OTT-BE Mission 21 - Infantry Contact Patrol - 5 Sep 1918 {Stumptonian}

[Stumptonian]

Well that was an exciting one to play!


Kudos to Peter (Teaticket) for another excellent mission.

For once my luck wasn't all bad - even losing Kratsch to the BOOM card turned out alright when I rolled 12 (for the first time, I think) for his C&W roll.
Ashfield is likely out for the duration, but at least he survived.

I could not believe my luck on the 'B' deck draws for the infantry contact. I shuffled that deck for at least a minute. I am using Wings of War cards now for any draws that are not the result of aircraft guns firing. The next cards were not zeroes ( 4-2-1) so I would have had to deal with enemy infantry if Schimmele and Weirauch had stayed. I used AI for the Hannover, so, per the mission briefing, they had to leave after 3 attempts because they were well ahead in points. At that point the Entente were negative, having lost a scout.

Kratsch was also AI and I controlled Tress.

Off to the mess now to hear Tress tell his tale of woe about the ones that got away ... (Maynard was one point away from destruction!)

[Setarius]

Job well done Pete.
I especially like some of the references you used during your fight. I was looking for Snoopy to be the replacement pilot and plane near the end.
And too bad about the ones that got away, I guess you used the wrong bait. Oh well, it'll make for a good story in the beer hall tonight.

[gully_raker]

Another well told tale of Daring Do & mostly luck for your Eagles Pete.
Some of the Doggies were also lucky to escape the guns of your Aces.

Rep Inbound.

[flash]

Smashed that one Pete ! Nicely flown mission and a good result for the home side - honours even for the scouts and escorts with one loss apiece but that could easily have been very different for the Bulldogs !

Onkel says;

Excellent work Eagles, the mission was an undoubted success - though I'm not sure why Sieber is on the Tally sheet, I'm sure we sent Weirauch up this morning...?!
Good to see you tried out tailing, though Tress is not in a tailing position in the photo I'm guessing he was before that pic was taken (ruler has to be peg to peg & pass through front and rear of respective bases). Really should have a go at it again myself.

[Teaticket]

Nice one Pete. You make the mission look too easy! There almost always seems to be 'the one that got away'. At least you had a good excuse to tell in the mess. Can't catch those SE5a speedsters! At least he got away clean. More frustrating when you get several shots at it and it still gets away.

Looking forward to Ralf's next kill for double ace.

[Stumptonian]

... though I'm not sure why Sieber is on the Tally sheet, I'm sure we sent Weirauch up this morning...?!

Better put that down to a ‘Senior Moment’. I often copy the German names from my Excel file and I must have grabbed the wrong line. I did use the correct photo.

Good to see you tried out tailing, though Tress is not in a tailing position in the photo I'm guessing he was before that pic was taken (ruler has to be peg to peg & pass through front and rear of respective bases). Really should have a go at it again myself.

The previous pic would be the one two slides prior where Tress hit him for 4 and Smoke.
If that doesn’t qualify then I need to read the rule again.
Not a big deal. Tailing was mentioned in a recent post so I thought I’d try to use it.

[Stumptonian]

Nice one Pete. You make the mission look too easy!

Actually I was worried about the 3rd spotting. The AI had the Hannover wandering away from the target and Wellwood was closing in.

There almost always seems to be 'the one that got away'. At least you had a good excuse to tell in the mess. Can't catch those SE5a speedsters! At least he got away clean.

Actually he was 3 damage away from becoming another notch on Tress’s gun.

[Teaticket]

Actually I was worried about the 3rd spotting. The AI had the Hannover wandering away from the target and Wellwood was closing in.

Actually he was 3 damage away from becoming another notch on Tress’s gun.

By getting away clean I meant you didn't have several shots at him as he fled and got away. It is frustrating to have badly wounded prey escape.

[Stumptonian]

Well I have fixed the slide with Weirauch but can't get it to display properly.
The slide is at the end highlighted in blue.
I've done the Edit / Go Advanced and deleted the original but the new one just won't shuffle into place.
This happens to me once or twice a year and I'm bu**ered if I can fix it.
I think last time I deleted all of them and reloaded. Spent too much time with it - gonna haveta leave it as it is.

[flash]

And as if by magic...!

I have PM'd the solution..

[Stumptonian]

Thanks, Dave.


I have emailed you screen shots of what I see when trying to edit.
I am wondering if there is a setting that allows moderators to do more that we mere mortals.

[flash]

Not sure, I don't recall it being different before I was a mod; I can only mod in OTT and it works the same in AAR & elsewhere. You certainly see something different to me ! Reply on the way

[Flying Officer Kyte]

Another cracking story Peter, told with your usual aplomb.
Superb photos as usual.
Rob.

[Stumptonian]

Thanks, Rob, and thanks for the REP as well.

[mikeemagnus]

Hi Pete, long time coming but congratulations. Great story and what a fight. Love the pics and your Eagles did a top job on that mission. I agree with you that Peter (Teaticket) gave us a cracker with that one.

Cheers

PS Apparently I already gave rep on this post - didn't realize I'd done that Hope you got it ok!

[Stumptonian]

Yep I got it May 7th, Mike.

[Stumptonian]

I have fixed my score to match Peter's corrections.

And I managed to do it without a blue-bordered straggler!
Your suggestion worked, Dave.

[Teaticket]

I have fixed my score to match Peter's corrections.

And I managed to do it without a blue-bordered straggler!
Your suggestion worked, Dave.

Not correction, just clarification. The original vp list did not say 6 points for each successful spot. 'Side A receives 6 points for finding friendly infantry'
Just not clear that you only get 6 points once. No difference in outcome in your game as well as Dave's as you two handily scored victories.

[Vagabond]

That was a very well presented report, very clear and I could follow everything going on, thanks.
I've only recently arrived and I think this is the first game report of yours that I've read and enjoyed it a lot. There are some really good touches for instance the name tags helped identify who you were talking about even if the little devils kept falling off, presumably you discarded the idea of using bluetack to hold them in place so that they could be positioned for the camera. The round up at the end using a separate airfield backdrop looked very professional and organised, lots of good ideas to borrow.
Cheers

[Stumptonian]

Thanks, John, glad you enjoyed it.
The name tags are cardboard, (folded to stand up) and are there just as much for me to keep track of 'oos 'oo as for the reader.
I eventually stop placing them when it gets down to just a few that I know well from previous excursions. (I try to keep pilots flying the same crates mission to mission)

[Vagabond]

Pete just a question, I saw a flight of red and white planes shown on here and now I want to look at them again - I can't find them. Just looking at your base photo of the Oregon Flight you have red and white planes. Would it have been yours I saw and do you have any idea where on the site they might be. From memory whoever it was, said they were a made up colour scheme.
Cheers
John

[Stumptonian]

John - those "red and white planes" are part of Jasta 18.
You probably saw Tim's fantastic renditions in one of the painting threads, either Albatros or Fokker D.VII
Several others have at least one.


Here they are, John : Tim's Jasta 18

[Vagabond]

Thanks Pete, they are not them but, by heck they are awesome and I guess whoever I was looking at based them on these. Thanks for pointing me in this direction.
Cheers

[flash]

Pete just a question, I saw a flight of red and white planes shown on here and now I want to look at them again - I can't find them. Just looking at your base photo of the Oregon Flight you have red and white planes. Would it have been yours I saw and do you have any idea where on the site they might be. From memory whoever it was, said they were a made up colour scheme.
Cheers
John

Were they mine John ?

The red, white and black Fokker was based on a scheme I did for a captured Nieuport 17 many years ago and that was based on the German flag rather than any other Jasta paint job.
The other Fokker in bright red-orange with the stripes is based on the scheme in which the (now correctly painted) Fokker D.VII at RAF Hendon was (incorrectly) painted during the sixties and was done for a forum competition.
The N.17 is in an album here: https://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/al...p?albumid=1497
The comp one is here: https://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/al...p?albumid=3615
Don't think I did one for the other Fokker.

[Vagabond]

Humm I thought I replied to this Dave, anyway no it's not these, I've searched a lot of the painting threads and they must have been based on Jasta 18, I bought 4 of the Camel/Dr1 sets and intend repainting the Dr1's and will probably go for Jasta 18 now I know there is a historical precedent for the colour scheme I like.
Thanks for the info though.
Cheers

[flash]

Humm I thought I replied to this Dave, anyway no it's not these, I've searched a lot of the painting threads and they must have been based on Jasta 18, I bought 4 of the Camel/Dr1 sets and intend repainting the Dr1's and will probably go for Jasta 18 now I know there is a historical precedent for the colour scheme I like.
Thanks for the info though.
Cheers

Before you set to with the paint brush John, just double check with those in the know how many Dr.1's Jasta 18 had - I've only seen one and that belonged to August Raben the Jasta leader; that might have been the only one they had.

[gully_raker]

Before you set to with the paint brush John, just double check with those in the know how many Dr.1's Jasta 18 had - I've only seen one and that belonged to August Raben the Jasta leader; that might have been the only one they had.

Nearly 100% sure you are correct Dave.
I have only ever seen evidence of just Rabin's Dr.I in J18. All others seem to be D.VII's. I have the Osprey J18 Aces book.

[flash]

You reminded me I have that Jasta 18 book too Baz !
After a dig around I found this on p125 in regard to plate 27 in the book that answers the question:

Fokker Dr I 479/17 of Ltn d R August Raben, Jasta 18,
Montingen, October 1918
According to Heinz Kiistner and evidence from photographs, there was only one triplane on the strength of Staffel Raben, and it was the mount of the Staffelfuhrer.
When photographed at Lomme in May, this machine bore large white cross fields on the top wing and the white raven emblem had not yet been applied. It was later photographed in French hands after the war, and this illustration is based on those images. The previous white panels on the top wing were discernible through the red over-paint, and by the post-war period the white paint on the fuselage and rudder was considerably degraded.
One of the photographs indicates that the inter-plane struts were probably not red as widely supposed, but were more likely factory finish light undersurface blue. It is also possible that the undersides of the wings were red by this date, but we have conservatively chosen to depict them as factory finish. The cowling was white, and wheel covers may have been a worn and dirtied red. Alex Imrie has reported the serial number of this Dr I as 479/17.