OTT-BYM - Mission One -"Deny the Enemy" - 5th October 1916 AAR by Mike
OTT-BYM - Mission One -"Deny the Enemy" - 5th October 1916 by gully_raker . Mike’s AAR.
They were at it again. Captain Sidney Williams stared through the lenses of his army issue binoculars and muttered something that his mother would have clipped him around the ear for and demanded he wash his mouth out with soap. But Williams knew what the distant balloon meant, his mother did not.
And in the grounds of the remains of the village of Authuille, not far from Captain William’s position, a few of his company stared balefully up at the German observation balloon, that had just ascended into the morning mists and they too knew what was coming.
For a few minutes, the observers in that balloon gazed through their own binoculars, before reporting what they could see, to the waiting artillery crews below. Then there was a loud thundering report as a 150mm Heavy Field Gun sent the first of the days shells screaming towards the village of Authuille. Just another day in the life of the PBI.
“Good morning, Bo” announced Uncle, rather incoherently, due to the presence of his favourite briar, wedged firmly between his teeth.
“Morning Uncle, what you got for us today?” Bo replied. He was generally a cheerful chappie and well liked by the rest of the Bulldogs. Oh yes, “the Bulldogs”. 'The British Bulldogs', were more correctly known as 52 Sqn RFC, but life for the men of this squadron was rather less formal than their army commanders liked and nobody here used that official title very often. So “Bulldogs” they all were.
Not that Bo regarded himself as British, as such, since although both his parents were former Londoners, he was born and bred by the sunny shores of the east coast of Australia.
“I have one of your favourites, Bo” said Uncle, slyly. “A balloon that’s bothering our mud dwelling friends. Its directing some unpleasantness towards them, in the village of Authuille, here” and he placed his forefinger on a map that lay on what amounted to his desk. The crates beneath the map creaked alarmingly, but held firm. “Take Simon and Charles with you. No solo’s today Bo. A couple of those new Albatros kites have been spotted in the area, but the infantry have reported no sightings of any ground support for the balloon yet, so if you’re quick about it you may be lucky on that score”.
“Right! On my way” said Bo.
And shortly after the end of that exchange, three RFC aircraft – RAF FE8s to be pricise, were seen, from the ground, to be heading straight towards that enormous brown coloured lump, currently swinging lazily in the morning breeze, above the green fields of enemy held France.
What happened next was all over in less time than it would take someone to eat a sandwich.
Two enemy aircraft, both of them the new type, Albatros DIs, appeared from behind the balloon and headed straight for our Bulldogs. At the same time, two off white shapes bloomed beneath the balloon as the observers, deciding that caution was the better part of valour, parachuted to the relative safety of the fields below.
With a cacophony of rattling machine gun fire, that could be heard by the men holding their breath in the Village of Authuille, echoing along the gentle breeze, every pilot marksman involved scored devastating hits.
Vzfwbl Georg Wenelmuth opened fire on Simon Hawker’s bus. But the satisfaction he felt, knowing he had damaged his opponents engine, was rather spoiled when his own aircraft lurched to a halt, accompanied by a small explosion, and tipped nose down into a dive that took him in an artistic spiral in the same direction as the parachuters.
Simon Hawker had nothing to be particularly happy about though, as he wouldn’t know about Wenelmuth’s fate until and if he succeeded in hobbling back to the barn. A journey which had to start there and then. He was also out of this fight with a damaged engine.
Over on Bo Fletcher’s other flank, his other wingman was also in trouble. The opening salvo from Ltn Oskar von Freden had wounded Charlie Drake quite badly enough to send this Bulldog packing too. F/Sgt Charles Drake was not amused and as far as he was concerned he would be quite happy if Ltn bloody Oskar naffed off back to Freden. But despite his pain, he did notice a small fire and a stream of smoke passing him.
Of course, he realized, he had hit the pesky hun and set him on fire. That did a little to ease his distress. So with one last attempt to fire his machine gun at the balloon, which only resulted in the said mg jamming, he about turned and painfully, he too went about the business of trying to get home again.
Which, in effect, left Ltn Oskar von Freden, desperately trying to extinguish the fire on his brand new Albatros but determined also to chase either 2nd Lt Simon Hawker, who was now limping westwards from whence he had arrived, or the wounded F/Sgt Charles Drake, also travelling in the same direction. If only he could get the fire to go out, he would have the chance to bring one of those two bad guys down. Possibly both of them. What he didn’t seem to be aware of was the continued presence of A/Lt Bo Fletcher, the flaming Aussie, who had just started a small fire on the balloon before disappearing from sight behind that big sausage.
From there on it was pretty much all over for the balloon. Bo Fletcher was left in peace to fly about, unmolested, largely doing little further damage but never-the-less able to watch, with some satisfaction, as the fire on the balloon slowly took hold.
The crew on the winch for the cable, that attached the balloon to their lorry, did sterling work in trying to bring the balloon down to safety before the thing was totally destroyed. But their efforts were all but in vain.
Whilst the remaining Albatros, that was meant to be protecting them, appeared to swan off after two enemy aircraft that seemed to just want to be left alone and did not appear to be any threat, the winch crew were left sweating buckets, trying to haul down their precious, whilst a nasty little brute armed with a gun firing incendiary bullets, was buzzing about above them and making a right nuisance of himself.
True, the pilot of the surviving Albatros, Ltn von Freden, did manage to inflict some more damage on one of the damned retreating Tommies, who didn’t even have the gumption to fight back (well, ok, the winch crew didn’t know his gun was jammed, nor did they care), but that didn’t help them much, did it?
The fire on the balloon was now beginning to get out of hand and the crew just couldn’t winch it down quickly enough. It looked very much as if the thing were doomed. But still the crew continued, heroically, to try to save it, one of them muttering all the while “My precious, must save my precious”.
Meanwhile, spare a little sympathy for Oskar von Freden. He might be the enemy but nobody likes to see another pilot’s aircraft on fire. He was doing his best to do his job at the same time as trying to get those aweful flames to go out, and doing it well!
OK that’s enough sympathy. Hell, the fire on his Albatros went out. I must say I personally don’t feel quite as sympathetic now. But at least he’s doing the right thing and chasing the wrong enemy aircraft. Just as long as he leaves Bo alone the Flaming Aussie has a chance to finish the job.
Which at last he does. Bo has been quietly cursing to himself all this while because, despite his best shooting ever (well lets face it, who can miss an object that size, from any range), he hasn’t been doing ver much damage at all. None of the incendiary ammunition appears to be incendiary in the least. He was going to have words with somebody when, hopefully, he got back to the barn.
Then low and behold. It all suddenly started to work properly again.
So whilst both Hawker and Drake managed to scramble across the river and their own lines to safety, despite the best efforts of von Freden to stop them,
Bo Fletcher finished off the balloon. Uncontrollable flames bloomed from all over the sausage, which then crumpled into an unrecognisable heap and plunged to the earth, sending the winch crew scampering like frightened rabbits to any nearby safe bolt hole.
This was the moment that von Freden gave up the chase and turned back, only to realize that things hadn’t gone too well for his side. Part of him was, naturally, rather angry towards the lonely RFC pilot whose aircraft now approached from behind a bank of grey smoke. Part of him, however, was secretly glad he had been nowhere near that damned balloon when it went up in flames. He’d had enough of flames already, for one day!
So the chicken run began. Bo realized that unless he did something tricky he was on to a hiding to nothing. Having his machine gun loaded with incendiary ammunition, technically he was not permitted to fire at another aircraft with it – The Hague Convention and all that. I guess many pilots, on both sides, were guilty of ignoring that, but Bo was a decent sort. Although, more to the point, he was over enemy territory and knew that if he used it and then got shot down, he would be instantly executed for his crime. Mmmm best not use the incendiary ammo.
So instead, he flew directly at his opponent, dived at the last minute then weaved from side to side. All very clever and tricksy. A brilliant plan – except von Freden was better than that and still managed to hit Bo’s FE8 and Bo too into the bargain!
“Ouch, that bloody hurt! Oops, pardon the language”, he said to nobody in particular, since nobody could hear him.
After that it was no contest. Von Freden couldn’t turn around quickly enough to catch the cheeky Tommy again, and Bo put his head down and his foot down, and scuttled off just as fast as his little legs could go so to speak.
Bye, bye Mr Freden bye bye. I’m off to the levee, even if it is dry. My good ole boys are drinking whiskey 'n rye, singin' this is not the day that I die.
This really ain't the day that I die. I hope!
The End
Butcher’s Bill
Entente
A/Lt Bo Fletcher – RAF FE8 “3” - RTB / WIA / 1 kill (Balloon)
Roll 2D6 = 9 – 1 WIA + 1 RTB + 1 Ace Lucky Git = 10
Result : All well when you land well
2nd Lt Simon Hawker – RAF FE8 “4” - FRTB-E / 1 kill
Roll 2D6 = 2 + 1 – Landed safely
Result : All good
F/Sgt Charles Drake – RAF FE8 “5” - FRTB-W / 0 kills
Roll 2D6 = 4 + 1 – Landed Safely.
Roll 2D6 = 7 – 1 WIA + 1 RTB = 7 Injured skip 1D2 = 3 – Skip 1 scenario
Result: Injured – Skip 1 scenario
Central powers
Ltn Oskar von Freden – Albatros DI “S” yellow dot - RTB / 0 kills
Result: All Good
Vzfwbl Georg Wenelmuth – Albatros DI “H” orange dot - EXP FT / 0 kills
Roll 2D6 = 7 – 3 EXP = 4 Injured skip 1D6 = 2 – skip 2 scenarios
Result: Injured – skip 2 scenarios
Victory points :
Entente: Balloon destroyed 20 points + Scout SD 10 points. Total 30 points.
Central powers: Scout FRTB x 2 10 points. Total 10 points.
Thanks Baz – enjoyed the scenario lots. Rather surprising opening salvo from all pilots, but it did ensure a pretty short, sharp, in and get out mission. Liked that for a change.
Sorry about the over the top graphics. Couldn’t resist having a go at that
Mike
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Your lads still got the job done though and at least they all got home.
Originally Posted by mikeemagnus
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