54 Sqdn A Flight AAR: Offensive Line Patrol 21 APR

Sir:

I led 2Lts Woodhurst and Kane-Brittain on a low-level patrol against enemy ground targets between Vimy and Lens this afternoon. While I was confident Kane-Brittain could look after himself, I was not so confident that he could also look after Woodhurst (who surely cannot look after himself). Although nominally leader of the operation, my true motivation for going along was to make sure Woodhurst got back.

I needn't have bothered. We spotted only one enemy aircraft in the light rain and mist, a damaged two-seater making his way back to the lines far above us. As for the ground targets, we crossed the lines between Arras and Vimy, strafing the enemy trenches as we passed. No suitable targets were spotted all the way to Lens, so we returned the way we came. Still no targets were spotted by the time we'd reached Vimy again, so we recrossed the lines (strafing again), and headed for Corbie. The aforementioned two-seater was seen just north of Arras once we were back in Allied territory. All three of us landed without incident.

(signed) Major Benjamin Wagner
Commanding Officer, No. 54 Sqdn RFC
April 21, 1917