Operation Judgement---or Bad Luck & Trouble!
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Lt Reginald Fife-Brand the Commander of C Flight called the Bulldogs 2 seater crews to a briefing at the Squadron hut including some new pilots & observer/gunners who had been recruited from other Squadrons especially for this mission.
"Good Morning Gentleman!" "We have a nasty one on our plate this morning. Seems our Allies the French once again need our assistance over at Verdun"
"Seems the wily old Hun has discovered an old railway tunnel which is allowing then to bring up reinforcements under cover" "We have been requested to destroy the mouth of the tunnel to nip this in the bud!" "Now I want to impress on you that this will be dangerous as we believe the approaches are heavily defended by both Machine Guns & Flak batteries"
"You will be going in unescorted in a wave of 3 aircraft led by 2nd Ln Hardie & AM2 Apsland in our FE 2b followed by one of our new Pilots 2nd Lt Keen in a BE2 with Sgt Griswold as his gunner & another of our new arrivals 2nd Lt Thyme & AM2 Loane in another BE2".
"Take off will be 0700 tomorrow morning so try to get a good nights sleep & Good Luck for the mission!"
( Set Up-- All aircraft will be flying at Level 4 which will prevent AAMG's to reach them however any Flak batteries either in or above the cut will be able to target them. German scouts will be rolled for starting positions each turn & will be flown by D8 AI)
Next morning the 3 aircraft let by the FE took off into a clear blue sky & made their way to the old railway cutting which stood out like a scar on the land.
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As they approached Lt. Oliver Hardie quipped "Bloody Hell! I can see 3 flak batteries right in line & another off on the starboard side of the cutting!"
No sooner had he spoken than the 2 nearest batteries opened up on the British plane & their aim was spot on. The Fee stood no chance as 2 bursts scored direct hits on their aircraft.
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The stricken Fee crashed to the ground just inside the cutting with flames erupting from the wreckage.
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As the next British aircraft prepared to enter the cut they were met with the sobering sight of the burning Fee & of a Fokker E.III approaching.
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They immediately came under attack from another German Flak gun but this time it burst well behind them.
Sgt "Pudden" Griswold who was grateful of the chance to redeem himself after the debacle of his solo Aerodrome raid thumped the cockpit side & pointed back over the side of the BE to alert Lt Keen of another approaching German scout. This time a grey Halberstadt. This made 3 Hum fighters closing in on them.
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Lt Keen took some revenge on one of the Flak batteries wounding one of the crew with his oblique mounted Lewis gun.
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The second BE had now entered the cutting only to come under the fire of 2 of the Flak batteries which had reloaded & again disaster met the British aircraft with a direct hit sending it to crash on the floor of the cutting.
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The lone remaining BE continued towards the tunnel mouth & exchanged shots with the cream Fokker damaging its engine but Griswold received a wound in his right shoulder from the Germans shots.
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Keen could now see his target looming ever closer but also a green E.III closing from his starboard side. It had passed behind them but had pulled an Immleman to allow him to attack.
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It all became arbitrary as another Flak battery opened up on them & blew the BE from the sky in an explosion of flame & smoke.
The Tunnel would remain open for the German Troops to pass safely towards Verdun!
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Well that one went South in a Basket real quick!
I had the misfortune to draw 5 Flak Guns in the 8 cards & most of them were at the first section of the cut.
The German Scouts were almost superfluous as the Flak downed all 3 British aircraft with 2 almost as they just reached the cutting!
There will be some Empty Chairs in the Mess Tonight!
Victory to the Eagles
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