Scenario 17 - Flash - Head to Head - Over The Trenches - 13th February 1918
Hugh Jundys was relaxing in his quarters after a hairy homecoming from the dawn patrol, his engine cutting out as he crossed the perimeter hedge to the home field came as a nasty surprise and he only just got his crate down in one piece; though his heavy landing seemed to have cracked the under-cart & Chief mechanic Hanson had the boys working on it now in a vain hope to have it ready for the morning.
Supping on a mug of tea fortified by a jot of rum by his batman was certainly helping him relax as he thumbed through a week old copy of The Times and smoked his way through a pack of Players.
He’d have happily stayed there the rest of the day but was startled from his revelry by the arrival of Uncle, always a portent of bad news.
“Get your chaps together Hugh” he called “There’s a bit of a shindig going on over the front near St Caronne”.
Hugh groaned inwardly & started gathering his kit calling “Right-o Uncle, what’s the form?”
Uncle continued “According to the chaps up there, bags of Huns appeared from nowhere & set about some of our kites and a massive fur ball has ensued, could be our afternoon patrol we just don’t know. Either way the Old Man wants everybody up and over there tout suite”
“My kites still broken” Hugh piped up, “What shall I take ?”
“Everything’s going up, even the our old Nieuports but Mr Scott has something special waiting for you Hugh, I think you’ll like it” replied Uncle.
Hugh didn’t like the sound of that, he didn’t like surprises at the best of times but he was totally flabbergasted as he rounded the hanger corner to find a grinning Chief Mechanic Scott stood next to a Sopwith Triplane.
“Where the hell…”
After a quick briefing Hugh led 2nd Lts Horace Cope, Lew Bricant, Perry Shute & Dan Gellar into the air, they formed up to his left in line abreast and then swept towards the skies over St Caronne.
Hugh was starting to enjoy flying the Tripelane – its performance was far & away better than he’d been told and he could feel it wanted to perform like a true thoroughbred. At least he hadn’t got a Nieuport like poor Dan Gellar had !
Cloud had been building up steadily throughout the day and though scattered was now forming towering structures of vapour that Hugh took his flight between. They’d been in the St Caronne area ten minutes but had seen neither hide nor hair of the Hun or their own chaps for that matter as they wended their way between the massive cloud bulwarks.
Hugh was about to call it a day when the flight flew between two humongous pillars of cloud into an arena of open air – as they did so a gaggle of Huns entered from the opposite side…
Hugh waggled his wings & blipped his throttle but it wasn't necessary, everyone had seen the danger and all throttles were opened wide as they surged ahead into contact.
Perry Shute in the SE5a leapt ahead of his comrades and was the first to draw blood as he traded lead with a yellow Albatros D.Va, taking rudder damage in the process.
Lew Bricant was next up with his Camel taking a Pfalz D.III head on - both aircraft stalled so as to get a steady shot both scoring solid hits but the Pfalz Pilot seemed to flinch in the cockpit.
Jundys took a chance on his aircrafts manoeuvrability swinging right with the intention of cutting back and hopefully behind an oncoming Fokker Dr1. Unfortunately for him the Fokker pilot decided to charge straight in and caught Hugh broadside on with a thumping burst that clattered through the engine cowling – Hughs Tripehound began to splutter
Having had a poke at one D.Va, Shute went for a second and traded paint instead of bullets.
The close shave was worth it as Perry pulls an Immelmann right on the Albatriis tail and he starts scoring hits
The first pass had been made, the first gut check passed now the fight was well and truly on
A dark shadow fell across the arena as Dan Gellar who, having already traded shots with an oncoming Pfalz D.III, was surprised when it Immelmanned in front of him & then turned across his nose – he quickly realised the Hun was trying too un-jam his guns as he pumped rounds through its rudder !
Perry Shute kept pouring fire into the black D.Va and saw the pilot twitch as his rounds slammed in about the cockpit
As the sun poured back into the arena the Black D.Va suffering under Perrys guns manages to Immelmann and come back at him but there was no response from it as he fired another slashing stream of fire into its frame. Perry notes the pilots head lolling as they pass and the D.Va bores straight on.
Jundys, engine damaged turns for home, as luck would have it a Pfalz appears in his sights and he gets a shot on him !
The blue tailed Pfalz hit by Lew on the first pass stalled for a second time and began to spin away out of control, the pilot clearly slumped at his controls,
Some aircraft have made a second pass while others wheel around the cloud arena of death looking for prey or to avoid becoming someone elses.
Cope makes a nuisance of himself - colliding with Shute who appears to draw aircraft to him like a moth to a flame. fortunately the damage is slight.
They are not the only ones as Hugh bumps into the turning Pfalz he just took a pop at
Gellar is still in the fight, spotting the lurking Dr1 angling in on Jundys ailing Tripehound he immelmanns and drops the hammer on the unsuspecting Hun
Aircraft head in all directions as those wounded and damaged try to sort themselves out before the next enemy finds them
The Dr1 reacts violently by turning straight into Gellars attack, as he dodges this move the incoming Pfalz scores a hit, there is a soft whumpf and a gout of flames spurts from under the Nieuports cowling.
Jundys is now heading for home, coaxing the best he can from the Tripehounds suffering engine, the Yellow D.Va having circled looking for a chance spots the stuttering Tripe and drops in on its tail promptly lacing it with a long lingering burst
In spite of Shutes attempt to throw him off his aim the Yellow D.Va presses home his advantage and scores another solid hit on Jundys suffering tripe
The Yellow D.Va scores again – it’s too much for Jundys poor Tripehound and it tumbles from the sky
Just as the sides have evened up disaster strikes the Hun flight – in their attempts to get on the burning Nieuport the Dr1 & Pfalz collide heavily – The Pfalz falls away from the fight shedding fabric and splintered wood.
As Jundys falls into no mans land the Hun kites collide - things are delicately balanced and the fight can go either way
The Dr1 makes some amends by getting shots on Gellars now flaming Nieuport as he circles attempting to deal with the fire
All the protagonists circle eachother warily looking for the next opportunity to strike
The black D.Va lunges at Cope guns blazing but the rounds whistle through harmlessly
The Dr1 Immelmanns and rushes Gellar – they trade shots like true duellists – the Dr1 jams his guns but the damage is done and Gellar must leave the battle space
The Black D.Va makes a fatal error by pulling an Immelmann and showing his back to Cope who needs no second bidding and roars in hammering the cockpit area, the pilot falls forward dead at the stick…
Cope steadies up and delivers a coup de gras,, smashing the D.Va apart with a long withering burst before if tumbles away
Shute seizes an opportunity as he finds himself on the tail lof the Dr1 and hoses it with lead sending it down to join the other wreckage in no mans land
The Yellow D.Va finds himself suddenly alone in a sky full of Bulldogs and with one closing fast behind him it’s time to go home!
As he heads for the barn the German pilot knows he must fight his way out of his predicament and promptly shoots down Gellar heading in the opposite direction
Before trading shots with Shute and breaking away for home with 2 kills under his belt
We later learnt the name of this talented pilot. Ltn Bruno Stachel...
Bulldogs Butchers Tally:
2nd Lt Hugh Jundys - shot down - 0 kills
(Rolled 7 - bruised - skip 1; Rolled 7, mods: nml +1 healthy +1 = 9 escaped unseen)
2nd Lt Perry Shute - RTB - 1 Kill (Dr1)
2nd Lt Horace Cope - RTB - 1 Kill (Albatros D.Va)
2nd Lt Lew Bricant - RTB - 1 Kill (o.o.c.) (Pfalz D.III)
2nd Lt Dan Gellar - Shotdown - 0 Kills
(Rolled 7 - bruised - skip 1; Rolled 4, mods: nml +1 healthy +1 = 6 hiding in nml skip 2)
Eagles Butchers Tally:
Ltn Bruno Stachel - RTB - 2 Kills (N.17 & Sopwith Triplane)
Ltn Martin Ziegel - RTB - WIA - 0 Kills
(Rolled 4 Mods RTB +3, WiA -1 = 6 skip 1 D3 resulted: bruised skip 1)
Ltn Bernard Auer - SD - KIA (2xWIA) - 0 Kills.
Ltn Friedrich Sternberg - Crash from Collision - 0 kills
Drew card - pilot K.O'd but survived crash landing in nml
(Rolled 8 mods: -3 = 5 skip d3 rolled 2 = skip 1; Rolled 9, mods: nml +1 healthy +1, exp -2 = 9 so didn't even see me)
Ltn Anton Holbach - SD - 0 kills
(Rolled 7 - skip 1; Rolled 4, mods: nml +1 healthy +1 = 6 hiding in nml skip 2)
Some thirty hours later Dan Gellar reported back to the squadron – he apparently spent the night in a shell hole with one Ltn Anton Holbach sharing hip flasks and flying experiences until it was safe to move and it was he who came back with the name of the successful German pilot Bruno Stachel
Originally Posted by flash
Neil.
(que fatuous comment from csadn...
)
(3:2 in kills). But running the whole game as an observer with the PC being shot down quite early, was a sacrifice and a prove of the value of the system. However, it makes me think of taking control of a number of planes...
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