Fokker Eindecker vs. Bristol Scout?

[Bader's Briar]

Dear Fellow WW I Av-Fans:

Bader's Briar here — for the longest time, since I got to know quite a bit MORE about the historical facts behind both the beginnings of both the Central Powers' first true fighter aircraft, the five examples of the Fokker M.5K/MG Eindecker production prototypes (leading to the few dozen E.Is built), and the first single-engined British "tractor-configuration" aircraft ever to be used as a fighter — the Bristol Scout series of aircraft (mostly with the earlier Scout Cs used by the RFC) — I canNOT ever recollect any accounts of the two types ever facing each other over the Front at any time, especially as both aircraft types were starting to "get active" over the Front as the summer of 1915 got going, as the era of the "dawn of air combat".

Lanoe Hawker's VC-winning engagement with RFC Bristol Scout C, a/c no. 1611 against a trio of German two-seaters occurred on the more "north-westerly" areas of the Front, generally over Belgium on July 25th, 1915...Leutnant Kurt Wintgens and his E.5/15 faced the Aeronautique Militaire's de Peuty and de Boutiny in their Morane Type L "Parasol" much further inland, on the "earlier end" of the same month just east of Lunéville, France late in the day on July 1st as the very first victory of a synchronized-gunned flghter aircraft of any type, despite its being unconfirmed.

The distance of these two engagements in time and space from each other was something like 225 miles (360 km) and the aforementioned 3+ weeks apart, but even considering the distance between where Hawker and Wintgens were based from, was there ever an instance of an Eindecker of any version ever facing any example of the Bristol Scout during 1915, or less likely, in 1916, during the Great War?

A wing-warper like the Eindecker COULD have had a serious problem with a Scout anywhere nearby...I'm just "guessing", here, but the set of quad ailerons on the Scout HAD to have instilled a much greater authority of maneuverability than the Eindecker could have ever been able to muster, at least in the roll axis.

So...is there any known account of an Eindecker facing a Bristol Scout at any time during 1915 or 1916, when both types were on the Western Front?

Hoping for some sort of answer when someone's got the time...

Thanks in advance and Yours Sincerely,

Bader's Briar.. ..!!

[favedave]

I know of no 1915 combat encounters between the Bristol Scout and the Eindekker. Both aircraft were relatively few in number on the Western Front. The Eindekker did have a huge advantage in being able to allow the pilot to aim the entire plane at the enemy and use a sight. The Bristol, and the Morane L Parasol had their light Lewis guns fitted to fire outside the prop arc, either on the top of the wing or shooting obliquely from the side of the fuselage. Both aircraft went up to shoot down the enemy's observation and photo recon aircraft, which were usually two-seaters with only the observer having access to any type of defensive weapon. The Bristol was clearly the superior aircraft but with it's ungainly and difficult to aim firing system, it was quickly supplanted in the RFC by the DH-2 pusher, which I believe is what Hawker was flying when he was shot down by Manfred von Richthofen in his 11th kill in an Albatross D-2.

[James A Pratt III]

This is from the book "The Sky Their Battlefield" there were a number of clashes between the Bristol Scout and Fokker E:
7 Nov 15 A Scout was escorting a BE 2 that was shot down by german Ace max immelmann
14 Dec 15 combat reported
19 Dec 15 "
17 jan 16 "
9 Feb 16 "
13 mar 16 Scout 4676 of 4 Sqn shot down pilot KIA by Immelmann

See also "RFC Communiques 1915-1916"