BFC

B7184, FSL Hubert St. J. E. Youens, No. 3(N) Squadron RNAS, Bray Dunes, France, January 1918

On January 23, 1918, eight Camels from No. 3(N) Squadron RNAS took off for offensive patrol at the Ostende – Torhout - Roulers

line. Britons encountered a formation of four D.F.W.'s escorted by several D.IIIa Pfalzs from Jasta 7 over the Houthulst Forest

(Forêt D'Houthulst). In the ensuing battle, one of the Camels crash-landed behind enemy lines. It was Camel flown by Flight Sub-Lieutenant Hubert St. John Edgerley Youens, a twenty year old inexperienced pilot. The one who, according to records, forced

him to land was Carl Degelow, later commander of Jasta 40 and also the last pilot to be awarded Pour le Mérite during the Great

War. The flight letter of B7184 remains unknown, as no photograph of this machine exists, partly because it was lost just nine

days after it was taken into service on January 14, 1918. The marking of B7184 is usually compared to another Camel, the B7275,

which bore the letter P in the blue field. However, this one joined No. 3(N) Sqn in March 1918, so the P letter cannot be excluded

as possibility for B7184 as well.

B7184, Oblt. Otto Kissenberth, Jasta 23, Epinoy, France, May 1918

The Camel B7184 captured on January 23, 1918, was just slightly damaged and Luftstreitkräfte took the opportunity to flight-test

the near-new condition enemy aircraft in the months following the incident. After the testing had been finalized, the Camel was

used by Jasta 23 commanding officer Otto Kissenberth. German pilot even achieved a victory flying it when he shot down S.E.5a

on May 16, 1918. It was his twentieth and last kill. Two weeks later he crashed this Camel shortly after take-off and severe injuries prevented him from return to combat action. The German livery is reasonably well documented. The British cockades were

overpainted with white on the upper side of the top wing and with light yellow on the bottom of the lower wing while fuselage

cockades disappeared under black fields on the fuselage sides. It is interesting the eagle symbol of the No.3(N) Sqn was retained. The horizontal stabilizer was given white and black stripe, the marking of Jasta 23.

INFO Eduard - December 2021

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