OTT ED Mission 17-Gas Gas Gas!-15 May 1917
Fwbl Rudi Koch gave Vzfw Reinhardt Richter a quick salute and the ground crew let go. Off he bounced down the runway in a Rumpler, slowly gaining speed with Ltn Horst Zimmermann behind him. Richter followed in a scorpion decorated Roland CII with Ltn Otto Weber arming his Parabellum during the takeoff.
Once in the air they circled the aerodrome a few times gaining altitude, then headed off towards the west into the lowering sun.
Both Richter and Koch knew the gravity of this particular mission. Spies had reported a buildup for a new offensive by the British. If the spy report was correct this time their foe was planning on using poison gas!
Seven miles behind enemy lines the troop and ammunition convoy was parked at a small town. It concentrated last night and was to move out just after dusk tonight, so an attack on it before dusk was imperative.
Running through Richter’s mind again…
“Care must be taken while dropping your bombs”, Hptn Buttner said, “as the town also has a prisoner depot and hospital aid station. We don’t want to bomb our own boys or any wounded. The propaganda value of that would be a disaster”.
“Here we are being careful not to bomb their wounded as they prepare to gas us, fffffuh”!
Richter yelled to Weber with a hand gesture towards the enemy lines.
The new AA section were relaxing after dinner when the lookout yelled that planes were approaching. “They were coming from the east so they are likely Hun as we have no airfields directly west of us, get ready to fire”, confidently spoke the section commander as he raised his binoculars.
The new crew had not yet fired a live round at an enemy plane so the excitement level was high.
Two of the boys bumped into each other, both of them falling down as the gun boomed. The shot went by the German plane harmlessly as setting the detonation fuse was forgotten.
The convoys began to roll as 2Lt David Haines flew over as cover.
In the dimming light the AA section was spotted and both planes veered away.
The AA section kept an eye trained on the one German plane and wasted another shell without setting the fuse.
Haines didn’t see Richter in time to line up a shot but Otto Weber was ready. The SE5a’s oil line was pinged spreading oil over the hot engine immediately sending off a trail of smoke.
Not knowing where the shot came from Haines flew his smoking plane over the AA section for protection while Koch flew around to the north.
The Germans flew down low to try to see what each convoy was carrying.
The AA section commander had kept is binoculars on the Rumpler and had another round fired. Did the round explode in the cloud? Still he saw no air burst. He watched the next round loaded and stopped the crew. He couldn’t believe it. The boys weren’t setting the fuse!
After a considerable amount of frantically yelled instruction on proper fuse setting, the next shell was loaded.
Even in the waining light it was obvious what was in the trucks beneath them. The red crosses on white were all to plane to see, the trucks with waving troops, some pickelhaulbes peering out from under the canvas were friends. Trucks with troops with rifles and those loaded with crates are definitely were the targets. Only one tightly bundles up convoy unidentified, that must be the gas. Hand signals passes between Koch and Richter, targets were selected.
The smoking SE5a approached fast and the Hun scattered.
Haines went after the closest Hun, a Rumpler. Both planes exchanged poor shots but Haines noticed he could not turn to follow up. His controls were sluggish as the Hun had hit a cable.
This was bad news as Haines’ faster plane brought him next to the 2 seater and Zimmermann scored a well placed shot.
With the Brit speeding past Koch turned back towards the convoys.
Richter noticed the exchange between Koch and the Brit. Seeing Koch head to the convoys he went after the scout.
Haines can’t turn fast enough and Richter plugs a few more holes into the SE5a.
The AA section reacquired Koch as he flew back over the convoys. The near miss jostled the Rumpler and the bomb drop was put on hold for another pass.
Otto keeps up the fire on the SE5a as it passes behind the Roland.
As Haines turns in to attack he feels a searing pain in his right shoulder, Weber delivered a crippling blow.
The Ricther turns in to let Otto keep firing. Haines gets off a weak shot before his engine is engulfed in flames blocking his view. His SE5a can’t take any more and plummets to the ground, burning all the way down.
Richter turns towards the convoys as Reginald Parke flys onto the scene.
Otto takes a long shot and misses just before Richter passes under a cloud.
Parke dives under the cloud gaining on Koch. Minimal damage is traded between all three planes.
The AA section commander is adamant and keeps his boys firing at the Rumpler.
Seeing another miss he personally sets the next fuse.
Richter drops a couple bombs into the troop convoy setting trucks on fire. In a panic some trucks crash while turning off the road spilling troops into the fields.
Parke keeps on the Rumpler while taking more fire from Otto.
Richter notices Koch’s plight with the scout on his tail and turns in to help. Both Richter and Otto score big and the British plane shudders
Koch drops a couple bombs into an ammunition truck setting off a series of explosions that take out half a dozen trucks.
Richter smells the kill and gets to 30 yards range and opens up again setting the Brit on fire, destroying it, sending it spinning in flames into the ground.
The AA section’s persistence paid off. The crew cheer loudly as a direct hit knocks the Rumpler out of the sky.
Not seeing what happened to Koch and Zimmermann, Richter takes a wide turn trying to make out another target in the failing light.
Richter’s bomb run was not made easy with air bursts around him.
As he got over the target he couldn’t make out friend of foe so he held off dropping any eggs. It was just too dark on the ground to make anything out. With visibility gone he turned his Roland home....
Falling towards the ground it became darker and darker. Rudi somehow gained enough control to avoid a crash. He amazingly landed the battered plane, but unfortunately it was quite close to the AA section that took him down. Rudi and Horst quickly went about setting the plane on fire. Horst noticed many men running their way and said to Rudi they must go now. Rudi was still making sure any maps and mission information got into the fire when he was captured. Horst, hiding in a copse of trees knew with only a pistol he couldn’t confront ten enemy soldiers and watched as they took Rudi away. Horst makes his way back through the lines that night and reports Rudi Koch’s capture.
Butcher’s Bill
2Lt David Haines SD FLM WIA FT 0 kills
C&W 4 - 2flm - 1wia = 1 kia
2Lt Reginald Parke SD FLM FT (oops, didn’t take a BB photo!)
C&W 5 -2flm = 3 severely injured 2 = miss 2 missions
Vzfw Reinhardt Richter RTB 1 kill 1 troop convoy destroyed
Ltn Otto Weber RTB 1 kill
Fwbl Rudi Koch SD ET 0 kills 1 ammunition convoy destroyed
C&W 11 - 1sd = 10 = lands intact
EET 5 -1et = 4 captured but escapes 6 = miss 3 missions
Ltn Horst Zimmermann SD ET 0 kills
C&W 10 - 1sd = 9 ok
EET 11 - 1 = 10 They never saw him!
Troop convoy +25 points
Ammunition convoy +25 points
2 enemy scouts +50 points
Lost one plane -25 points
total 75 points
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Iron Cross first class for his total mission/kill tally 
Well played Peter!
Originally Posted by Stumptonian
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