an easy task. So in my opinion, when first-time author Darren Whiteside set out to pen the ultimate biography of German World War I ace Eduard Ritter Von Schleich, he was swinging for the fence big-time.

That alone gives me reason to admire this new work titled "Rampant Lion." This was a monumental undertaking and I like a guy who swings for the fence. The whole time I was reading Rampant Lion I kept wondering who else would have written this book and how many years would we have waited for this material if Whiteside hadn't done it?

Another good reason to like this book is it's presentation. At 300+ pages, Rampant Lion is a fistful. It is hardbound with a top quality cover. And the author also included a nice personal touch with ISD's review copy by including a custom made Rampant Lion bookmark. So before you even open the book you feel as if you're holding something substantial, and you're convinced that you got something extra for free. Those are more good reasons to like this book.

Dawn Patrol players in particular will find Jack Hunter's cover art appealing. Yes, that Jack Hunter. Long time Fits players will recall that Hunter's 1964 novel, The Blue Max, was later transformed into the feature film that inspired the creation of Dawn Patrol. Hunter's original painting of Schleich's triple victory in May 1918 is a striking piece and a point of interest for Dawn Patrol fans. Whiteside explained the arrangement in an exclusive interview with ISD (the entire interview can be read here):

I have always wanted a painting of von Schleich’s menacing-looking black Albatros D.Va. Learning that he was an artist as well as an author, I contacted Jack back in 2003, asking him to recreate May 8^th, 1918 - the day that von Schleich scored a triplet by bringing down three English fighter planes. He was very obliging, even doing most of the research into the event in order to get all the details correct. It wasn’t until a year later that I decided to use the painting as cover art for Rampant Lion. I also think it is great to have included something that makes a connection back to a book (and movie) that led so many others and myself to the study of WWI aviation.

Whiteside opens his chronicle with a strong and lengthy prologue in which he outlines his sources, explains his interest and admits his personal biases, all of which help the reader understand the author's point of view. He also informs the reader that, to everyone's great regret, the Von Schleich family has historically refused to cooperate with researchers.

An acquaintance of the family was quick to inform me that they were not interested in sharing information concerning Ritter von Schleich. I never received an exact reason for this, but my gut tells me that part of their reluctance may have been due to fear of a possible backlash within the German community, regarding his deep involvement in the NSDAP (the Nazi party). Today, the political climate in Germany rarely allows for talk concerning this dark chapter in the nation’s history, and I believe that most of von Schleich’s family did not want the negative publicity.

Once into the heart of the book, the chapters are divided into old fashioned sub-headings that I found especially useful. When the reader wants to revisit a particular passage or topic it is far easier to locate through the sub-headings. The sub-headings also provide a clear and concise picture of the book's direction at any given point.

One of Rampant Lion's pleasant surprises is the sheer number of photographs of Von Schleich. It is rare to find a healthy variety of photos of anyone from the World War I period, yet Whiteside has managed to find dozens of excellent pictures of Von Schleich... more than I ever thought would have existed. They are presented chronologically as a special section in the center of the book. Whiteside literally searched worldwide to gather the collection:

I started with a dozen or so images that I found in various books that I had collected over the years. I then began searching for two important biographies written about von Schleich during the 1930’s. Both of these are in German, and contain a rather large amount of photographs that I felt needed to be included in Rampant Lion. I also purchased other books, newspapers, and articles from the inter-war years that I knew would contain information about Ritter von Schleich, and possibly some photographs to boot. Other (photos) were generously donated from people who wanted to contribute to the overall photo collection. Lastly, I tapped into the photographic resources found at the University of Texas at Dallas (History of Aviation Collection). From all of these sources, I was able to gather more than 100 photos of von Schleich.

Another good reason to like Rampant Lion is the author's choice to write single-page sidebars to reference supporting characters and airplanes in the book. Page 66, for example, contains nine photos of the pilots of the Lafayette Escadrille and a few sentences on the unit's history. This coincides with Schleich's flying career which at that time placed him in combat with several of the Lafayette's pilots. Similar informational sidebars are supplied for the various aircraft Schleich flew and opposed, as well as pilots on both sides who were instrumental in his life.

The second half of the book will be of particular interest to those studying Nazi Germany in World War II. But I found the first half of the book most enjoyable because air combat in World War I is of paramount interest to me. The descriptions of the dogfights and adventures that Von Schleich lived through were exciting and enjoyable. The reader feels as if he is re-living the war in Von Schleich's unit on a day-to-day basis, reminiscent of a less prosaic, German version of A G Lee's No Parachute.

Still, readers will find a few nits to pick with Rampant Lion. Several spelling errors crop up from time to time (which are to be corrected in the coming second edition). Redundant adjectives occasionally lend an awkward feel to a particular passage and remind the reader that no one's first book is perfect. You'll also grow irritated with the Von Schleich family for not contributing personal information to a topic that Whiteside put such tremendous effort into researching.

But in spite of these few drawbacks I still found myself asking, "Who else was going to write this book?" How long would the World War I aviation community have waited for this material if Whiteside hadn't written it? It seems a rather snobby to be critical of a book which offers information that would otherwise have remained beyond the reach of English-speaking readers for years to come. This book is a blessing, and one that few other researchers would be qualified or inclined to produce.

When you finish Rampant Lion you will, in fact, feel as if you know as much about Eduard Ritter Von Schleich as it is possible to know. I cannot help but recommend this book to anyone who loves World War I aviation or has a special interest in German aces. It is thorough, it relies on original German sources and it offers a sweeping, expansive picture of Von Schleich's life... and isn't that what a biography is supposed to do?

Besides, I like a guy who swings for the fence.