OTT The Early Doors Mission 3 - Pricking the Sausage - 15th March 1916
Wednesday March 15th 1916
Weather report; Very cold. Overcast, clearing north westerly, wind light. Prospect; snow.
One peg =500feet
Ground fire can reach 6000 feet
Captain Frederickson looked out of the flight office window at the airmen shovelling the snow from the landing strip. The last few days had seen little flying and, mercifully, no casualties among his men. He looked down at the orders the courier had brought from Major Smyth. Attached to them was a personal note from the Squadron leader.
“Sorry about this one John, we are all having it a bit rough at the moment. Colonel Hart has been getting his ears bashed by the poor devils at the Front, seems there is a balloon directing Fritz’s Archie to too good effect. A and B flights are struggling to keep our gunners on target due to the damned Fokkers, so you’ve got the short straw I’m afraid.”
“Good news is that we’re moving to a larger field soon, and the whole Squadron can be together at last. See you in the Mess soon”
The Captain read through the official bumf, noting the orders to “Destroy the enemy observation balloon at the earliest possible inst” and looked at his shrunken list of available aircrew.
Sergeant Jenkins and Corporal Strong? Spotting for their own artillery in sector 4…..young Gerry Anderson? Still flying a Bristol Scout, on the long reconnaissance.
That leaves Ramsbotham, and the new fellow; Davis, Welsh but none the worse for that (a beautiful tenor voice), plus he had just returned from the airpark with a new Scout. A pusher like the Vickers, but a single seater and as fast as the Bristol, with a forward firing gun that can be loaded without having to stand on the seat.
He walked to the door of his office, stepped through into the flight office, and sent Sgt Roberts to find the young officers.
Second Lieutenant Arthur Ramsbotham flew his Bristol Scout over the lines at 5000 feet towards the reported position of the German balloon. The old girl was definitely showing her age now. Too much rough use and patching. Maybe the Captain would be able to declare her unfit after this operation, and he would be able to get a new DeHaviland like Norman flying along to his left.
In front of the young Pilot Officers, the German Sausage hove into view, a little below them at about 3500 feet. Unseen by Arthur, a Fokker Eindekker, flown by Leutnant Stutz was continuing his patrol around the Parsefal type “Drachen”. He was bored. The OberLeutnant was making their lives miserable since he could not fly, and more so because he no longer had the only personalised aircraft.
Arthur waved at his wingman until he had his attention, then gave him the signal to attack.
Before taking off, they had discussed how they should approach the balloon, and had agreed that if they could approach it head on, they would take a pass down each side, turn around and pass back up the other side, getting in as many rounds as possible.
P3.1
Arthur dived down towards the target, which loomed large in front and to the left of him.
He decided he could get closer, and proceeded to sideslip the scout into the balloon. Still falling, and closing to the left, he reached down with his left hand to the Lewis gun mounted at an angle from the fuselage and pulled the trigger for a short burst.
P3.2
On the other side of the balloon, Norman too had side slipped in closer to improve his chances, and beginning to weave his DH2 towards the balloon, he opened fire.
He was glad he hadn’t closed too much on the balloon, as his forward firing gun meant he had to weave in and out constantly to bring his gun to bear, yet not ram the dratted sausage and risk damaging his plane.
Arthur blipped his magneto button, slowing his flight to stay beside the blimp as long as possible while he fired into it.
P3.3
He was rewarded, just as the gun fell silent for want of ammunition, by a plume of smoke coming from the balloon. On the other side, at that same moment, Norman’s magazine emptied, and a billow of flame shot out of the side of the balloon.
P3.4
The streams of air sucked through the balloon by Arthur’s bullets mixed with the hydrogen gas in the balloon’s envelope to form an explosive mixture. Norman's hot copper jacketed lead rounds hit those pockets causing small explosions, explosions which fed on the air pulled through the gas bag by those same missiles of death, explosions which proliferated out to the balloons edge where the escaping gas, pushed by the expanding wave fronts of the small internal detonations mixed lethally with the atmosphere to start a fire in earnest. Flames licked up the outside of the balloon devouring the fabric skin releasing yet more hydrogen to mix, oh so eagerly, with the oxygen in the air.
The German observer, seeing the glow above him, checked his parachute case was firmly anchored to the basket, his harness tightly strapped to his body, and vaulted over the side.
Arthur, suddenly aware that he had been concentrating too much on the balloon, looked up and saw a monoplane diving towards him!
Not just a monoplane, and Eindekker, and his gun was empty!
Desperately he threw his scout to the side and down, as his enemy opened fire
P3.5
As he tried to flick it back the other way, he felt the control cable snap. Twisting round in his seat, he could see the shattered remains of his rudder, a few scraps of tattered fabric clinging to the mangled bits of wood that remained.
He watched the German plane flying away behind him for a second, then reached for his Lewis gun. The scout was yawing a bit without the rudder, but it was stable enough for the time being, time to change the magazine.
P3.6
As he headed for the back of the balloon, he saw Norman coming towards him, waving madly and pointing back down the other side of the balloon.
3.7
There was a sound like a swarm of bees fizzing past him. He looked down, and could see little ant like figures congregating.
P3.9
As he and Norman passed each other, Norman’s aircraft erupted into flame
P3.9a
P3.9c
Arthur was stunned by the shock of it, Norman had only been posted to the squadron 10 days ago. He had only had an aircraft to fly for three days, and now…gone!
He finished fitting the new drum to the Lewis, and banked the scout left to turn it around the balloon which he could now see was burning vigorously.
P3.11
The Eindekker had also turned round the balloon and was flying towards him, a couple of thousand feet higher up.
Arthur wanted revenge for his wingman. He couldn’t count him his friend, not really, not in less than a fortnight, but their time in the mess together…. the singing round the old piano that someone had managed to scrounge….this bloody Hun was going to pay the bill for Normans life.
He forced his crippled scout to climb up to meet his quarry
P3.12
He waited until the Fokker was grown huge before him and opened fire, the German pilot, wanting to be sure of his aim had done the same.
Arthur felt a massive blow to his body, his aircraft staggered in the air
P3.13
Shocked, hardly able to function, he tried to hold the stricken plane as it rushed towards the ground
P3.14
He could see the river rising towards him, swampy ground beyond it. With a supreme effort of will he forced the howling conglomeration of wood, canvas, metal and man towards the soft ground.
He came round briefly, there was no pain, no sensation at all really. He thought he could see some grey figures running towards him through a kind of fog. He turned his head to where he thought the balloon should be. He could see the glow of the fire which suddenly grew to enormous proportions as the balloon exploded. The glow died away. Arthur closed his eyes.
The Butchers Bill
2nd Lieutenant Arthur Ramsbotham SD ET/WIA
Rolled 2D6=4
SD-1
WIA-1
=2 KIA
2nd Lieutenant Norman Davis SD ET/EXP/KIA/1 Kill (blimp)
Leutnant Reinhard Stutz RTB/WIA/1 Kill
Rolled 2D6=4
rolled 1D6=4
miss the next 4 scenarios
Balloon
As there were several moves to go to get the balloon down, I continued to draw cards for fire damage
the next two cards were 0, EXP. As I wasn't sure at the time, I didn't photograph them in case balloons go out after three turns. having checked the WoW rules, balloons burn until they reach the ground.
All diving attacks are +1 as are all continuous attacks.
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Originally Posted by Skafloc
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