OTTBE Mission 26: The War To End All Wars! 11th November 1918 - teaticket
The rumors proved to be true and an Armistice would been announced, at 11am on November 11th the war would stop. The pilots and ground crews were in disbelief. Some were extatically happy, others in shock not knowing what would come next. News from home had been grim, armed militias roaming the country, rumors of revolution, the government in chaos, food shortages. Other than the war ending the news was bleak.
Most of the young pilots wanted to get in the air one last time hoping to score their first kill before it all ended. Seasoned pilots knew better and saw no need to risk life so carelessly and tried to avoid an unnecessary assignment. Major Büttner was finally allowed to put his Eagles on stand down on the afternoon of the 10th. Just about everyone had been given leave so off to town they went to celebrate the possible end of the war.
Obltn Hermann Beck was still in his bunk trying to regain strength lost from fighting the influenza. His symptoms had lessened and the hospital released him but had not given him full duty status. He still badly needed to recover as he had lost over 15 pounds while in the grip of the deadly flu.
Lefty (Rudolf Schmitt) was also still at the aerodrome on the morning of the 11th. After a night on the town he had returned to the only home he had known for the last two and a half years. The others ended up who knows where as they were not required to return.
The morning of the 11th was eerily quiet. Only a handful of the Eagles usual roster were at the aerodrome. Büttner, Schmitt, Beck, one cook and a couple of blackmen. Only one airplane had been heard in the air just after dawn. Most likely it was an Entente observation plane.
“What will you do Major, you know, if the war ends?” quietly asked Rudolf.
“Well, it’s most likely back to Dresden and help my father in his business of barrel making. Good thing everyone will always need beer!” chuckled Büttner. More solemnly, “I might look into staying in aviation if that is possible. Having tasted flying, it may be hard to live on the ground now”.
Peter and Lefty both turned to watch as a ghostly pale scarecrow slowly made it’s across the mess to the table where they sat. Hermann, eyes down to the floor, took each step carefully, not like the bold exuberant youth of two months ago.
“Any news on the armistice”? a weak raspy voice wheezed out.
“Nothing new. As far as I know it’s still on for 11 am”. Peter replied. “Feeling any better”?
“Yes and no. I feel much stronger walking now but my head is still fuzzy”, scarecrow Hermann answered.
In the middle of breakfast, a vehicle stopped just outside. The engine went silent, a door slammed. A messenger burst into the mess, “Where is the commander?”, he shouted.
“Here”, the Major with his index finger extended from his raised right hand.
The messenger clicked his heels and snapped off a sharp salute. “You must act immediately. Some rogue pilots and crew stole a bomber and are on their way to stop the signing of the armistice. The plot was only found out because one of the pilots backed out at the last minute. He changed his mind when he found out he had never flown the type of bomber that was stolen. He also said the bomber would not be fully crewed, whatever that means. They are already in the air heading for Compiegne where the officials will meet in a train for the signing”.
“Mein Gott! This is madness”, cried Büttner. “What fools would keep the killing going, and to what end?”
“The reason for this is those involved think ending the war this way is dishonorable. The pilot leading the plot also has lost his three brothers over the last four months. Sounds more like revenge than honor. Back to the point, the British have also been alerted to the situation. They will probably be sending up planes to stop the bomber. To be clear, it is only the bomber that is to be attacked. No need to give the enemy a reason not to sign the cease fire”.
The messenger looked over the three Eagles in the room. “Are there no more you can send up”?
“We are all that is available. If we catch the bomber in time we will do what we can. Dismissed”.
The messenger saluted and quickly left.
“Three of us should be able to do the trick”, Beck said with confidence.
“Three of us? Oh no, you are not to fly Herr Beck. Lefty and I will do what we can. You are still too weak to fight. Your life is more important to me than some dignitary who has never heard a shot fired in anger, who has never had a spot of mud on his uniform, who thinks more of his ribbon covered chest than the life of the soldiers he’s ordered to die”.
“Lefty, have the crew ready our planes. We’re 15 minutes from Compiegne, we should be able to intercept them well before they arrive”, Büttner shouted as he ran to his office.
When he exited his office he handed Beck a bottle of brandy, “This should help your recovery”.
Büttner and Lefty helped ready their planes as there were only two ground crew on duty. It took a bit longer than wanted as Büttner’s plane was not his usual. Today he would fly a Fokker DVIII as his DVII was still mostly in pieces in the repair shop.
Major and Lefty lifted off together. They quickly reached altitude on an intercept heading.
With no bomber yet in sight Lefty let of a long burst from his Spandaus. Büttner, puzzled, looked over to him. Lefty signaled he had engine trouble and had to turn back. Büttner watched Lefty in his Fokker DVII peel away and slowly descend back from where they came. Then something caught Büttner’s eye. A speck in the distance well above Lefty. Not where the bomber was supposed to be coming from but as there should be no other planes in the area, he better check it out.
In less than a minute after turning around, the speed of the two closing planes brought them close enough for Büttner to identify the plane as a Fokker DVII. Ten seconds later he realized that this DVII was a familiar one, it was Beck’s.
He had conflicting emotions about this. He was angered that Beck would disobey an order and risk himself but he was also glad to have his right-hand man at his side. He hoped Beck was up for what they would soon be involved with.
Büttner gives Beck the thumbs up and turns to form up with him.
Ten minutes later they spot a large plane in the distance. As they get closer Büttner utters, “Scheisse”!
A Zeppelin Staaken slowly comes into identifiable view. Not what Büttner had hoped for.
Acting Lieutenant Lionel Bateman and 2Lt Stephen Wheeler flew a beeline from their field to where the Armistice train would be. With relief they arrived and no bomber was in sight. They kept on flying past in the given direction where the bomber should be found.
Büttner noticed Beck closing up with him. As Beck got close Büttner could see Beck was having trouble controlling his plane. Just as they were getting within range Beck turned and crossed behind Büttner.
“That’s not the aggressive Beck I know”, thought Büttner. “Get it together man!” he yelled knowing Beck would not hear him.
Büttner could see the sparkling muzzles from a waist gunner and also the starboard wing. “This is not going to be easy”. (there is only one waist gunner and to Büttner’s luck he has found him)
Ignoring the holes appearing in his wing Büttner concentrated and lays a stream of bullets close to the right engine. A fuel line is hit and a fire erupts.
The fire does little to the beast.
Slipping to the left Büttner gets out of sight from the waist gunner but now the port wing gun opens up to join the starboard.
Büttner does his best to make every bullet count as Beck seems to float aimlessly behind him.
More holes rip into the wing and to Büttner’s delight the port muzzle stops sparkling. Unfortunately Büttner misses hitting the giant as he maneuvers to make himself a harder target to hit.
The starboard wing gunner is also having trouble with his ammunition.
With the respite from incoming rounds Büttner again makes his bullets count.
The beast pays no attention to the flickering flame above the starboard wing.
Büttner is relentless and rips into the Staaken again. He fears his effort won’t be enough without Beck. His razor can only take so much and he is noticing it’s decline from the hits it has already taken.
Bateman’s and Wheeler’s eyes grow large when they see the giant heading their way.
Wheeler trades shots with the nose gunner. One of his rounds pings off the Parabellum ammunition drum, making it useless.
The Staaken’s port machine gun once again targets Büttner. A black tail quickly follows the razor.
The waist gunner targets the newcomer, Wheeler. His accurate fire badly damages the Snipe’s engine.
Flying past the giant, Wheeler ignores the incoming fire that caused his engine to violently skip. He takes aim at an escorting Fokker and deftly places his rounds into the cockpit.
Beck winces as the pain awakens him from his flu weakened daze.
Bateman slips below the port wing of the giant and uses his marksman skill on the perceived escort, Büttner.
Büttner, shocked that the British were shooting at him, continues to fire into the Staaken knowing it will take all their efforts to stop it. As he closes in to deadly range his guns go silent.
The fire takes a small nibble from the giant, then peters out.
Beck, barely holding on through the pain, takes a quick shot at the plane that fired on his Major. He doesn’t come close.
The giant’s port wing gun lashes out at the Snipe and sets it on fire.
The starboard wing and waist gunner pummels the tiny razor. Büttner feels the sting of a round and momentarily loses his grip on the stick. His Fokker stalls and then corkscrews down towards the ground
Bateman’s fire looks worse than it is.
Beck see something in front of him. His vision is blurry, his head faint and the pain excruciating. He instinctively pulls the trigger. The long shot is extremely lucky and sets the giant’s port engine on fire.
Beck’s shot may have been lucky but the port wing gunner was luckier. Beck’s DVII falls from the sky like a brick.
Bateman and Wheeler realize their mistake firing on the German scouts too late. They turn to attempt to stop the giant before if strikes.
Wheeler is having trouble catching the bomber as his engine is failing. He will try to close as it is on the route back to the Bulldog’s aerodrome.
An AA gun positioned on a flatcar in front of the train’s engine opens up. It is close but the round causes no apparent damage.
Fires eat away at both flying machines.
A second AA gun opens up but comes up short.
Bateman’s fire subsides but the giant’s grows.
With the fire out Bateman puts all of his energy into attacking the giant. His finds his mark and inflicts serious damage, but the giant’s bombs are already on their way.
The bombs make a direct hit and the silver train car is obliterated.
A defiant AA gun fires another round but misses. The pilot turns the beast to attempt an escape.
Bateman, not knowing the fate of the occupants of the train, keeps hammering away at the German giant. It also returns fire from a wing and waist gunner shaking the Snipe with their hits.
Bateman slips back and gets out of range of the wing gun. Both he and the giant's waist gunner miss but Bateman’s guns jam giving him no hope of downing the German.
The fire that was started by Beck keeps growing and engulfs the port engine and both wings. The wings give out and the Staaken falls apart sending it straight into the ground.
Bateman circles the wreck and then the train. The wreck burns in many pieces with only a couple of bodies in view. The train looks strange in an odd way. He sees men manning the AA guns on the flatcars and a few around them on the ground but there seems to be no urgency about the destroyed cars in the middle of the train.
Looking around him Bateman spots Wheeler nursing his injured Snipe home and falls in with him. They make it back to the aerodrome at 11:12.
They are confused when every Bulldog runs out to meet them. "The war is over", they cry out, handing Lionel and Stephen each a bottle of Champagne.
Butcher’s Bill
Bulldogs
A/Lt Lionel Bateman RTB 0 Kills
2Lt Stephen Wheeler RTB 0 Kills
Eagles
Maj. Peter Büttner SD WIA 0 Kills
C 7 -1(sd) -1(wia) +1(ace) +1(face) = 7 injured, 1 = not so bad
Hermann Beck SD EXP WIA 0 Kills
C 4 -3(exp) -1(wia) +1(ace) +1(face) = 2, KIA
Renegade Bomber
Destroyed but not until it had dropped it’s bomb load on target
The news spread across the world like a lightening bolt. The Armistice had been signed! The war is over!
A story that only few know never gets into the newspapers. A train at Compiegne had been destroyed by a renegade German bomber. Unknown to that pilot and crew at the time that there were actually three trains spread out in the forest of Compiegne, a forest of over 35,000 acres. The Entente Supreme Command had the foresight to deploy two dummy trains to help disguise the whereabouts of the real one in case of any foul play. Information was leaked out for the location of one of the dummy trains. This train was the one destroyed. Supreme Command kept the location and routes taken of the other two trains secret. This was done to confuse any other more thorough attempts that could have taken place. So as far as the world knew, the Armistice was signed and that was that.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Setarius
If Batemen's shots did not take the Bomber over its Damage Points then Beck gets the Kill posthumously so he did not die in vain. 
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