OTTBYM Mission 1- "Deny The Enemy" - 5th October 1916 by Tikkifriend
RFC*
Lt Timmy Harper (Balloon Buster): N17 Incend bullets
Lt JP Bedard (Sharp eye): Spad VII
2 Lt Paul Henry: DH2
Eagles*
Markus Bettmann: Alb II
Ludwig Klein: Alb II
The promised new planes for the Bulldogs had been delayed. Impressed by the Pups performance they had put in a requisition for 6 but told that they would get what were left after the Navy boys had been supplied, so it was back to the Nieuports and DH2s.
Bedard had a newer Spad VII , a loan from the French Escadrille 30 Km away, and was recovered enough from his recent injury to fly it.
The Eagles however boasted several new Alb II and and had been promised more .
It was late in the afternoon when the 3 scout flight took off toward the German lines and their target, a balloon that had so far evaded the attempts to shoot it down earlier that day; its brown textile skin made an impressive outline against the soon setting sun.
Harper saw the 2 Albs coming in fast from the corners .
He knew he had to make his incendiary bullets count or the RFC scouts would be out matched by the Hun. He cocked his Lewis gun and pressed on.
Klein took a bead on the DH2 but held back on firing ,
Bedard slipped his faster SPAD to the right , hoping to come round behind the Hun scouts.
Harper saw the balloon in his sights and fired. The red hot tracers ripped into the upper section , a faint glow of red appeared and the smell of burning glue and canvas hit the pilots nostrils (1+Fire)
Harper managed another burst before he had to pull sharply away from the gas bag, watching as a new fire started to take on the fabric. (0,2+Smoke)
Henry and Klein traded blows 4 points each .
Bedard turned his Spad parallel to the blimp hoping to catch the Germans on their blind spot.
Klein saw the muzzle flash and felt his rudder go sloppy. The expected second salvo never came (0+GJ, 1+LRD)
Klein turned his attention towards Harpers Nieuport hampered by a jammed rudder. Bettmann went after the gun jammed SPAD, (1 +RRJ)
Harper kept pouring hot lead into his target (4). The balloon slowly began to descend
the observer not waiting, jumped and floated to the ground. Harper dived to keep on the same level as his target
Another fire broke out around the wicker basket (3+eng 2+GJ) but a bent bullet put the end to any further damage.
Bedard blissfully unaware of the Hun on his tail was slowly gaining on the purple Albatros which had swung parallel to the burning Drachen
Harper happy to see the fire rolling through the balloon *began switching drums to regular ammo.
The remaining planes jockeyed for better positions on their targets,
Harper missing a perfect angled shot on Klein as he passed over the Nieuport being only seconds from reloading his ammo drum. Suddenly there was a burst of orange flame and a tremendous roar as the Drachen exploded. The shock wave rocked Harper and Klein's planes. Klein's Albatros took the full brunt of the explosion the wings folding under the pressure blast (XP). Harper, who was lower felt the heat sear his face and watched as the fabric on his wings begin to shrink away (2).
The RFC flight assumed that the lone Albatros, powerful as it was against a scout, would turn for home faced with 3 opponents. Henry watched as Bettmann turned in pursuit of Bedard's SPAD.
Harper climbed to meet the oncoming Albatros. A mistake as German rounds hit the fuselage (1). The RFC flight fell into a confused tangle of aircraft, Bedard almost colliding with Henry as Harper tried to Immel followed by a split S. The result was to Bettmann's advantage as he found himself looking at the tails of 2 scouts. Harper dropped on the Albatros peppering its upper wing (3)
Fuel was getting low for the Allied scouts but not before Harper got another shot in (2)
Bedard and Henry turned for home and with the Albatros diving for ground cover Harper decided to call it a day.
Result
RFC
Lt Timmy Harper: (Balloon Buster) (N.17 Incend bullets) RTB 1 Kill (balloon)
Lt JP Bedard: (Sharp eye) (SPAD VII) RTB 0 Kills
2Lt Paul Henry: (DH.2) RTB 0Kills
Eagles*
Ltn Markus Bettmann: (Alb II) RTB 0 Kills
Ltn Ludwig Klein: (Alb II) SD-EXP-FT 0 Kills
Rolled 12 -3EXP = 9 - All's well when you land well !
Balloon: EXP - destroyed
Thus the scores on the doors are Bulldogs 30 Eagles 0
A bit more high scoring than the Euro football match but a win never the less .
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Originally Posted by Kustenjaeger
and I love John Lee Hooker - Boom boom boom boom. Great result and unlucky not to be credited with Ltn Ludwig Klein (might have been had the paper work been in order 
Lovely SPAD though.
Short, sweet & quite dramatic Paul!
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