RFC
Lt T Harper (Balloon buster) DH2 O
Lt Paul Henry DH2 N
JP Bedard ( Sharp eye) Nieuport.
Eagles
Seb Priesner (Sharp eye) Halb
H Barnekow E111 Camo
F Koch E111 Grey
The balloons drifted lazily over their respective sides of the river. Each sides observer scanning the enemy lines for new targets or troop movements for the artillery to train their guns on.
Bearly a mile separated them but nothing on the ground could move close enough to threaten them without being seen and bombarded. The solution was clear to both HQs. This was a job for the air force.
Harper and Henry were selected to take on the balloon with Bedard protecting the Allied blimp. Casting his eyes to the left Henry saw the familiar silhouette of E111s heading East.
Ahead the brown gas bag filled up his cockpit view , that and a red Halb lurking a short distance behind.
Both sets of aircraft headed for their targets. Koch raked the Frenchman, to no effect Bedhards return fire tearing into the Germans rudder and fuselage.
Barnekow took careful aim tearing a strip off the Nieuports wing (3)
Priesner felt his engine miss a beat as Henry bullets struck home
Harper loosed off a short burst nicking the balloon and frightening the observer who motioned to the ground crew to start reeling in cable.
Chaos ensued around the British balloon. Bedard and Barnekow almost collided.
Harpers incendiary rounds exploded in the centre of the Germans gas bag and flames started to creep along the ribs, however the young pilot paid the price as Priesner pounded the DH2 shattering several spars. (4,2)
. Suddenly the Halbs propeller stopped abruptly. Looking behind he saw the second DH2 firing at him (2+eng). Pumping the throttle Priesner desperately tried to bring his engine back to life but to no avail. The Halb nosed downward towards the winching crew and AAmg pit.
Kill Henry
With the blimp ablaze Henry peeled off to protect the Allied bag leaving Harper to finish the job he had started
.Bedard began to hunt down the camo Fokker till Banekows plane dropped into the Lewis guns sights (2)
Both pilots panicked and only just avoided tearing each other apart as they touched
Henry felt a slight sting as the bullet hit his left arm but it did not stop him squeezing the
trigger. A plume of smoke belched from Barnekows engine. Despite the smoke clouding his
vision the veteran pilot honed in on Harper , A long burst hiting the lower wings (4,0)
another resulted in a jam
Unseen Koch circled the yellow target his hot rounds igniting the Hydrogen bag (2 + fire) a
second burst jammed the gun.
He lined up for a Split S
Harper dived to keep level with the balloon firing as he went more flames erupting from the
tail fins
The camo E111 hugged the balloon busters tail waiting for the RFC pilot to make a mistake.
Getting close enough for a long range shot Barnekows guns failed him yet again
Koch slipped under his yellow target, narrowly missing the winch wire and looking around
saw Henry close on his left wing.
A short burst from Henry saw a spar snap on the Fokker
The German balloon was a roaring inferno, little left of its fabric and the ribs glowing red
with the heat., The British balloon was in a similar situation. Koch turned for the remaining
RFC planes , hoping to take a shot at Harper on his way. Harper obliged taking a hit to his
rudder on his already battered plane
Barnekow with his guns jammed took the same attitude banking left
Koch pulled out of his Immell only to feel the rounds from Bedards gun hitting his cockpit
(3)
Pulling left a DH2 dropped into his LOS The last of the incendiaries hit its wing (3)
Bedard lost sight of the grey Fokker as Koch threw his plane around the sky but Barnekow
was closing on his tail.
Koch pulled back on the throttle allowing Henry's DH2 to pull slightly ahead. The Spandau
rounds tore into the fuel tank a flash and the plane was tumbling down to earth (XP)
kill
Koch.
Bedard looked on in shock Tracers whizzed past his nose as Barnekow closed in . Bedard
banked hard left as the E111 banked the opposite way but the odds were against him. Koch
fired , a bullet struck JP in the temple the rest shredding the rudder (1+pilot 1+RD)
Harper limped passed the remains of the British balloon hoping his crate would have enough fabric left on it to keep him airbourne
Bedard stunned by the round that struck him managed to regain control of his plane. Diving he avoided a final attack from Barnekow before scrambling over his lines.
Butcher's Tally:
RFC
Lt T Harper: (Balloon buster) DH2 O: RTB 1 kill (Balloon)
Lt Paul Henry: DH2 N: SD-EXP/WIA 1 Kill
Banged up for 4 sorties but lucky to be alive
JP Bedard: ( Sharp eye) Nieuport. RTB/WIA 0 kills
Out for 2 sorties
Eagles
Seb Priesner: (Sharp eye) Halb: SD(Engine) 0 kills
Injured miss 2 sortie
H Barnekow: E111 Camo: RTB 0 kills
F Koch: E.III Grey: FRTB-D 1 kill
Both balloons were incinerated and each side lost a plane so all's square in love and war.... though Koch's FRTB tips the scale.
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