In considering what Niels Paulli Krause described as his air battle with Hermann Göring, it is important to take into account Krause’s exemplary combat record and his experience in various aircraft. He was a talented pilot and, even after he lost an eye, he flew two-seat single-engine Farman aircraft, as well as two-engine Caudron G.IV and Letord 5A.3 aeroplanes. In 1918 he switched over to Spad S.XI A.2 two-seaters²³, which were developed from the famed Spad S.VII and S.XIII single-seat fighters, but were disappointing; they were found to be ‘tiring to fly and difficult to control’.²⁴ Supposedly improved Spad S.XII two-seaters later assigned to Krause’s unit also had problems.²⁵

Without being specific, Krause hinted that he was flying a fast and agile single-seat fighter against Göring – who was then at the controls of a swift, rugged Fokker D.VII – and on a combat sector opposite the Dane’s unit. Krause’s records and his escadrille’s history, however, show that he was flying slower, much less manoeuvrable two-seaters at this time; indeed, the ‘long mission’ during which Krause said that he ‘had taken some photographs’ surely would have been an extensive reconnaissance flight to gather intelligence information about German forces. (There were camera-equipped Spad S.XIII fighters, but none were used by Krause’s unit.²⁶) His desire to avoid combat with an enemy fighter plane was not due to a lack of courage, but motivated by his dedication to bringing home the valuable photographic negatives.