Wings of War and Glory - Chapter 5: Synchronized

[Blackronin]

October 22, 1915

Since I've received the new Eindecker I've been flying daily trying to use it against an enemy plane. The weather has been bad every two or three days and being unable to cross the trenches to the French side makes my task very difficult. The only two times I encounter French planes the difference in numbers made me retreat. The French now are using a new strategy to counter our superiority in combat. Numbers.




This time wasn't different. I was flying with Leutnant Thorsten Müller in a patrol south of our aerodrome when we saw them.




Four Saulniers. I was tired of waiting and just sending daily reports about flying characteristics to the Fokker engineers. It was time to take some action.




We moved against them and there was something very powerful and reassuring in readying two machine guns instead of just one.




They saw us at the last moment. Two against four. At that moment I thought it would be an even fight. I would be proven wrong.




Thorsten moved in to face them, protecting me while I made a different maneuver.




Two of the French moved in to face him, while the other two copied my maneuver. This squadron knew how to fly together and I became a little weary of how things would work out.




The French raked Thorsten with very accurate machinegun fire, almost destroying his plane in that one pass.




He fired back, but failing to connect with any of his bullets.




I made a reverse and was now ready to target a French plane. But the damage done to Thorsten Eindecker was worrying me too much. I signaled him to retreat. I don't know if he saw my mad waving.




The other two Frenchmen fired against Thorsten from far and failed to do any damage. And lucky that was because his plane couldn't really take much more damage...




Then I fired a stream of bullets that made minor damage to one of the Saulniers. My plane trembled and shook with the vibration of two machine guns firing and it was difficult to maintain a steady direction. But the power of it...




We've both passed over the Frenchmen and I could see the astonishment in the face of the Frenchman I shot at.




I fired again against the other Frenchman, but I couldn't maintain the stability firing the twin machine guns time enough to hit him. I have to learn how to counter this handicap.




Thorsten was moving away and I hoped that he was retreating. I decided to give the Frenchmen a little more trouble to allow him some room.




I fired again making some more damage, but still unable to maintain the plane steady of the target.




One of the Frenchmen saw Thorsten retreating and decided that he would be an easy target.




The Frenchman hit him again, but Lady Luck was with Thorsten. The French machinegun jammed on him.




I kept firing at the Frenchman, hitting him again, but unable to keep the trail of bullets on him. Damn vibration. The twin machineguns would have to be better braced into the plane.




One of the Frenchmen made a reverse and faced me, decided to end my potential onslaught.




He hit me lightly.




Then I turned and found myself facing two enemy planes.




One of them fired, failed and went silent, the pilot raised on his seat to unjam his weapon.




I fired back and also failed to connect. Ah! A missed opportunity.




Thorsten was already far and going in the direction of our aerodrome . Good! Now I was facing alone the four Saulniers. Bad... I had to shake them off and return.




My fire continued to fail the targets. Were the machine guns not centered? Was it the vibration that was making me fail the target? I was worried that all this failing would make me pay the ultimate price.




I had to move Northwest if I wanted to shake them off. They were fierce, these Frenchmen.




I was able to move one of them away from the herd and get close enough.




This time I hit him squarely and not even the shaking of my plane stopped me from firing a long burst. I hit him hard and I wounded the Frenchman. Now if only I had time enough to finish him off.




He tried to escape while the other moved in into me. I had to be quick.




A trail of smoke. But he was getting away from me. Well, my main goal was escaping, so I had to forget about him.




I've turn on them for a scary last frontal passage.




The wounded smoking Frenchman still willing to fight.




He fired again against me, hitting me with minor damage. I was impressed with his courage.




I also fired against the nearest Frenchman and made some minor damage, the shaking of my Eindecker disturbing my fire.




Time to go. If not now, probably never...




Fired again... Must he missed me by a hair...




He kept following me, but his weapon was jammed. I'm a lucky one...




Now I had them all behind me, but I was speeding up and the only French who could hit me was still jammed.




Now I had a good report to send to the Fokker engineers. If only they could reduce the shaking, the two machine guns would do miracles in an aerial combat.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Dastardly trick of the French what! Employing numbers to combat your air superiority.
Adjutant get me H.Q. on the blower, I've just come up with an idea.
Kyte.

[Blackronin]

Dastardly trick of the French what! Employing numbers to combat your air superiority.
Adjutant get me H.Q. on the blower, I've just come up with an idea.
Kyte.

Damn!

[gully_raker]

Very engaging AAR there Joaquim!
I think you need to speak to your ground crew about the ammunition rather that the vibration. Glad Thorson made it back!

[Blackronin]

He did.
Thanks.
And I will.

[Blackronin]

Tiding it up.
I miss my paper Eindecker.

[LOOP]

4 to 1. That is a brave fool of a pilot.
And that was a heap of zeros to.

[Blackronin]

4 to 1. That is a brave fool of a pilot.
And that was a heap of zeros to.

It was a fun scenario to play.
I thought that the A deck would give me an advantage... But alas...

[LOOP]

It was a fun scenario to play.
I thought that the A deck would give me an advantage... But alas...

I flew a senario with an EIV last night. 2 DH2s and a RE8 vs an EIII, an EIV and a Roland CII. The EIV with sniperskills. It was a real killer. That A-gun made more than half of the damage.

[Blackronin]

I flew a senario with an EIV last night. 2 DH2s and a RE8 vs an EIII, an EIV and a Roland CII. The EIV with sniperskills. It was a real killer. That A-gun made more than half of the damage.

You'll see that in the next missions that also happens.