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On October 27, 1918 Maj. William Barker, one of the highest scoring
Allied aces of WW1, took off from Beugnatre on what would become
one of the controversial flights of the war. Flying a new type
of aircraft, the Sopwith Snipe, Barker crossed over the lines
in an attempt to score another victory before returning to England.
He found what he was looking for near the town of Valenciennes,
scoring a high altitude victory over a two seat reconnaissance
aircraft high above the Mormal Forest. In the process, however,
Barker himself was attacked from below by Fokker DVIIs from an
unknown German Jasta. Wounded and disorientated, Barker lapsed
in and out of consciousness as his plane fell from the sky. As
he fought for his life among an unknown number of German aircraft
he even attempted to ram one of the Germans. In the end, Barker
managed to bring his Snipe down inside of the Allied lines. William
Barker was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions that day |