Uncle came out under the lean to attached to his office when he heard the sound of aero engines - three back early, they looked pretty knocked about and the visiting Belgian looked like he'd had a fire - not a good sign.
He waited patiently for them to taxi in and dismount their steeds - as Claude Back and Trew Storey walked toward his office he called out to them.
"You're back early chaps, where's the others got to ?" more with hope than expectation.
"We're it sir, we're all that are coming back today" replied Back tiredly
The world seemed to tilt a little and Uncle sat back shakily into the cane chair behind him.
"You'd better come in" he said thickly, his mind swirling as he thought of his good friend Capt Downe who'd led this flight.
Fortified with a tumbler of whiskey and starting on the second the young pilots faced their mentor and began to explain as best they could what had happened.
"All was going well sir, as you know the Belgian chaps that had visited us had set off a short while before us" said Back
"We caught up to them on the other side of the lines and were passing underneath them when Cap'n Downe waggled his wings and indicated up and behind us where there had appeared a gaggle of Huns.
"I caught his drift and me and Morrow peeled off to take them on - the Belgians just above us did the same."
"What happened to Captain Downe ? " Queried Uncle
"Well sir," siad Storey "he signalled me to follow and we climbed to take on a pair of Huns that were diving on us from dead ahead - they both fired on him and I think he was hit"
"Those Huns were good sir and some were flying a new type " chipped in Back "The chap Morrow bumped into pretty much wrecked his kite on the first pass and another set one of the Belgians on fire - 'Here-now' or whatever his name was".
"The other one was no slouch though - Stamp - he got stuck right in and smashed up the Albatrii that set his mate on fire
"Captain Downe then zoomed up into the heavens and stalled out into a spin - I think he must've been out of it" interjected Storey "he was going down by the time I'd turned round".
"I traded shots with what I thought was an Albatros but it wasn't " said Back "No Alb can turn like that bastard could - he made my engine smoke" he said ruefully.
"The Belgian - Stamp -" he smiled grimly "was set on fire too but it didn't seem to hinder him"
"Or his friend 'Here-now' - he bowled straight in and blew one of the new types right out of the sky"
"I saw Morrow go down - he was alongside me but he somehow ended up in the middle of them and they just tore him up"
"Then 'Here-Now's' fire got the better of him and it started to feel quite lonely up there"
"I clipped a couple more of them whilst wheeling about" continued Back "I hit one of the new types and I'm sure I wounded the pilot as he went off and smashed into another new type and took him out"
"I noticed about then that Cap'n Downe had managed to pull out and was heading back our way" said Storey "I was by then after the remaining new type - nearly had him too but he dodged me - I think I'd hit something..."
"So Captain Downe was alright ?" asked Uncle
"For a while at least sir," said Storey, "he'd climbed back toward the scrap then just as he reached us some ruddy Hun got a long range pop at him and down he went in another spin
"I didn't see him go, I had my hands full with a couple of the others, got in some good hits"
Storey said "So did your Belgian Stamp, He even picked up a wound somewhere but he still downed an Albatros and badly damaged the other new type
"Yes, he had a bit of a charmed life that one, looked like a big Jerry flag, I would've liked to have got that one"
"Wasn't for lack of trying !" said Storey with a grin
Butchers Tally:
Bulldogs:
Top: Ace pilot Capt Benjamin Downe: (SE5a G-George) SD-ET/2WIA/0kills.
Rolled 9 +1Ace+1F/Ace -1SD -2WIA = 8 - Injured - Skip 1D2 Scenario. rolled 3 = Miss 1 scenario
E&E: Rolled 7 -2WIA -1WIC -1BEL = 3 Captured and escaped! - Skip 1D3 Scenarios - Rolled 4 = Skip 2 Scenario (RW)
2Lt Thomas Morrow:in (H-Harry). SD-ET/0 kills
Rolled 6-1SD = 5 Injured - Skip 1D3 Scenarios. Rolled 3 = Skip 2
E&E: Rolled 11 - 1BEL -1WIC = 9 They didn't even see me!.
2Lt Claude Back: (in cammo) RTB 0 kills
2Lt Trew Storey: (Z-Zebra) RTB 0 kills
sLt Jan Stampe: (Red det) RTB/WIA 1 Kill
Rolled 6 +3RTB -1WIA = 8 - Injured - Skip 1D2 Scenario. rolled 1 = Miss 1 scenario
sLt Jaq Hiernaux: (green det) aka "Here-Now" SD-EXP-ET 1 kill
Rolled 10-3EXP = 7 Injured - Skip 1D2 Scenario. Rolled 5 = Skip 2
E&E: Rolled 7 -1EXP-1BEL-1WIC = 4 Captured and escaped! - Skip 1D3 Scenarios. rolled 4 = Skip 2
Eagles:
Fwbl Hans Pech: (Roland D.VI) RTB 1 Kill (Morrow)
Awarded Iron cross 2nd class
Egon Kosmahl: (Alb D.Va Edelweiss) F/RTB 1 kill (Downe)
Awarded PB
Ltn Richard Pütz: (patriotic Fok D.VII) F/RTB - 0 kills
Ltn Konrad Strünklenberg: (candy striped Fok D.VII) COL-EXP-FT 0 kills
Rolled 7-3EXP = 4 Injured - Skip 1D6 Scenarios. Rolled 3 = Skip 3
Ltn Johann Raesh: (orange-red Fok D.VII) SD-EXP-FT 0 kills
Rolled 7-3EXP = 4 Injured - Skip 1D6 Scenarios. Rolled 4 = Skip 4
Awarded WBs
Fwbl Fritz Kypke: (Alb D.Va with Bear emblem) SD-FT/WIA 1 kill (Hiernaux)
Rolled 5 -1SD -1WIA = 3 Injured - Skip 1D6 Scenarios. Rolled 4 = skip 4
Awarded Iron Cross 2nd class
Well there it is - what a punch up ! I was flying Capt Downe so I didn't fly much and ran the game almost entirely AI !
Have fun with it chaps !
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