Mission 3: Searching For Answers
Last night had been black in more ways than one for Willi Heinz. He and two squadron mates had bounced an unsuspecting DH.4 and its escort at sunset, looking for an easy victory. Who could have forseen the total chaos that would ensue! Machine gun fire opened up from both the nearby airbase and the DH.4 without warning - damaging them all. Willi winced. He would never forget the rattle of bullets shredding his plane and striking his skin. It was all a haze once he had been shot, but he vaguely remembered shooting the DH.4 down. He then turned his sputtering bird towards the Central lines. But his troubles weren't over yet. Bad news simply followed him home. As he taxied to a stop, Willi could not see any of the other pilots' planes. He could indistinctly hear some grizzled mechanic telling him that he was the only one to return. So that was it. The new lad Lothor and Steinbecker - gone. Sadness overwhelmed him through the pain. Steinbecker had been more than a leader to him; he had been a friend.
And that was why Willi was doing what he was now. The medical orderly had signed the papers for a three week's recovery leave, but Willi had to find out what exactly happened to Steinbecker - wound or no wound. His black Dr.1 slid over the no man's land like a dim phantom in the early morning light. Soon, he recognized the landmarks of the location of last night's melee. If he remembered correctly, the last time he saw Steinbecker, he was enmeshed in combat with some Camel pilot about a mile or so from the Allied airbase. He looked over his right wing and saw a meadow; that should be it.
The meadow was fairly close to the base, Willi was taking his chances as it was. But he had come this far already. He might as well go on. Hopefully no one would hear or see him in the wee hours of the morning.
Before very long, he was over the meadow. Willi lowered the throttle to quiet his engine. He looked intently for any signs of a wreckage. He saw one plane plowed into the grass. It was bent and the fabric was ripped, but it was upright and the pilot could have possibly walked away. Willi motored closer and then sighed. It was a Camel.
That was when he saw one more shape in the shadow of the trees. He kicked rudder and flew nearer. It was a grim sight. A twisted, charred Dr.1 lay in all its weird splendor, about 30 feet from the Camel. As Willi looked closer, he could see traces of chipped yellow paint. Steinbecker. Had he even made it out alive, he would have been captured anyway. Willi was sure Lothor had suffered the same.
Willi turned for home as the sun crept higher. When he completed his turn, he saw a Hanriot flying in his direction. Willi gritted his teeth. The dawn patrol had spotted him.
Mission Briefing:
Central units involved:
1 Fokker Dr.1 (pilot Willi Heinz)
Allied units involved
1 Hanriot HD.1 (pilot Cover El Lavan)
Willi and Cover started face to face. Willi also started the game wounded from his last encounter.
Cover jammed Willi's guns early on in the fight, but Willi stayed in the fight, using his slower speed and tighter turns to his advantage. Before long, Cover's engine was damaged and he was wounded (again).
But Willi's luck ran out. The Fokker Dr.1 just couldn't match the Hanriot's ability to absorb damage and Cover claimed his 2nd kill. (His first air kill).
Debriefing:
- Central pilot Willi Heinz shot down behind enemy lines; POW.
- Allied pilot Cover El Lavan shoots down Fokker Dr.1 piloted by Willi Heinz; 1 kill confirmation requested; WIA.
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