Early doors Mission 18----Intercept the Gothas---gully-raker

[gully_raker]

Preamble



2nd Lt Federick Fish sat on his bunk in his billet hut reading a week old London newspaper that was full of doom & gloom regarding the recent bombing raids on London by the giant German Gotha aircraft.



It suited his mood as he was feeling hungover from a hard night in the Officers Mess the previous night. He knew he was drinking too much but he was still churning inside about the Sgt Short affair. Another 3 weeks had passed & still no confirmation from Germany about Short's fate. On one hand he hoped he had survived but on the other he certainly did not want Short to suddenly show up & denounce his actions on that fateful mission. At least he was listed to finally fly an afternoon patrol in company with that Irish chap O'Leary, who had combat experience & did not seem such a rum type for a "Paddy"!

Meanwhile over in the Squadron office Uncle had his ear glued to the phone as he took details from a forward observation post at the Front Lines.
Seems they had spied a lone Gotha accompanied by a Rumpler 2 seater heading for his sector. Apparently it had become separated from its Kette & had drifted South in heavy cloud.





Uncle grunted in frustration as Captain "Bon" King was away visiting an old Aussie mate Bob Little at an RNAS 'drome to check out the new Sopwith Camel Aircraft that the RNAS had recently received for evaluation.
Likewise C Flights other two most experienced Pilots, "Tiny" Large & the Kiwi "Quick" March were over at St Omer to ferry two of the new SE5a Scouts being assigned to the Bulldogs.
Well he supposed he just had to trust to luck that Paddy O'Leary & that Fish fellow could make an interception. He was still not sure what to make of Fish. He knew Capt. King did not trust him & he had heard reports of heavy drinking. Still he had to be "blooded" sooner rather than later.
He called his orderly Sargent & instructed him to bring the two officers to his office for the briefing.
Outlining the importance of the mission he gave them the co-ordinates relaid by the Observation post & instructed them to do their very best to destroy or cripple the German Bomber before it could wreak further havoc on London's civilian population!

As soon as he had finished briefing the two SPAD pilots he phoned St Omer & spoke to 2nd Lt "Tiny" Large to acquaint him of the situation so he & Anthony March could be on the lookout for the Gotha & its escort as they returned to their home Aerodrome.
O'Leary & Fish climbed into their Spad VII's & took off towards their target.
Paddy was flying off to the left of the search area whilst Fish was in the centre.

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Then there it was! Fish couldn't believe his eyes. Right in front of him with the Rumpler off to the starboard side. His leg muscles started to jump. He had trouble keeping his feet on the rudder bar. "Calm down" he told himself, "Here's your chance to shut everybody up & make a Hero of yourself" Gritting his teeth he made straight towards the German Giant at full speed.
He hurriedly opened fire but saw his tracers pass by the Gotha & then the rear gunner replied & that was the last thing 2nd Lt Frederick Fish ever saw. His Spad erupted in a ball of flame as the Germans bullets exploded his fuel tank!

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Paddy O'Leary was astonished. His wingman was there one minute & the next there was nothing of him left. He banked towards the German Aircraft but knew they already had a long lead on him.

Meanwhile Anthony March was flying North when he saw through the clouds a colourful German two seater ahead & further off the unmistakable shape of a Gotha bomber. "Bingo" thought "Quick" "What luck, just in the right spot at the right time!"

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He closed on the Rumpler & got off a long shot which did not appear to do much damage & the German gunner was unable to return the favour.

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He continued to close on the 2 seater & this time the German also got off a return burst. Again little damage was done.

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He now passed behind the Rumpler & attacked the bomber but his guns immediately jammed. "Bugger" thought "Quick" "now I have to try to minimise the damage I will get as I try to pass as quickly as possible"

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Paddy O'Leary had long given up the chase of the Gotha & reluctantly returned to base without the chance of even firing a shot.

As this was happening "Tiny" Large appeared on the scene on the far starboard side of the action. Quickly assessing the situation he made for the fight.

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As March passed behind the Gotha he was lucky to avoid damage as the German gunner missed with his shot. Then he was past & out of range of the German.

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Tiny Large & the Rumpler pilot headed for each other but both were out of range.

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As Tiny turned away the German rear gunner got in a telling burst & to Tiny's dismay the SE caught fire!

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The SE & the Rumpler entered into a turning duel whilst "Quick" was making for the Gotha at top speed.

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March & the Gotha's rear gunner exchanged shots for no result except the Germans gun jammed.

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Quick continued to harass the Bomber & got in a heavy burst on the German aircraft.

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Again March continued to attack the Gotha & now Large, despite fighting to keep the fire under control, was also closing on the German Giant.

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As March passed behind the bomber a lucky shot ignited oil from the Hispano engine & caused it to smoke however Large was gratified to find his fire had finally gone out & he to shot at the German plane. He then continued to attack the Gotha & damaged its rudder.

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The action now stepped up to a new height as Tiny continued his attacks at what was now extremely close range & was gratified to see his last burst set fire to both of the German planes engines but his joy was cut short when his SE again caught fire.

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Both aircraft continued to take damage from their fires.

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As Tiny banked away from the Giant in an attempt to control the new blaze the rear gunner gave him a parting shot which damaged his controls.

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As he passed alongside the Gotha the front gunner opened fire but his gun immediately jammed.

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March now joined the hunt & exchanged shots with the German Bomber but came off second best as a bullet from the German's gun wounded him in his right shoulder. The Rumpler had now caught up with the action & caused some damage to Tiny's aircraft.

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Disaster now struck the Gotha as the fires caused it to explode & crash a burning wreck to the ground below where its bomb load cooked off making a spectacular pillar of smoke & flame. At the same time the fire on Tiny Large's SE proved too much for the rugged plane & it too crashed to the ground.

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As March flew to the safety of his own lines to get medical attention for his shoulder wound the Rumpler made one last effort to shoot him down but it was too little too late!

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The Butchers Bill

Gotha Bomber.
Shot down/Flamer/Explosion/Enemy Territory
27 points + explosion

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Rumpler
RTB
2 damage points

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2nd Lt Frederick Fish
Spad VII Grey
SD/ Exp/FT
Rolled 3 - 3 Exp = 0 =KIA

Paddy O'Leary
Spad VII Camo
RTB
No Damage

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2nd Lt "Tiny" Large
SE 5a "G"
SD/flamer/FT
1 Kill Gotha via flame damage.
18 damage points

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Rolled 8 - 2 flamer = 6--Injured
Rolled 3 on D6 = miss 2 scenarios

2nd Lt Anthony "Quick" March
SE 5a Camo
RTB/WIA
11 damage points

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Rolled 7 + RTB 3 =10 - 1 WIA = 9
Alls well when you land well!

Disclaimer
I just wanted to say I did not "engineer" what happened to Lt Fish!
That was how the cards fell.

Whew! What a close run thing as Wellington said after Waterloo.
I thought I had no chance after Fish went West & Paddy could not catch up before the Germans flew off the first mat. Fortunately the SE's came on in a good position & even though Tiny got hit with TWO lots of Fire cards he managed to get the Gotha!

That was a thrilling game to play so congrats to Shawn (diceslinger) for thinking that one up

Dave would you kindly check if I have done my sums correctly re injury rolls.

[BB401]

And.........?



(Great start. Tell us more!)

[Setarius]

And Lt Fish, that slippery, smelly guy that he is, took the bait and went with the flow to get off the hook.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Well I certainly await the resumption of this tale with baited breath Baz.
Rob.

[gully_raker]

G'day All!
I have completed the AAR up on the original post so everyone will get the WHOLE story.

[Setarius]

Exciting story. So far I believe you are the only one to bag the bomber.
Congratulations and cheers.
I know Lt Fish was trying to get out of the proverbial frying pan, but he and his plane sure ended up Fish and chips.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

What a superb story Baz.
My baited breath remark certainly caught the Fish.
It is indeed strange how often these odd results come up just when you need them.
We found this when playing Wargames. How often a General gets killed in a battle that the real one died in. I well remember my Armistead leading his men over the wall at Gettysburg and dropping almost on the same spot as the actual General did. Also Wolf at our Quebec, although Montcalm got captured instead of being killed.
Rob.

[gully_raker]

The 4 R.F.C. Officers sat around a table in the Bulldog's Squadron Officers Mess.
Uncle had invited them to celebrate the downing of the Gotha Bomber with some Single Malt Scotch Whisky paid for from the Squadron funds.
"Gentlemen" said Uncle "Congratulations on your success!" raising his glass.
Opposite to him sat Capt. Boniface "Bon" King, 2nd Lt John "Tiny" Large looking somewhat bruised & singed around the edges & 2nd Lt Anthony "Quick" March with his arm in a sling.
"Pity about young Fish" said Uncle. "Always thought there was something not quite right about the Blighter" said "Bon" King "but one must not speak ill of the dead!" sipping on the smooth taste of the Glen Grant single malt Scotch. "Incidently any news yet on Sgt Short?"
"Not a word from Germany" said Uncle "Still no news might just be good news but it is most strange"
"So how are you faring Tiny?" asked Uncle.
"Well I was jolly lucky that the old SE came down in a bloody big shell crater full of water or I might have been a lot blacker, Sir!" "The M.O. has given me a few weeks off in Blighty to recuperate & get the worst burns looked at".

"Quick" chimed in. "He was not the only lucky one Sir! If that Hun bullet had been a few inches to the Left I might have joined Fish. As it was my leather flying coat copped the worst of it & I only needed a few stitches so should be up & flying again in a couple of days"

"Now Gentlemen" said Uncle "I want your opinion on these new kites" "Bon what about the Camel the RNAS have got hold of?"
"Well it turns on a sixpence but can go into a spin really quickly. Not for the faint hearted or inexperienced pilot but in the right hands will be a very deadly fighter especially now with 2 machine-guns"

"And how about these SE's that we will be getting chaps?"
"I am impressed Sir with its ruggedness & speed" said Tiny. "It survived the first fire & took heaps of punishment. Its a very steady gun platform & yet is quite manoeuvrable"

"I agree" said March "It has no vices, is comfortable & the combination of Vickers & Lewis gives a flexibility for attacking 2 seaters & bombers" "I think we have two winners to take on the Huns with these Aircraft".

"Thank you Gentlemen" said Uncle "Now how about another Scotch?

[Flying Officer Kyte]

And rounded off very aptly too.
Rob.

[gully_raker]

And rounded off very aptly too.
Rob.

Thank you Rob!
No better way to "Round off" a story than over a glass of Scotch or G & T.

[BB401]

Worth the wait. A well told tale! The story one weaves from the events of the game is as much fun as the gaming itself!

[flash]

Someone's battered your Fish Baz !
Bloody good show - and your chaps bagged a big 'un too !
I have shown your Eagles Vzfwbl Alwin Sommer & Ltn Gustav Gille as crewing the Rumpler & credited Sommer with a kill for downing Tiny's SE as he fired on it last & caused damage.

[gully_raker]

Someone's battered your Fish Baz !
Bloody good show - and your chaps bagged a big 'un too !
I have shown your Eagles Vzfwbl Alwin Sommer & Ltn Gustav Gille as crewing the Rumpler & credited Sommer with a kill for downing Tiny's SE as he fired on it last & caused damage.

Thanks for that Dave!
I wasn't sure how we were supposed to allocate our German crews for that one as I knew the Gotha crew would not have been Eagles.
Your solution is perfect.

[gully_raker]

Worth the wait. A well told tale! The story one weaves from the events of the game is as much fun as the gaming itself!

Yes Bob I do enjoy weaving a tale around the mission & action. Good Fun.

[Archidamus]

What a thrilling tale Baz - and Fish finally had his chips

[Stumptonian]

Great story and aftermath, Barry.
Nice to see Fish get his just desserts.
Single Malt definitely a worthy reward for the combatants.
(Building up quite a collection of same here at the home base in Oregon if any of you want to pop by )

[Setarius]

Nice job of tidying up there Barry. Now all you need to do is to find Sgt Short. Maybe some day in the future, before the war is over.

[gully_raker]

Nice job of tidying up there Barry. Now all you need to do is to find Sgt Short. Maybe some day in the future, before the war is over.

Pretty sure he is making his way home slowly with the help of some pretty French farm girls but he still has to navigate through No Mans Land.

[flash]

... he still has to navigate through No Mans Land...

Isn't that how the farmer views his pretty farm girls ?!

[zenlizard]

Pretty sure he is making his way home slowly with the help of some pretty French farm girls...

And how many missions will he have to skip for that?

[tikkifriend]

Another grand AAR Baz They really aren't as hard to kill as their HP suggest
Got no Fish jokes or puns to add to the post, except he might be respawned at a later date (groan)

[gully_raker]

Another grand AAR Baz They really aren't as hard to kill as their HP suggest
Got no Fish jokes or puns to add to the post, except he might be respawned at a later date (groan)

Reminded me of that old joke with the Punchline-----"I am a Prawn again Christian!"

[gully_raker]

And how many missions will he have to skip for that?

He is due back to base after the next scenario.

[diceslinger]

You really took it to that Gotha! Good show, though they are never going to believe that Fish's demise wasn't planned

[Teaticket]

Quite the encounter there Baz! Thought the Gotha was home for sure when Paddy gave up the chase. Looks like dark times ahead for the Eagles with Camels and SE5as entering the fray.

[gully_raker]

You really took it to that Gotha! Good show, though they are never going to believe that Fish's demise wasn't planned

I know! That's why I added the disclaimer.
I really hoped he would "Buy It" or end up POW but that old "Boom" card just popped up in the first exchange. As Rob said it is amazing how such things work out in Gaming.

[tikkifriend]

Reminded me of that old joke with the Punchline-----"I am a Prawn again Christian!"

Long time no hear that one Baz.

[Teaticket]

Nice that Fish was dispatched so efficiently. At least the mess will finally have clear air, nothing worse than the smell of a rotten Fish.

[Flying Officer Kyte]

As I am not now allowed to simply go anymore Peter, which was actually what I did do, I will just have to say.........instead.

Rob.

[Teaticket]

As I am not now allowed to simply go anymore Peter, which was actually what I did do, I will just have to say.........instead.

Rob.

Ah, all this pc nonsense, post as you wish.

[tikkifriend]

Great story and aftermath, Barry.
Nice to see Fish get his just desserts.
Single Malt definitely a worthy reward for the combatants.
(Building up quite a collection of same here at the home base in Oregon if any of you want to pop by )

Malt vinegar (Sarsons) I hope to go with the chips for the Fish

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Too late Paul, he has already had his chips.
Rob.

[gully_raker]

Too late Paul, he has already had his chips.
Rob.

And crispy they were too!

[tikkifriend]

Probably French Fries

[Teaticket]

Last time he'll cash in his chips.

[Flying Helmut]

Just so long as he got them all off of his shoulder................

...........and kept them well away from the old block............

[tikkifriend]

Just so long as he got them all off of his shoulder................

...........and kept them well away from the old block............

Stole my next line there Tim (Thank goodness, groan)

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Come on chaps! These jokes are rapidly being reduced to small potatoes.
Rob.

[tikkifriend]

[flash]

Come on chaps! These jokes are rapidly being reduced to small potatoes.
Rob.

Just another saute over the lines Rob....

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Just another saute over the lines Rob....

It was an attempt to rescue the femme fatale French spy Desiree, Dave, and she is certainly not small potatoes.




Rob.

[gully_raker]

It was an attempt to rescue the femme fatale French spy Desiree, Dave, and she is certainly not small potatoes.




Rob.

Is that what you call them over there Rob?
I thought they were called "bristols".