Last week one of our favourite Australian forum members Barry Gullyraker made the trip from his New South Wales rural seaside village to visit his lovely daughter up here in Queensland. Of course the hand of hospitality was extended and we organised a Wings of Glory game at the Emperor's Legions shop in Annerley where we have been playing the WW2 Polish campaign.
Barry and Paul decided to team up and Ned (in the cap) dropped in to make up a fourth for the game. We agreed on a late 1916 engagement over the meatgrinder of Verdun, with Barry and Paul flying two-gun French Nieuport 17's, Ned taking an Albatros D.II and yours truly piloting a single Maxim armed Halberstadt D.III.
Barry sets about devising his cunning plan.
Our opposing flights are conducting barrier patrols over the trenches at 6000 feet, when contact is established. After the first turn I had banked my blue Halberstadt to support Ned's Albatros.
Barry and Ned are closing too quick to get any shots in, but I manage a deflection burst on Barry's silver doped Nieuport. A quick kick of the rudder allows Barry a close range shot as well (the double zero draw was much appreciated).
As Paul's camouflaged N.17 approaches the dogfight Barry and I both reverse course with Immelman turns, allowing my Halberstadt a long range burst. This time it has a visible effect with a stream of smoke emerging from the French scout.
Now it's Ned's turn to reverse course and get back into the fight ….
…. where pretty soon my Halberstadt is perforated by both Barry and Paul. Now it's my turn to smoke!
Things got hectic then, with Barry and Ned exchanging head on shots resulting in a gun jam for Barry's Nieuport. My Halberstadt reversed course allowing me a shot at Paul's Nieuport which caught fire!
I pushed through the aerial melee for another chop at Barry while Ned went for Paul to try and finish him off. It was not Paul's first rodeo however and he put his Nieuport into an over-dive to try and quell the flames.
After a long range shot Barry moved out of my arc …..
…. and Ned was too high to engage Paul's Nieuport. Paul finished his over-dive and drew - a zero from the B deck!
Close to the end of the board and with just one hit point remaining Paul elected to perform another over-dive which saw his drop to altitude 2 but this time his 1 draw from the B deck was enough to save his fragile machine. Paul lives to fight another day - Vive la France!
Disappointed he couldn't catch Paul, Ned banked around for another crack at Barry's machine.
Chancing a close range head to head pass Ned loses out drawing an explosion card! Down he goes, kill to the Gullyraker!
With just the two of us left and Barry having sustained an engine hit in the exchange with Ned, he decided to force a decision and performed an Immelmann to come back at my Halberstadt.
In another devastating head on attack, Barry comes off second best with my burst sending him down in flames.
Despite the mixed fortunes we were all pleased to have had the opportunity to fly against quality opponents. Barry and I offered our thanks as always to the Emperor's Legions proprietor Paul for all the support he gives the game system.
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