Göring’s most significant activity in May occurred on the late afternoon of the 29th, when he flew with a pilot new to FFA 25, Oberleutnant [First Lieutenant] Kurt Wegener, who had been a pilot with the Brieftauben-Abteilung Ostende [carrier pigeon section at Ostende], abbreviated BAO. In fact, Wegener, a pre-war civilian pilot,⁵⁸ was one of the founding members of the oddly-named unit. The BAO developed Germany’s first dedicated bombing units and was later assigned to fly missions over Verdun. Wegener and Göring flew together again on 30 May in a Rumpler B.I,⁵⁹ which was Göring’s first ‘ride’ in that type of two-seat biplane.

Göring’s and Loerzer’s first aerial engagement came a few days later, when French air units bombed Stenay and FFA 25’s airfield. Beginning at 4:30 a.m. on Thursday, 3 June, a force of some thirty French bombers dropped sixty to eighty bombs on the town for the next two hours.⁶⁰ The German aircrews were billeted in Stenay and had to make their way to the outskirts to reach the airfield. Bruno Loerzer described the raid and his and Göring’s response in their Albatros two-seater:

‘We were awakened … by muffled detonations. It was still dawn [when] the French attacked Stenay with bombs. In great haste we got dressed and set out from our individual rooms as fast as we could through the city [sic] to the airfield. The attack itself was incomprehensible to us, for at that time it was not at all common for high-ranking staff quarters or airfields to be bombarded. The flyers usually left each other’s facilities in peace.

‘But then it occurred to us that, on the previous day, Crown Princess Cecilie had arrived in Stenay. We found it to be the height of ungallant behaviour that this event had become the unusual cause of a bombing attack. As the bombs of one French squadron came whistling and squealing down while we were running, we jumped adroitly into the protection of a house.

‘At the airfield our Abteilungsführer and the other flyers were already in a dug-out. It occurred just as the enemy squadrons had paused. A captured Russian cannon installed on a pedestal in an open square had already slipped so far backwards from the recoil that the barrel stared almost vertically into the heavens.

‘We had no fighter aeroplanes at that time. But our new Albatros with its 150-horsepower Benz engine had an outstanding climbing ability. Additionally, the observer had received a [9-mm] Mauser pistol with a clip that held twenty-five rounds that could be fired only a shot at a time. Obviously, the Abteilungsführer had taken it for granted that we would take off in this aeroplane to repel the enemy. As I warmed up the engine, suddenly there appeared in the blue sky a new [French] bombing squadron. In a flash I dashed out of the machine and into a trench that was close by, while the engine continued to run quietly. The bombs fell between the airfield and the headquarters and made … an ear-splitting racket.

‘After this bombing, I took off and climbed in circles above Stenay. The mere presence of a German aeroplane had a calming effect on those below, I was told. When I was at about 2,000 metres’ altitude, a new formation was heading for Stenay. It was the last squadron. I went toward the enemy at full speed and, I could not believe my eyes, the squadron turned away from the target. They had no machine guns on board and must have assumed by the way I attacked them that I was an enemy with a machine gun. I came in at an oblique angle to the left behind the squadron so that Göring, who was sitting in front of me, could open fire above the propeller arc. The opponent circled high and got away. But I went after him, although I did not get at all close to him. Göring fired off the whole clip of ammunition. Based on my later experiences as a fighter pilot, I must admit that the distance of many hundreds of metres was a little too much for the likelihood of scoring a hit in the air.

‘But [when we were] over the frontlines, one of the machines left the formation and made an emergency landing on the French side. Another had also been brought down. We followed the formation until it reached its airfield at Verdun, on which we dropped three small one-kilogram bombs that we happened to have aboard. As we had no bomb-sight and simply dropped them at our own discretion from 2,000 metres, I hardly believe that we hit the airfield or an aeroplane. The drop should simply be noted only as the presence of a German aeroplane over the enemy.

‘After the landing we were very well recognised for our brave behaviour by the older flyers. However, when I interjected during Göring’s account of the one-sided aerial combat that perhaps the Frenchman had had engine failure from having his machine strongly “forced down”, [Göring] became very indignant with me.

‘The afternoon brought us another – but more pleasant – surprise. We were invited to have tea with the Crown Princess. In addition to the esteemed recognition, which was expressed with it, we did not forget to devour as much as possible of the pastry and coffee offered. The Crown Princess continually asked questions, and Göring and I talked until the good stuff ran out.’⁶¹