WAR

spotted two German two-seaters northeast of Bapaume at about 6000 feet. He
led the patrol down on them and the two-seaters turned and fled. Andrews has
given this account of the action of the next few seconds: "We were soon dived
on by a number of German single-seaters, and almost immediately my engine's
tanks, which are behind the pilot in a D.H.2, were shot up. Major Hawker was
then perhaps a couple of hundred feet below me and in pursuit of the German
two-seaters. With my engine knocked out and being only at a medium height of
perhaps some 5000 feet, I was obliged to turn at once for the lines and try to
glide over them." Andrews and Saundby had turned away after the first
attack on
the two-seaters, but Hawker had pressed on. Andrews turned again to rejoin
him when he saw the enemy fighters coming down on Hawker. He got in one
burst at the lead machine and then was hit from behind himself. He turned once
more for the Allied lines and went down pursued by one of the German fighters
that put several bursts into his machine from dead astern. The engine stopped
the bullets and Andrews was not hit. Saundby caught up with the two aeroplanes
and drove off the enemy attacker. Andrews landed safely behind the lines.
The three D.H.2's had been attacked by von Richthofen and his comrades
of Jasta 2. Hawker and von Richthofen quickly squared off and began chasing
tails, each trying to get in line behind the other. None of the other German
pilots sought to interfere. All circled above, letting the two settle the affair man
to man. Perhaps because of the memory of the Boelcke tragedy, or a sense of
fair play, or Manfred's jealousy—whatever their reasons, they stood clear.
Hawker and von Richthofen turned 20 times one way, then 20 times the
other. They lost height, whirling around like the cups of an anemometer, dropping
down to perhaps 2000 feet, and drifting, because of the wind, into German territory.
The aeroplanes were banked all the way over on their sides, wings straight
up and down; the men looked at each other across the diameter of a circle that
at times measured no more than a few hundred feet.
Once, Hawker waved. They
were getting down low and it was up to Hawker to make the move to get away
or get it over with. He broke abruptly and went into a loop—the D.H. had the
edge in manoeuvrability. He got in a quick un-aimed burst. He couldn't hit that
way but he put von Richthofen off for a moment. Hawker was going straight
down when he came out of the loop and fired. He kept on going straight down
to pick up speed, then pulled out at barely 100 feet and hedge-hopped for the
British lines. He had a little over a half-mile to go. The Albatros had the edge
in speed and von Richthofen was quickly on Hawker's tail
and gaining on him.
Hawker began to zigzag, but that slowed him down. At a range of 50 yards
von Richthofen opened fire. Another burst and his guns jammed. He nearly went
wild. He gave the cocking lever a yank and cleared the jam. He fired again from
100 feet and shot Hawker through the head. The D.H.2 dropped and tore into
the water-filled shell holes just beyond the German lines. The machine cartwheeled
and broke up.
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