OTT BE Mission 7, 7 Feb 1918, Something Must Be Done (BB401)

[BB401]

Prologue: Mission 7, 7 Feb 1918, Something Must Be Done

"Well, that’s how they’ve got it figured, lads, it’s our job to carry it out”. Each of the crews were volunteers. Each was invited to volunteer due to skills in flying and long distance navigation. All had front line experience in bombing at low levels. 2Lt Weir leaned into his observers shoulder and whispered “Daft buggers thinking we can get all t’way in an’ back wi’ no one the wiser. More like we’ll ‘ave all Jerry and his mates down our throats”.



“You have a question, lieutenant?” the commander zeroed him in with a stare. “No sir, just clearin’ me throat”. One crew was completely new to the Squadron: Bell and Littlejohn, who had been transferred from the RNAS, some said because Lieutenant Joseph Bell II had had experience in navigation with the Fleet before training to fly. Now it made sense. Long overwater flight at low level, low level run in to a distant target dropping incendiaries and starting fires that anyone who followed could find, day or night. And what indeed would follow. The largest collection of bombers assembled for a single mission, and these crews were the rabbit, not just lighting the way, but drawing down any defenders to an altitude too low to effectively intercept. The arguments had raged back and forth, send in a larger force and draw out more of the defenders, as opposed to keep it small with the chance that they could get to the target undetected. With the main force only minutes behind (if everything went to plan) anyone who dove to greet them couldn’t climb fast enough to interfere with what followed, at least that was the plan.



Walking back to their lodgings to suit up, young Hudson Headlam was pondering aloud “..never thought those maths from school would lead me to this!?” His observer, Cpl “Ginger” Farrell, countered “I’m countin’ on it, you bein’ a man of science and all!”. The three crews had to prepare quickly, the F2.b and the 2 DH.4s were being prepared even now. The words of the commander still rang in their ears “No mucking about! Straight in to the target and drop your eggs in the basket. We must light the way, and the Bombers must get through!”. Light the fuse, more like……

“Get them up now!”

“But sir, we aren’t scheduled to take off for another ten minutes!”
“If we wait ten more minutes we will be socked in and we cannot afford that. Get them off the ground now.” The front was coming in far earlier than expected, and visibility was plummeting. They needed to get the flight up or risk scrubbing it entirely. “We need you up and leading the way. Adjust your timetables accordingly.” They were not actually joining up with the main flight. All depended on the timetable. The other flights that followed had taken off long before they had, with the result that they couldn’t know that the time between the pathfinding flight and the main flights would be increased, potentially allowing time for the defenders to adjust. “You’ll just have to be that much more careful to avoid detection then.” We shall see, he thought. We shall see.

Morale in the Kaiserliche Marine was not good. Too long in harbor for the crews of the ships made for trouble, for men who had trained to go toe to toe with the Royal Navy, to sit in harbor having no impact on the outcome was unbearable, and trouble was inevitable. At least as a luftschiffe captain he could find useful work to do.



Hauptmann Kuno Manger kept his L 62, a new “V” class ship, in top form, and his crew busy on north sea patrols. The heyday of the Zeppelin may be behind them, but they could still do damage, and still work as the eyes of the Kaiserliche Marine. It was good to be aloft, his crew searching for trouble that admittedly, rarely came. He took a drink of kaffee from his insulated cup and reached for his Fernglas. “Sir, I have something, aircraft below, heading 026 degrees, a formation of…..three planes, sir. “Radio it in, Bootsmannsmaat. We can shadow them only a short while.



Let the Luftstreitkrafte decide what to do, about them. Continue current heading and altitude. Let me know if they seem to be climbing up to us.”

And so the chain of events, which began in the politics of Parliament carried through to the priorities of the war and cascaded down shaped by the opinions, experiences, and decisions of countless people on both sides, began to crystallize as the pieces went into motion. Men on both sides carried out their jobs as they understood them, aware only of the task ahead, and not of the forces and decisions that placed them there. But one feeling they all shared was an unconscious anxiousness, the almost transcendental sense that this was part of Something Big. And in war, Big has cataclysmically serious and personal consequences.

The Luftsreitkrafte was trying to understand how the puzzle pieces fit together, what it all meant, and how they should respond to it. Some of the analysts believed that these were interesting but unconnected pictures, which could be explained and responded to separately. Flights of large Bombers leaving Dover, headed for the continent. Flights of two-seaters off the coast of Belgium at low level, heading ENE. Lots of activity at Entente airbases which had not resulted in any of the usual reports of contact over or behind the front lines. Was there any thread that could connect all of these pieces, account for and predict their intentions?



Kogenluft chose: “Ring up Wehrmann at FA 209. Have them send up a series of Rumpler flights to scan the area off the coast. Divide them into sectors. If they spot any of the reported formations, have them shadow them at altitude and radio in at once. And get the Jastas at Ostend, Zebrugge, and….” He paused, pondering, “Courtrai notice that they should be ready to fly with little warning. It may be nothing. But it pays to be prepared.

2Lt Weir was hunched down behind his windscreen, the steady drone of the engine both reassuring and enervating. If only someone could take over, he could take a nice nap about now.



Spotting that Zep earlier had given them a fright, but at that distance, it may have missed them entirely, and it seemed to ignore them, so, so far, so good. Almost time to make the turn to head down the Scheldt estuary. His reverie was interrupted by Hall rapping him on the shoulder, then shouting in his ear, “aircraft, six o’clock, high!”. He turned and pointed up and behind them. Sure enough, another craft was pacing them at an altitude far above theirs. Damn and Blast! The last thing we needed was a snooper on their tail. As they banked over to head down the estuary, they saw it turn and match their heading. No problem staying awake now. The electric feeling of knowing trouble was undoubtedly coming their way would keep them on a razor’s edge for quite some time. The formation adjusted according to their plan, a “V” with the F2b in the lead in the low position, flanked by two trailing DH.4s, above and behind, providing mutual above-and-below defensive coverage. Their speed would aid them, and their twin guns would help keep the air clear around them. Soon they would turn down the zeekanal and head toward Ghent, each moment carrying them closer to their target, and closer to the men and machines that would die to stop them.

[BB401]

Part One: The Best laid plans (the flight in)

His mouth was dry as a desert, his head throbbed with each heartbeat, and really didn’t want to open his eyes. Polishing off the bottle of apfelkorn in the company of Von Oderburg, Busch, and Smolt had had been alright, but following that girl back to the barn, unearthing the jug of ….whatever kind of home-brewed liquor that was…harsh, burning stuff…and emptying that as well, ach….just the thought made his head swim, and his innards twist. Coffee and cold air, please. Weber picked straw from and straightened his slept-in uniform, and also tried to straighten his hair in the mirror. Guests at the Courtrai aerodrome, the foursome had come to pick up four new planes yesterday, two new D.Vas and two of the new SSW D.IIIs, but it was too dark by the time they arrived, and with no duties, they sought fun and companionship in town, which they found in bountiful portion.



Steeling himself for the journey and filed with resolve, he pulled himself erect and strode out in search of kaffee and his kamerads.
The four Eagles had geared up and were checking their map for the flight back home when a bell began ringing loudly.



An immediate hectic yet purposeful bustle animated the men of the local Jasta. The commander knifed through the crowded room directly toward them: “Mein Herr Leutnants, we have received word that enemy bombers are enroute at this very moment and will be overhead within a very short time. Although I have no authority over you, your four planes are filled with petrol and munitions and are awaiting only their pilots. I ask you, on behalf of the Fatherland, to put off your homeward flight and fly to meet the invaders. It will be another twenty minutes before we can get the Jasta in the air to relieve you. Our fate, and yours, rests in your hands. The Fatherland calls, what is your answer?”
They did not hesitate. Exchanging a quick glance, Von Oderburg stepped forward and said “Herr Hauptmann, here is our answer. Quickly, what do we know of numbers, direction, speed, and altitude?”

-------------------------------------


The planes were warmed and ready as they reached them, chocks pulled, and they were off, Von Oderburg and Weber in the D.IIIs, Smolt and Busch in the D.Vas. As they climbed out it became evident quickly that there was a problem with Weber’s plane. A craft that should be able to double the climb of an Albatros was already falling behind. Von Oderburg saw him wave off and begin to turn back. So it would be three of them to stop the incursion. Let’s hope it would be enough.

--------------------------------------

GAME NOTES: In keeping with the scenario, the AI for thethree 2-seaters would have the run full speed straight ahead for the run-in,trust to luck, speed, and rear facing A guns. I also placed them at altitude 2(F2.B) and 3 (DH.4) respectively; with the Eagles at 4, their standard intercept altitude, and better for searching, assuming they could then climb to meet or dive down as needs dictate.



--------------------------------------

Von Oderburg and his wingmen had hardly arrived on station north east of Ghent when they spotted their quarry below and on a reciprocal heading. Waving to his two wingmen, Von Oderburg banked right to bring them directly across the path of the intruders. Smolt and Busch followed. A head on pass rolling into a reversal and on their tails for the kill. He tightened his grip on the stick and the stubby Siemens became an extension of his will; his vision narrowed, his body tensed in anticipation of the contest.



Lt Weir could see the enemy scouts well above them and to their right, closing fast. “Stick to the plan , Jim Boy, stick to the plan, and trust your wingmen to do their jobs. Keep her throttle wide open and stay on course, and let the men in the back seat take care o’ business”. He could see the enemy scouts rolling into a dive rapidly grow bigger and still bigger and flash by overhead. Had they misjudged or did they have other plans, as no shots were fired. “Didn’t expect us to just ignore you, did we? Ha! Catch me now ye daft buggers”.

--------------

The Englander planes were fast, and they did not obey Boelcke’s sixth dictum, If your opponent dives on you, do not try to get around his attack, but fly to meet it. What is their game, then? He was past them in an instant, and he pulled around the nose of the D.III to get on the tail of the formation.



KarlBusch saw a brief opportunity and he took it. Dropping his nose slightly he lined the sight up at the big AIRCO and squeezed off a quick burst, hitting close to the back seat before it flashed by underneath him.

-------------

This would not be Sgt Henry Littlejohn's best day, nor would it be his worst, but at this moment the good luck and bad luck seemed to occur at the same moment. Just as he swung his guns around to tack the diving hun, it’s fuselage looming overhead, he squeezed the trigger only to have it jump out of his hands and found himself clutching a bleeding face a several small shards of an enemy bullet splattered about giving him several superficial cuts. Wiping his face with his sleeve, He worked to check, clear and reload his weapon.



Hagen’s wingmen were not as quick in their Albatros, and had just now begun to descend, and he feared they risked ending up occupying the same piece of sky. He was unaware of Busch’s intervention or its effect, only that he was able to get by without harm. As the sharp turn slowed him he felt, then heard Busch’s Albatros thunder over him. Gott sei Dank, he had already shed some altitude!



And in an relative instance the Eagles had flown over and through the enemy formation, they seeming to take no notice of their being there at all. And my, they seemed to have a turn of speed! Before they could all complete their turns, the enemy zweisitzers were already beginning to become small as they sped to the southwest.



The three pursuers rejoined and pushed their craft as hard as they could to catch their opponents, who seemed to easily pace them. They were back over Ghent in a moment, and the three invaders turned due west, where they could see flak rise to greet them.



Von Oderburg signaled his flight to hold short and let the anti aircraft fire take effect, keeping their foes in sight but out of range of their countrymen, whose machine guns and artillery were decidedly impartial as to whose craft they struck once they started filling the sky with those ugly black puffs.

---------------------------------

2Lt Weir was feeling good so far. Their plan to race through low and fast seemed to be validated. By the time the huns had spotted them they had misjudged and his mates had zoomed past. It seemed like Bell's DH.4 was lagging a bit, but nothing to worry about. They could see the enemy airfield start to come into view when it seemed their pursuers were holding back. And then it started. Ugly blacks puffs, the buffet and a shower of fragments too distant at first as they got the range, but it would take God's own luck to dodge it all. He waved his formation to spread out to cover three individual targets, and the DH.4s dropped to their planned bombing altitude. In low and fast, hit them hard, and speed home. Piece of cake Jim boy. Things were going smashingly so far.......

[BB401]

Part Two: Meet Archie

Bell's laboring DH4 had caught up to Weir and Headlam's machines, and they had descended to their bombing altitude, risking the fire of the Hun's Archie in order to guarantee solid hits, according to plan. As the approached the enemy airdrome area, each lined up on a separate target and prepared for the run-in and drop. Their success meant not only damage to those damnable Staaken bombers, but they would start fires that would easily lead in the following formations to pound the area thoroughly.


(GAME NOTE: Entente planes enter at altitude 2)


As they had the targets in sight, the enemy archie opened up. 2Lt Joseph Bell II flinched as an ugly black puff appeared in front of him, and he could hear the whiz and crack of fragments hurtling past. His plane was rocked, but the engine sounded no worse (or better) and the controls were still responsive. Looking back at Sgt Littlejohn in the rear seat, it appeared he was also similarly unaffected. So far, so good. Let's get in close and drop these eggs before they can reload that bugger!


(Game Note: Using Campaign AA rules, Bell draws a A special dmg card, but the hit does 0 damage)


Headlam was boring straight in as Farrell readied their incendiary bombs. He could see the AA gun wink at him and the air in front of him went black and he was deafened and momentarily stunned. His hearing returned with an extra ringing over the steady thrum of the engine – it didn't seem to be affected, but a quick glance around and he could see daylight through a half dozen fist-sized holes in the wings, and a port inboard strut was shattered, the remains of which flapped back in the slipstream, dangling from their wires, and the craft was wallowing a bit. Damn and blast he thought to himself, hold together dearie and I'll go to Church on Sunday!




Weir and Hall in the Bristol could see their target. It would disappear under the nose as they approached, so identify those landmarks and keep her straight boys, he thought. They felt rather than heard the enemy AA, an ugly black cotton ball appearing off the starboard wing. Hall in the back seat had been standing to ready the bombs. As he sat back down he noticed a pair of tears in the fabric right above his seat on either side. Had he been seated, it would have hit him right in the midsection. He crossed himself quickly and went back to work.




Headlam quickly pushed the rudder bar forward with his right foot, dropped the nose momentarily as he approached the target, and sprayed the AAMG position to the right of the target. That'll keep the bugger's heads down he thought, as he puled back on target while Farrell readied for the drop.





Bell had the big AIRCO in good position, and Sgt Littlejohn released their bombs on target, hitting a bit short of ideal but starting a bloody great Staaken on fire for all that. "There's one for Brentford, Kew Bridge Road and Chiswick, you lousy hun bastards!" Littlejohn yelled as he made an offensive gesture at the target as they passed overhead.


(Game Note: They hit the target with 50-75% coverage for 3 victory points)


Weir saw the AAMG as it saw him, and both opened up. It lay just beyond their target, he just dropped the nose a bit and let fly, as Hall readied the bombs.




Hall unloaded their stick of bombs and were delighted as he watched them plummet directly on and around the largest airplane he had ever seen. Even at this distance it dwarfed the other craft, and hangars at the enemy airfield. And it was one of many. Scratch that, it was now one less than many....


(Game Note: Target hit 75-10% for 4 victory points)


Headlam brought her in straight and steady just like it was a training run. Farrell let them go on time, and watched them fall and bracket a huge Staaken, starting it and the nearby building on fire. Bloody Good!


(Game Note: Target hit 75-100% for 4 victory points. Things are looking up for our Entente bombing crews)


Farrell was enjoying the view of a huge plume of smoke and flame as the fuel in the big plane caught fire when they felt the buffet of steady stream of MG fire shatter the right wing. He saw it fold up and the plane went in to a roll to the right, the nose pulling around as the plane entered a steep spin, with little time to react. Headlam fought the controls but their was neither enough wing or enough altitude to regain control.



-----------------

Unteroffizier Muller saw the enemy bomber wing fold, and the plane spiral down right onto their field, crumpling. Could anyone survive such a calamity? He called out to a hangar crew to head to the wreck and see for themselves if anyone survived, and if alive, could be saved.


(Game Note: First Boom takes down the DH4.)


Weir was banking hard to get his Bristol back on a reciprocal heading and out of this hornet's nest of enemy fire. He had seen Headlam's AIRCO go down, but could not spare the time to see the result. He felt rather than saw an AA burst in front and to his left, but he bored on straight ahead, his plane still feeling solid in his hands, the engine smooth and strong.




Bell also saw the Archie rise up to greet them again, but they clearly didn't have the range, and they saw the puffs open up behind them like the giant petals of some ugly black flower.




Just as he was exhaling from relief at having been missed, another cloud of ugly black smoke appeared in front of them, so close he could hear the fragments and smell the cordite as they few through the smoke. But the plane still felt steady, the engine cadence the same. He clenched his teeth and flew on.


(Game Note: A deck indicated damage, but the C card was a zero. Lucky git!)

------------------------------------------

The remaining pair of entente two-seaters leaves the target area, closes up, and prepares for the run home.

[BB401]

Part Three: Fox and Hounds
Hagen Von Oderburg was disappointed with their intercept. Going over it in his mind, he intended to try to avoid a head-to-head engagement, get above them and on their flank, and dive in as they come off target – if they come back on the same route. They were clear of the airfield, not wishing to become a target of their own anti aircraft guns. He could see the smoke of fires being started – the Englischers had done their dirty work.
Now if they would just come back this way....


(Game Note: CP planes are located on the end of the map at 90 degrees to the projected path of the Entente fighters, and a ruler away from the nearest plane's point of entry.)


Flt Lt Weir had to hold his F2B back a bit to allow the DH4 to keep up, it had obviously picked up some damage that was slowing it since before they hit the targets. Then he saw them, above and to his left, the enemy scouts ready to pounce. He had to place his trust in speed and the accuracy of Hall's guns.

--------------------

Von Oderburg waved on his kette to follow him in the attack, and putting his nose down he let the speed build and prepared to bank the nimble SSW to roll in on the tail of the lead plane, allowing the trailing pair to protect him and take on the 2^nd enemy 2 seater.


(Game Note: The D.III misjudges and turns in early, into a spot where he can neither hit nor be hit by the Bristol. His wingmen miss the signal and overshoot without turning, opening themselves up to the rear gunner of the trailing DH.4)


In the rear seat of the DH.4, Sgt Henry Littlejohn sees the two Albatros cut across and behind from his right to his left. Lining up his aim, leading his target, in front of the nearest scout, he pulled the triggers, the twin Lewis guns barking out their staccato song, and he saw rounds hit the Albatros in the fuselage, and flames burst from underneath the craft.




(Game Note: End of turn, an A Card draw does 1 damage and removes one fire marker.)

Hagen was determined. Correcting his angle he banked and pulled above and behind the Bristol, brought his aim onto its fuselage, and opened fire. He saw the enemy's guns twinkle – and stop. A smile spread across his face behind the heavy wool muffler protecting his face from the sub-zero cold.




Another burst, and still the plane flies on. Sturdy craft.




(Game Note: End of turn, and A Card draw does 3 fire damage and removes the second marker)

Von Oderburg pulled in closer, closer, and opened fire. He saw his rounds impact stitching the center top of the wing and fuselage. Still no return fire. He could see the gunner stoically continue clearing the weapons. How much could it take? Then the Bristol returned fire, Schiesse!




Meanwhile, Lt Karl Busch had banked his D.Va hard over and gotten himself on the tail of the trailing AIRCO. His off-angle shot, however, did little damage, but not so the DH.4 gunner. Busch felt the searing hot pain in his leg as rounds from the rear gun hit him in the thigh. The pain when he pushed on the rudder bar was intense, but the leg still worked to push.


(Game Note: End of turn, and A Card draw does 4 fire damage and removes the third marker)


Von Oderburg was single-minded. Only the enemy plane existed. Only its demise or his would break his focus. He fired another burst and the rear gunner did likewise. He felt the enemy rounds hit his plane but he did not look around. His plane flew, his guns worked



....he dove down to position himself level with and immediately behind the Bristol. All or nothing.... He fired again, the stream of bullets pouring into the enemy craft, struts shattering, elevator shredded. The Bristol simply stopped flying, and nose dropping, it headed for the Schedlt estuary which had stretched underneath them as pursuer and pursued flew on.






Young Gunnar Smolt, his fire out and his plane still flying, was determined to give them some back. He had angled back and behind an enemy 2-seater and opened fire. And stopped suddenly. Jammed!




Maintaining his position behind his opponent, he worked to clear his jam. The rear gunner, unaffected, opened fire. Rounds hit the Albatros, and the engine began smoking.




Seeing Smolt smoking and falling of the pursuit, Von Oderburg turned in on the remaining enemy and opened fire. The enemy rear gunner opened up, riddling the SSW with bullets, making the little barrel-chested scout hard to control. Fearing to push it farther, he rolled away from the AIRCO, leveled off, and began waving to gather his kette and return to base. He would not continue to pursue with a battered planes over water.



--------------------------------------------
The remaining DH.4 piled by Flt Lt Bell leaves the map and returns to base alone.....

[BB401]

Epilogue: The aftermath

Werkmeister Schroeder ran his hand over the fuselage of the "new" Siemens-Schuckert that Von Oderburg has flown back to the field, as Wlili and Max looked on. They could see him grinding his teeth as he counted holes, broken wires and struts, and perforated fabric. "Fliegers" he hissed through clenched teeth. They knew it would be a busy couple of days getting this back to the New Condition they expected when they sent the pilots out to pick up the new planes. Weber they had heard was detained with engine troubles - perhaps he could bring one back in good shape? And Smolt was turning out to be a real "Kugelfänger" (bullet collector) and his plane was quite burnt as well - they might have to use it for parts.



---------------
"Well, Ziebell, so much for improving the material condition of the Jasta" muttered the Hauptmann, reading over the reports of the three returning Adlers.
" I send them out to pick up four planes, they bring me one in decent shape, one project, and one set of spare parts. I am hoping Weber returns with the second D.III quickly, we will need her in the air". The "Fliegerwetter" wasn't to clear for another 24 hours, so the crews had time to work. "Armee has confirmed a kill for Von Oderburg. He is beginning to show promise as a leader and a marksman. When the weather clears we shall send him out hunting again. Let's hope we have a plane for him to fly....."



------------------

THE BUTCHER'S BILL

The Entente Attackers, The British Bulldogs -

Bristol F2B flown by Flt Lt James Weir, Sgt Sidney Hall, observer.


Lt James Weir, SD SEA / 0 Kills (Rolls 6) SD-1, SEA-1 =4: Injured skip 1D6; (Rolls 1) Skip 1 scenario. E/E (Rolls 8) BEL -1,SEA-1,WIC-1 =5; Skip 1D2 Scenarios (Rolls 2) Skip 1 Scenario
Sgt Sidney Hall, SD SEA / 0 Kills (Rolls 9) SD-1, SEA-1 WIC-1 =6:Injured skip 1D3; (Rolls 1) Skip 1 scenario E/E (Rolls 7) BEL -1, SEA-1, WIC -1 =4; Captured and escaped! - Skip 1D3 Scenarios (Rolls 3) Skip 2 Scenarios

AIRCO DH.4 flown by Flt Lt Hudson Headlam, Cpl Ernest Farrell, observer.


Lt Hudson Headlam, EXP ET / 0 Kills (Rolls 7) EXP-3, ET-1 =3; Injured, skip 1D6 scenarios (rolls 1) skip 1 scenario. E/E: (Rolls 6) EXP-1, WIC -1, BEL -1 =3; Captured and Escaped! skip 1D3 scenarios (rolls 4) Skip 2 scenarios
Cpl Ernest Farell, EXP ET / 0 Kills (Rolls 3) EXP-3, ET-1 =-1; KIA

AIRCO DH.4 flown by new crew Lt Joseph Bell II, Sgt Henry Littlejohn, observer.


Lt Joseph Bell, RTB / 0 Kills
Sgt Henry Littlejohn, RTB / 0 Kills

The Central Powers defenders, Der Kaiser's Adlers

Siemens-Schuckert D.III flown by Lt Hagen Von Oderburg


Lt Hagen Von Oderburg, RTB / 1 Kill

Albatros D.Va flown by Lt Gunnar Smolt


Lt Gunnar Smolt, RTB / 0 Kills

Albatros D.Va flown by Lt Karl Busch


Lt Karl Busch, RTB / 0 Kills (Rolls 8) RTB+3, WIC-1, =10; All's well.


VICTORY POINT TOTALS:

Entente:

1 x Target hit , 50-75% Coverage - 3 points each

2 x targets hit, 75-100% Coverage - 4 points each

Total==> 11 points

Central Powers:

2 x 2-Seater downed - 3 points each

Total==> 6 points

Entente Victory

[Carl_Brisgamer]

Great prologue Bob, really sets the scene

Looking forward to seeing how your mission plays out.

[Willi]

Interesting, Brother, parceling out in pieces. You know me - love the historical photos, and the story continues....

[BB401]

Interesting, Brother, parceling out in pieces. You know me - love the historical photos, and the story continues....

An idea I stole directly from Carl. Keeps all the bits together while you're filling them in, not broken up by comments or questions.

[Carl_Brisgamer]

This is such a huge scenario, I chose to break up the action purely because It was just too much for one post.

[Carl_Brisgamer]

I hope you can find the time to finish your AAR this weekend Bob, looking forward to seeing how it plays out.

[BB401]

I hope you can find the time to finish your AAR this weekend Bob, looking forward to seeing how it plays out.

I certainly will if my storage and upload issues resolve.

[tikkifriend]

Looking forward to the last instalment Bob

[Carl_Brisgamer]

A good start for the Bulldogs Bob, looks like the fast and low approach may pay off for the raiders. It would not be the first time the DH.4s turn of speed caught the German scouts flat-footed. The Eagles will have to make up for it on the return journey.

[flash]

Bit thrown by the first exchange of fire image - putting overlapping bases aside as an altitude house rule - the card that shows 2 engine damage is a B deck card ? Is there a reason for that or is that a rogue card ?

[Stumptonian]

This would not be Alfred Sidney Hall’s best day, nor would it be his worst ...

Actually his worst was in Early Doors Mission 12 where he died as an observer in my second mission.




Might need to expand your list of pilots, Dave


Or do dead guys go back on the list?

[Carl_Brisgamer]

Actually his worst was in Early Doors Mission 12 where he died as an observer in my second mission.

Might need to expand your list of pilots, Dave

Two men named Alfred Sidney Hall both posted to the RFC as observers!

What are the chances?

[flash]

About one in five years ? Bound to happen eventually... are you sure about the name though...?

[BB401]

Bit thrown by the first exchange of fire image - putting overlapping bases aside as an altitude house rule - the card that shows 2 engine damage is a B deck card ? Is there a reason for that or is that a rogue card ?

Rogue card.

[BB401]

Two men named Alfred Sidney Hall both posted to the RFC as observers!

What are the chances?

Blame the squadron historian. If you look at the updated AAR, it is now Henry Littlejohn who is having a ...day.

[Willi]

Well, my Brother, a fine campaign mission and congratulations to the Bulldogs. As with our little "London Payback" preliminary the victory seems a might hollow when only one out of three make it home, but then again there are less Staaken with which to intimidate our London population!

[flash]

Blame the squadron historian. If you look at the updated AAR, it is now Henry Littlejohn who is having a ...day.

you didn't notice I'd already changed the name about !
I will get to this and the other AAR in due course - was unable to get on yesterday and today it seems we have a number of posted end results.

[Teaticket]

Great set of battles Bob. Another well earned Bulldog win. Thanks for a very interesting and flexible scenario set.

[flash]

Superb Bob, hope you enjoyed it just as much as when play testing it. I was worried that no-one would escape the flak over the target area and the fact that they were successful and one got away was a good ending to whole mission. Not so much for you maybe !

Onkel says:


Verdammt Englander ! Verdammt Amerikaner !! They caused grievous damage to our air fleet but we made them pay a price, they'll think about it twice before trying that again !
I have pulled down the Tally results to work on them - some were actually a little off but no change to the end results fortunately.

Lt Karl Busch: RTB / WIA 0 Kills
Rolls 8 +3RTB -1WIA =10; All's well when you land well !

Lt James Weir: SD-SEA / 0 Kills
Rolls 6 -1SD, -1SEA = 4: Injured skip 1D6; Rolls 1 = Skip 1 scenario.
E/E: Rolls 8 -1BEL -1SEA- 1WIA = 5 In hiding! - Skip 1D2 Scenarios. Rolls 2 = Skip 1 Scenario

Sgt Sidney Hall: SD-SEA / 0 Kills
Rolls 9 -1SD -1SEA -1WIA = 6 Injured skip 1D3; Rolls 1 = Skip 1 scenario
E/E: Rolls 7 -1BEL -1SEA -1WIA -1WIC = 3 Captured and escaped! - Skip 1D3 Scenarios. Rolls 3 = Skip 2 Scenarios

Lt Hudson Headlam: EXP-ET / 0 Kills
Rolls 7 -3EXP = 4; Injured, skip 1D6 scenarios . Rolls 1 = skip 1 scenario.
E/E: Rolls 6 -1EXP -1WIC -1BEL = 3; Captured and Escaped! skip 1D3 scenarios. Rolls 4 = Skip 2 scenarios

Cpl Ernest Farell: EXP-ET / 0 Kills
Rolls 3 -3EXP = 0 KIA

[mikeemagnus]

Excellent story telling Bob. You obviously know your stuff Keeping the attack force down in size seems to have worked well for the entente forces. The larger flights got really knocked about. Well done the Bulldogs. Rep on the way and thanks for the entertainment!