▁mission ▁was ▁a ▁fe at ▁repeated ▁several ▁times ▁by ▁later ▁pil ots , ▁and ▁whether ▁Haw ker ▁des erved ▁his ▁Victoria ▁Cross ▁has ▁been ▁question ed . ▁However , ▁in ▁the ▁context ▁of ▁the ▁air ▁war ▁of ▁mid - 1 9 1 5 ▁it ▁was ▁unusual ▁to ▁shoot ▁down ▁even ▁one ▁aircraft , ▁and ▁the ▁V C ▁was ▁awarded ▁on ▁the ▁basis ▁that ▁all ▁the ▁enemy ▁plan es ▁were ▁armed ▁with ▁machine ▁guns . ▁More ▁significantly , ▁by ▁the ▁early ▁summer ▁of ▁ 1 9 1 5 , ▁the ▁German ▁Feld fl ie ger ▁Ab teilung ▁two - se ater ▁observation ▁units ▁of ▁the ▁future ▁Luft stre it k rä fte , ▁had ▁by ▁this ▁time , ▁received ▁examples ▁of ▁the ▁F ok ker ▁Ein de cker ▁mon op lane , ▁with ▁one ▁Ein de cker ▁going ▁to ▁each ▁unit , ▁with ▁a ▁fixed , ▁forward - f iring ▁machine ▁gun ▁fitted ▁with ▁a ▁" s ynchron ization ▁g ear " ▁that ▁prevent ed ▁the ▁bul lets ▁from ▁striking ▁the ▁prop eller . ▁The ▁first ▁claim ▁using ▁this ▁arrangement , ▁though ▁un conf ir med ▁by ▁the ▁German ▁Army , ▁was ▁by ▁Le ut nant ▁Kurt ▁W int gens ▁on ▁ 1 ▁July ▁ 1 9 1 5 , ▁some ▁ ▁over ▁L un é ville ▁distant ▁from ▁where ▁Haw ker ▁had ▁his ▁three - v ict ory ▁success ▁nearly ▁a ▁month ▁later . ▁Therefore , ▁the ▁German ▁pil ots ▁like ▁W int gens ▁and ▁Le ut nant ▁Otto ▁Par schau , ▁another