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Remembered Today:

No 66 Squadron Italien Theatre of War 1918


Slingo

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Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

On 15th of August 1918 around 10.10 am there was an aerial fight between Austro-Hungarian Flik 39/D and No 66 Squadron.

Monte Tomatico / Monte Spinoncia , Grappa region

On the kuk-side flew observer Lt. Richard Dworzak von Kulmburg and his pilot Offiziersstellvertreter ( = almost ensign ) Konrad Seiboth in UFAG C.I , serial# 161.48.

The two attacking Camel-pilots were Lt. William M MacDonald on E 1499 and Lt. Harry D MacDiarmid on D 8101.

During the fight the observer fell out of the aeroplane (  his harness gave way ) and died. His body was found three days later. Seiboth mamaged to land but was badly wounded.

Lt. William Myron MacDonald is better known beeing wingman to Barker and credited with 8 aerial victories.

Do you know something about Lt. MacDiarmid ? Dou you know sources/literature  that are/ is to be recommended ?

Richard was brother to a dear aquaintance of my grandmother.

His brother Rudolf was a pilot and survived the war. Him I met as a young boy.

 

kind regards, Gunther

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  • 4 months later...

Rudolf was my great-grandfather, I met him a few times when we visited Austria from US.  He died in 1985 when I was 21.  I knew he had an older brother who was killed in a combat flight (I've been to his gravesite) but I did not know the details.  Thank you for sharing.

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On 01/11/2018 at 13:18, Slingo said:

he two attacking Camel-pilots were Lt. William M MacDonald on E 1499 and Lt. Harry D MacDiarmid on D 8101.

 

Harry H McDiarmid is mentioned in the CANADIAN AIRMAN AND THE FIRST WORLD WAR pages 468 /474 /476 HERE

 

Also mentioned in the  Record book: 66 Squadron.  available to view at Kew

66.JPG.2448fd5f30d108e2cd35b7ff09b49a91.JPG

 

Ray

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  • 1 month later...

From my write up about the event from 66 Squadrons point of view.

 

No 6 Close Patrol departed at 09.15. Those taking part were Lt MacDonald (E1499), Lt McDiarmid (D8101) and Lt Howell (B5623).

Fifteen minutes after take-off Lt Howell experienced some engine trouble; he left the patrol and returned to St Pietro in Gu at 10.00 hrs.  MacDonald and McDairmid continued patrolling at 15000 ft., MacDonald and McDiarmid saw four Fokker DIII’s and one L.V.G. at 9000 ft., below them over Fonzaso, they manoeuvred into a position with the sun behind them.  The E.A. were now at about 10,000 ft. and in the right position to attack, McDiarmid made for the L.V.G. and engaged the H.A., whilst doing so, he in turn was attacked from behind by red DIII, which was immediately attacked by MacDonald, who shot it down in flames. McDairmid was still attacking the L.V.G., which was doing stall turns; McDairmid attacked the H.A., which went down vertically in flames, crashing south of Fonzaso.  He then had a runaway gun after this, caused by pin on the bell crank leaver sheering off during the attack. Whilst this was going on MacDonald attacked and shot down another DIII, which was painted in a similar scheme to MacDonald’s Camel.  The H.A. went down out of control crashing south Fonzaso.  They then saw a patrol of two DIII’s, which they engaged from some distance without any effect, the DIII’s got away and landed at Feltre, the fight was judged to have lasted some twenty minutes.  During the later fight, MacDonald observed two Camels high above him over Mt. Cismon, they both turned for home arriving earlier than planned at 10.55.

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