OTT Daring Young Men Campaign – the Italian Front
Mission 5 – Adler Tag-Team by Stumptonian
(15 November, 1917 - the Battle of Caporetto will soon be over. French, British and American troops and equipment are pouring into Northern Italy to shore up their Italian ally.)
The OTT DYM scenario is here:
https://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/sh...-February-1916
The original scenario pits the newly arrived Airco DH2 versus the Fokker EIII in early February, 1916. I chose SPAD XIII versus the AH version of the Albatros D.III – the Oeffag 153 with the unofficial stats. For comparison of the SPAD XIII versus the Oeffag 153
A vs B manoeuvre deck
Both A firepower
16 versus 15 damage
Both have an excellent climb rate of 2
15 versus 13 maximum altitude
It was a great game for climbing. The AH planes started on level 4 and the Entente on level 5. The game ended with planes on level 12. For collisions I used the rule that planes had to be on the same level – both with or both without climb markers AND with at least one base overlapping the opponent’s plane’s centre peg. I didn’t have a single collision.
There was quite a difference in how the game played out versus the original OTT scenario due to the relative speed of the aircraft compared to weapon ranges. This AAR was mostly a zoom-shoot once-zoom-turn around and repeat type of action. Many shots were with one plane at a higher altitude so there were few double-card hits.
The Action – as told by Ltn Wolfgang Augustin in a letter to his father.
Dear Father,
You will be very proud of your son. In the last mission I became our Flik’s first ace and was awarded the Military Merit Cross – Bronze class. While I shot down two enemy planes, I was very happy to learn that both pilots survived. Up in the air one cannot help but have some empathy for the daring souls on the other side who seek to defy gravity. Luck was with us as my wingman, Feldwebel Neumann also shot down a plane, his 2nd, and all of our Flik returned safely.
The mission started with an ordinary patrolling mission where two planes fly up and down our lines to intercept any enemy reconnaissance planes or bombers. Günter (Feldwebel Neumann) and I were to relieve Sandy and Pablo (Feldwebel Svoboda and Zugführer Pavlich). I know you disapprove of being overly familiar with the other social classes, but the Hauptmann insists that in our Flik it is merit that counts. Perhaps it seems strange – even un-Austrian but both our Hauptmann and Hauptmann von Maier of our parent Flik are in accord with this.
As Günter and I approached our front lines, my blood froze as I saw no less than four of the new enemy SPAD aeroplanes about to dive down on Sandy and Pablo. If you remember I encountered one of these new SPAD machines and was lucky enough to take it down by ramming it.
I watched in horror as one of these SPADs dove on Pablo who was closest to him. It seemed that Pablo could not survive the aggressive attack, but at the last second he jerked his plane to one side and the enemy’s bullets missed him. Whether this by plan or by Pablo being surprised or his being unused to the planes I do not know. We were flying the new, made in Austria, the Oeffag 153 – our superior version of the German Albatros as it has a more powerful engine which may be why your son is alive to write to you.
Two of the enemy planes attacked Sandy and Pablo from the side while the other two sought to intercept them from the front. Günter and I headed for these latter two enemy machines, one of which noticed Günter and fired a burst from his machine gun that went wide.
I slipped in behind this SPAD into a good firing position and fired my twin Schwarzlose guns – yes, father, the Hauptmann is letting me fly planes with two machineguns! Fortune smiled on me as I must have hit something like the fuel tank since the enemy aeroplane exploded.
I then banked right and came in behind the two enemy SPADs that had attack Sandy and Pablo from the side. A burst did some damage to the enemy aeroplane but I could see that it wasn’t very much.
Meanwhile, Günter, engaged the fourth enemy SPAD head on. The both fired at the same time with enough effect to give each other notice.
By this time, Sandy, had circled around his attackers. Sandy is quite a clever tactician, Father (Editor: thanks to Dave’s solo charts). He fired on the SPAD, which had dove so furiously on Pablo, setting it on fire. Flames licked all around the enemy SPAD and it seemed the machine would be totally consumed.
But the pilot was incredibly brave and sough revenge against Sandy, The met head on. The bullets from the enemy were so intense it was as if the enemy pilot was reaching out with his hands to tear Sandy’s machine apart. While Sandy’s fire was not as severe, he must have hit the enemy aeroplane’s engine as it started to stutter.
Not done with his savage, brutal attack, the enemy SPAD then turned on Günter. The SPAD’s pilot was fortunate and managed to extinguish the flames, but it was clear that his machine was done and he’d be lucky to make it back to his aerodrome. He soon left the battle. I do not know whether he made it back safely or not.
Briefly it was four on two in our favour, but Sandy and Pablo were low on fuel and soon broke off and headed for our home. Although, Sandy did have to fight past the remaining two enemy SPADs. Günter and I intercepted the SPADs, distracting them long enough for Sandy and Pablo to break off.
It was about this time that we lost sight of one of the enemy SPADs – an American as we later found out. So it was two of us, Günter and me, against one SPAD. All of the time, I kept climbing and climbing as the fight crept higher and higher. At first the SPADs had been above us, but now I had the advantage. The Oeffag is a wonderful climber, Father. I fired on the SPAD and I could see the pilot jerk violently. I think I wounded him.
I ‘tailed’ this SPAD and kept firing but it eventually escaped me. It was then that I was surprised to see the American spring out in front of me. I tried to fire on him but he was so quick I fear my bullets came no where near him.
Günter managed to catch the SPAD that had escaped and all four aeroplanes – our two Oeffags and the two SPADs twisted and turned in a ‘dogfight’ – as Sandy calls them.
But all of this time I kept climbing even higher. The air was so cold up so high. Never have I flown an aeroplane this high before. Günter and the enemy SPADs followed me. All this time we fired and fired at each other but I had the advantage and eventually one of the enemy SPADs broke up and the aeroplane drifted down towards No Man’s Land.
I swung may aeroplane around as quickly as I could to catch the American SPAD. I fired and my bullets hit his rudder which trapped him since he could not turn to one side and the mountains were on the other side. He had little choice for manoeuvre and I was waiting for him. I fired. I could see the bullets strafe his cockpit. I was wondering if he was alive or not when Günter swooped down and fired just before I could fire another burst (Wolfgang is a rookie, so his fire is after Günter’s). I could see that Günter’s bullets also hit the SPAD’s cockpit. Surely the brave American was dead.
As incredible as it might seem but all three of the downed SPAD pilots survived. One was close to the enemy lines as was rescued by his comrades, but we captured the American and the pilot of the SPAD that blew up – both, surprisingly will relatively minor injuries. This other captured pilot was a Frenchman, who with the American were from a Franco-American squadron sent to help the Italians. One can’t help wonder how the war will go if we have to fight all of these nations, but one shouldn’t think on these things too much and just focus on one’s duty.
The Flik managed to host our two, erstwhile opponents for dinner. The Frenchman, Lt. Phillipe Dumoulin, was from Lyon while the American, 2nd Lt. Sam Magee was from a state called, Tennessee. Sandy, if you remember from one of my previous letters, had studied in American and he quite enjoyed talking with Sam about the reasons why American joined the war.
The American was quite charming and it seemed used his charms on one of the hospital nurses in order to effect his and the Frenchman’s escape. Perhaps we will meet them once again in the skies for one of our deadly duels.
A most enjoyable scenario, Pete. Thanks.
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