The Russian aviator has no qualms over taking on the German over the enemy front lines in his own backyard (see below, Imperial Russian Air Service versus the Imperial German Air Service - no discernible AA as the ground troops stare in wonder at the 'state of the art' flying machines):
After a few circling moves the two flyer clench their buttocks for a "head-to-head" pass firing their machine guns. The Eindekker EIII with a sophisticated interrupter mechanism in contrast to the (French designed) steel deflector plate in the propeller of the Morane. First blood goes to the Russian as bullets hit the Eindekker from short range and the German pilot fails a spin check (see below, the Russian pilot gasps every time he pulls the machine gun trigger and hears the dreadful "ting" off his own prop but this time he comes away with a 'good result'):
Dropping from level 4 to level 3 the German pilot steels his nerves and corrects his flailing aircraft pulls out of his death dive. The Russian circles on him and dives in for a kill, however both planes occupy the same physical space. A collision check is made and both pilots roll the same number - crunch. Dreaded RED hits are exchanged and both pilots find themselves flying machines held together by will-power and faith rather than engineering. From earnest combat to survival in the space of one move (see below, crunch, even the models don't like it as the Eindekker model is a missing vital tail plane):
Honour satisfied both pilots head home, saluting each other as fellow "Knights of the Sky." (see below, "Until we meet again"):
A nice starter to the show, as the early war planes are put to one side and the SE5a takes to the sky for a duel with a Fokker D.VII.
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