RFC
2nd Lt George Richardson SE5a
2nd Lt James Grinell-Milne Spad
Delaney P Palliser O F2B
Glossip P Mcguinness O 1/12 Strutter
Central Powers
Lt H Hartmann Aviatic
Lt Smitt Albatros
H Borm P Hinderbraundt O Halber
A Luer P J Jacob O Roland
Tanks What are Tanks Lange enquired of the General . Your boys will find out soon enough, in fact tomorrow when you support our troops here. he tapped the map with his baton.
Have them load up with bombs I want to make sure we sink these bath tubs on tracks.
They both laughed draining their glasses of Schnapps before retiring to the Mess.
12 hours later Eagles and Bulldogs f faced each other in the clear cold blue sky Below in NML , its dark muddy trenches and wire covered with a fine dusting of snow , the tanks and troops moved toward the shell pitted woods
T1
Lange had instructed his pilots to take out the RFC as swiftly as possible and with this in mind the Eagles forged ahead. However the RFC planes were more powerful and quickly closed on their prey. Soon the chatter of machine guns could be heard .
Glossip was the first to feel the rounds as Smits first burst hit his chest . (3+pilot) his guns jamming as he squeezed off a few rounds (1+GJ)
Hartmann followed the tracers as they struck the Biffs wing. a second burst was ot an option (2+GJ) Borm pumped several rounds into the Biff as well (1)
Luer facing the formidable SE5a took careful aim at the engine . First smoke then a fiery red flame burst from the cowling. (2+fire)
As the planes pass the rear gunners open up. Pallisers rounds result in smoke coming from Hartmann's engine but the Halberst observer hit him and sliced through the wing spars. (3,3+Pilot)
Jacobs Spandau hits Richardson's engine a second time, smoke pouring from a severed oil line. (0,1+smoke)
McGuiness got his first taste of action, clipping Smitts rudder and elevator (1+LRD,3)
The tanks began to rumble forward turning left and right to avoid trenches and shell craters. The German troops do the same.
T2
Glancing round Hartmann sees Richardson's SE5 trailing smoke and fire.
His guns jammed he decided to attack the tanks below him. Smoke obscured his vision and the bomb fell short (1)
Luer also spots a tank directly ahead of him lining the Roland up for a pass he stalls just as the bombs are released. (6+ eng 0,0,0)The Tank shuddered under the impact.
With his plane in tatters and Palliser wounded Delaney turned the Biff for home (failed morale check) Richardson turned sharply left,the flames still fanning towards him
The unconscious Glossip unable to control his plane almost collided with Grinell-Milne's turning Spad
T3
By the time McGuiness brought his pilot round the Stringer was miles away from the the front. Looking at his bleeding chest Glossip turned for his own lines.
Borm fixed his attention on the Spad but its speedy turn allowed it to get out of what could have been a deadly situation.
A lucky shot however clipped the Spad on its final turn toward Smitt (2)
sideslipping the SE5 seemed to slow the fire and brought Betts closer to Luers plane, Guns chattered a smoke erupted from the Roland.(0,4+Smoke)
The Parabellum rounds however take their toll on the crippled Sopwith engine, causing it to shatter and explode. Betts , the plane still on fire hurtled to the ground (0, XP)
Delaney's shots damage Luers tail (1+RRD) Jacob and Smitt return fire (1,0)
but the Biff is caught between 2 Germans Firing wildly the wounded observer manages a short burst into the closing Albatross before a misfire jams his Lewis a second time (0+GJ,2) Smitt makes no mistake, his bullets tearing through the wing struts and cables. The Biff dropped to the left and began to spiral. (5.1)kill Smitt
T4
The troops and tanks continued to move slowly and cautiously towards each other. .The AAmgs with no aerial targets to shoot trained their guns across NML.
In the air the Eagles were at a 3;1 advantage Now they turned their attention to helping the troops.
Lt Grinell-Milne checked his plane for damage which appeared minimal.
Hartman his bomb load gone searched for the last remaining Bulldog
The cackle of machine gun fire filled the sky. Jacobs gun jammed
T5
Borm gave the nod to his observer to prime the first stick of bombs. He felt the plane lift as the bombs were released , falling directly onto the tub below (2,0,0,8+ smoke)
That left 1 tank for the rest too sort out.
Hartmann had caught up with Grinell-Milne's Spad The exchange of fire saw his tail stripped away (1+LRD). Grinell-Milne felt the thud of rounds as they riddled his upper wing (3)
T6
The AAmgs opened up on the German troops It was short lived for the extreme right nest (1+GJ) (1) for the left nest The troops fought back (4)
(1+GJ) The last remaining tanks shots went wide of the mark (00) The troops, using grenades managed to score several direct hits on the turret and soft underbelly. the engine coughed , spluttered and eventually stopped, smoke seeping out of the ruptured metal and mg ports. (XP)
Grinell-Milne saw the sky full of German scouts and 2 seaters. Below the smouldering wrecks of the Tank Regiment. He decided to hit the deck and see if he could disrupt the German advance.
The Eagles circled the lone Spad like their namesakes,
T7
The troops using suppressing fire over-ran and destroyed both AAMg nests
Grinell-Milne twisted and turned his Spad through the gathering mass of enemy planes His first run at a group of Stormtroopers sent them scattering but not one fell. (0)
Diving low he had hoped the German planes would not follow. He was wrong
T8
Fear gripped the young pilot With no wingman and running low on Ammo, facing 4 planes his heart sank . LMF rang in his ears. He never thought that was something he would experience. But Jonty Grisham, his mentor before he left for Blighty and a Instructors posting words echoed round his head. "Get back in one piece , you can always fly another day"
He turned for the Allied lines. He almost felt the rounds from Luers gun as they passed over him(0), ramming the rudder hard he saw an Aviatik just ahead. A final burst saw its fuselage stitched from nose to cockpit with neat holes, (4)
and then he was away ,speeding over his own trenches hugging what few trees remained on this barren landscape.
Result.
RFC
2nd Lt Richardson SE5a
SD/F/NML/XP
2nd Lt Grinell-Milne Spad
RTB
Delaney P Palliser O F2B
SD/obv wounded/NML
Glossip P Mcguinness O 1/12 Strutter
Pilot wounded disengaged RTB
The RTR
Central Powers
Ltn Hermann Hartman: Aviatic RTB 0 kills
Obltn Sigfried Smitt Albatros: RTB 1 Kill
Fwbl Hans Borm P & Ltn Otto Hildebrandt O: Halberstadt
RTB / 0 kills 1 tank damaged
Vzfwbl Alfred Luer P Ltn Josef Jacob O: Roland
RTB 1 kill (Luer), 1 tank destroyed.
The PBI
3rd tank destroyed by Stormtroopers.
2 AAMG destroyed by Troops.
. A bit of a bloodbath there for the Bulldogs. The Strutter flew off the map due to its pilot being wounded and the Biff just got pummelled. The German 2 seaters really did the business including bringing down the SE5.
I used an XD deck with r/l/straight cards chosen at random for the tank movement. this meant that they were not sitting ducks on a set course for the Germans to bomb them.
Don't think it is necessary to tot up the VPs , only rubs salt into the RFC wounds
Onkel could you do the casualty list please.
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