OTT-BYM Mission 11 - The Goose (Turkey) 19th Dec 1916 - teaticket
With Christmas being just around the corner, things were looking especially bleak. Not just for the war situation at the front, but getting proper food at the front to celebrate. Christmas trappings were not going to happen by way of the commissariat.
A glum collection of pilots sat in the mess drinking their ersatz coffee.
“Looking forward to your Christmas gruel”? Lothar ribbed Otto. Otto was one to relish the holidays and everyone knew it and loved him for it. He raised the spirits of even those that usually didn’t do much celebrating on their own.
“Ha, not this year Lothar my friend! We’ll be having Christmas goose with all the furnishings. I know of a shop just back inside Germany in Trier that has the best birds west of the Rhine. I personally know of the farmer that supplies him with his geese. A friend of my father’s. Old farmer Braun turns to hunting this time of year”.
“Oh I’m sure the shop’s delivery services won’t be put off bringing us what we want… by maybe something like the war that’s going on here”?
Lothar laughed.
Otto stiffened. He thought for a second, then blurted out, “There will be goose for Christmas”. He jumped from his chair and quickly walked out of the mess. Everyone at the table quietly looked around at each other. Just as the door closed they all burst out laughing.
Otto wasn’t going another Christmas without a goose this year. He kept walking past the barracks and on to the hangars. He ordered the ground crew to ready a plane. While they were doing so he went to talk to Onkel. He told him he wanted to fly home and get a goose. At first Onkel dismissed him and said no but Otto wouldn’t take no for an answer. Ten minutes later he was taxing down the runway. Just after taking off he turned east towards home.
When Otto landed he went straight to his favorite shop. To his disappointment they told him a prepared goose would not make it through the trip back to the front, it would spoil. He would have to bring a live bird back with him and have it dressed there.
Otto was at first crushed. He thought for a few minutes and came up with a plan. He visited farmer Braun and sent him on a mission to retrieve a live goose. While hunter Braun went off to get Otto his goose Otto thought it best he drop in at home for a quick visit. If word got out that he was here for a goose and he left for the front without seeing his parents there would be hell to pay. Better to spend his time waiting for his goose at home.
It turned out to be an easy job for Braun and he came back two hours later with not one but three geese. Otto chose the largest, but Braun insisted that he take all three. Braun also refused payment as these geese were going to the front to cheer up Otto and his friends.
Back at the airfield Otto tired as he might to settle three geese into his cockpit but they were a bit on edge as they should be. Once they were in and a bit calmed he slowly got into the cockpit and found his way into his seat. He loosely tied a cord to them to keep them together, hoping that would keep them still. Immediately when the ground crew started the engine the geese went bezerk. One slipped the cord and flailed violently about, breaking the compass and altimeter. It escaped and was out of the cockpit before Otto knew what happened. To keep the other two from getting away he squeezed one between his knees while sitting on the other.
Once in the air the birds seemed to calm down, but not for long. The goose between Otto’s knees pecked him hard in the nether regions. While Otto was recovering from the rude attack the goose broke free of the cord. It flopped about the cockpit and was quite a distraction. Otto tried to get it under control and while concentrating on the renegade goose failed to see he had flown into a cloud bank. Restraining the loose goose was a lost cause and it soon escaped to fly free. Only one bird left. Otto set his resolve to not lose this last one.
Coming out of the clouds Otto had lost all perspective. He checked his compass and altimeter, to his dismay they were inoperable. Looking about he was upset that he didn’t recognize any of the terrain below. Through the light overcast above Otto gauged where the sun should be and set course on that knowledge. Ah, to his relief he soon reached the lines. Now to figure out if he should fly north or south and what side he was on! Easier said than done while having to spend most of his concentration on keeping the last goose under control.
Unbeknownst to Otto a French Nieuport 17 was above and behind him. Jean Barbaza was confused by the erratic maneuvering of the German plane he was following. If he had been seen the German would be more evasive and less random. What’s up?
Jean followed the German as he zigged and zagged, stalled and turned, back and forth over the Hun lines and then on to over the French lines.
Otto noticed two pairs of aircraft ahead. With his struggle with the goose he did not want to become engaged in a fight and approached cautiously.
Otto then recognized the two on the right were French. They were focused on the other pair that he surmised were German. Trying not to gain their attention he turned to fly behind them while doing his best to keep the goose below his bottom.
Barbaza again was perplexed. This Hun had an easy chance to attack an unwary enemy and just turned and flew past. Very strange.
As it turned out, Otto made an unplanned rendezvous with Lothar Ochs and Rudolf Mulzer on a photography mission. The two French Nieuports quickly attacked Lothar and Rudolf. If they had seen Otto they chose to ignore him. Maybe they saw Barbaza on the erratic German’s tail and left it to him?
(Note from Onkel : for Henri Guerin read Charles Rissacher!)
Otto felt lucky to get past the two N17s but also felt guilty he didn’t engage to help the other two German planes. Before his guilt could get beyond a start the goose got out from under him and his battle with the bird was on again.
When the battling planes all crossed in too close proximity Adolf Winkler held his fire so not to hit Lothar. He noticed the French were now out of position and instead of firing went on with reloading his camera.
Barbaza now sees that his quarry was turning on the tails of his friends. Was this erratic flight just a ploy to gain an advantageous position?
As Otto turns towards the two other German planes, he notices they are Lothar Ochs and Rudolf Mulzer.
Now he really feels guilty for not joining the fight with them.
As Otto pulls up next to Lothar the goose gets out from under him. Otto scrambles to get a hold on the goose but fails miserably. He slips out of his seat and to the cockpit floor and now the goose is sitting on him! If it hadn’t been tied with a cord it would have gone free.
Barbaza cannot believe his eyes as he closes in and fires on the Albatros. Totally blowing his mind he sees no human pilot but a long thin neck and a goose head staring him down.
Otto quickly regains control of the goose and his seat on it. Just in time too as his shot distracts Rissacher‘s attack on Lothar.
Otto turns on the Nieuport and fires again. A gun jam gives him a good excuse not to keep in the middle of the fight. Fighting enemy planes was a tough enough job without sitting on a goose.
St Martin eyes the tandem and slowly shortens the distance. He respected two seaters ability to shoot to the front and rear.
The German tandem turns and exchanges fire with St. Martin. St. Martin pulls in close to avoid more fire. He them turns off to set up another attack. Little does he know Winkler jams his machine gun.
Still dazed at seeing a goose flying a plane, Barbaza almost collides with Guerin.
Lothar takes advantage of the French mishap and wounds Guerin.
A quick follow-up shot by Lothar puts more damage to the sliver N17.
Otto feels confidant that Lothar has things under control and decides his best move is to get the goose back to the cooks in the mess in one piece. Time to leave. Now, where is home!
As St. Martin slowly turns to re-engage the tandem Winkler takes another photo.
Lothar sees a French N17 closing in on Mulzer Winkler and decides to make it difficult.
Lothar gets between Mulzer and the oncoming N17. St. Martin’s aim was for the tandem but the Albatros coming out of nowhere broke his concentration.
Lothar got off lucky as St. Martin can’t hit him or his Albatros.
Winkler takes another photograph.
Otto now gets in the way and takes a few rounds while keeping St. Martin off of Mulzer and Winkler.
Lothar Immelmanns and gets back on the Nieuport’s tail.
Winkler ignores the jammed round in his gun and takes another photograph.
As Otto flies past St. Martin, the Frenchman can’t believe his eyes. Two heads looks out from the Albatros as they pass. The German pilot has a goose as a co-pilot!
Lothar wastes no time in dispatching St.Martin. One well aimed shot rips the N17 apart.
Rissacher’s Nieuport was badly damaged and hard to control. His only thought was to get back home now.
Barbaza was still wondering what in the world was going on with that German plane. Not focused on the overall fight he lost visual contact with Rissacher. For his distraction he paid dearly.
Somehow Rissacher comes out of the collision without any damage. He doesn’t know who he collided with as his full attention was needed to keep his composure and the plane flying straight.
As soon as Barbaza parts with Guerin he goes back to hunting Germans.
Lothar snapped out of watching St. Martin fall as a few rounds put holes in his canvas.
Lother uses his unique skill and slides his plane sideways to get a shot at Barbaza. The Frenchman’s N17 now has enough damage that he must leave the fight.
(the +1s belong on Lothar, not Barbaza. They are not on the Butcher’s Bill photos.)
Mulzer decided to head home when Winkler indicated he had taken all photographs. In the distance
Otto appeared to be heading home but his erratic maneuvers made his destination questionable.
Lothar made an attempt to keep engaged with the remaining French pilot but was not able to keep him in the fight.
Mulzer and Winkler happily crossed the lines with a case load of photographs they hoped would be useful to HQ.
Lothar flew over to form up with Otto but had to back off as Otto flew very erratically.
Lothar positioned himself well behind Otto to avoid any accidents.
It wasn’t until they landed that Lothar understood why Otto sat so high in his Albatros.
When Otto dismounted from his D.II he held up his prize for the Eagles, a 27 lb. Embden goose! It had a few ruffled feathers for it’s troubles but it wasn’t here to be a show bird.
Butcher’s Tally
Boulegogues de la Republique
s/Lt Charles Rissacher: FRTB-D / WIA 0 Kills
FRTB 2 & 4 lands ok
C 7 -1WIA +1RTB =7 - Injured - Skip 1D2 Scenario rolled 3 = skip 1
S/Lt Jean Barbaza: FRTB-D 0 Kills
1 & 6 lands ok
Lt Remy St. Martin: EXP-FT 0 Kills
C 8 -3EXP +1ACE = 6- Injured - Skip 1D3 Scenarios, rolled 1 = Skip 1
Kaiser’s Eagles
Ltn Lothar Ochs: RTB - 1 Kill (St. Martin) - 2 Probable Kills (Rissacher & Barbaza)
Ltn Otto Reittinger: RTB 0 kills Christmas Goose obtained!
Ltn. Rudolf Mulzer: (P2) RTB 0 kills - Successful mission w/all photos taken and brought home safely.
Ltn Adolf Winkler: (O) RTB 0 kills - Successful mission w/all photos taken and brought home safely.
Scenario victory points
Goose brought back to home aerodrome 20
Photos taken 15
enemy scout downed 5
Enemy scout FRTB 2x2 4
Eagle total 45
Bouledogues total 0
Reply With Quote
for his tenth victory for the Kaiser 
Originally Posted by Biggles downunder
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