The Giza Getaway - 13 Nov 1916
In the Sinai Peninsula in late 1916, the 1st Squadron Australian Flying Corps (AFC) and the Ottomans’ German allies in the form of the Fliegerabteilung “Pascha” FA-300 unit, are raiding each other’s bases and gathering intelligence on enemy positions. On November 11th, the AFC launched a raid on the FA-300 Beersheba aerodrome causing significant damage to both the aerodrome and FA-300 morale. To avenge the raid, the leader of FA-300, Hauptmann Hellmuth Felmy, ordered Oberleutnant Richard Falke with observer Emil Schultheiss to attack the Cairo rail station deep behind British lines. Once the ordinance was released, Falke and Schultheiss flew to the pyramids at Giza, took a photo of them and started their return to the Beersheba aerodrome.
Scenario: Learning of the attack, the AFC have scrambled all available aircraft to search for and intercept the Rumpler. A Martinsyde G.100 has spotted the Rumpler and moves forward to engage.
Game notes: No altitude rules and a bomb card causes 50% damage of original strength.
AFC Objective: The AFC wins if the Rumpler is downed.
FA-300 Objective: The FA 300 wins if Oberleutnant Falke flies off the eastern table edge.
Playing this scenario as a solo game, the Rumpler was placed on the western end of the table and will proceed straight ahead to the opposite, eastern end. The Martinsyde Elephant is placed about a third of the distance from the western end of the table, along the northern edge facing in the Rumpler direction.
As the Rumpler heads east the Elephant approaches keeping the Hun slightly to its left.
And the action begins with both planes trading fire. The Elephant only getting a gun jam on its wing-mounted Lewis gun for its efforts. The Rumpler’s aim is better.
As the planes pass, the Aussie banks left to take advantage of its portside, bracket-mounted Lewis gun which does better, damaging the Rumpler which begins to smoke while causing minimal damage to the Elephant.
While the Elephant circles back, the Rumpler rear gunner gets a jam doing little damage to his opponent.
With its forward gun cleared, the Aussie gets a few more unanswered rounds into the Rumpler as the smoke dissipates. Then things become uncomfortable for both sides as the Hun clears his rear gun jam. The Elephant scores a big hit including a tailing bonus but receives more damage with a fire breaking out.
The Rumpler’s rear gunner hits more vital parts of the Elephant which in turn fires but gets only another forward gun jam for its efforts.
The Rumpler fires again but misses while the Elephant’s fire damage increases significantly (drew a 4 card). One more hit to his plane and the Aussie is done for, but dispite his forward gun jam, continues the pursuit none the less.
The Hun fires again and this time wounds the Aussie and causes enough damage to send the Elephant to the desert floor.
The Rumpler has suffered serious damage but makes it back to the FA-300 airfield with its recon report and photo of the pyramids.
Historically, Oberleutnant Falke successfully eluded the AFC without incident and returned to Beersheba with the pyramid photo. Hauptmann Felmy apparently had a new composite photograph made combining the pyramid picture with one of a Rumpler. He then had copies dropped over a British airfield. A copy of the composite photo is below from the Australian War Memorial. The original photo remained in Felmy’s personal collection.
This is the final AAR installment in what I’ll call my AFC-FA300 Sinai Trilogy. The first two AARs were “Reconnaissance in the Sinai” and “Engagement over Beersheba” also based loosely on historical actions between the AFC and the FA-300 in the late 1916 timeframe. Although not the first by any means, I found these small actions with early aircraft make for interesting games.
Note: Robert (RJG173) created the following FA-300 Rumpler airplane card with Falke & Schultheiss as crew.
And Steve (Guntruck) created the desert background card for the Martinsyde Elephant.
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