"DE MOK"
HET MARINE VLIEGKAMP
P.s. v.w.b. Felixstow F2A
N4298 N4302:
En verder
25
Het was Curtiss H-12 nr. 8689 welke de L-1 werd.
Dinsdagnamiddag tijdens een luchtge
vecht tussen zeven Duitse en vijf Engelse
vliegtuigen te noorden van Vlieland werd een
Engels watervliegtuig zodanig getroffen dat het
op het water moest landen. Het taxiede naar het
Noorderstrand. Vlieger Lt. M.J.R. Duff-Fyfe, FSL J.R.
Pattison, Ens J.A. Eaton USNRF, 1 AM E.J. Strew-
thers en W/T Sgt A.J. Brown. Vliegtuig en beman
ning geïnterneerd
The F.2A, despite its five-and-a-half tons, could be
thrown about the sky in a 'dog-fight' with enemy
seaplanes, and on 4 June 1918 there occurred
one of the greatest air battles of the war, waged
near the enemy coastline, over three hours' flying
time from the RNAS bases at Great Yarmouth and
Felixstowe. The formation of flying-boats, led by
Capt R Leckie, consisted of four F.2As (N4295 and
N4298 from Great Yarmouth and N4302 and N4533
from Felixstowe) and a Curtiss H.12. One F.2A
(N4533) was forced down before the engagement,
due to the old trouble of a blocked fuel line, but
the remaining F.2As fought with a force of 14 ene
my seaplanes and shot six of them down. During
the action another F.2A (N4302) was forced down
with a broken fuel pipe, but a repair was effected,
and finally three F.2As returned triumphantly to
base having suffered only one casualty. Following
this action, in which the danger of being forced
down on the sea with fuel-pipe trouble became
only too evident, it was decided to paint the hulls
of the F.2As in distinctive colours for ready re
cognition. Great Yarmouth boats were painted to
the crews' own liking, and some bizarre schemes
resulted; Felixstowe, on the other hand, imposed
a standardised scheme of coloured squares and
stripes. The scheme of each individual F.2A was
charted, and copies were held by all air and naval
units operating off the East Coast.
N4533 maakte op 4 juni een noodlanding en werd
op het strand in brand gestoken. De L-2 was de
N4551 die inderdaad op 2 oktober 1918 te Noord-
wijk landde
FF-49C V-4 werd niet op 12 nov 1918 uit de sterkte
genomen, integendeel hij staat juist volgens som
migen te boek als in gebruik genomen op die da
tum, pas in juli 1921 uit de sterkte
Coen van den Heuvel
