OTT-EYM – Mission 12 – Flash's Last Man Home – 27th March 1917
It had been a standard bombing mission on the nearby railway station in an effort to disrupt the German supplies of men and materiel by knocking the facilities and tracks about as best as possible.
As last man in 2lt Chris Cross had been fairly pleased with his effort, dropping his eggs in the vicinity of the signal box and hoped he’d caused more than a little damage. He was just turning to give his observer AM.3 Rick Shaw a thumbs up when there was a ruddy great bang and his kite was thrown sideways. He felt a knock to the head but managed to set them level without too much trouble and was glancing about at the shredded fabric of the wings when he became aware of blood trickling down his neck. He was obviously badly hurt and set course for home.
As he circled past the town he noticed some British machines off to his left.
At least he might have some company as he nursed his damaged kite home so he turned toward them, it was then he became aware of other, more colourful, machines to his front
2Lt Bobby Pynne spotted a blue Albatros C.III crossing the lines on its way home, no doubt, he dearly wanted to knock it down but he was fully occupied with a couple of fighters over the trenches so he’d just have to wait his turn.
Vzfwbl Hartmuth Hemer piloting the blue Albatros C.III was having similar luck as his opposite number that morning having copped a packet whilst on a recon mission over the Tommy rear areas in an attempt to ascertain what they might be up to in this sector. His observer and commander, Ltn Franz Schäpe, on seeing blood leaking from his pilot’s flying helmet indicated they should head back, as much to preserve the photographs he’d been taking as for the welfare of his driver.
Pynne turned into the enemy fighters, narrowly avoiding a blue bellied Roland D.II, managing to lob a long-range burst into an Albatros D.III with a black tail even as the Blue C.III turned in toward them. Safety in numbers he guessed
Pynne managed to slip past the Hun without damage but noticed they’d been joined by another Albatros D.III with a red band round the fuselage. He’d have to box clever if he stood any chance of getting out of this scrape. He looked around for his wingmen but they both seemed a long way off, though Two Dads looked to be closing fast.
In expectation of the Huns reversing on him Pynne rolled his Pup round to the right in hopes of leaving them adrift and getting behind the C.III. His hopes were dashed as he saw the black tailed Albatros rolling left and the Roland beetling off toward the new chap Peter Stout. 2Lt Baz Fife-Brand turned his Nieuport 17 #A (for Aussie) into the path of the C.III and peered down his sight in anticipation.
Closing fast Baz squeezes the trigger and send some lead into the C.III’s nose managing to damage some control lines, rounds patter through his airframe as Hemer returns the compliment. Pynne continues his turn eyeing the black tail
2Lt Peter Sout meets the Roland head on, gun blazing but it jams before it does any real damage, return fire crashes through his airframe and he feels a blow on his arm as hot lead rips through the sleeve of his flying coat. Just a scratch but a shock non the less.
Baz squeaks past the C.III, Pynne realises he will have to take some avoiding action as it appears the black tailed Albatros will get the drop on him
Baz clears the C.III; Schäpe takes his chance with a long range shot but his parabellum jams before he can cause any major damage to the Aussie’s Nieuport.
As predicted, the black tailed Albatros gets a burst on Pynne in spite of his best effort to avoid him and damages his rudder.
He’s not the only one in trouble as the Albatros with the red stripe and blue bellied Halberstadt close on Cross’s Harry Tate. Shaw tries to fend off the latter with a burst but the incoming damages their rudder and rips into their already damaged airframe.
Baz reverses in hope of chasing down the blasted C.III as Sout, jam cleared, closes on his left and Pynne turns into the black tailed Albatros slipping past it out of further harms way.
The C.III flies through the sight of Cross’s gun but he’s unable to damage it. The other Hun close on the Harry Tate and let rip, the Albatros struck nothing vital at point blank but the Roland makes the kill shot on the damaged Brit.
Ltn Franz Werner punches the air as he claims another victim – his fourth already !
Obltn Georg Pütter can only shake his head at what he thought was a sure kill is snatched from his grasp by his subordinate.
As Baz pulls out of his turn and sets off after the C.III, Sout takes a pot shot at the black tailed Albatros but does little other than make the pilot aware he’s there. Pynne is turning beyond them and mighty ticked off he’s missed the chase.
Sout closes up on the black tailed Albatros and strafes him at close range, maybe he put him off his aim as the Hun took a pot shot at Baz but did nothing but jam one of his guns.
Sout couldn’t help Baz as he became the meat in the sandwich between two Albatrii D.III. The black tailed job seemed to do better with one Spandau as his next burst damages Baz’s engine, as the leaders red striped job hits him from the front, causing significant damage between the two of them.
Trailing a thin white trail of smoke from his damaged engine Baz takes another clobbering from the guns of the red striped Albatros and now the Roland, that has pushed it’s way into the party. Fortunately, he’s shaken off the black tailed Albatros before he made his life really uncomfortable.
While all this is going on behind him Hemer has steered his way to safety
Baz ‘shoots through’, as he’d put it, leaving the enemy behind him and without a shot, but he must make for the barn ‘toot sweet’ as his popping and farting engine is losing power and he’ll need all his luck to hop back across the lines. He can see the C.III making good it’s escape but can do nothing more about it. Maybe next time..
As he turns for home Baz is happy to see Sout and Pynne bearing down on the gaggle of Hun, that might give him the opportunity to slide off without too much bother. Sout trades shots with little effect but picks up some rudder damage
His second effort bears fruit, however, and he sets the black tailed bugger on fire. Baz gets an opportune burst into the red striped leader as he slides across his sights. Decent of him ! Pynne, annoyed at having been cleared off the C.III swoops in and chops down the blue bellied Roland with a devastating close range burst… Kill no.9 for Pynne
Hemer, meanwhile, quietly steers his C.III for home
Pynne turns into the fight as his victim falls away and takes a squirt at the flaming Albatros in hopes of adding to his misery.
Baz makes the most of his position and sticks another burst into the Hun leader’s kite damaging his rudder as he tries to break his tail
Pynne slides close past the flaming Albatros as Baz makes good for home. Sout has problems of his own. Unable to turn right he goes left and finds himself in the unenviable position of having a brace of Hun turning toward him.
It can’t end well and it doesn’t as rounds crash through his already damaged machine, more than enough to put him down.
Pütter is not beaten to the punch for a second time and just takes the kill over Ltn Max Manscott, though he contributed to the Tommy’s demise.
Seeing their comrade fall Pynne slots in behind Baz and shepherds him home
Untroubled Hemer guides the C.II out of the battle space
Butcher’s Tally:
Eagles:
Vzfwbl Hartmuth Hemer: (P2) Albatros C.III: RTB / 0 kills
Ltn Franz Schäpe: (O) Albatros C.III: RTB / 0 kills
Obltn Georg Pütter: Albatros D.III (red stripe): RTB / 1 Kill
Ltn Max Manscott: Albatros D.III (black tail): FRTB-F / 0 kills, 1 probable (Fife-Brand N.17 FRTB-E)
FRTB rolled 3+3 = Crashed !
Rolled 6 -1FRTB +1RTB = 6 - Injured, skip D3 scenarios. Rolled 2 = Skip 1
Ltn Franz Werner: Roland D.II: SD-EXP-NML / 1 kill
Rolled 9 -3EXP -1NML = 5 - Injured, skip D3 scenarios. Rolled 4 = Skip 2
E&E: rolled 10 -1EXP -1WIC +1NML = 9 - They didn’t even see me !
Bulldogs:
2Lt Chris Cross: (P2) RE8 #14: SD-ET / 0 kills
Rolled 6 -1SD = 5 - Injured, skip D3 scenarios. Rolled 6 = Skip 3
E&E: rolled 5 -1WIC = 4 - Captured and escaped, skip D3 scenarios, rolled 3 = Skip 2
AM.3 Rick Shaw: (O) RE8 #14: SD-ET / 0 kills
Rolled 6 -1SD = 5 - Injured, skip D3 scenarios. Rolled 3 = Skip 2
E&E: rolled 7 -1WIC = 6 – In hiding ! Skip D2 scenarios, rolled 1 = Skip 1
2Lt Robert (Bobby) Pynne: RTB / 1 kill
2Lt Barry (Baz) Fife-Brand: FRTB-E / 0 kills
FRTB rolled 5+1 = Stuck the landing
2Lt Peter Sout: SD-NML / WIA / 0 kills, 1 probable (Manschott FRTB-F)
Rolled 9 -1SD -1WIA = 7 - Skip 1D2 Scenario. Rolled 1 = Skip 1
E&E: rolled 7 -1WIA -1WIC +1NML = 6 – In hiding ! Skip D2 scenarios, rolled 5 = Skip 2
A clear win for the Eagles as their tandem got home with its photographs
I played my usual rules re jams, alt etc but I flew all machines with AI just making directional decisions for the tandems.
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Originally Posted by Teaticket
I thought it looked like a Roland but it sais Halb. I wondered if you had some kit bash repairing a Halb with a Roland tail. 
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