OTT-EYM Mission 6: Guppy among the Piranhas – 12 February 1917, by ShadowDragon
EYM Scenario by teaticket:
https://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/sh...s%92-teaticket
Note: Imagine my shock to discover I didn’t have many ‘B’ firing German scouts. To meet the scenario requirements I would have had to augment my Halberstadts with Fokker E.III and that seemed cruel to the German trainees. So I decided to use my Siemens-Schuckert D.III as D.I. They were outclassed when introduced and mostly assigned to training schools, so it seemed perfect for the scenario. A pity I hadn’t got a couple of Shapeways ones prior to this. In some ways a nice plane – as manoeuvrable as a Nieuport 11 but with better resilience. It’s just that who would choose one over an Albatros D.II or D.III.
The Story
Jimmy Haviland burst through the door of Teddy Mahan’s quarters, “Teddy, Teddy, you can’t believe what they expect me to do?”
“What’s that, Jimmy? …and it’s ‘sir’ not ‘Teddy’ ….and stop bursting through the door of my quarters,” replied Teddy.
“The Frenchie observer is down with a fever so they want me to ride shotgun for Michel”.
“That’s ‘sous-Lieutenant Lannes’ not ‘Michel’ and you’ll just have to show him that the United States Navy is made of stern stuff. So, chin up as our English comrades would say….and carry on.”
A few ours later, the ‘Frenchie’ pilot, Michel Lannes, and Jimmy were on a recon mission, with the new French Sopwith Strutter, deep in enemy territory. Unfortunately they were spotted and pursued by enemy scouts. Michel dove into a cloud bank to shake the Huns but it was a case of frying pan into the fire as the cloud bank turned out to be a thunderhead. It was a miracle that Michel got the Strutter safely out of the cloud – albeit with some engine damage. Try as he might, Michel could not get more than 100 to 120 mph out of the engine.
It was supposed to be a typical training day for the two German rookie pilots – Leutnants Maximilian von Hünerbein and Heinrich Wittman. Both were bored with the cavalry and had volunteered for the flying service. So it was that they were surprised by a strange tandem aeroplane that popped out of the clouds and heading towards the front line. Max turned the Siemens-Schuckert towards the newcomer to investigate. He was curious that way.
Heinrich was somewhat further from the Strutter than Max. He wasn’t sure if they shouldn’t just fly well away from the stranger – as they had been instructed to do when encountering unknown aeroplanes, but seeing Max turn towards the aeroplane he decided to follow suit. He wasn’t going to let Max tease him with running away.
They were undoubtedly enemy scouts, but with one to the left and one to the right, Michel had no option but to fly through the middle. The Strutter could not risk being bashed in a storm cloud.
The roundels were unmistakably Entente markings. He fired his single machinegun at the enemy and was pleased to be rewarded by a stream of smoke from his target. By fluke Max had managed to approach the Strutter from a dead zone, so Max was amazed that there was no return fire.
Michel turned towards the scout to the right so that both he and Jimmy would have an opportunity to fire at each Hun aeroplane, but Max passed behind the Strutter and into the Strutter observer’s blind spot.
While Max turned to pursue the Strutter, Heinrich was finally in range. He and Michel exchanged fire but to little effect.
Heinrich’s Siemens-Schuckert was coming very close to the Strutter. “Didn’t the pilot know how to fly,” thought Michel. He manoeuvred the Strutter to avoid a collision. Unfortunately – and they say bad luck comes in threes – Max had turned his manoeuvrable little aeroplane into a perfect position – at close range in the Strutter’s blind spot. He fired again and cursed when his machinegun jammed, but the explosion from the Strutter jolted him into awareness of what he had just done. He had just shot down an enemy aeroplane. On the other side of the Strutter Heinrich was relieved that flying bits of the enem plane had missed both vital parts of his aeroplane and himself.
Michel managed to bring what was left of the Strutter into what passed for a landing which at least had had the good sense not to kill both him and Jimmy – even if it left both of them unconscious. They woke up to find themselves in a German hospital. Jimmy recovered first but managed to hide that from the medical staff long enough to make his escape. However, he couldn’t live with deserting a comrade so he returned to the hospital to spring Michel from captivity. It was more than three weeks when the two arrived back at the naval station.
Teddy wondered that this observer had deigned to rescue a “Frenchie”, but Jimmy would say nothing and all Michel would say was, “He is not so bad looking in a nurse’s uniform.”
Note: I’m happy to have Max or Max and Heinrich join the Adler roster if Dave allows.
Scenario Results
Another victory for the Adlers!
Butcher’s Tally
The Sea Dogs
s/Lt Michel Lannes: P2 Strutter / EXP - ET / 0 kills
C&W = 7 - 3 EXP = 4; Injured; rolled 3 = skip 3
E&E = 6 - 1 WIC - 1 EXP - 1 BEL = 3; Captured and escaped; rolled 6 = skip 3
PO James Haviland: Obs Strutter / EXP - ET / 0 kills
C&W = 10 - 3 EXP = 7; Injured; rolled 5 = skip 2
E&E = 6 - 1 WIC -1 EXP -1 BEL = 3; Captured and escaped; rolled 5 = skip 3
Adlers
Ltn Maximilian von Hünerbein: SS D1 - Arrow / RTB / 1 kill
Ltn Heinrich Wittman: SS D1 - LO / RTB / 0 kills
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