OTTBE Mission 17: Flash's Hell Over Hamel - 4th July 1918
"T'morrow is the fourth of July - independence day for our colonial cousins - and it looks like some of them will be joining the Aussie blokes in an assault on Harmel. Should be done and dusted in ninety minute they tell me, I'll believe that when I see it, and afterwards we've been asked if we can drop some ammo off to their chaps. Never been done before but one of the chaps over at three squadron came up with a method of dropping it by parachute off the racks. Now they've been re-tasked and we've been ordered to take the job on as well as fly in support of the ground attack. The metal work is on the way and will be fitted to our machines overnight ready for the operation first thing...." Uncle went on to designate the pilots and details of the Op.
A pair of 'Harry Tates' flown by 2Lt Bill Board with Cpl Tommy Gunn on the left & 2Lt Harry Kane with Cpl 'Arfur' Mowe on the right (in #14) enter the area of operations - seems all had gone according to plan and now they had to drop ammo to the machine gunners
The opposition - a pair of Fokker D.VII's on dawn patrol piloted by Ltn Konrad Strünklenberg on the right & Ltn Herbert Mohnicke on the left are drawn to the area but the early mornings activity
The RE8's move straight ahead concenrating on their mission whilst the Fokker's look to get into attack positions.
Strünklenberg gets a burst into Board's RE8 and his guns promptly jam; Tommy Gunn in the back seat damages Mohnicke's tail.
Having taken a hit from him Gunn switches targets to Strünklenberg's Fokker and sets it on fire.
A pair of SE5a returning from covering attacks on German positions hove into view - F/Sgt Barry Cade on the left, 2Lt Tom Morrow on the right (H for Harry).
Strünklenberg, guns jammed, on fire, strays into range of Arfur Mowe's guns and now his controls are damaged ! Arfur keeps shooting but causes no further damage
The SE's swoop into the action to protect the RE8's
They don't seem to need much help as Mowe blasts Strünklenberg's Fokker once again.
A pair of new type in the form of Pfalz D.XII appear from the German side flown by Fwbl Hans Pech on the left (red) & Ltn Friedrich Knappe on the right (green)
Cade pounces on the unlucky Strünklenberg and properly clobbers the Fokker
Cade tosses a salute to the falling flaming Eagle - the last burst was too much for Strünklenberg's Fokker - Cade's fifth kill, acedom at last !
Morrow is not so lucky, he fluffs his approach and is caught from below by Mohnicke, catching a wound along with it.
The ammo drop goes horribly wrong.... For both machines !
(there is a second stall card to come which would carry the drop clear of the target)
The Pfalz set to work - Knappe dives into the attack (+1) and lets loose at close range but Gunn is up to the challenge and gives some back.
Pech does the same but causes no damage at long range, Mowe, however, reams him a new one firing up from the back seat....
Mowe definitely has his eye in and smashes Pech's Pfalz with a close range burst from below damaging the engine to boot. (probably should be +1)
Knappe takes a hit from Gunn but clobbers Kane's RE8, setting it on fire
Knappe switches his attack to Board's RE8 but no damage caused. Gunn's return fire is devastating though (and should probably be +1 again) badly wounding Knappe
On the other side of the battle Kane hauls back on his stick and puts a burst into Pechs's retreating Pfalz - the engine coughs and seizes
Pech heads for the deck, his engine dead
Wounded, on fire, Knappe leaves the battle and eventually coaxes his heavily damaged machine home - his consolation is that hopefully they'll write it off and the engine will go into a Fokker !
Board tries his final drop - it won't be a direct hit but it will be close to target.
Mowe takes a pop at Mohnicke and causes some damage
Morrow has now recovered his senses and is back in the game but it may already be too late - Boards ammo drop lands near to target
A 'Tate' sandwich ! Board and Kane catch Mohnicke between fires and tear him up
He looks to escape
But now it's the turn of the gunners and he is blasted from the sky even as he has a go at Kane's machine as it woefully misses its drop point once more.
Kill to Gunn (he was slightly further away)
All packages released, sky cleared of Huns the bulldogs head for the barn.
Butcher's Tally:
Eagles:
Ltn Konrad Strünklenberg: SD-FLM-ET 0 kills
Rolled: 5 -2FLM = 3 Injured - Skip 1D6 Scenarios. Rolled 3.
E&E: Rolled 6 -1FLM -1WIC -1BEL = 3 Captured and escaped! - Skip 1D3 Scenarios. Rolled 4 = Skip 2. Total Skip 3 (RRW)
Ltn Herbert Mohnicke: SD-ET 0 kills
Rolled 8 -1SD = 7 Injured - Skip 1D2 Scenario. Rolled 2 = Skip 1
E&E: Rolled 9 -1WIC -1BEL = 7 Landed almost home! - Skip 1 Scenario. Total Skips 1 (W)
Fwbl Hans Pech: (red) SD-ET 0 kills
Rolled 5 -1SD = 4 Injured - Skip 1D6 Scenarios. Rolled 2 = Skip 2
E&E: Rolled 5 -1WIC -1BEL = 3 Captured and escaped! - Skip 1D3 Scenarios. Rolled 3 = skip 2. Total Skips 2
Ltn Friedrich Knappe: (green) RTB/WIA 0 kills
Rolled 8 +3RTB -1WIA = 10 All well when you land well !
Bulldogs:
2Lt Bill Board: (RE.8 #14) RTB 0 kills. DFC awarded for 10 missions
with Cpl Tommy Gunn: RTB 1 Kill
2Lt Harry Kane: (RE.8 #14) RTB 1 kill
with Cpl Arfur Mowe: RTB 0 kills (in #14) DFM awarded for 10 mission/kills combo
F/Sgt Barry Cade: (Cammo SE) RTB 1 Kill, his fifth, DFM awarded, now a Dare Devil Pilot !
2Lt Tom Morrow: (H for Harry) RTB / WIA 0 kills
Rolled 7 +3RTB -1WIA = 9 All well when you land well.
Victory to the Germans as only one near miss drop made makes it 2 v 3 pts to them
Usual house rules applied, a loss but if felt like a victory in the air !
Hope you enjoyed it again and feel the need to replace the lost rep !!
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Definitely worth restoring the Rep Dave especially as you had to "relive" that one once again.
Well deserved rep on the way. Mike
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