Salute gentlemen!
I'm pleased to annouce that with the kind permission of Jasta99 on Sunday, November 12 we will host the great "Der Adler von
Lille", the "Eagle of Lille" tournament map.
The original event was put on by Jasta99 to commemorate the 99th anniversary of Max Immelmann's death (16 June, 1916) and was an
epic event for the whole Rise of Flight community. This year we'll mark the 101st anniversary of Immelmann's being named to be
soley responsible for the air defense of the city of Lille.
The man:
Immelmann served as a pilot with Feldflieger Abteilung (Field Flier Detachment) 10 from February to April 1915, and then in FFA 62
by early May 1915. On several occasions he engaged in combat while flying the L.V.G. two-seaters with which his units were
equipped, but never with any success. On 3 June 1915, he was shot down by a French pilot but managed to land safely behind German
lines. Immelmann was decorated with the Iron Cross, Second Class for preserving his aircraft.
Two very early examples of the Fokker Eindeckers were delivered to the unit, one Fokker M.5K/MG production prototype numbered
E.3/15 for Oswald Boelcke's use, with Immelmann later in July receiving E.13/15 as a production Fokker E.I for his own use before
the end of July. It was with the lMG 08 machine gun-armed E.13/15 aircraft that he gained his first confirmed air victory of the
war on 1 August 1915, a fortnight after Leutnant Kurt Wintgens obtained the very first confirmed German aerial victory on July 15,
1915 with his own Fokker M.5K/MG production prototype E.5/15 Eindecker, one of five built, following two unconfirmed ones on July
1 and 4, all before Immelmann.
"Like a hawk, I dived... and fired my machine gun. For a moment, I believed I would fly right into him. I had fired about 60 shots
when my gun jammed. That was awkward, for to clear the jam I needed both hands - I had to fly completely without hands.." - Max
Immelmann
Lieutenant William Reid fought back valiantly, flying with his left hand and firing a pistol with his right. Nonetheless, the 450
bullets fired at him took their effect; Reid suffered four wounds in his left arm, and his airplane's engine quit, causing a crash
landing. The unarmed Immelmann landed nearby, and approached Reid; they shook hands and Immelmann said to the British pilot "You
are my prisoner" and pulled Reid out of the wreckage and rendered first aid.
Immelmann became one of the first German fighter pilots, quickly building an impressive score of air victories. During September,
three more victories followed, and then in October he became solely responsible for the air defense of the city of Lille.
Immelmann became known as The Eagle of Lille (Der Adler von Lille). He gained two further victories during September, to become
the first German ace.
The Mission:
It is going to be a warm summer day with a clear sky, but in the early morning, ground is slightly foggy. Central and Entente
forces are entrapped in endless battles in their trenches. Neither, the Central nor the Entente side is able to make a
breakthrough. Each side got stuck in their muddy trenches. Movement only happens in the wide blue skies of northern France.
Weather: Slightly foggy on ground level, Clouds at 2200m / 7200ft
Wind speed: 0-2 ms - depending on altitude.
Wind Direction: West
Temerature: 19°C / 66°F
Pressure: 775Mmhg / 1033hPa
Mapdate: 18th of June 1916 Maptime: 07:00am Duration: 4 hours
Map start time: 1800GMT on 12 November
*Note* There will be no mission password, we will just run it as a normal Sunday Vintage Mission. Fuel loads are unlocked, all
weapon mods permitted, remember to lock your gunner seats, as the session is open to all. No death penatly, but we do ask all to
fight with honor and chivalry on this one...if your opponent is going down, let him land...maybe even set down and land next to
him and shake his hand as Immelmann once did Good luck all pilots!
All credit for the event and the mission goes to Jasta99 - http://jasta99.de
"der Adler von Lille" - Nov. 12
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