Primo Tenente Baldavino Agnoli was happy to be on a mission so far away from the marauding Hurricanes and Fulmars based on the Island of Malta. This recon down the bay of Naples was far from their usual haunts. Moreover with nine tenths cloud at only 2000 feet it was unlikely that any other aircraft was even airborne today. Having spotted no enemy shipping, he turned for home, and as he neared what he calculated was the coast, dropped below the cloud base for a moment to spot for any island landmarks.
Quite unbeknown to the Tenante, flying on an interception course just below the cloud base was the Maryland piloted by Flt. Lt. Ron von Bleyswick (late of the Royal Dutch Air force) with his crew of P.O. Richard (****) Richardson, and Flt. Sgt. Neil McFadden.
Von Bleyswick could not believe his luck as the SM29 materialised like a ghost from the cloud bank some 1,000 feet ahead of him, and crossing his bow.
Climbing steadily, and turning slightly to port he closed with the SM, expecting to receive a reception from the rear gunner with every passing second.
Not wanting to lose a sitter, as soon as he came within range, von Bleyswick let loose with everything that he had.
The first rounds were very telling piercing the fuselage, and incapacitating the rear gunner immediately.
Agnoli reacted instinctively to the unexpected attack. Throwing his aircraft into a turn towards his attacker, he caused the closing Maryland to overshoot in its turn. Von Bleyswick thus missed the chance for a speedy kill at close range.
He did however spot that the return fire from the SM had ceased.
Emboldened by this, Ron cut his speed in order to allow the SM of Agnoli to come within his steepening turning circle.
In a few seconds, he was again in position to pump more rounds into the hapless Italian aircraft.
In order to try and shake off his tormentor, and praying that he could make it before his aircraft succumbed, Baldavino headed for the nearest cloud still under a withering fire from the Maryland.
As he saw his enemy enter the safety of the clouds, von Bleyswick made a fateful decision.
Rather than play hide and seek within the clouds, he decided to skirt around the Cumulous and try to spot the SM as it headed for the coast and safety.
With great skill he caught Agnoli as he emerged from clouds for the second time that day,
Once more his guns did execution upon the Machetti.
Unfortunately as he closed in for the kill, once more fate deprived him of his victory. His shots missed by a fraction as Agnoli jinked his SM in desperation.
There was no escape this time, however, and with the co pilot still valiantly trying to patch up the rear gunner's wounds, no return fire was possible.
This time at very close range indeed Ron, disabled the steering mechanism of the Marchetti and fragments of tail plane actually hit the Maryland.
As more shots went home Baldavino was running out of options, so he once again stalled, forcing the Maryland to sheer off or collide with the already mangled tail of the SM.
Ron swung back onto course, and got off another short burst before Agnoli once again took refuge in the clouds, but this time return fire did come from the rear of the SM.
The Co pilot had given up on the wounded gunner and taken the defence into his own hands.
Von Bleyswick followed him into the cloud, sure in the knowledge that having doled out so much damage to the SM once they emerged one more good burst would finish the fight.
As he emerged, Ron received an unpleasant surprise. The SM had banked and from its new heading the co pilot raked the Maryland, setting its starboard engine on fire.
Feathering the engine and turning off the fuel supply, Ron put another good burst into the SM and was gratified to see Baldavino jettison his Torpedo in an attempt to get away from the now slower Maryland.
As the SM turned away, and Ron opened up on the fleeing SM.
The substitute gunner accomplished the impossible, and hit the second engine of the Maryland which within seconds exploded in a sea of flaming aviation fuel.
Van Bleyswick only just had time to instruct his crew to bale out,
before the now totally unstable Maryland plummeted into the bay of Naples and vanished beneath the waves. Of von Bleyswick himself, nothing was to be seen.
Wiping more than one bead of sweat from his brow, Agnoli breathed a sigh of relief, crossed himself, and with his wounded crewman now attended to, flew his battered Machetti homeward.
Despite being so close to the Italian coast, it was an FAA Sunderland which sopotted the downed Maryland crew.
Butcher's bill.
The Bulldogs.
148 Sq. Luqa.
Flt Lt Ron von Bleyswick. FLM EXP S.
PO. **** Richardson. " " "
Flt. Sgt. Neil McFadden. " " "
Regia Aeronautica.
Squadriglia 192.
Primo Tenente Baldavino Agnoli RTB. One crewman wounded. One victory.
As you can see from this AAR my hero Ron van Bleyswick was not as successful as his real life counterpart even though right up until the end it looked as though the action would be a piece of cake.
Rob.
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