Not having had balloons until last week I had to hold off on mission 1 until now....so without further ado:
Scenario 1 - Luftwachdeinst-Sperreflug
Over the Trenches (OTT) – Daring Young Men (DYM) Campaign (The Italian Front)
The original scenario by Skafloc is here:
https://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/sh...916-by-Skafloc
The original scenario is set in January 1916, my Italian Front variant is set in Oct/Nov 1917 – at the time of the Battle of Caporetto, 24 Oct – 19 Nov 1917.
The Story
Hauptmann Michael von Taaffe starred at the late morning sky searching for aeroplanes. “They should be back by now. They’ll be getting low on fuel,” he muttered to himself.
Michael’s unit was a new one – someone higher up thought it would be a good idea to attach a unit of rookies to one with more experienced aircrew. So it was that Flik 55J bis was created and attached to Flik 55J. Flik 55J itself was relatively new but it had some experienced pilot including some aces – Julius Arigi and József Kiss. Georg Kenzian was nearly there. Michael had known their commander, Hauptmann Josef von Maier for some time. Josef was unusual for an aristocrat in that he treated the other classes almost as equals.
“What ever the outcome of this war it will be a new world where family and lineage matter less than merit”, he once told Michael.
Michael wasn’t as sure about that but he did see that they needed good pilot regardless of their class. Sure or not, he could go along with Josef’s ‘program’.
Flik 55J bis was not yet complete. Michael had just three pilots. Only one was experienced – Feldwebel Alexandr Svoboda had flown as a pilot for Michael when Michael still flew as an observer. Alexandr – Sandy - came from a well to do family in Bohemia and had been sent to study in America – Princeton, which is where he got the nickname, ‘Sandy’. He liked it and kept it when he returned to Bohemia.
The other two were rookies who had never flown a combat mission – Zugführers Pablo Pavlich and Karoly Horváth.
“Funny to give someone a Spanish first name, but his mother must have been infatuated with all things Spanish”, thought Michael. “Well, I shouldn’t complain, my cousin is named Ryan because of his grandmother. Thank goodness Pablo doesn’t put on a false Spanish accent like cousin does an Irish one.”
Ryan von Taaffe was slated to join the command in a few days. Michael had mixed feelings about that.
“A funny trick by those who make these decisions”, reflected Michael. Ryan could be fun as he was carefree the way Michael could not be which is why Michael looked much older even though Michael was only a year older, but he also had a knack for getting into trouble. “Still they need bold, aggressive pilots and Ryan could be bold and aggressive.”
Two other pilots had not yet arrived – one was a rookie, Leutnant Wolfgang von Augustin and a pilot with just enough experience to not be thought of as a rookie, Feldwebel Günter Neumann. And just to add to this mixed bag a German observation flight was attached to the Flik as the Germans did not think the Austrians capable of reconnaissance.
An hour earlier Michael had sent Sandy on a routine patrol with one of the rookies, Pablo, so that the rookie could get some flight time.”
“They should be back”, Michael cursed. “Have they run into a swarm of enemy trouble?”
Two specks appeared in sky that soon became the aeroplanes. Soon they were landed. Both pilots jumped out of their aeroplanes – full of excitement. The rookie, Pablo, was shaking.
“Sit down, Pablo. We’ll get something to calm you.” Michael turned to an orderly and ordered some brandy for Pablo.
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Everything looked peaceful enough. Two of their observation balloons – drachen they were called – were ahead of them gracing the skies with their dark brown and bright yellow colours. But then three enemy planes appeared across No Man’s Land. Clearly they were after the Austrianr drachens. Sandy signalled Pablo to climb and go to the right of the brown balloon while he took the more dangerous route in between the balloons - straight into the midst of the fast approaching Italian Nieuports. No sooner had he done that then an anti-aircraft gun fired at Sandy ripping some holes in the fabric of his Albatros.
“What the….(expletive deleted)?” exclaimed Sandy. “Don’t those idiots know we’re friendly aeroplanes?”
Below the AA gun was commanded by a rather thick solder, Korporal Alfred E. Schmidt. As chance would have it the senior gun commander was ill with dysentery and Alfred was left in command. Not being too bright, Alfred couldn’t tell one type of aircraft from another. He had a simple philosophy for targeting – “If it flies, it dies”. The other two guns protecting the drachen, didn’t have as much of a problem identifying enemy planes. They fired on the ones approaching from the enemy side of No Man’s Land.
S/Ten Pietro Guzzoni was the first to engage the drachens but he was too far away and his bullets fell short of the yellow drachen.
On the other flank Pablo’s appearance was a surprise. Ten Armando Cittadella was an experienced flyer and quickly adjusted – letting off bursts from the synchronised Vickers and the above wing Lewis machine guns, but Pablo was too quick and Armando’s bursts went wide. Pablo banked to the right and fired his twin Schwarlose. He was right on target and ripped off bits and pieces of the Nieuport’s left wing. In the centre, Sandy felt like he was the ‘target of the day’ as Pietro, S/Ten Alberto Sofragi as well as Korporal Alfred E. Schmidt all targeted him. Fortunately for Sandy only Alberto’s aim was on and Sandy give as good as he got. Mind you he was regretting not having a bomb or two to drop on the Austrian AA gun crew below…..to teach them a lesson about aeroplane identification.
The Italian pilots, however, had their sights set on the drachens and flew past the aeroplanes of the Dual Monarchy. Alberto, not having been distracted by Pablo’s attach closed in and fired on the brown drachen causing enough damage so that the observer bailed from his basket under the drachen. Not being able to separate friend from foe, the AA gun on the flank of the brown drachen fired into the midst of swirling aeroplanes – narrowly missing Pablo. Pietro with his jammed guns kept an eye on Sandy but not on the yellow drachen….at least not until he heard the crack from his Nieuport.
Finally Armando closed in on the brown drachen. Both he and Alberto fired on their target, but only Alberto’s bullets found their mark. Sandy spun his aeroplane around in an Immelmann to come in on the tail of Alberto but had no more luck than did Armando.
Alberto ducked under the drachen…..close, just close enough to shake off Sandy.
Sandy had anticipated Alberto’s manoeuvre and looped over the brown drachen and got a good shot at Alberto. Fortunately for Sandy, Korporal Alfred E. Schmidt’s aim was not so good as yet again he had targeted Sandy.
“No bombs, eh? Maybe I should just fly low and spit on them”, thought Sandy.
By now Pietro, with his guns unjammed, had come around for another go at the yellow drachen but had spotted Sandy. Both exchanged fire for equal damage but Pietro was having trouble with his guns as they jammed yet again.
On the other side of the drachen, Pablo and Armando circled each other. The AA gun on the drachen’s flank barked again. This time narrowly missing Armando – one of the few times the Austrian gunners actually came close to hitting an Italian plane.
The near miss, however, distracted Armando who did not see Pablo coming in for a close range shot that slammed into the Nieuport’s engine as well as Armando’s shoulder. Unable to control his Nieuport he nearly collided with Pablo.
While Pablo and Armando engaged in a close air to air duel, Alberto was circling the brown drachen and firing to little effect. Sandy had again reversed his Albatros and ended up on Pietro’s tail. A burst from his two Schwarlose hit Pietro in the leg and arm and cut the critical control cables on the Nieuport, which spun downward out of control.
Armando fought to stay conscious and to control his Nieuport but it was to no avail as the undercarriage of Pablo’s Albatros sliced through the rear of the Nieuport’s fuselage – miraculously for Pablo with minimal damage to his aeroplane’s undercarriage.
Having eliminated his opponent, Sandy searched for Pablo and the other Italians. Yet again he was the target of the ever diligent Korporal Alfred E. Schmidt.
“Fortunately their aim matches their intelligence,” thought Sandy.
The other AA gun crew was having a bit more luck identifying friend from foe, but their aim was no better. And this time, neither was Sandy’s aim as he came upon Alberto circling the brown drachen.
Sandy spotted Pablo heading back to the aerodrome. At the time thought the rookie’s aeroplane had been seriously damaged. He did not know it that the collision with Armando had really shaken the young rookie, who not able focus on the combat headed for home.
Alberto having flown past Sandy decided to have a go at the yellow drachen and was rewarded with a splendid burst of flames from the balloon. He wasn’t even bothered by the poor shot from Korporal Alfred E. Schmidt’s AA gun.
Seeing one flames erupting from one of their charges, the AA gun on the flank of the brown drachen fired at the only plane in range – Sandy’s. Fortunately, the AA battery was a new one and hadn’t really got the knack of firing at moving aeroplanes.
Having critically damaged the yellow drachen, Alberto turned his sights on the brown one only to have his Vickers jam.
“Well, I still have this flare pistol”, thought Alberto. He flew in a close as he could to get a good shot and was rewarded by a tremendous explosion. We was smiling and didn’t see the loose cable whip around and snag his propeller.
See that all of the enemy Nieuports were down, Sandy turned his machine and headed for the aerodrome. Over his shoulder he could see the yellow drachen being slowing being consumed by flames.
“I suppose it’s a failed mission”, thought Sandy but he had seen the observer parachute out of the yellow drachen so their losses amounted to just the two drachen while the enemy had lost three Nieuports.
**********************************************************
“That’s quite the tale”, remarked Michael as Sandy finished the story with only a few excited comments from Pablo.
Gaming comments: I flew Pablo’s airplane and as a rookie on his first flight I didn’t allow him to fly Immelmann turns. I misjudged the space and just managed to end up with the edge of Pablo’s base over the edge of the mat. So I had him head home.
Collisions – it was the first time I used the altitude rules so decided to play the collision rule as written but treating situations where both sides draw a ‘0’ as a near collision. It would do it slightly different next time as the balloon bases occupy a large foot print. Mind you I could have had the Italians flying one level higher or lower to avoid a collision entirely but I was still getting used to the altitude rules. I miscounted the number of movement steps for a balloon to descend one level which is why some of the earlier photos show the balloons at level 6, which was 2 levels too high. I fixed it mid-game and lowered everyone by 2 levels.
Oeffag 153 versus Albatros D.III – I could have used the factors for the 153 but used the D.III’s as I thought the 153 factors would be too much of an advantage over the Nieuport 17s. FYI – I’ve order 4 Oeffag 153 from Shapeways which were shipped yesterday. I will be painting these up as planes from the parent Flik – Flik 55J, which would be Arigi, Kiss, Kenzian and Maier. Eventually I will get 2 more 153 and do Alexander Kasza and Franz Lahner.
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