OTT The Early Doors Mission 4 - Verdun - 21st April 1916
Von Biettrutoffen addressed the small gathering. Feldwebel Maas and Leutnant Stern will take off approximately 45 minutes before the remainder. You will engage the British balloon line and hopefully draw off any enemy scouts so we can have a clear run at our targets.
Leutnant ‘s Toffeleiter and Kneissundupzadaisy, your mission, your sole mission, is to identify and photograph the location of the enemy HQ and artillery positions. Ensure you mark your map in case the camera or plates are destroyed.
Leutnant Fettlemier and myself, will provide escort cover for the photo recon. It is imperative that the recon mission is successful. Without that information we might as well pack up and go home now. Our big push will come to nothing and the Tommies will be home by Christmas!
This big push will break the stalemate and open up the front, open up the front all the way to Paris. Now any questions before we take off? No, that is good. Now be alert and watch out for that new type of fighter the Tommies are using. It’s a pusher like their ‘gunbus’ but it’s a single seater scout. Try and engage from the rear. And lastly don’t go off hunting the enemy, nor anything else you’re not supposed to!
OK, Leutnant ‘s Toffeleiter and Kneissundupzadaisy see you over the target area. The remainder check your ammo belts I don’t want any jammed guns up there. You have 45 minutes make use of them.
45 minutes later, with dawn barely breaking the 3 aircraft took off and headed towards the front lines. All was quiet.
Biettrutoffen and Fettlemier flanked the Rumpler CI piloted by Leutnant Toffeleiter. Ludwig could see the Aviatic at the southern end of the balloon row. The northern most balloon had tendrils of fire creeping up its side. Good he thought they have captured the attention of the Tommies. Looking down he could see nothing of the landscape for it was bathed in an eirey white blanket of fog.
Lieutenant Frederick White , flying a new DH2 single seat scout, flew alongside 2nd lieutenant Percy Bolton and his front gunner/observer 2nd Lieutenant Bernard Walter in their ‘Vickers Gunbus’. Alerted by the front line that a Hun 2 seater was shooting up the balloon line they had taken off with orders to shoot down this brave or foolhardy German aircraft.
Feldwebel Maas watched the ‘Gunbus’ closing in as Leutnant Stern hammered more bullets into the southern balloon. Lieutenant Frederick White had indicated to 2nd lieutenant Percy Bolton to take on the 3 German aircraft whilst he flew to take care of the German shooting up the balloon line.
von Biettrutoffen banked left as his wingman flew straight on. He watched in horror as the Rumpler banked right and flew off on its own. Damn, that wasn’t the plan.
Fettlemier caught the gunbus turning across his sights and let rip with a burst. He watched as a large puff of smoke followed by a loud bang then the gunner slumping over his gun and he knew he had caused the gunbus major damage.
There wasn’t much that 2nd lieutenant Percy Bolton could do as the Eindecker’s bullets ripped into the gunbus. Ignoring the Hun he steadied the gunbus long enough for 2nd Lieutenant Bernard Walter, in front of him, who ignored the wound to his left arm, to lace the Hun 2 seater with a long range burst.
Leutnant Kneissundupzadaisy swung his parabellum and as the ‘Gunbus’ crossed his sights let rip with a sustained burst. The ‘Gunbus’ was full of more holes but more worryingly, 2nd Lt Bolton was wounded as the bullets slashed through the canvas and wood of the now vulnerable ‘Gunbus’.
As 2nd Lt Bolton steered the stricken ‘Gunbus’ away from the enemy he felt more twangs and zings as another fusillade of bullets thudded through the airframe of his damaged aircraft. Leutnant Toffeleiter now had the DH2 firmly to his front, it was that close he could nearly reach out and touch its tail. He watched as both his escorts positioned themselves to attack.
Unable to engage the DH2 Leutnant Kneissundupzadaisy peppered the central balloon as they flew past. Leutnant Fettlemier was just as relentless as he blasted a burst into the flank of the DH2.
The fog had lifted. The combat so intense none of the belligerents had noticed. Biettrutoffen and the ‘Gunbus’ were closing fast. The Rumpler still tailed the DH2 as Fettlemier closed for the kill.
2nd Lt Bolton sideslipped away from the Eindecker at the crucial moment, Hun tracer whipping away just past the left side of the fuselage. Walter let rip and was rewarded with smoke and flames pouring out of the Eindeckers engine cowling. ‘Damn, damn and damn. How could I have been so foolish?’ Ludwig was angry with himself for making such a basic error of judgement.
Fettlemier with a clear shot at the Dh2, now the Rumpler was out of the way, let rip. He was rewarded with the sound of the DH2 engine labouring and misfiring.
The Aviatic was caught in a cross fire from the Tommy trenches and lurched as bullet holes appeared in the wing surfaces.
Biettrutoffen flipped the Eindecker over and sped after the ‘Gunbus’ to add insult to injury his guns jammed at a crucial time. He had not noticed that the bullets from the ‘Gunbus’ had split the belt.
The Aviatic lurched in the blast as the central balloon suddenly exploded. Luckily they were clear of any danger.
Biettrutoffen was in trouble, he powered the Eindecker into an over dive to try and kill the flames before they killed him.
Flames out he was low but alive. Twang, zing, bang, klang, klang, klang. He was that low the enemy in their forward trenches were firing at him. His Eindecker gave up the ghost and low as he was it ploughed into the ground just behind the German rear trenches.
The British in their trenches had woken up and now were firing at anything in the air.
Feldwebel Maas was tapped on the shoulder by Leutnant Stern. Looking over his shoulder he could see the northern most balloon going down. Stern indicated he was out of ammo. Maas needed no more prompting and turned the Aviatic, still on fire, homeward.
Fettlemier had immel’d to attack the DH2 from the rear and let off a blast as it slowly swung into his sight line. Fred White felt the controls go slack and try as he might he couldn’t control his banking turn to the right.
He tried to flip the Dh2 over like he had seen many countless Hun’s do and was rewarded by a myriad of bullet holes appearing through his wing surfaces. Now his controls went totally slack. There was no response to left or right!
Left alone the Rumpler crew identified their first target and Leutnant Hans Kneissundupzadaisy managed to take 3 perfect pictures of the enemy gun line.
Fettlemier and White went head to head. Both letting rip at the same moment. Controls shot, peppered by Hun bullet holes and now on fire. How much more could the DH2 take?
Zooming past the DH2 Fettlemier could see a Biritsh 2 seater swing into view. Where had that come from? Initial bursts both missed the planes closed and close range bursts thudded into both aircraft. 2nd lieutenant George Johnston felt the bullet hit him square in the chest and he slumped forward.
Lieutenant Frederick White tried in vain to control the DH2. There was nothing for it but try and land before the fire got out of control.
2nd Lieutenant Bernard Walter could not believe his luck as the Rumpler swung into view. He fired off a last burst hoping he had hit something vital.
Leutnant Hans Kneissundupzadaisy replied in kind as the ’Gunbus’ now came into his line of fire.
Succumbing to the damage it had previously sustained the ‘Gunbus’ spiralled downward.
Fettlemier was shepherding the BE2 away from the lines and back over German territory. Both planes exchanging more shots.
The inevitable happened, both aircraft collided as they turned across each other.
Fettlemier let go his anger as the BE2c slipped away by firing into the looming shape of an enemy balloon. It crumpled into a heap and fell earthward.
Turning for home he was engaged by accurate ground fire. His now sluggish Eindecker gave up the ghost but he was able to glide into a landing behind the German rear trenches.
Leutnant Hans Kneissundupzadaisy took careful aim and took 5 more pictures as they passed over the Enemy HQ location. Giving his pilot the thumbs up he pointed homeward and was given a thumbs up in reply.
Not to be out done, Leutnant Hans Kneissundupzadaisy again took careful aim as the BE2c swung into his line of fire and fired a long range burst. The BE2c lazily rolled over onto its back and spun earthward.
Engaged by trench fire the Rumper did not escape untouched either.
The Butchers Bill:
Rumpler CI:8 damage
Leutnant Karl Toffeleiter: RTB
Leutnant Hans Kneissundupzadaisy (obs): RTB/2 kills/2 x Photo recon successful/ 3 shots left
Fokker Eindecker (blue dot): 12 damage
Leutnant Sidweg Fettlemier : SD/FT/2 kills/1 shot left
rolled 5 -1(SD) = 4 = skip 1d6 scenarios
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4603602/
missed scenarios: rolled 3
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4603603/
Fokker Eindecker: 12 damage
Oberleutnant Ludwig von Biettrutoffen: SD/FT/FLM/8 shots left
rolled 11 - 2 (FLM) = 9 all well when you land well
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4603604/
Aviatic CI: 8 damage
Feldwebel Jurgen Maas: RTB
Leutnant Jacob Stern (obs) :RTB/2 kills/ No ammo left
Vickers Gunbus: 13 damage
2nd lieutenant Percy Bolton: SD/FT/1 wnd
rolled 7 -1 (SD) -1 (Wnd) = 5 = skip 1d3 scenarios
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4603606/
skip scenarios rolled: 3 miss = 3 scenarios
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4603609/
2nd Lieutenant Bernard Walter (obs): SD/FT/1 wnd /5 shots left
rolled: 3 -1 (SD) -1 (Wnd)= 1 = KIA
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4603610/
DH2: 15 damage
Lieutenant Frederick White: SD/FT/FLM
rolled: 5 - 2 (FLM) = 3 = severly injured miss 1d6 scenarios
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4603614/
skip 1d6 scenarios rolled: 6 = miss 6 scenarios
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4603617/
BE2c: 13 damage
2nd Lieutenant Herbert Martin : SD/FT
rolled: 7 - 1 (SD) = 6 = skip 1d3 scenarios
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4603619/
skip secenarios: rolled2 = miss 2 scenarios
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4603635/
2nd lieutenant George Johnston (obs): SD/FT/1 wnd/ 1 shot left
rolled: 5 -1 (SD) -1 (Wnd) = 3 = miss 1d6 scenarios
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4603637/
miss 1d6 scenarios roleld: 3 = miss 3 scenarios
http://invisiblecastle.com/roller/view/4603638/
Balloon north: 28 damage, destroyed
Balloon centre: Blew up, destroyed
Balloon south: 28 damage, destroyed
Trench 2 south centre: 1 kill
Trench 1 south: 1 kill
SUMMARY:
1. Used limited ammo.
2. Played out flame damage for Aviatic as it left playing area.
3. Played out trench fire on the Rumpler as game ended.
4. used 50/50 chance that trenches would fire on what aircraft, friend or foe.
5. Dice roll to see if trenches would engage.
6. BE2c started with 2 damage and only 5 shots left. (It was returning from a mission!)
7. Made a few mistakes but this was a complicated game to set up and play.
8. Would I play this again, damn YES.
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Originally Posted by Flying Officer Kyte
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