Luft '19

"New Year's Day, 1919: Today we flew our Siemens and Fokker biplanes to a new airfield fifty kilometers from Paris. The skies are heating up as the weather clears. Yesterday, Leutnant Kraut was shot down by an English "Buzzard" biplane during a routine patrol. Those are appearing in increasingly worrisome numbers."

--Journal of Oberleutnant Ernst Udet, Commander of Jasta 4, JG I

"With a new generation of fighting aircraft, we can take the offensive to the Huns, both tactically, and strategically."

--Major-General Frederick Sykes, 6 December, 1918

"The new German tank known as "LK II" is very fast and a match for the FT-17. We must accelerate tank development and production if we wish to regain the initiative in the war."

--Jean Baptiste Eugène Estienne

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Welcome to my new scrapbook-style timeline chronicling the final months of a different Great War, and the men, machines and microbes which shaped its course. Feedback would be appreciated.

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Vickers Vimy heavy bomber, photographed in Kent (11/26/1918)


Junkers CL.I two-seater color painting


British Medium Mark C tank photographed somewhere in England prior to being shipped off to the front (12/09/1918)


German battlecruiser SMS Seydlitz sinking after being torpedoed by Sopwith Cuckoo torpedo-bombers in the Battle of West Hinder (2/18/1919)

Looks great !!!

"We have created working prototypes of the revolutionary device ASDIC, and by the spring of next year we will have it fitted on Royal Navy ships to find and destroy the German submarines which plague the North Atlantic."

--British Physicist Albert Beaumont Wood

"November 28, 1918: A formation of six English bombers with fighter escort was spotted at noon, and we were told to intercept them immediately. Quickly, four of us took to our machines: Meyer and Hildebrandt in D.VIIs, and Koepsch and I in Siemens machines. The latter aircraft was far superior at climbing, so of course Koepsch and I were left flying in circles while we waited for the other two. When we located the enemy formation, it took a while to catch up with them, because they were moving fast--102mph! When we intercepted, we got caught in a fierce melee with the escorts, four Sopwith machines. Hildebrandt was shot down and Koepsch was almost killed by a rear-gunner on one of the bombers, which I later identified as an Airco DH.10. Meyer, Koepsch and I got one kill each, but it was a messy dogfight."

--Journal of Oberleutnant Ernst Udet, commander of Jasta 4, JG I

"There is significant controversy as to which of the RAF's three fighter aircraft types--Buzzard, Snipe, and SE 5--is the most effective. Now the Buzzard is the newest type to enter service, and is also the fastest. But it is not quite as maneuverable or easy to fly as the Snipe. The Snipe's performance suffers compared to the other two types, however, so it's out. The SE 5 is a still wonderful aircraft to fly at all speeds and altitudes, however, and is only marginally slower than the Buzzard. So in my opinion, the SE 5 is a better warplane."

--Andrew Beauchamp-Proctor





From top to bottom: Martinsyde F.4 Buzzard, Sopwith Snipe, Royal Aircraft Factory S.E. 5a

Mhmm, nice. You got some formatting issues you might want to take care of though.

"The first soldiers of the American Expeditionary Force, commanded by General John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, arrived in France in January 1918. President Wilson wanted American soldiers to stay together under the command of General Pershing, but Entente commanders, notably General Douglas Haig, vehemently insisted on using American soldiers as replacements for the horrendous losses suffered during the previous years of warfare. When the treaty of Brest-Litovsk was signed on December 10, 1917, the Allies knew that the Germans would be able to launch a renewed Western offensive. Pershing tried to disagree but eventually caved in to the British and French high command, with Wilson's grudging approval. American troops were split up and inserted into British units under Haig's command. However, Pershing did manage to keep 135,000 soldiers under his own command.

"Both American units and British/American integrated units were present across the front when the Germans launched their 1918 offensive in March. German troops under the command of General Erich Ludendorff made steady, bloody headway until they reached Chantilly, merely 24 miles from Paris, where Pershing's headquarters--and a good portion of his American soldiers--were located. German artillery shelled the town for two days before a full frontal assault, which was handily beaten back by the "doughboys." It was concluded that the Americans had played an instrumental role in preventing the Germans from reaching Paris.

"But when the American soldiers in British units were used in the subsequent Allied counterattacks as cannon fodder, it was no surprise that they fared poorly. Even the fully American units suffered similarly heavy losses and met with little success as they tried to regain lost ground throughout the summer and autumn of 1918.

"When winter set in, American units had been thoroughly bloodied but had still proven themselves. Pershing wrested full control of American soldiers, and the AEF was planned to have a leading role in Fuller's Plan 1919."

From A Brief History of the American Army by B. E. Tennison (1997).


The RMS Lusitania, one of many passenger ships converted for carrying troops and supplies across the Atlantic (3/15/1918)

"A new generation of British and French aircraft has appeared, and they are faster than anything which the German Air Force has. While other companies are simply refining the same outdated design, if you wish to regain the skies over France, you must look ahead to bold new designs. Thus, I urge you to place the J 11 monoplane fighter in full production."

--Hugo Junkers, to the Idflieg on November 30, 1918, speaking of his refined redesign of his J 9 metal monoplane fighter. Despite the far-sighted designer's dreams and the fanciful impressions of aviation buffs (below), neither German brass nor pilots in the Luftstreitkräfte favored the type. Fewer than 50 aircraft were produced.

Very interesting! Can't wait to see where this goes.

Does anyone find the long passages in italics hard to read?

KyleB said:

Does anyone find the long passages in italics hard to read?

Click to expand...

Very.

(filler)

some armored fighting vehicles of 1919 German, British and French.

"Considering the numerous delays and production problems that are affecting the Mark VIII tank project, it is my opinion that the Americans, British, and French should collaborate on a standardized Mark IX tank, built in France with American and British assistance."

--General John Pershing, April 2, 1918. The Mark VIII project was killed, and the Mark IX would be known as the "Liberty Tank"(below).


"For reasons of simplicity of production and cost, it has been decided to produce the Tank Mark IX in a purely 'male' configuration, and the Medium Mark C in a purely 'female' configuration. According to troops at the front, the lack of a large gun is not a significant handicap to the 'female.'"

--Alan Stern, October 23, 1918.

"That's what she said."

--General John Pershing, October 23, 1918.


Medium Mark C Color Illustration

What follows is a battle memoir written from a French commander of a platoon of Renault FT-17 light tanks, named Lieutenant Claude-Louis Poincaré.

"On December 10, during the time that we were stationed near Beauvais, we received word that a battalion of German troops had made a recent breakthrough, and that I was to counter-attack immediately with my tanks. Valadon, Languet, and Carpeaux were the commanders of the other Renaults, and Chedid was my driver. We were attached to a pair of understrength infantry companies and told to move forward across the open farmland to the enemy positions.

"As we approached, machine-gun fire opened up on the infantry from a range of about five hundred meters, who began to move into cover--houses, barns, solitary trees, pockets of vegetation, et cetera. Of course, I had nothing to fear, and signaled my subordinates to button up and continue. I asked Chedid how fast we were going. 'Five kilometers per hour,' he replied. As we approached the trenches, I started to reply with my Hotchkiss machine gun.

"Later, I noticed a small German gun team partially hidden behind a farmhouse and an overturned wagon. They at the front line, less than two hundred meters away from me, and gunfire from the infantry was spraying their position. They fired several times, and I replied without much effect. Then I heard a loud metallic sound, looked to the left and noticed that an FT nearby had apparently been struck in the turret by a very large bullet. Carpeaux quickly climbed out and fell to the ground, with blood all over his arm and shoulder. My attention was immediately turned to other things when there was another loud bang, my ears were ringing and Chedid was screaming something about his foot."

Poincaré had just gained the dubious distinction of encountering one of the first operational examples of the German 37mm anti-tank gun, which was easily capable of knocking out all Allied vehicles then in existence at medium range.

"The appearance of new German methods of destroying tanks, most notably the specialized wheeled anti-tank gun, necessitates the production of bigger, heavier tanks. Thus, we must produce 500 examples of the Char 2C by the spring of next year, at the expense of light tank production if needed."

Marshal Philippe Pétain, December 22, 1918. Estienne's efforts to kill the project would not succeed, but fortunately for the French, production of the FT (below) would not be curtailed, despite Pétain's unrealistic demands.




Char 2C color illustration

Parma said:

some armored fighting vehicles of 1919 German, British and French.

Click to expand...

Can I get a source for the LK III? I think it's fictional.

Also, Crusader tank? That's funny. Pretty sure it's fictional though.

KyleB said:

Can I get a source for the LK III? I think it's fictional.

Also, Crusader tank? That's funny. Pretty sure it's fictional though.

Click to expand...

http://armor.kiev.ua/Tanks/WWI/kaizer/kaizer5.php text is in Russian
but nice drawing of other LKIII versions

http://stringbagsandrattleboxes.devhub.com/blog/630265-the-impact-of-earlier-landships-i/

the source of the drawings posted above, nice site too.



Why are the Germans not inventing motorized artillery? Even shortly followed by an armored version as a kind of WW1 Strurmgeschutz or like the British motorized gun from WW1?

Finally, slowly and surely we see the beginnings of the evolution that will lead to the Leopard 2 and M1.

Parma said:

Why are the Germans not inventing motorized artillery? Even shortly followed by an armored version as a kind of WW1 Strurmgeschutz or like the British motorized gun from WW1?

Click to expand...

Are you referring to Big Bertha? If so, that is several years before this TL. As for self-propelled guns... be patient... I haven't even finished 1918 yet.

"December 23, 1918: Löwenhardt just shot got his 69th and 70th kills, so his score is ahead of mine. He took on four SPADs, shot down two, and then was almost killed before parachuting! Lucky bastard. Gluczewski, likewise, barely escaped disaster two days ago. He landed with both his D.VII and his body full of holes after intercepting some British two-seaters, and the landing gear collapsed when he landed. Things are getting tough."

--Journal of Oblt. Ernst Udet

"Our spirits were lifted by the promise of new mounts with armour plating built by Sopwith. The first of these, named the "Buffalo," arrived on 16 December. We were told that it was 10mph faster than the Harry Tate and was protected by 5mm steel on the sides, front and rear of the cockpit and engine, and 8mm steel on the bottom. It couldn't fly as high as our old mounts, and couldn't carry bombs or a second rear machine gun. Still, we were impressed, and I asked Squadron Leader Dwyer if I could take one for a spin, and he gave me permission. The mechanic named Woodcock helped me get it fueled and ready, and Fletcher jumped into the backseat.

"We took off and I found that it was easy to fly, even though it was rather underpowered. It was nice being surrounded by armour plating, it makes you feel confident, almost invincible...

"Later, we started flying contact patrols along the front lines. Fletcher badly damaged a Focker [sic] monoplane on the 21st, and it was listed as a probable; a week later, I had fun shooting at a German tank. Overall, spirits were high, as the number of German aircraft was decreasing, and they were switching their tactics to defense more and more."

--Flight Lieutenant Anthony Morris


Sopwith Buffalo color illustration

"December 25, 1918: We were radioed by ground units that a French aircraft was flying in our general vicinity. I told Kraut to go up and shoot it down.

"So he jumped into his D.VIII and started the engine, only to have it sputter and fail fifteen seconds later. Kraut's mechanic hurried over and started to take a look. I told them to clear off the runway and told my mechanic to get my Siemens fighter ready for flight. Meanwhile we received word that the plane was probably very near our aerodrome. Then there was a shout and we were told that the plane was in sight. We were pushing my aircraft onto the airstrip when I saw it, a Salmson two-seater, flying overhead, straight, low, and level.

"The observer dropped something out, and I thought it was a bomb, but it appeared to be some sort of sack. Some of the men hurried over and found that inside it was a Christmas wreath with a beautiful card that said "Frohliche Weihnachten"--Merry Christmas! In a way, I was glad that Kraut's engine failed."

--Journal of Oblt. Ernst Udet. The French pilot is believed to be Charles Dumont(below, with aircraft), but the observer is unknown.

Noticed your sig and took a look. Very interesting. I like the style, and the inclusion of pictures. Can't wait to see the naval war.

Also, I noticed you had a picture dated to 1918 of the Lusitania. POD?

Snowman23 said:

POD?

Click to expand...

There are several PODs, but that is one of them.

During the last week of December 1918, while the weather unexpectedly cleared up over Flanders and France, the Luftstreitkräfte launched a new campaign of Luftangriffe (air attacks), aimed at disrupting Allied army units with concentrated close-support attacks. Fw Emil Wolff of Kagohl I, Kasta 2 later recalled a mission in the AEG G.IVk ground-attack bomber in which he served as nose gunner:

"On the twenty-eighth, our Kasta was told simply to 'go shoot things.' The pilot of my aircraft, Leutnant Kurfürst, took off at about seven o'clock in the morning with two other bombers. Four Fokker monoplanes were assigned to us as escort. We passed the front line an hour later and I began shooting into the trenches with the machine-gun. Kurfürst would fly along the trenches and I would shoot downwards. We also found some lorries and two tanks; these I destroyed easily with the Becker machine-cannon.

"Thanks to our fighter escort, we were not bothered by enemy fighters, but our plane was damaged by ground fire. We flew many missions such as this: we flew at low level and raised hell. Eventually, however, the British and French started to catch on to what we were doing and we suffered heavy losses from enemy fighters."


AEG G.IVk

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Idflieg Official Records

Production Contracts for Fighter Aircraft Delivered in January-February 1919

Fokker Aviatik GmbH

250 Fokker D.IX fighters powered by BMW IIIa engines, for 24,000 marks apiece for a total sum of 6,000,000 marks.

100 examples are to be delivered in January 1919 and 150 in February 1919.

Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft (LFG)

200 Fokker D.IX fighters powered by BMW IIIa engines, for 24,000 marks apiece for a total sum of 4,800,000 marks.

100 examples are to be delivered in January 1919 and 100 in February 1919.

Albatros Flugzeugwerke

200 Albatros D.XII fighters powered by BMW IIIa engines, for 27,000 marks apiece for a total sum of 5,400,000 marks.

100 examples are to be delivered in January 1919 and 100 in February 1919.

Rumpler Flugzeugwerke

100 Rumpler D.I fighters powered by BMW IIIa engines, for 28,000 marks apiece for a total sum of 2,800,000 marks.

50 examples are to be delivered in January 1919 and 50 in February 1919.

Pfalz Flugzeugwerke

200 Rumpler D.I fighters powered by BMW IIIa engines, for 28,000 marks apiece for a total sum of 5,600,000 marks.

100 examples are to be delivered in January 1919 and 100 in February 1919.

Siemens-Schuckert Flugzeugwerke (SSW)

180 Siemens-Schuckert fighters powered by Siemens-Halske Sh.III engines, for 30,000 marks apiece for a total sum of 5,400,000 marks.

90 examples are to be delivered in January 1919 and 90 in February 1919.

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Fokker D.IX


Albatros D.XII


Rumpler D.I (in the foreground are Ernst Udet on the left and Herr Rumpler on the right)


Siemens-Shuckert D.IV


Oblt Ernst Udet's Albatros D.XII

Ltn Richard Wenzl's Fokker D.IX

I think you have to call your D.IX a D.VIII bis to avoid confusion with the other Fokker D.IX. Nicely done, though.

Not available from any internet sources, but found recorded in "Fighters A to Z", a British book compilation originally serialized in "Air International " magazine, there are a couple of Fokker fighters which lost to the D-VIII at the Idflieg. They were called the V-24 and V-27, I think. Both cantilever monoplanes, one was low wing, powered by Oberursel radial, and the other was mid-wing with Benz engine. The complaint was poor visibility.

I have read Ernst Udet's book, an edited translation. The 1919 pages must have been missing. The last years of his life, leading up to his suicide, seem to have been ghost-written by Goebbels himself, without credit.

I think the Albatross D XII would top out at about 106 mph, same as D X. German fighters didn't seem to have enough power. The Siemens- Schuckert D IV, which used a Siemens-Halske 11 cyl engine, was a bit of a dead end. Nobody ever built an eleven cylinder engine again, but back in 1913, Louis Bechereau built a racer with a two-row engine, and took a world record. Nobody built another two-row rotary engine either. I wonder why. A two-row Oberursel could have powered a contender, particularly with Fokker cantilever wings.