In the November skies above no man's land, a ragtag flight of 3 Central aircraft - a Roland, a Pfalz D.IIIa and an Albatross D.Va - motored towards the Allied lines. On the "perch", slightly higher than the other two planes, Albatross pilot Kurt Jagger reduced power on the throttle. The Roland and Pfalz weren't quite as fast as he was, so Kurt had to be constantly sure he wasn't outdistancing them.
He closed the radiator to keep the engine warm. Donnerwetter! but it was cold! He pulled his scarf tighter; his breath left his mouth in trails of vapor.
As soon his wheels had left the ground that morning, Jakob had entered a different dimension. No more a part of the world below, of trees and earth and snow. Now he was transposed into the domain of the eagles - a wild place of towering clouds, dizzying heights and biting cold. A place where few men dared to go. A place of the hunter and the hunted. One must never forget that up here.
While the wind whipped past the simple glass windshield and sang fiercely around the support wires of his Albatross, Kurt scanned the distant horizon. In this lonely world of hunters, the one who keeps his eyes open survives. Kurt drew in another breath of crisp air. When he exhaled, he thought he saw something odd, something ever-so-slightly out of place with the clouds. He narrowed his eyes.
Below him, a little to his left, three shapes rose through the clouds like icy phantoms. Kurt waited for agonizing minutes as the undulating shapes drew nearer, watching with bated breath. Finally, he caught a clean silhouette of one: Camels!
Kurt reached for his satchel and pulled out a flare pistol. He fumbled for a cartridge, finally found one and fired. The Roland and Pfalz pilots saw the red flare and readied themselves. The sky was about to become hot.
Mission briefing:
Central units involved:
1 Roland C.II (pilot Fritz Fabian, rear gunner Marco De Ritter)
1 Albatross D.Va (pilot Kurt Jagger)
1 Pfalz D.IIIa (pilot Reinhard Schuhmacher)
Allied units involved:
3 Sopwith Camels (pilots William Godfrey, Henry Godfrey, Lionel Forrester)
The mission began with the Central recon aircraft and its two escorts starting at one end of the table. On the other end, a nasty swarm of camels tighten formation and prepare to engage. The recon's mission: successfully fly to the other end of the table and exit the gaming surface.
Joining us today was younger brother Shaw, who elected to fly Fritz Fabian's Roland C.II. (If you notice the paint scheme on the Roland is non-standard, you would be correct. Greyson painted this one all by himself. If you want to see a closer picture of it, look in the official Roland C.II painting thread. )
The camels split up, seeking to hit the Roland from all sides. Kurt wasted no time, diving in on one of the offenders' tails.
The fight degenerated into a barroom brawl. The Roland dove for cover and the two Central fighters laid about themselves admirably, putting hits on all the Allies. Once the Allies caught whiff of the Roland trying to escape though, they made a beeline for it. In response to that, the Central fighters dropped in behind the Camels, in hot pursuit. We now had a food chain of sorts, with the Roland leading the way.
Both Central fighters paired up on William Godfrey's six, wounding him. Out of options and on the deck, William initiated a tight right turn, hoping that would save him.
It didn't work. Kurt Jagger finished William off while Reinhard Schuhmacher's Pfalz went after the other Camels.
Eventually, the Roland made it to the other end of the table and withdrew. To his credit though, Lionel Forrester's Camel doggedly followed the Roland all the way until it flew out.
The playing field was now leveled. Two fighters versus two fighters. At this point, we called a break to go out for dinner with our parents.
Today's pilots (from left to right): Greyson, myself and Shaw. Good times with family!
After a great dinner out, we dove in right where we left off. Lionel Forrester, having followed the Roland as far as he was able, did an Immelmann turn and ended up behind the Central duo.
It was there that Kurt Jagger was caught in a deadly crossfire between two camels. Thus ended his fight for today.
Reinhard's Pfalz caught fire immediately afterwards. Though he fought valiantly, he didn't have a chance. He couldn't have withdrawn if he wanted to.
Debriefing:
Central pilot Kurt Jagger shoots down Sopwith Camel piloted by William Godfrey but is himself shot down by Sopwith Camel piloted by Henry Godfrey; 1 kill confirmation requested; WIA.
Central pilot Reinhard Schuhmacher is shot down by Sopwith Camel piloted by Lionel Forrester; WIA.
Central recon pilot Fritz Fabian continues on to photograph enemy lines with no more attacks from enemy fighters; RTB.
Central tail gunner Marco De Ritter; RTB.
Allied pilot William Godfrey is shot down by Albatross D.Va piloted by Kurt Jagger; WIA.
Allied pilot Henry Godfrey shoots down Albatross D.Va piloted by Kurt Jagger; 1 kill confirmation requested; RTB.
Allied pilot Lionel Forrester shoots down Pfalz D.IIIa piloted by Reinhard Schuhmacher; 1 kill confirmation requested; RTB.
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