It was a suicide mission, plain and simple but they knew their duty and someone had to do it.
The it being to bomb the Eastern end of the Tavannes Tunnel that had recently fallen into enemy hands during the latest attack. They had not been able to push their advantage into the tunnel but it was only a matter of time before they forced their way in so it fell to the Bulldogs to close the tunnel and prevent that access.
The French had prepped the entrance for demolition but the attack had surprised them and they were not able to initiate the charge. Intel had it that the means of detonation had been removed by the Germans but that the charge had yet to be removed . It was decided by the powers that be that a single large bomb from an aircraft may be enough to detonate the main charge and drop the tunnel roof but it had to be precisely placed in the tunnel entrance to stand any chance of doing that.
It is thought the Germans must realise the risk & will take all precautions to prevent and aerial attack but there is no information on the defences deployed and no time to find them out.
Lt Terry Bull & his observer AM1 Jack Dawe in their FE2b (#4) lead the way into the cutting leading to the bridge at low level - immediately coming under heavy MG fire whilst still out of range
(wrong card subbed for for 2A later)
Oblt Johannes Achilles has been ordered to patrol the east entrance of the Tavannes Tunnel and attack any enemy aircraft seen - as he approaches he sees a large British machine enter the cutting
Bulls machine shudders from another hit and fire breaks out behind him
Dawe finally exchanges fire with the gunpit & does some damage - a second MG lashes them with fire
(missed a pic of the exchange)
The fire takes hold and it's too much for good old #4 - she crashes into the floor of the cutting
2Lt Justin Hale & AM2 "Ar" Sole arrive in the cutting in FE2b #6 even as #4 goes in - the first MG post is still active and rounds fizz toward them
Obltn Achilles breaches the lip of the cutting - followed by Ltn Hans-Eberhardt Gossner in a red Fokker eindecker.
Hale's machine takes further damage but not as heavy as Bull
Finally in range Sole opens up on the first gun position & scores some hits, even as the second takes up the cudgel
Ltn Otto Hengl enters the arena in a striped Fokker eindecker, approaching from the North
Finally at close range Sole shuts down the first gun position for good
His prompt action saves the ad hoc crew of Lt Bill Foldes & 2Lt Phil Atterley in the BE2c from taking any hits as they enter the cutting.
Achilles had set himself up to attack the first FE as he entered the cutting - he was wrong footed as the MG positions annihilated it before he could engage - dropping into the cutting he found no target but became one for the second FE as it roared along the cutting. The guns of the cutting fell silent when the blue Halberstadt dropped into the cutting Sole could not believe his luck - a target & no incoming !
Sole pumps more rounds at the blue Halberstadt - both he and Hale are shocked when a red eindecker drops over the lip of the cutting and unleashes a fusillade into them from above
Foldes & Atterley see the red eindecker as it turns towards them - it fires briefly then the gun stops
Sole hammers the blue Halb
Atterley rakes the red eindecker at close range as it passes into his arc of fire - flame - he's hit it hard !
Atterley catches the eindecker again as it deftly flicks over and reverses its course blowing lumps out of its tail surfaces
Flame bites into the red eindecker as it straightens out after the reversal
The BE rocks under a barrage from a striped eindecker as it roars over the lip of the cutting
It doesn't put Atterley off as he claws the red eindecker out of the sky with a well aimed burst
#6 passes the blue Halb which turns in pursuit and damages their controls from range
Another surprise visitor drops in on Bull and Atterley - a green eindecker puts a burst through the cockpits injuring both - the damage enough to put the machine down
(missed a shot here)
Severely damaged Hale's machine forges on leaving the blue halb in it's wake as it zig zags behind them - a flak round bursts nearby from a gun position above the tunnel mouth but has no effect
As the sun sets behind him Hale toggles his bomb release, the unburdened machine rises and they see their load disappear into the tunel mouth
A cacophonous double explosion lifts them higher as they pass close overhead and pushes them over the rim of the cutting
Mission accomplished against the odds - Hale keeps his nose down and heads for home as fast as his broken machine will allow
Ltn Hans-Eberhardt Gossner: (Fokker E.III Red) SD-EXP-FT 0 kills
Rolled 8 -3EXP = 5 Injured - Skip 1D3 Scenario. Rolled 5 = skip 3 (WWW)
Oblt Johannes Achilles (Blue Halberstadt) RTB 0 Kills
Ltn Otto Hengl (Fokker E.III cdl striped) RTB 0 Kills
Ltn Willi Kieckhäfer (Fokker E.III Green) RTB 1 Kill
Lt Terry Bull (P2) FE2b (#4) SD-FLM-ET 0 kills
Rolled 10 -2FLM = 8 Injured - Skip 1D2 Scenario. Rolled 5 = Skip 2.
E&E: Rolled 7 -1FLM -1WIC -1BEL = 4 Captured and escaped! - Skip 1D3 Scenarios . Rolled 3 = Skip 2 (RW)
AM1 Jack Dawe (O) SD-FLM-ET 0 kills
Rolled 10 -2FLM = 8 Injured - Skip 1D2 Scenario. Rolled 3 = Skip 1.
E&E: Rolled 7 -1FLM -1WIC -1BEL = 4 Captured and escaped! - Skip 1D3 Scenarios . Rolled 4 = Skip 2 (WR)
Lt Bill Foldes (P2) BE2c SD-ET / WIA 0 kills
Rolled 9 -1SD -1WIA = 7 Injured - Skip 1D2 Scenario. Rolled 5 = Skip 2.
E&E: Rolled 8 -1WIA -1WIC -1BEL = 5 In hiding! - Skip 1D2 Scenarios. Rolled 2 = Skip 1 (RW)
2Lt Phil Atterley (O) SD-ET / WIA 1 Kill
Rolled 7 -1SD -1WIA = 5 Injured - Skip 1D3 Scenario. Rolled 3 = Skip 2.
E&E: Rolled 7 -1WIA -1WIC -1BEL = 4 Captured and escaped! - Skip 1D3 Scenarios. Rolled 2 = Skip 1 (RW)
2Lt Justin Hale (P2) FRTB-D 0 Kills
AM2 "Ar" Sole (O) FRTB-D 0 kills
A potential squad killer for sure - I played the rules and dropped a Hun into the cutting which stopped the guns and saved the game for me, allowing the lads a run at the prize but it was still a near run thing.
Two ruler range AAMG's are frankly ridiculous - the planes should have the same if that's the case, +1's for firing from just above is the same. I didn't play limited ammo as I usually do.
I made it work but due to the potential losses & time it would take to run twelve machines down the channel this is not a good campaign game in my opinion, fun as a stand alone though.
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