March came in fiercely for Gilbert, but not in a positive manner. His father's illness led to his passing at the beginning of the month. Although Gilbert was given permission to attend, he felt immense guilt for being away from his Aerodrome and friends who were engaged in perilous missions daily.
Upon his return, Gilbert felt weighed down by sorrow. He sought solace in flying, hoping it would distract him from thoughts of his father. Gilbert donned his scarf and made his way to his plane.
Gilbert starts this month off with the following; 3 Experience points | Fatigue rating of 9 | Prestige of 2 | 9 Victories
March 14, 1917 - Line Patrol (No Man's Land)
The skies were clear and calm on that Tuesday morning as Gilbert found himself back in the cockpit, a place he enjoyed being. Today's mission was a challenging one, with No Man's Land as his destination. He took pride in doing line patrol, knowing he was assisting his fellow countrymen on the ground, yet he couldn't ignore the grim reality of war and its devastating consequences.
Gilbert encountered no opposition until he reached No Man's Land, where the smoke and darkness made visibility difficult. However, he spotted a Halberstadt DII to his right and immediately engaged the enemy. With the initial advantage, he fired a burst, but the enemy's evasive maneuvers minimized the damage. Despite hitting the canvas, the bullets proved harmless.
Maintaining his advantage, Gilbert continued to fire as the Halberstadt executed a Side loop to improve its position. Striking the struts and canvas, Gilbert also managed to cause a fuel leak in the enemy's plane. As the pilots maneuvered, Gilbert regained the upper hand and unleashed an extended burst, hitting the landing gear and controls.
In a head-to-head confrontation, both pilots exchanged fire. Gilbert did more damage to the struts and canvas, while bullets from the enemy's plane grazed his own struts. The intense battle continued as they maneuvered once more into a head-to-head position. Gilbert fired again, hoping for more than canvas hits, but the Halberstadt skillfully avoided damage with an Immelmann turn, retreating back towards its lines and disengaging.
Gilbert experienced a sense of relief seeing the Halberstadt disappearing into the horizon. He acknowledged the scout's skill and felt fortunate to be heading home despite his damaged plane. As he approached Remicourt, the weather deteriorated, with dark clouds and strong winds making the landing more challenging. Upon reaching the Aerodrome, visibility was extremely poor.
During the landing, his plane veered to the left, crashing the front end into the ground and causing Gilbert to lose consciousness. Upon waking up in the hospital, he learned he had a concussion and would miss the final mission of the month. While this break would help with his fatigue, Gilbert was disappointed with his performance, having completed only one successful mission in March.
Determined to make a greater impact in April, he vowed to do better. Gilbert finishes the month off with the following; 3 Experience points (needing 1 more successful sortie for #4) | Fatigue rating of 10 | Prestige of 2 | 9 Victories
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