WAR

—
by 1918 tactical formations were fully developed and it might be observed that
most of them were still valid in the 1939-1945 war. Broadly speaking, there were
three basic formations: line, echelon, and "V." In a line formation the machines
flew side by side, like men marching shoulder to shoulder; in an echelon the machines
were arranged on different levels, as if they were on steps; in a "V" formation—well,
a "V" is a "V." In the line the leader flew at one end or the
other; in echelon, at the bottom; in a "V" formation, he flew at the point.
An excellent and widely-used formation was evolved by Leutnant Werner
Junck, the leader of Jasta 8 from March 1918 to the end of the war. In this
formation
called "Juncksche Reihe" or "Junck's Row," the leader flew at
the bottom
of a string of machines, each of which was above and to the side of the one
in front. In this way the whole Jasta was arranged in a diagonal echelon upwards.
Each man could see and follow the man in front of him and guard his tail against
attack. The last man was an experienced man who was not likely to be taken by
surprise from the rear. A defensive circle could be formed quickly in the event
of attack, and the formation was flexible so that any manoeuvre up, down, or
to the sides could be performed by any machine without danger of collision.
was a variation on the more or less
This
universal "V" formation flown by both sides.
In the RFC, and later RAF, one of the outfits that played an important part
in the development of fighter tactics was No. 84 Squadron under Major Sholto
Douglas, now Lord Douglas of Kirtleside. Sent to France in September 1917, the
squadron set up at Flez near St-Quentin and immediately began to take effect.
Beauchamp-Proctor.
Serving as a flight commander was Captain Hugh W. L. Saunders, a six-foot
South African who finished the war with 19 confirmed victories. Saunders, who
was as easy-going as he was big,
always used the term "dingbat" to describe anything
for which he did not know the name. Major Douglas once cracked that he
didn't know what Saunders was and must therefore call him a "dingbat." And
Dingbat Saunders it
remained.
Serving in Saunders' flight was another South African named Lieutenant
A. W. Beauchamp-Proctor. Just five feet tall, Proctor was a peppery puppy compared
to Dingbat Saunders, who has described him as "a very brave young man
a poor pilot but a magnificent shot." Proctor was one of the great Aces of
the war, his score at the Armistice being 54, which put him fifth on the roster
of British Aces and earned him the Victoria Cross for his consistently daring
and effective work.
Saunders and Beauchamp-Proctor developed various tactics and Saunders
recalls: "No. 84 Squadron played an important part in the development of fighter
tactics—especially in squadron formation tactics which became the normal method
of operation during 1918. We operated in three flights of five aircraft each echeloned
upwards and backwards with gaps of 1500 to 3000 feet between flights. The
bottom flight led and normally went into the attack first. The two other flights
provided cover and only joined in the fight when the situation justified such
action. These tactics were further developed during World War II when the use
of R/T (radio) enabled the leader to control his flight or squadron and direct
pairs of fighters into particular enemy aircraft.
160