OTT-CYM Mission 7 - Flash "Snaps the Trap!" - 19th August 1916

It has to be said that 2Lt Chris Cross was less than pleased to be used as bait and to add insult to injury he'd lost his Strutter for the purpose and had to use one of the old BB Morane's still kicking about the squadron "because it looked more vulnerable".
He at least hoped the chaps watching over him might know their business so was was somewhat nonplussed to find out his guardian angels were Lt Bill Foldes, who so far had a rather less than stellar record, and a new boy 2Lt Even Keel, who had done rather well last time out.
Nonetheless, Cross got on with the job and later that morning he was stooging about over the German lines trying to entice a reaction from the 'jolly old Hun'.
Attachment 292139

AM3 Ric Shaw shared his pilot's sentiments but knew better than to voice them around officers. He made a good show of being occupied with his camera but his gun was charged and free for immediate action.
Cross kept a wary eye out and spotted the enemy as they made their approach - calling back to Shaw so that he might be ready when the moment came..."Here they come" ... "Steady.." Steady..." "Wait for it ..."
Shaw sneaked a peek and saw a pair of Hun biplanes slipping toward them, noticing too a pair of Nieuports emerge from the cloud above and behind them... "They left that late" he thought...
Attachment 292140

Obltn Johannes Achilles, the newly appointed, or reappointed, commander of the Eagles was pleased to find some easy meat under the nose of his new Halberstadt D.III - maybe he could improve on his meagre tally today. He swooped in and opened fire at long range seeing with some satisfaction his rounds striking the engine area of his prey - He was somewhat alarmed at the sound of a nearby maxim and the crackle of rounds that passed his cockpit as his wingman Ltn Hans Eberhardt Gossner in the blue Halberstadt D.II added to the furore - then rounds crashed in and around his cockpit and he felt a blow to his wrist..
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Foldes pointed his nose down at a dope coloured Halberstadt as it swerved toward him and let go a very long range burst - "Maybe he'd been hit" he wondered but his own rounds found nothing vital.
Cross was looking round frantically and trying to avoid the attentions of the Hun, the cream one seemed to have lost interest for a moment but the blue one was on them and he felt a hammer blow on his shoulder as rounds clattered through the machine..
Unaware, Shaw was pleased as his return fire seemed effective and smoke plumed from behind the blue Hun
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Cross, fighting the pain in his shoulder & his stricken machine turned for home immediately but maybe it was too late as the blue devil on his tail sent rounds lashing through his airframe once more.
Attachment 292143

Cross's day was done and despite his best efforts the Morane snapped left into a spin and headed for the ground as the victorious Gossner looked on.
Attachment 292144

Foldes stayed on the dope coloured machine and sent a good solid burst into it from close range, he noticed Keel, turning in behind him, had a go too.
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Leaving the doped one behind them the Nieuports have a clear run at the blue machine and to avenge the loss of Cross.
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As they both nose down into the attack Foldes lets fly with the last of his ammo but his gun jams before he can do much damage - Keel manages a decent long range effort though.
Attachment 292147

Foldes sorts out his reload as he circles, both the Hun and Keel pull reversals but neither gets a shot as they are too far apart.
Foldes, his gun recharged, continues to circle and catches the Hun at close range as he reverses again - Foldes curses as his Lewis jams once more and his machine shivers as the return fire passes through it.
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Circling again as he works on his jam, Foldes sees that Keel has slipped past the returning doped Hun and is getting in behind him but that doesn't stop the blighter punching a few holes into his machine as he himself avoids the blue one..
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Foldes whips past Keel as he launches his attack and reverses to follow him up.
Keel gets a long range shot into the doped one but he's caught at close range by the blue one and his motor starts to smoke.
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Foldes crashes the party - his close range effort tearing great rents in the fabric of the blue Hun that will see him on his way but he doesn't get off lightly. The combined return fire of the Hun's wreck his Nieuport sufficiently to send him on his way too and a spent round rips through his jacket wounding him for good measure. This is really not his day.
Attachment 292151

As Foldes circles back to find his way home, Keel and the two Huns reverse and make a final pass. Keel's flight controls are damaged in this exchange but the blue Halberstadt barely survives his effort
Attachment 292152

The Hun turn for home; Foldes has to retire and Keel's damaged controls prevent him giving chase so I called it there.
Attachment 292153


Victory Points:

Tandem downed = 10pts Eagles
Scout FRTB = 4pts Eagles
Scout FRTB = 4 pts Bulldogs

Eagles Win 14 to 4 ! :eek:



Butcher's Tally:

Eagles:
Attachment 292154

Obltn Johannes Achilles: (Cdl Halberstadt D.III) RTB / WIA 0 kills
Rolled 8 +1RTB -1WIA = 8 Injured - Skip 1D2 Scenario. Rolled 5 = Skip 2

Ltn Hans Eberhardt Gossner: (Blue Halberstadt D.II) FRTB-D 1 kill


Bulldogs:
Attachment 292155

Lt Bill Foldes: (N.16) FRTB-D / WIA / 0 kills
Rolled: 6 +1RTB -1WIA = 6 Injured - Skip 1D3 Scenarios; Rolled 5 = Skip 3

2Lt tEvan Keel: (N.11) RTB 0 kills

2Lt Chris Cross: (P2 Morane BB) SD-NML / WIA / 0 kills
Rolled 6 -1SD -1NML -1WIA = 3 - Injured - Skip 1D6 Scenarios. Rolled 4 = Skip 4
E&E: Rolled 8 -1WIA -1WIC +1NML = 7 Landed almost home! - Skip 1 Scenario

AM.3 Richard Shaw: (O Morane BB) SD-NML / 0 kills
Rolled 9 -1SD -1NML = 7 Injured - Skip 1D2 Scenario. Rolled 2 = Skip 1
E&E: Rolled 8 -1WIC +1NML = 8 Landed almost home! - Skip 1 Scenario

Well that didn't go as well as expected !
I think the set up positions between the two allied types was a little too far for the Bulldogs to successfully interfere with the Eagles, if I hadn't modified the set up as I did I don't believe they'd have even have got a shot in but even then it was still too much of a stretch to save poor Chris Cross.
For all that I still had a great game but you might want to modify your set up as I've outlined in the BRF already.

Uncle is not flippin' happy though... we lost a tandem and have a pilot out of action.

The 'Bally Hun' as some of you call our Kaiser's Adler will take that blowout victory.
:D
Foldes and Cross will miss several missions, but at least they will be able to cheer on the Bulldogs from the sidelines.
:thumbsup:

Your AAR looks terrific on my new 22" monitor.
Much less strain on the old eyes.
:)

I wondered about the placement of the two-seater when I first read the briefing - I think it needs to be a bit further back from center, as you pointed out.
Might get to this one next weekend.

My new Windows 10 machine appears to have taken on all the files I brought over from my Windows 7 laptop, so I should be good to go.
I was afraid I might be messing with fiddly bits, but so far (touch wood) so good.
:hmm:

:thumbsup: Good effort Dave but the old Hun came out the Winner unfortunately.:hmm:

I will take your suggestion to modify the starting positions. Do you want to make the changes to the BRF?

Have some Rep to sooth the loss of the Morane!;)

Cheers chaps - can't win 'em all ! :erk:

Nicely done AAR. Easy to follow the action. Pity about the mission - it’s was likely the idea of some fool in HQ. Still everyone survived to enjoy a pint in the mess and toast the next mission. :pint:

Thanks Paul, I hope John's mission next month doesn't involve Tommy tandems, I'm just about all out of crews !

The Morrane looks great with the red spinner, I guess it acted as a good target for the Germans, they certainly made effective use of it. ;)

The Nieuports seemed to give a good account of themselves, I'm finding they are a little fragile for my style of unthinking bull at the gate flying.

Nice intro to the story and an entertaining read.
Cheers:drinks:

Thanks John, as well as the Nieuport's being frail playing limited ammo doesn't help my cause either !

Quote:

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Originally Posted by flash

Thanks John, as well as the Nieuport's being frail playing limited ammo doesn't help my cause either !

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I have used the limited ammo rules in the past but I keep forgetting about it, it certainly puts a crimp in your style.

Unlucky for the Bulldogs that time around Dave :( I didn't notice/remember you had modified the start position, but since I came to this mission late, maybe the BRF had already been changed by then.
Interesting choice of opposing aircraft too. On paper, with the MS BB and the two Nieuports on only 10 points damage a piece that would appear a much fairer opposition to the two x 14 points of the Halberstadts. But I assume the slower speed of the Morane BB and its weakness in damage points, would permit the Halberstadt DIIIs to make their attack and deal with the tandem, before the Nieuports could intervene and thereafter the need for the Nieuports to reload frequently would also make them vulnerable! One of these days I shall try it out. Looks like a good challenge!
It was nice to see the old BB out there :) Nice fight though this one, just not the outcome you wanted huh :) One question. Which of the aircraft, if any, did you fly?
REP inbound.

I didn't consider matching health points when selecting the BB - chose it more because it was slow, vulnerable & it looked like bait !
Of course the idea was the Hun wouldn't get near them but unfortunately that wasn't how it worked out with the set up, as I said in post #2 I think they were too far apart but then these things happened in real life, best laid plans and all that !
The ammo rules make the Brits probably as vulnerable as they should be - a belt of 250-500 rounds is far easier to use than three 47 rnd pans but that's the way it was and better times will come so I can live with it.
As for the pilots - I flew as Foldes that time I think..