It has to be said that 2Lt Chris Cross was less than pleased to be used as bait and to add insult to injury he'd lost his Strutter for the purpose and had to use one of the old BB Morane's still kicking about the squadron "because it looked more vulnerable".
He at least hoped the chaps watching over him might know their business so was was somewhat nonplussed to find out his guardian angels were Lt Bill Foldes, who so far had a rather less than stellar record, and a new boy 2Lt Even Keel, who had done rather well last time out.
Nonetheless, Cross got on with the job and later that morning he was stooging about over the German lines trying to entice a reaction from the 'jolly old Hun'.
AM3 Ric Shaw shared his pilot's sentiments but knew better than to voice them around officers. He made a good show of being occupied with his camera but his gun was charged and free for immediate action.
Cross kept a wary eye out and spotted the enemy as they made their approach - calling back to Shaw so that he might be ready when the moment came..."Here they come" ... "Steady.." Steady..." "Wait for it ..."
Shaw sneaked a peek and saw a pair of Hun biplanes slipping toward them, noticing too a pair of Nieuports emerge from the cloud above and behind them... "They left that late" he thought...
Obltn Johannes Achilles, the newly appointed, or reappointed, commander of the Eagles was pleased to find some easy meat under the nose of his new Halberstadt D.III - maybe he could improve on his meagre tally today. He swooped in and opened fire at long range seeing with some satisfaction his rounds striking the engine area of his prey - He was somewhat alarmed at the sound of a nearby maxim and the crackle of rounds that passed his cockpit as his wingman Ltn Hans Eberhardt Gossner in the blue Halberstadt D.II added to the furore - then rounds crashed in and around his cockpit and he felt a blow to his wrist..
Foldes pointed his nose down at a dope coloured Halberstadt as it swerved toward him and let go a very long range burst - "Maybe he'd been hit" he wondered but his own rounds found nothing vital.
Cross was looking round frantically and trying to avoid the attentions of the Hun, the cream one seemed to have lost interest for a moment but the blue one was on them and he felt a hammer blow on his shoulder as rounds clattered through the machine..
Unaware, Shaw was pleased as his return fire seemed effective and smoke plumed from behind the blue Hun
Cross, fighting the pain in his shoulder & his stricken machine turned for home immediately but maybe it was too late as the blue devil on his tail sent rounds lashing through his airframe once more.
Cross's day was done and despite his best efforts the Morane snapped left into a spin and headed for the ground as the victorious Gossner looked on.
Foldes stayed on the dope coloured machine and sent a good solid burst into it from close range, he noticed Keel, turning in behind him, had a go too.
Leaving the doped one behind them the Nieuports have a clear run at the blue machine and to avenge the loss of Cross.
As they both nose down into the attack Foldes lets fly with the last of his ammo but his gun jams before he can do much damage - Keel manages a decent long range effort though.
Foldes sorts out his reload as he circles, both the Hun and Keel pull reversals but neither gets a shot as they are too far apart.
Foldes, his gun recharged, continues to circle and catches the Hun at close range as he reverses again - Foldes curses as his Lewis jams once more and his machine shivers as the return fire passes through it.
Circling again as he works on his jam, Foldes sees that Keel has slipped past the returning doped Hun and is getting in behind him but that doesn't stop the blighter punching a few holes into his machine as he himself avoids the blue one..
Foldes whips past Keel as he launches his attack and reverses to follow him up.
Keel gets a long range shot into the doped one but he's caught at close range by the blue one and his motor starts to smoke.
Foldes crashes the party - his close range effort tearing great rents in the fabric of the blue Hun that will see him on his way but he doesn't get off lightly. The combined return fire of the Hun's wreck his Nieuport sufficiently to send him on his way too and a spent round rips through his jacket wounding him for good measure. This is really not his day.
As Foldes circles back to find his way home, Keel and the two Huns reverse and make a final pass. Keel's flight controls are damaged in this exchange but the blue Halberstadt barely survives his effort
The Hun turn for home; Foldes has to retire and Keel's damaged controls prevent him giving chase so I called it there.
Victory Points:
Tandem downed = 10pts Eagles
Scout FRTB = 4pts Eagles
Scout FRTB = 4 pts Bulldogs
Eagles Win 14 to 4 !
Butcher's Tally:
Eagles:
Obltn Johannes Achilles: (Cdl Halberstadt D.III) RTB / WIA 0 kills
Rolled 8 +1RTB -1WIA = 8 Injured - Skip 1D2 Scenario. Rolled 5 = Skip 2
Ltn Hans Eberhardt Gossner: (Blue Halberstadt D.II) FRTB-D 1 kill
Bulldogs:
Lt Bill Foldes: (N.16) FRTB-D / WIA / 0 kills
Rolled: 6 +1RTB -1WIA = 6 Injured - Skip 1D3 Scenarios; Rolled 5 = Skip 3
2Lt tEvan Keel: (N.11) RTB 0 kills
2Lt Chris Cross: (P2 Morane BB) SD-NML / WIA / 0 kills
Rolled 6 -1SD -1NML -1WIA = 3 - Injured - Skip 1D6 Scenarios. Rolled 4 = Skip 4
E&E: Rolled 8 -1WIA -1WIC +1NML = 7 Landed almost home! - Skip 1 Scenario
AM.3 Richard Shaw: (O Morane BB) SD-NML / 0 kills
Rolled 9 -1SD -1NML = 7 Injured - Skip 1D2 Scenario. Rolled 2 = Skip 1
E&E: Rolled 8 -1WIC +1NML = 8 Landed almost home! - Skip 1 Scenario
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