Wolfbiter
11-07-2010, 22:08
France, late winter, 1917
Dear Mother and Father,
Thank you for your recent messages of concern. I want to assure you I am doing better after a few days' rest on leave. In fact, I have another victory to report to you!
Ziegert and I were flying solo patrols a few days ago, and our separate dogfights just go to show how no two battles in the sky are alike.
Unlike Klepperman, who flies the Pfalz exclusively, or myself, Ziegert often switches aircraft types on a regular basis. Indeed, sometimes he will even patrol in one of his squadron's older fighters. With so many aircraft being repaired after recent actions, he decided to fly in one of the squadron's Albatros D.IIIs. He had only been airborne a short while when he spotted a promising target--a trainee French pilot flying a Nieuport 17.
The Nieuport is an agile and capable fighter--as long as it is the hands of a skilled pilot--but it is very fragile, and cannot stand much punishment. Sadly, the pilot was clearly unfamiliar with his aircraft and had little chance against an experienced JG1 veteran like Ziegert. It was only moments after they spotted each other that the two scouts found themselves head-to-head and exchanging fire. Ziegert told me that for about half a minute, it was like they were mirroring each other--the duellists would shoot past each other, Immelman, and then face each other again for another simultaneous burst of fire.
Unfortunately, the French pilot made a fatal error--after the second Immelman, he suddenly broke right, perhaps hoping to confuse Ziegert and outmaneuver him. In this, he failed completely. Ziegert proceeded to perform a third Immelman instead of engaging in a turning duel--which put him squarely on the enemy pilot's six. Bringing his D.III in close, he fired once, then again, then three times, doing more damage with each burst. The Nieuport, not swift enough to escape, rolled belly-up and plummeted to earth.
The entire battle took scarcely more than five minutes.
My own battle that day was quite different. I was patrolling in "Lotti" south of Ziegert's sector when like him I spotted a lone enemy fighter. But instead of an older Nieuport, my target was one of the latest British fighters--the SE5a, a fighter whose speed and maneuverability surpass Lotti's. But I pushed all doubt from my mind, confident that my favorite aircraft would see me through this duel!
But even I wasn't prepared for the astonishing speed of my opponent. We passed each other in a head-to-head flyby, exchanging only a handful of shots. As I looped around for another pass, I saw my foe already disappearing toward the horizon! It took several minutes as I turned into pursuit and engaged, and he brought his own racing aircraft around. It was clear to me that I would not be able to best him trying to match his fighter's performance...I must strive to outwit him and throw him off-balance!
What followed was a long game of cat-and-mouse as we chased each other across the sky. After several minutes, we closed range northeast of our original meeting point, and I fired a long burst into his tail rudder. My guns grew hot from the continuous fire, but Wetzel had taught me the trick of inspecting my ammunition carefully before each battle, discarding the faulty shells to prevent jams. I am grateful for his help...for unlike previous battles, my guns fired true and did not jam once!
My foe sped southwards, and once again, I turned in pursuit. He whirled his fighter around...and then suddenly stalled his engine. I shot past, surprised, and banked hard to re-engage. I was sure he had me, but once again he stalled, just missing bringing me into his line of fire. (I was baffled by this, and only later would learn what happened.)
We passed each other twice more with inconclusive results, racing to the very edge of our line of sight, then spending minutes re-positioning for less than five seconds of fire at a time. It was grueling work that stretched nerves to the utmost. But having come through the brutal battles across the barrage lines, I knew that I must fight with a cool head and patience, and that giving in to impatience would be fatal.
Thirty minutes into our duel, and fuel was running low. We faced each other for one more pass. But as we raced toward each other, I suddenly shifted my rudder and slipped sideways...just enough to place me directly in front of his fuesalge, with his guns just out of range. I fired...and he spun suddenly and streaked downwards.
(It was only afterwards, when we inspected the wreckage, that Ziegert discovered I'd hit his engine several times in my first pass...which explained his baffling, random stalls.)
Oddly enough, this dogfight--a clean, well-matched battle against a worthy opponent--was just what I needed to shake the malaise that has gripped me since I was shot down. My confidence restored, I have acceded to Ziegert and Klepperman's urging and put my name on the list for the next available Jasta command slot,with our squadron leader's approval. I am determined to do my utmost for my country, and at last feel confident to take on the responsibilities of leadership.
Your son,
Wolfram Von Thun-Hohenstein
Oberleutnant, assignment pending
(Game notes: Dave Zee and I fought two one-on-one dogfights last week. D.III vs. Nieuport: 10 minutes. SE5A vs. D.Va: 30 minutes. Your mileage may vary. But both were very enjoyable matches.) :)
Dear Mother and Father,
Thank you for your recent messages of concern. I want to assure you I am doing better after a few days' rest on leave. In fact, I have another victory to report to you!
Ziegert and I were flying solo patrols a few days ago, and our separate dogfights just go to show how no two battles in the sky are alike.
Unlike Klepperman, who flies the Pfalz exclusively, or myself, Ziegert often switches aircraft types on a regular basis. Indeed, sometimes he will even patrol in one of his squadron's older fighters. With so many aircraft being repaired after recent actions, he decided to fly in one of the squadron's Albatros D.IIIs. He had only been airborne a short while when he spotted a promising target--a trainee French pilot flying a Nieuport 17.
The Nieuport is an agile and capable fighter--as long as it is the hands of a skilled pilot--but it is very fragile, and cannot stand much punishment. Sadly, the pilot was clearly unfamiliar with his aircraft and had little chance against an experienced JG1 veteran like Ziegert. It was only moments after they spotted each other that the two scouts found themselves head-to-head and exchanging fire. Ziegert told me that for about half a minute, it was like they were mirroring each other--the duellists would shoot past each other, Immelman, and then face each other again for another simultaneous burst of fire.
Unfortunately, the French pilot made a fatal error--after the second Immelman, he suddenly broke right, perhaps hoping to confuse Ziegert and outmaneuver him. In this, he failed completely. Ziegert proceeded to perform a third Immelman instead of engaging in a turning duel--which put him squarely on the enemy pilot's six. Bringing his D.III in close, he fired once, then again, then three times, doing more damage with each burst. The Nieuport, not swift enough to escape, rolled belly-up and plummeted to earth.
The entire battle took scarcely more than five minutes.
My own battle that day was quite different. I was patrolling in "Lotti" south of Ziegert's sector when like him I spotted a lone enemy fighter. But instead of an older Nieuport, my target was one of the latest British fighters--the SE5a, a fighter whose speed and maneuverability surpass Lotti's. But I pushed all doubt from my mind, confident that my favorite aircraft would see me through this duel!
But even I wasn't prepared for the astonishing speed of my opponent. We passed each other in a head-to-head flyby, exchanging only a handful of shots. As I looped around for another pass, I saw my foe already disappearing toward the horizon! It took several minutes as I turned into pursuit and engaged, and he brought his own racing aircraft around. It was clear to me that I would not be able to best him trying to match his fighter's performance...I must strive to outwit him and throw him off-balance!
What followed was a long game of cat-and-mouse as we chased each other across the sky. After several minutes, we closed range northeast of our original meeting point, and I fired a long burst into his tail rudder. My guns grew hot from the continuous fire, but Wetzel had taught me the trick of inspecting my ammunition carefully before each battle, discarding the faulty shells to prevent jams. I am grateful for his help...for unlike previous battles, my guns fired true and did not jam once!
My foe sped southwards, and once again, I turned in pursuit. He whirled his fighter around...and then suddenly stalled his engine. I shot past, surprised, and banked hard to re-engage. I was sure he had me, but once again he stalled, just missing bringing me into his line of fire. (I was baffled by this, and only later would learn what happened.)
We passed each other twice more with inconclusive results, racing to the very edge of our line of sight, then spending minutes re-positioning for less than five seconds of fire at a time. It was grueling work that stretched nerves to the utmost. But having come through the brutal battles across the barrage lines, I knew that I must fight with a cool head and patience, and that giving in to impatience would be fatal.
Thirty minutes into our duel, and fuel was running low. We faced each other for one more pass. But as we raced toward each other, I suddenly shifted my rudder and slipped sideways...just enough to place me directly in front of his fuesalge, with his guns just out of range. I fired...and he spun suddenly and streaked downwards.
(It was only afterwards, when we inspected the wreckage, that Ziegert discovered I'd hit his engine several times in my first pass...which explained his baffling, random stalls.)
Oddly enough, this dogfight--a clean, well-matched battle against a worthy opponent--was just what I needed to shake the malaise that has gripped me since I was shot down. My confidence restored, I have acceded to Ziegert and Klepperman's urging and put my name on the list for the next available Jasta command slot,with our squadron leader's approval. I am determined to do my utmost for my country, and at last feel confident to take on the responsibilities of leadership.
Your son,
Wolfram Von Thun-Hohenstein
Oberleutnant, assignment pending
(Game notes: Dave Zee and I fought two one-on-one dogfights last week. D.III vs. Nieuport: 10 minutes. SE5A vs. D.Va: 30 minutes. Your mileage may vary. But both were very enjoyable matches.) :)