Mission 13: New Year's Over No Man's Land
Letter of an Allied pilot, postmarked Verdun, New Year's 1918:
My dearest 'Livy,
Since I cannot wish you a happy New Year as I'd like, I must convey those wishes to you on paper. Happy New Year dearest!
I suppose you'll want to know how we're getting on on in the RFC. Well up front I can reassure you we aren't so bad off as the boys in the mud. We get a barracks and a mess hall and lots of other things that would make them green with envy. (Don't tell them I said that though.) We even had a little party last night in the officer's mess. They invited us over for champagne and beef and biscuits, which was jolly swell of them, being officers and all. I don't know where they got the food from, but it was A-1.
Flying's not so bad. It's nippy up there to be sure, but we bundle up like a bunch of polar bears each time before we head up. (That reminds me, thank you so much for the scarf you sent me for Christmas. It's nice and toasty and red's my favorite color, but you'd know that, wouldn't you?)
Anyways, give my girls a hug and tell them Daddy loves them and save a great big kiss for yourself. X
- Jackson
Mission Briefing:
Central units involved:
2 Fokker DVIIs (pilots Georg Steinbecker, Justus Göttlieber)
1 Fokker Dr 1 (pilot Orld von Keppler)
Allied units involved:
2 Se5as (pilots Joseph Montgomery, Jackson Black)
1 Sopwith Snipe (pilot Arnold Rhyes)
This is a game Greyson and I played with our cousins about two weeks ago. Shortly thereafter, our family took a week long vacation to beautiful Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; accordingly, I haven't had time to submit this report until now. (We also flew another mission during our vacation that I have yet to submit an AAR for.)
Our guest pilots for that flight were cousins Wyatt and Riley and brother Shaw. Wyatt flew Joseph Montgomery's Se5a; Riley flew Jackson Black's Se5a; Shaw flew Georg Steinbecker's DVII.
As this scenario took place over no man's land, we devised a very simple system to see if downed pilots made it back to their lines. For each downed pilot, we roll a dice. Roll a 2-6 and your pilot successfully finds his way back. Roll a 1 though, and he is captured! (While perhaps not entirely realistic we adopted this rule mainly considering the youth of some of our players. They tend to get very attached to their fictional pilots. Sometimes it's better to be lenient and have more people willing to play, then to be strict and have an empty game table. But it does not do to remove the element of danger completely from the game either. Thus I try to keep this campaign a mix of realism and fun for those involved.)
The mission begins as Georg Steinbecker's lone DVII is bounced by three Allied fighters. A pair of Central fighters on patrol nearby spot the fight and rush to assist. Until they arrive, however, Steinbecker must fend for himself. Air combat is not always fair...
Will the Central reinforcements make it in time?
In a surprising turn of events, Steinbecker performed an Immelmann turn, putting him on the tails of all 3 Allied aircraft. Which one to shoot?
When the rest of the Central planes showed up, the fight became a classic melee, with every man for himself. Wild machine gun fire sprayed everywhere, but failed to deal out critical damage at this juncture. But that wouldn't last for long...
You can't enter a fire without being burnt just as you can't take bath without getting wet. The damage became worse and the hurt began. Justus Göttlieber in his yellow DVII was wounded while Arnold Rhyes' Snipe caught fire. Jackson Black's Se5a started smoking and his guns jammed. Joseph Montgomery's Se5a contracted engine damage. The only exception was Orld von Keppler in his Dr 1. In his case I believe my above analogy proves inept. Some chaps get lucky. Though he had been fired upon, Orld had as of yet, registered no hits.
Justus Göttlieber brought down Arnold Rhyes, finishing off the deadly work the fire had started. Arnold crash landed in no man's land. Per roll of the dice however, he was able to find his way back to his own lines.
Soon after, Joseph Montgomery burst into flames after a head on pass with Steinbecker.
Montgomery falls earthward but barely manages to survive the crash. Allied soldiers on the front lines spot the crash and send a detachment to search for survivors. They find Montgomery badly wounded, but alive. The soldiers rush him off to a hospital behind the lines via a field ambulance.
Once again, Jackson Black is left alone to face the enemy (deja vue?) and once again, he wisely uses superior altitude and speed to withdraw. The Central fighters pursue him but cannot catch him.
Debriefing:
Central pilot Georg Steinbecker shoots down Se5a piloted by Joseph Montgomery; 1 kill confirmation requested; RTB. Ladies and gentlemen, with this flight Georg Steinbecker becomes our campaign's first Ace! For attaining five aerial victories in service to the Fatherland, Georg Steinbecker is awarded the Iron Cross 2nd class.
Central pilot Justus Göttlieber shoots down Sopwith Snipe piloted by Arnold Rhyes; 1 kill confirmation requested; WIA.
Central pilot Orld von Keppler; RTB.
Allied pilot Arnold Rhyes is shot down by Fokker DVII piloted by Justus Göttlieber; WIA.
Allied pilot Joseph Montgomery is shot down by Fokker DVII piloted by Georg Steinbecker; WIA.
(As I look back through my photos of the game I cannot seem to find any of Jackson Black's damage. The picture may have gotten deleted by accident or I may have never taken it. I must admit I am notorious for doing the latter.I do remember that he had smoke, guns jams and left the fight with only 2 points left.)
Allied pilot Jackson Black; RTB.
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Originally Posted by gully_raker
Considering the beatings my Jasta has taken on a couple memorable missions, I'd say it's about time. 
...But aren't you an Englander too? 
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