Forward!

"Clear weather again on 1 April. The English aviators, who in their language and in their outlook have the same word as the old Prussian ‘Ran’, have never stayed at their aerodromes in clear weather. Unless a thunderstorm like the one on 21 March had hurled them back. On the first day of the new month, the squadron shoots down 5 Englishmen. And then the commander in Lechelle doesn't like it any more either. He wanted to pursue the infantry, which had already reached the western edge of the former summer battlefield, at all costs. But there are few airfields in this cursed and enchanted funnelled desert. The cavalry captain knows that. He thinks that a combat landing field will have to be conjured up somewhere. He doesn't care how. And it is conjured up. On the old Roman road to Amiens, six kilometres behind the front line, there is an open field and if you dig there for twenty-four hours, it could look as if it were. After Richthofen burnt his 75th opponent on 2 April, a few days of rain were enough to clear the open field near Harbonnières and from 6 April onwards the red triplanes flew to Harbonnières in the morning, ejected here for enemy flights and flew back to Lechelle airfield in the evening. In this way, they are close to the fighting infantry and can be with them in the blink of an eye when the need arises."