A group of four British aircraft approach a pair of German balloons from the West
Canadian pilot 2Lt Augustus Mase and gunner AM2 Henry Collinson in an FE.2b, escorted by Australian pilot 2Lt Colin Lynch in a Morane-Saulnier N
Pilot 2Lt James Mackay in a second Morane-Saulnier accompanies another FE.2b piloted by Lt John Kelly with gunner AM1 Patrick Francis.
Rookie German pilot Ltn Karsten Rüdiger nervously scans the sky from his Fokker Eindecker E.III and sees several aircraft approaching.
Pilot ObLtn Moritz Melbeck and Observer Ltn Ewald Engelbrecht in an Albatros C.III and a green Fokker E.III flown by Ltn Till Huebner approach from a bit further north. Melbeck waggles his wings to draw Huebner’s attention to the approaching enemy.
The observers in the yellow Balloon 1 see the approaching aircraft and immediately scramble over the side of the flimsy basket suspended below the belly of the balloon. Their parachutes flutter open and drift to the ground below.
Lynch is startled by a loud KRAK! below his Morane.
The German AA is letting the Englander know he is not welcome.
A second AA unit fires at the FE.2s. The burst explodes between the two machines.
Both the aircrews realize this will not be a cake-walk.
A third AA unit fires at Mackay’s Morane, the flash of burst temporarily blinds the young pilot.
The crew of the second balloon hear the AA firing and realize it’s time to make a swift exit as well.
Lynch fires his Lewis at the yellow Caquot.
He cannot see any effect, but has done some slight damage.
Moving closer he fires again. He is damaging the balloon but does not see any smoke or flame.
This might take a while ….
The C.III and FE.2b pilots must take evasive action to avoid a collision
KRAK!
“Was zur Hölle??!”
Rüdiger shouts out in amazement. He is being fired on by his own AA!
Luckily the shot misses his Eindecker.
AA Gun 2 fires at the FE.2b of Kelly and Francis.
The shots are getting closer …
Huebner joins Rüdiger in startled amazement as the third AA unit also fires at his Fokker.
“Kennen diese Idioten kein deutsches Flugzeug, wenn sie eines sehen?“
< don‘t those morons know a German aircraft when they see one? >
Gunner Francis fires over the top wing of his ‘Fee’ at the C.III
The Albatros is still at slightly higher altitude and his bullets miss their mark.
Collinson fires a tentative burst at Rüdiger, who is flustered at first, but finally returns his first ever fire at an enemy aircraft.
Both manage to damage their opponent’s rudder controls.
Lynch has flown a reversal and comes at the Caquot from the opposite side. A little more damage is done.
Collinson’s bursts from his Lewis do not seem to be doing anything.
Francis, in the other “Fee” fires at Balloon No. 2 and does some minor damage.
Without incendiary bullets this is going to be a long slog …
Lynch closes on Balloon No.1 and fires a steady stream of damaging shots into the giant “gasbag”.
Collinson is having no luck at all. In fact he managed to jam his Lewis!
Mackay, however, puts some really damaging rounds into Balloon No. 2
Francis pours some more lead into Balloon No. 2
Huebner lines up Mackay’s Morane but misses.
Mackay seems to be following Collinson’s lead and locks up his Lewis as well!
AA No. 4 continues to fire at anything that moves in the air above.
“Idioten!”
KRAK!
AA No.2 finally gets it right. Lynch shouts out in pain as the shrapnel pierces his flying jacket.
AA No. 1 fires and misses. Hopefully they were firing at the FE.2b ….
The Flak has made Rüdiger lose his concentration.
He flies his E.III right into the FE.2b and comes out the worst of it!
Lynch sees the giant Caquot filling his view but is woozy from his wounds and cannot bring himself to fire at the juicy target!
AA No.2 fires at Rüdiger yet again!
“Dummkopf!”
AA No.4 also fires at Rüdiger!
KRAK!
This time they have done the unthinkable!
The Eindecker is blown from the sky!
Rüdiger feels his aircraft falling, falling …
The E.III hits the ground with a hard THUMP.
Huebner has the Australian right where he wants him.
Tikka tikka tikka
Bullets riddling his body, Lynch can no longer control his Morane as it collapses from under him.
[Note: The card drawn was a 4]
A black plume follows the Morane to a very hard finish.
Things do not luck good for the plucky Aussie.
Francis attacks Balloon No. 2 and does a bit more damage.
A second burst from Francis does a bit more …
Da da da da da
Mackay adds his two bits to the attack and a flicker of flame starts from Balloon No. 2
After some maneuvering by ‘Gus’ Mase, Collinson has another go at Balloon No. 1
[Note: I missed recording the gun jam of the first card]
AA No. 1 tried to ward off the attacking FE.2b
Close – but no cigar
Collinson continues his attack on the yellow gasbag, but this time the German crew would have heard a stream of obscenities pouring from the front seat of the FE.2 if they had still occupied the dangling basket below …
The Lewis has definitely jammed this time.
Huebner and Francis trade some slight damage to their respective aircraft, but smoke starts to stream from the “Fee” when an oil line is nicked.
Melbeck has finally brought the C.III back to where the action is and fires a long shot at Kelly and Francis’s FE.2b
Collinson fires the second Lewis over the top wing at Balloon No.1
A few more perforations, but nothing noticeable.
Francis tries from the second FE.2 but can’t seem to hit the broad side of a barn.
Tikka tikka tikka
Huebner does some significant damage to Mackay’s Morane.
AA2 fires at Kelly’s FE.2b
Another miss.
Collinson fires back over the wing but misses the balloon.
Melbeck hits the receding FE.2b
Francis puts some steady shots into Balloon No. 1
KRAK!
AA No. 1 fires at the FE.2 as it passes over.
Although Collinson may be having a ‘brown trousers moment’ there is no damage to the aircraft.
Collinson fires at the yellow balloon as Mase does a tight turn but misses the target completely.
Melbeck fires at the FE.2 and jams his LMG.08
Mackay fires his Morane at ‘le ballon jaune’ and is overjoyed to see flames start to flicker from the side at last!
Huebner charges at Mackay as he comes out of an Immelmann but curses as his LMG.08 follows that of Melbeck
Francis fires at the Albatros and starts a fire.
Engelbrecht’s return fire damages the FE.2’s rudder but then his Parabellum MG14 jams as well, leaving the C.III unarmed!
The fire in Balloon No. 2 spreads
As do the flames in the C.III
AA No. 2 fires at Mackay’s Morane to remind him that they are still there.
Collinson fires at Huebner from close range and does a bit of damage to the E.III control cables.
A second burst does no damage.
Balloon No. 1’s fire is taking hold.
The flames are really eating up the Albatross.
Melbeck looks to bring the C.III to ground.
Collinson pounds Balloon No. 1 again.
Suddenly the Coquet erupts into flame and the giant balloon falls to the ground.
Crewmen and soldiers on the ground scurry for cover!
AA No. 1 fires at the FE2 but it is another miss.
AA No.2 takes a shot.
KRAK!
The ‘Fee’ takes serious damage – smoke begins to pour from the engine.
“That’s it!” shouts Mase to Collinson. “We’re heading back to the barn!”
Huebner tries to finish of the ‘Fee’ but his bullets fail to find their mark.
Still more flames from the Albatros!
“Wir gehen runter!” shouts Melbeck to Engelbrecht.
< we are going down >
The Albatross plows into the ground, just missing some low trees.
Mackay targets the green E.III of Huebner.
Huebner goes after Mackay
AA No. 1 misses the FE.2b this time.
The flames on Balloon No. 2 are spreading.
Huebner closes on Mackay lets the Morane have it!.
Mackay is seen to jerk in his cockpit. He is obviously hit.
The Morane-Saulnier has taken all it can.
The nose drops sharply …
… and then drops sharply to the earth on the outskirts of the town.
AA No. 2 puts another round into the air toward the FE.2b of Mase and Collinson.
KRAK!
The aircraft takes the brunt of it, but both Mase and Collinson are deafened by the explosion.
‘Fee’ … Fie .. Fo .. Fum! I smell the blood of an Englishman …
(well, one is Canadian, but you get the point )
Francis fires down at Balloon No.2
The ground crew have been madly trying to get the Caquot to ground – just a bit more to go …
Suddenly an eruption of smoke and flame!
The second balloon has been brought down.
AA No. 4 fires at the remaining FE.2b but misses
AA No.2 tries to finish the ‘Fee’
Huebner dives and fires at the fleeing ‘Fee’
Bullets riddle the cockpit. Kelly is hit a falls to his left.
Francis fires frantically at the Eindecker and is devastated when his Lewis jams!
AA No. 4 tries to finish of the FE.2b but comes up short.
Huebner can sense victory as he closes on the floundering FE.2b
Le coup de grâce …
Francis is helpless as the ‘Fee’ falls from the sky, Kelly slumped over his control stick
In their excitement, AA Gun No.2 fires again at the green E.III
“Dummköpfe!”
Luckily their aim is off this tie.
Huebner will definitely be having words with his commander about the AA crews.
He turns his Eindecker around and heads back to base, the sole survivor of today’s battle Over the Trenches.
Butcher’s Tally
Adler
Fokker E.III Rookie pilot Ltn Karsten Rüdiger EXP FT 0 kills
C&W Roll 9 -3 EXP = 6 : Injured 1D3{2} = Skip 1
Fokker E.III Pilot Ltn Till Huebner RTB 3 Kills :
Morane-Saulnier N (Lynch)
Morane-Saulnier N (Mackay)
FE.2b (Kelly/Francis
Albatross C.III
Pilot ObLtn Moritz Melbeck FLM ET 0 kills
C&W Roll 5 -2 FLM =3 : Injured 1D6{4) : Skip 4
Observer Ltn Ewald Engelbrecht FLM ET 0 kills
C&W Roll 9 -2 FLM =7 : Injured 1D2{5} : Skip 2
Bulldogs
Morane-Saulnier N pilot 2Lt Colin Lynch SD ET 0 Kills
C&W Roll 3 -1 SD = 2 : KIA
Morane-Saulnier N Pilot 2Lt James Mackay SD ET WIA 1 Kill (Balloon 1 by fire)
C&W Roll 6 -1 SD -1 WIA =4 : injured 1D6{5} : Skip 5
E&E Roll 7 -1 BEL -1 WIA -1 WIC =4 : Captured and Escaped Skip 1D3{3} = Skip 2 : Total = Skip 5
FE.2b
Pilot 2Lt Augustus ‘Gus’ Mase SD ET 0 Kills
C&W Roll 7 -1SD =6 : Injured 1D3{3} = Skip 2
E&E Roll 7 -1BEL -1 WIC =5 : In Hiding 1D2{1} : Skip 1 : Total Skip 2
Gunner AM2 Henry Collinson SD ET 0 Kills
C&W Roll 8 -1SD =7 : njured 1D2{5} = Skip 2
E&E Roll 8 -1BEL -1 WIC =6 : In Hiding 1D2{1} : Skip 1 : Total Skip
FE.2b
Pilot Lt John Kelly SD NML WIA 0 Kills
C&W Roll 3 -1SD -1 NML -1 WIA =0 : KIA
Gunner AM1 Patrick Francis SD NML 2 Kills (Albatross C.III / Balloon No.2)
C&W Roll 6 -1SD -1NML =4 : Injured 1D6{2) : Skip 2
E&E Roll 6 +1 NML -1 WIC =6 : In Hiding 1D2{1| = Skip 1 : Total = Skip 2
AA Gun No. 2 2 Kills
Fokker E.III : Rüdiger
Fe.2b : Mase / Collinson
Balloon No. 2
Destroyed by FE.2b Gunner Francis
Balloon No. 1
Destroyed by fire (started by Morane-Saulnier N – Mackay)
Results:
Eagles:
+2 x 2 for single-seaters shot down 4
+3 x 2 for 2-Seaters shot down 6
Total: 10
Bulldogs
+2 for single-seater shot down* 2
+3 for 2-seater shot down 3
+5 x 2 for balloons destroyed 10
Total: 15
Entente Victory!
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