All week the Bulldogs had been patrolling the ammunition depot . The previous day Hall and Jameson had encountered a flight of German fighters and chased them off.
Today Ron Curtis and Peter Hibbet were assigned to fly the first sortie just after dawn.
From 12000 feet Ron could clearly see the trucks and horse drawn carts re supplying the base. It certainly made for a prime target for the German planes, spread out as it was behind the main bridge crossing the river. the build up of heavy shells for the offensive had been well observed and an attack was as HQ said "On the cards "
Ron flying the faster Nieuport took the anti clockwise patrol, Hibbett in the Morane , took the other. The sky was patchy but clear below 15000 so they stayed below the ceiling eyes peeled. On his second sweep Hibbett spotted the enemy scout ahead and slightly below .Firing off his flare to attract Rons attention he turned his plane to try and come behind he Hun.
The flare had given him away as the Halb turned to meet him.
Kahlow got of the first rounds, striking the Moranes wing tip and creating a tear in the fabric. (2) Hibbet saw his bullets hit the Halbs engine, severing a fuel pipe and igniting the fuel within. (2+fire)
.Hibbet and Kahlow swept by each other the fear clear in the Germans eyes as the flames took hold .
Ron was closing fast on the enemy scout but it was Hibbet again that spotted the lumbering biplane coming into sight below its escort. His mind flashed back to the banter in the officers mess the previous evening
" Get directly behind the bugger in his blind spot or your sure to be toast " the CO had said . With this in mind Hibbett began his maneuver.
Ron was soon upon the weaving German scout. His first short burst hitting the already stricken engine (2+eng)
Throwing his plane into tight left turn Kahlow shakes Curtis off his tail momentarily, but Ron adjusts and a second longer burst results in a plume of smoke from the rear fuselage. (2+smoke)
With the Roland pulling ahead of the Morane Hibbet opened up the throttle and feels the small plane surge forward. The AAMG pits burst into life but their target was too high, the tracers visibly falling short.
With his fire out Kahlow made moves to get away back to his lines, his battered plane limping its way across the sky. Ron lined up to Imell and finish off the wounded bird .but he missed as he came out of the reverse (0) Steading his aim his next burst hits (0.1) +1 tailing Too close for a final shot Ron throttled back and turned into the German plane. and centred on the pilot to good effect (1+pilot,1) +1 The Halb dropped its wing and rapidly spiraled downward. A kill for Ron,
Luer begins his descent to a bombing altitude. His first pass being to high. The AA nests adjust their aim, eager to bring down the menace above.
Hibbet passed over the depot with the bomber to his starboard. the chatter of the rear gunners Spandau and the sudden loss of rudder movement forced Hibbet to turn tightly into the enemy plane (3,1+ LRD) With the Morane unresponsive and clearly suffering from serious damage Hibbet headed back to his base leaving the bomber to begin its first attack.
The AAMG open up as the Roland skirts across the trenchs heading for its target(0,0,1+LRD)
the observer Thurm reaches over the side of the cockpit and releases the first of his bombs. A low Crummmp sounds as it falls into a stack of crates at the edge of the depot, followed by a flash of light as the incendiary exploded.
As he pulls away the AA guns from the second nest open up, shearing his rudder cables a second time (2+ RRD) . Ron is rapidly closing in on the Hun machine and can see the rudder flapping uselesly in the slipstream. Thurm waited till his plane began to turn and squeezed off a short burst (2)
Rons reply saw more of the rudder shredded (2+LRD) and as the range closed both planes suffered from accurate firing. Ron sees the observer slump over his gun for a second, clutching his arm, and the tell tale flicker of red near the cowling (1+fire, 1+Pilot)
as he feels bullits strike his cockpit. (0,2) but with the observer wounded Rons next burst goes unanswered (2,2+RRD +1tailing)
With that the flame envelope the fuselage and the wing fabric peeled back under the heat. Desperately battling with the controls Luer tried to guide his plane to a section of unoccupied road,but to no avail. Ron watched as it ploughs its way in to a high hedge next to the depot.
Result RFC .
Lt Hibbet RTB 0 kills 9pts damage
Lt Ron Curtis RTB 2 kills. 4pts damage
Central powers.
Lt Kahlow Halberstat W, SD, ET 14 pts damage
Luer Pilot ,SD
Turm Obs W, SD on fire ET 15 pts damage
1 bomb dropped successfully
Sorry no Photos for the min as I have no internet and have to use whatever WIFi site I can find, no luxury of being able to size the shots etc but if France Telecom ever come round to Talvern and fix the overhead cables I will add them.
Nice scenario, with the Germans having a chance of succeeding if it hadn't been for a plethera of rudder damage cards for the Roland. Diced for the observer wound, but a 4 point 1st round fire damage did for the 2 seater and the rudder damage meant it could not turn and was on fire so was basically doomed
Hibbet had to break off due to his plane being in tatters but Rons Nieuport got away with it with only 4 points.
See you all in the mess
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