Blackronin
Wings of War and Glory - Chapter 9: Nieuport 11
by
, 07-26-2014 at 04:08 (5109 Views)
[B][I]January 17, 1916[/I][/B]
[I]Finally the weather opened enough for us to fly. Having lost my plane I had to take another one. The weather was so cold that only my plane´s engine started. I went alone to make a sweep over the front. When I first saw them I thought that a scout was escorting a photo recon biplane. I was wrong. At the time I wasn't aware but this was the newest French scout. Le Nieuport Bebe." [/I]
They weren't immediately aware of me.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0901.jpg[/IMG]
The French were sightseeing and for once I was happy with that.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0902.jpg[/IMG]
I cut hard right. Head on passages were unavoidable but I've always feared the outcome. It was always a very chancy business.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0903.jpg[/IMG]
So I moved right trying to position myself behind them.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0904.jpg[/IMG]
Only then they saw me. The Morane Saulnier N was already well known to me, but the other one was a new design, and small it seemed.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0905.jpg[/IMG]
They turned to face me and I was now in a better position. The new design was a single seat, therefore a scout. It had a machine gun over the upper wing.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0906.jpg[/IMG]
The Morane fired at me but failed by a yard.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0907.jpg[/IMG]
I fired back with precision, damaging him.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0908.jpg[/IMG]
Then the new scout turned hard left in a very closed turn that I couldn't possibly follow. But it over shoot and put himself right in front of my cross-hairs.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0909.jpg[/IMG]
I fired a long stream of bullets and my machine gun jammed. But the sudden spasm in the French pilot gave me the impression that I wounded him.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0910.jpg[/IMG]
Then I cut hard left, trying to clear my jammed machine gun.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0911.jpg[/IMG]
I was now in a inferior position. Right in the middle of both French pilots.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0912.jpg[/IMG]
I made an immelman and put my eyes in the new model. I knew what the Morane could do so I was more worried with the biplane.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0913.jpg[/IMG]
And I put myself under his cross-hairs, in a reverse of fate.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0914.jpg[/IMG]
He fired a point blank shaking my plane. I must have been lucky because the damage seemed less than it should have been. But now the cables were stiffer and my right turns seemed less swift.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0915.jpg[/IMG]
He turned right and I when for another reverse.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0916.jpg[/IMG]
And I got behind him. I fired carefully.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0917.jpg[/IMG]
And I got him in his tail, doing quite a damage.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0918.jpg[/IMG]
But just then he surprised me with quite a perfect immelman.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0919.jpg[/IMG]
He hit me again in my wires and the cables went loose. My stick lost almost all the right turns control.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0920.jpg[/IMG]
I fired back and my bullets raked the pilots compartment and I saw him lose conscience or even...
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0921.jpg[/IMG]
Well... His biplane spiraled down until it hit the ground.
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0922.jpg[/IMG]
I decided that I had enough so I moved away into our lines...
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0923.jpg[/IMG]
The Morane's pilot didn't seemed very eager to chase me...
[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2009%20-%20Nieuport%2011/Nieuport11SC0924.jpg[/IMG]
I had been lucky. That plane was better than my Eindecker.. I wanted one of those...