BONNER - TOP FRENCH ACE - PRISONER OF WAR
Bosc Pounds von Duhrer; Hecht
Scores First Kill
11 June, 1918, 3 miles in German lines (5/11/99, Skinners
house)-The deadly shooting of Ltn. Christel Hecht (Scott C., 3/1) and a sputtering
Hispano-Suiza have brought the career of 2Lt. Harold Bonner (Stephen 14/4) to a premature end. Leading a flight of three SPAD
VIIs (in June of 18? Cmon!!), Bonners flight dove on a duet of enemy fighters barely 3,000 feet over German-held territory.
Bonner quickly tagged onto to the tail of Ludwig von Duhrer (Kevin 1/0, dont know rank cause he didnt put it on the tape recorder
hello?) and fired three consecutive bursts from different angles. Adj. Armand Bosc (Alice) pitched in with another burst and
von Duhrer fled westward with a trail of planes in pursuit. Oliver Eyes (Stephen Dale, 1/0) zoomed his SPAD under Hechts Pfalz
DIII and fired, but Hecht banked away and cracked off a side shot at Bonner. 4 rounds found their mark, but Bonner continued
after von Duhrer, firing non-stop. Hecht maneuvered for a bottom shot and sent 9 more rounds into the SPAD two more bottom
shots as fast as he could pull the trigger, and 15 more shells pounded Bonners mount. The Hisso V-8 belched smoke and Bonner
climbed up and pulled away from the fight at 120 mph. He looked down to check his tachometer and heard a small sputter from
the engine
Hecht peeled
away from the fight and motioned his wingman to follow, diving for home at full throttle. The fight was down to three participants;
von Duhrer maneuvering wildly against Eyes and Bosc. Duhrer wanted to follow his flight leader home but was pinned in by the
two SPADs, especially Eyes whos SPAD had already absorbed one critical hit but still fought tenaciously. Bosc continued to
pour lead into Duhrers Fokker DVII while the German missed from point blank range three times in a row attacking Eyes! After
a full five minutes of combat, both sides had had enough and retired. All three managed a good landing at their home fields
Harold Bonner also managed a nice landing, but
it happened to be nearly 2 miles inside German lines. Hed nursed the Hisso as far as it would go and climbed for all the altitude
he could muster, but when the last drop of oil drained from the damaged engine he was still far short of the lines. He bumped
the SPAD to a stop in a nearby field and was surrounded by a German Uhlan regiment before he could unbuckle his belts. His
smoking SPAD had been seen by every German from here to Berlin, or so it seemed. Marched off to a prison camp, Bonner managed
to survive the war with an outstanding record, and went on to become a professional bowler in New England in the late 1930s.
He retired filthy rich and is now the oldest known television commentator on the Pro Bowlers Tour.
WOOD, DOLPHINS ROUTE HUNS
Ulrich, Pershaa Labor Over Gun Jams
Vz. Bruno Ulrichs DrI (Stephen,
18/8) had the most powerful set of guns in the air, if he had just had a chance to use them. In a brash and atrocious maneuver
at the outset of the fight, British Dolphin rookie Ladon Pershaa (Stephen Dale 1/0) attacked the German ace head-on from 300.
In the fights most tense moment, Ulrich missed and Pershaa scored only two hits, one of them grazing Ulrichs right shoulder
with a no effect wound. More importantly, Ulrich was forced to defend himself with a long burst and jammed one of his deadly
Spandaus for the remainder of the scrap. Unable to effectively assist his wingman, Ulrich could do little as Alb pilot George
Glazenheimer (Kevin 1/0) came under fierce attack from Geoffrey Elliot (Matt, 1/0) and Brimcomb Wood (Scott C., 6/2). Elliot
fired a couple of quick bursts and then guarded his flight leaders tail while Wood closed in for a fatal top shot. Five slugs
tore through the Albs cockpit, and scoring the 2nd pilot hit of the fight this one fatal. Glazenheimer died instantly
from a massive head wound, and Ulrich was forced to climb away from the Dolphins. ISD
FRANKKYL
PERFORATES PUP FOR 3rd KILL
Borenkeizer Kicks Butz; Escapes Wrath Of King
11
September, 1917 (5/11/99, Skinners house)- German newcomer Flugal Borenkeizer (Kevin, 1/0, no rank or plane type available)
is counting his lucky stars, fortunate to have survived an early morning encounter with 3 Pups near the front lines today.
He and his flight leader, Unt. Helmar Frankkyl (Stephen 15/3), ran into the Sopwith flight at 3,000 feet, where the Pups and
Albs could fight on near equal terms. Lt. Bill Butz (Scott C., 1/0) tackled Borenkeizer and opened up with his single Vickers
gun. Borenkeizers maneuvering could not shake Butzs Pup, which could turn inside the German fighter with ease.
While Frankkyl isolated a nearby Sopwith and maneuvered onto its tail (Matt 1/0, no name available),
Butz fired again and pulled closer to his prey with each maneuver. Borenkeizer immelmanned and broke free for a quick shot
on John Kings Pup (Stephen Dale 1/0, no rank available) and sent two slugs through the engine. King easily turned away and
Borenkeizer again found himself on the receiving end of Butzs machine guns. A fourth consecutive burst nearly blew out Borenkeizers
engine he turned for home and slowly outdistanced both Pups.
Meanwhile, Frankkyl continued to tail (Matts)
Pup. The Britisher dropped into a split-s and bought some time, but seconds later Frankkyl was back on his tail firing steadily.
(Matt) went down in a spiralling dive, running out of sky and out of time. Frankkyl pressed the triggers from 200 and was
dead on target 7 more slugs tore the Pups right wing off and the Englishman fell to his death, the only fatality of the fight.
