Uncle stood outside the Squadron HQ Hut looking towards the Front Lines & Uncle was very worried!
The aircraft from the mornings Offensive Patrol had returned piecemeal all showing signs of battle damage but one pilot had not yet returned. 2nd Lt. Jonathon Snow, the young 19 year old from Devon had not yet returned & his Airco DH-2 was nearing its 2 & 3/4 hour endurance limit. Uncle feared the worst!
Suddenly he heard the familiar sound of a 100hp Gnome rotary engine blipping its throttle as it cleared the trees on the outskirts of Bentangles Aerodrome the home of the Bulldogs Squadron.
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The small pusher scout soon landed & a weary Jon Snow climbed out & inspected to shredded fabric on the wings of his aircraft as Uncle made his way to the scene.
"Ha Mr Snow, so good to see you back home safely. I was getting very concerned you might not make it!"
"Sorry Sir but I had one deuce of a time getting back after I got separated from the patrol after we got jumped by a ruddy big mob of Huns"
"Well" said Uncle, "better come into the Office & you can tell me the full story as you debrief"
Seated opposite Uncle & fortified by a glass of Uncle's excellent single malt Scotch, Lt Snow told his tale.
"After the dogfight petered out I found myself alone in the sky. No sign of any of our chaps or the old Hun!" "So I checked my compass & made towards home". "Not long after I noticed 3 German aircraft heading back towards their lines. One of those new Halberstadters & 2 Fokker E.III's. One Green & one CDL".
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I thought my best chance was to fly straight towards them, try to catch them unawares & bolt for home. Sadly that did not quite work out as I soon found myself under fire from one of the Fokkers but I managed to get a good burst into the tail of the CDL one.
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I managed to "thread the needle" without any more damage as the Halberstadt & the green E.III collided in trying to chase me.
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I must admit I had a rush of blood & thought "why not" so I pulled an Immlemann & got a good burst into the Halberstadt which had chased me & a lucky hit set him on fire.
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Unfortunately I now found myself in a cone of fire from a Fokker & the D.II who no doubt wanted to get even. Fortunately not much damage resulted although my rudder felt a bit slack! { NOTE! I was a bit slow marking the Gun Jam on the D.II so the pilot got a "Free Hit"}
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As the Halberstadt turned for the German Lines the fire flared up.
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I now found myself thoroughly committed as the CDL Fokker joined in the fight.
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As often happens the aircraft separated to look for an advantage & I saw the Halberstadt continuing to burn as it headed towards German territory.
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I soon turned the tables on the cream E.III but my deflection shooting was not good & no damage resulted!
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In the meantime the fire on the Halberstadt had flared up but had then sputtered out & the German pilot was able to land safely back at his aerodrome.
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I continued my duel with the CDL Fokker & while he did more damage to my wings, I heard his Oberursel engine clatter & I knew I had caused damage to it.
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Again we separated & rejoined the combat & this time I got lucky as I fired the last of the drum the Fokker suddenly exploded in front of me & it fell to earth in a fiery mess.
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I now had a clear run towards home as the Green Fokker had finally realised he could not catch me before I reached safety. I knew I was getting dangerously low on fuel & had used up all my ammo drums.
And that Sir is the tale of my Solo Fight!
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Uncle stared at the young pilot for a few seconds before he spoke. "Well Jon, all I can say you were dammed lucky today & I trust you will be more careful in the future". A grin then broke over Uncle's face & he said. "However congratulations on you victory today which has been confirmed by one of our artillery batteries so it will be your shout in the Officers Mess tonight!"
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Thoughts & Observations
Well that was a most enjoyable Romp!
I chose SNIPER as the second Ace Skill & did not need to use the Lucky Pilot skill.
I decided to only play the 3 Vs 1 scenario for a number of reasons which I wont bother you with.
I used Dave's D8 charts & no Altitude.
It looked like it was headed for a Draw until that very last exchange of shots when the Boom card appeared which gave me the victory.
RESULT: A British Victory.
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