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Blackronin

Wings of War and Glory - Chapter 10: Balloon Defense

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[I][B]January 25, 1916[/B][/I]

[I]With the new French planes, the enemy was becoming more adventurous in their raids. Our balloons, that were pretty much left alone in the previous months were now being harassed daily. But the high command was still adverse to protect them properly. We were warned that a flight of French planes were crossing the lines and probably moving against one of our balloons. We've scrambled up to meet them, Leutnant Sven Michelson and me. Our cold engines pushing our Fokkers in a slow ascendance in the chilling morning...[/I]

When we got there the balloon was still intact. That was good news. The observer waved at us, oblivious to the danger that was coming.

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I searched the skies. The air was freezing but the skies were clean and bright. And then I saw them coming.

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A Saulnier and two of the new Nieuport model. Coming fast at the balloon. The fools below weren't yet aware of them and weren't pulling the balloon down.

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We pushed the engines of our machines to cover as much ground as possible. I wanted to meet them as far as possible from the balloons.

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As we were getting closer, I could see a strange contraption built in the wings of one of the new planes.

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They weren't going to deviate from their path to engage us... They were going straight at the balloon.

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That prompted me to turn sooner than I intended and I crossed their paths.

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I immediately took fire from them. And their bullets raked my plane.

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I fired back but I was clumsy and failed to connect. I was also distracted with the strange things bound to the wings of one of them.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2009.jpg[/IMG]

Then I got myself into the cross-hairs of the Saulnier.

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And once again I felt the bullets of his machine gun raking the fabric of my plane.

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Then Sven was on them and fired a precise burst that hit the Saulnier.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2012.jpg[/IMG]

I fired again against the first Nieuport and hit it lightly.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2013.jpg[/IMG]

One of the Nieuports kept going at the balloon, but the other two scouts hit the bait and changed their course. I reversed while Sven kept his plane on the tail of the Saulnier.

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And with a magnificent burst he put it on fire.

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I was fighting for advantage with one of the Nieuports. A difficult task, as these planes are more nimble than the Eindeckers. Sven was still on the French´s plane tail and the other one, with the strange contraptions was still going against the balloon.

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Sven hit the burning French plane again but his weapons jammed. Tough luck.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2017.jpg[/IMG]

I was getting the upper hand, but my eyes were also on the brown Nieuport.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2018.jpg[/IMG]

And then he fired some... kind of... fireworks display against the balloon. And they went in all directions but the balloon. And I wondered what would happen if it had hit it... The idea scared me a lot.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2019.jpg[/IMG]

Now they seemed to be turning back. This new contraption wasn't very accurate, but I could easily see the potential of it.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2020.jpg[/IMG]

I fired against the brown Nieuport but my weapons jammed.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2021.jpg[/IMG]

Our upper hand seemed to be lost and the enemy planes were maneuvering to get us. I fought with the jamming the best I could.

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But after firing against the balloon, the French seemed to have lost their way.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2023.jpg[/IMG]

You couldn't really tell if they were leaving or not.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2024.jpg[/IMG]

Sven was rejoining me and the Saulnier seemed pretty damaged so I guessed correctly that he was leaving.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2025.jpg[/IMG]

It was time to focus on the more dangerous Nieuports.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2026.jpg[/IMG]

They both made a quick reverse and were on us. The balloon wasn't still going down. What was the ground crew doing?!

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2027.jpg[/IMG]

In the middle of a reverse with my Eindecker I wished again I could have one of the French planes. They were so nimble.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2028.jpg[/IMG]

The poor Saulnier was limping away and I had no time to take it down. But I guess that we were going to stop seeing those in a short while...

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I was now getting closer and Sven was in the middle of the two French planes.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2030.jpg[/IMG]

The brown one hit Sven.

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And Sven hit it back.

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Now I was getting close enough to offer some cover to Sven.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2033.jpg[/IMG]

I hit the first Nieuport squarely and at least I felt it fragile.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2034.jpg[/IMG]

He banked swiftly in my direction and once again I was surprised with its nimbleness.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2035.jpg[/IMG]

But the brown one was firing at me and I forgot about the small plane qualities.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2036.jpg[/IMG]

I fired back and hit it squarely.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2037.jpg[/IMG]

And I knew that now they would withdraw.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2038.jpg[/IMG]

But Sven wouldn't allow it to be easy.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2039.jpg[/IMG]

Neither would I, for that matter.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2040.jpg[/IMG]

Sven failed to hit it. I connected squarely.

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2041.jpg[/IMG]

The fragile plane disintegrated in the air...

[IMG]http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i395/Bayushiseni/Wings%20of%20war%20and%20Glory/Scenario%2010%20-%20Balloon%20Defense/Baloon%20defense%20SC%2010%2042.jpg[/IMG]

The other one was moving away, far from our reach.
In the cold morning of that late January day, the balloon start coming down...

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