OTT FYM Mission 1 - First Outing - 5th April 1917 - teaticket
OTT FYM Mission 1
Nurses and orderlies came running as the eruption of shouting shook the entire ward.
“You’ll have to quiet down lads as there are many others here trying to recuperate”, the head nurse scolded them. “You are not the only ones here”.
Ignoring the handful of hospital staff Nigel Stosham kept yelling. He thought that the higher the volume the better his French wingmen would understand him.
“If you had only followed my instructions you wouldn’t be here. The RFC formation flying is well founded and proven to work”!
Maurice Rodde “Ah, ami Britannique, you say that but where were you when we needed you, eh? Oh yes, spiraling down under the guns of the Hun”.
With his face turning a brighter shade of red Nigel replied, “If it wasn’t for the fire, all would have turned out fine. You should have stayed in formation with the Escadrille 11 plane a”..
Rodde interrupted, “Easy for you to point the finger as Montagne can’t defend himself”. Rodde wasn’t about to take the blame, he wasn’t the pilot of the plane.
Faure, lying in the bed between the two, pulled the sheet up to his chin and he stared up at the ceiling.
Nigel got out of his bed with a bit of a struggle as his sheets were winning the wrestling match, but somehow, he managed to stand anyway. Before he took a step three orderlies grabbed him. The head nurse motioned to the orderlies and they immediately lead him out of the room.
Jarvis laughed as he sat up in his bed, “Lucky for you the orderlies were here. If you'd stepped any closer you may have extended your stay”!
Nigel gave up his struggle with the orderlies as he was in no condition to escape them. They led him down the hall and out of the ward. He had to have the last word and yelled back over his shoulder, “I’m right and you know it”. He gritted his teeth as the last he heard while being hauled down a stairwell was the laughter following him.
Two days prior, the morning flight had just taken off. Lt. Nigel Stosham piloted a French built Sopwith 1 ½ Strutter with his not so favorite observer, AM/3 George Jarvis. Jarvis felt very badly when he had accidentally shot Nigel last month. Jarvis’s bad feelings have faded away since Nigel never misses the opportunity to remind him of his poor aim. (or was it?)
s/Lt. Leroy Montagne flew the #2 Caudron G.6 that had just been delivered the day before. Cpl. Maurice Rodde took the front observers position while the rear position was occupied by Cpl. Louis Faure.
A third plane flew in the formation, Caudron #1. It was crewed by Escadrille 11 who had ferried the new pair of Caudrons to the Bouledogues aerodrome. They offered to fly on this mission and were not turned down.
In the pre-flight briefing Nigel had instructed the other pilots the virtues of formation flying. With all three planes sharing supporting fire, the Hun should not be able to attack them with any hope of success. The other pilots weren’t quite so confident of Nigel’s claim of expertise but agreed to try out his plan.
Nigel had the camera on his Strutter and the Caudrons would stick close to protect him while he maneuvers to take the photos. At least that was the plan.
An easy, almost enjoyable flight to the front was quickly turned on its nose just over the lines. Konrad Dahl lead his flight of three Albatros D.IIIs on a patrol that easily found the three French planes attempting to cross the lines.
Nigel motions the flight to head NE just as the Huns attack.
Jarvis gets in a good shot damaging Vogel’s control, but the Escadrille 11 man misses his mark.
Nigel’s Strutter takes the worst of it and spouts flames as the first rounds from the Hun pepper the engine and fuel line.
Dahl quickly joins in and hammers Caudron #1 using his perfect aim ace skill.
Vogel, distracted by the incoming fire from two planes again fails to score a hit.
Reittinger closes in but somehow misses! I guess when no rounds leave the muzzle it’s pretty difficult to hit something.
Rodde though has a good view of the oncoming Albatros and piles on some damage.
Jarvis hits Vogel again for minimal damage, but it all counts.
Faure blasts Reittinger as he passes behind. “Have a sip from “Un moulin à café”! (WW1 French slang, The coffee grinder = a machine gun)
It looks like our Escadrille 11 friends didn’t send their best to deliver the Caudrons to the Bouledogues. ‘0’ hits for 3 shots taken.
Nigel’s sweaty brow is not enough to help extinguish the flames as they take a good bit out of the Strutter.
After the first pass the Germans are quite happy. Minimal damage to them and one of the French is on fire.
Vogel gets a surprise as the Escadrille 11 rear gunner actually hits him! Is he actually a bad shot and just lucky or is he luring Vogel in?
Nigel felt extremely uneasy with the flames flickering past him. His first thought was to abandon the mission and head back home. Thinking of himself he had no second thought.
He yelled back to Jarvis to signal the Caudrons that they were turning back.
This is one bad-ass fire! Nigel's brow isn’t the only part of him sweating now.
The Germans see the French in a slow wide turn and prepare for another attack.
Vogel comes in first and hits Escadrille 11s G.6 #1 quite hard.
The accuracy of the return shot is totally surprising. Vogel’s gas tank is hit and he and his Albatros are engulfed in the explosive blast. The largest pieces of the D.III leave trails of fire and smoke as they plummet to the ground.
Not feeling comfortable at all with being on fire, but at least Nigel has his Strutter facing back towards friendly lines. Then one more thing happened that he really didn’t want, a Hun aircraft blocked his way. They lined up head on and both pulled their triggers.
Both took equal damage, not good for the already badly damaged Strutter.
Nigel fought very hard with the controls to no avail. The Strutter refused to conform to Nigel’s wishes. The damage from the fire had finally crossed the line of no return and the Strutter fell to the ground.
Back with his guns ready to fire, Reittinger closed with the Escadrille 11 plane. The front gunner was now on his game and riddled the oncoming Albatros. Flames bursting out of the engine on the Albatros is a dead giveaway on who came out on the short end of this trade.
After downing the Strutter, Dahl sets his sights on Montagne’s G.6.
Rodde yells at Dahl as he shoots. “Take this you stinkin' Boche, you’re not going to get us”! He had just witnessed Nigel downed by Dahl and his blood was up.
Both aim well and inflict serious damage to each other.
(counter on Dahl should be a gun jam, not pilot wound)
Faure can’t get a shot off at Dahl as the wily Hun dips just under the G.6. He spots Reittinger coming round just behind the Escadrille 11 plane and sends a few bullets its way.
Dahl may have escaped Rodde and Faure but the Escadrille 11 rear gunner sees him and adds a few more holes in his canvas.
Reittinger turns hard to get back into firing position against the Escadrille 11 G.6. Was it target fixation or the distraction of the fire that ended with Reittinger as the meat of a Caudron sandwich? Either way he gives out some damage before his guns jam.
Between the two rear gunners Faure shoots first and sends the swastika decorated D.III into an unrecoverable dive.
The crew on Escadrille 11s G.6 all motioned to Montagne they were heading back. The damage was so bad they truly had no choice other than head for home. Montagne turned back to keep the last Hun , Dahl, off of the badly wounded G.6.
Montagne turns to give Faure a chance to shoot. As the G.6 banks into its turn Faure has difficulty getting a good shot off.
On the contrary, Dahl has no problem lining up the big bird to his guns.
Montagne stalls, letting Dahl get closer and give Faure a better shot.
The last burst from Dahl shook Faure’s confidence when he saw his right engine on the receiving end of all those bullets.
Faure’s firing now is seriously impaired. His nerves were definitely frayed.
Montagne slightly turns towards his own lines keeping the Hun off his left rear quarter and in view of his rear gunner.
Faure again fails to find Dahl’s D.III and it costs the French trio dearly. Dahl delivers more damage than the G.6 can take and down it goes, not far behind the German lines.
Dahl looks around and finds he is the only plane in the area still flying. The Escadrille 11 G.6 was now crossing the French lines in the distance so no interest in chasing him. Dahl circles around a few times to locate his downed wingmen before heading home.
On the ground below, it was impossible to see Franz Vogel's lifeless body amongst the burning remains of his Albatros D.III.
Otto Reittinger managed to crash land his burning D.III and be helped back to the field hospital by some friendly troopers.
Leroy Montagne had been trapped in the wreck and captured with the injured Rodde while Faure was instructed to run off as best he can.
Nigel Stosham and George Jarvis, though both injured, survived the crash. Nigel was helped across the lines by Faure while Jarvis was captured. Jarvis was put in a holding cell with Rodde while the pilot Montagne received a bit more respect and was treated to a feast (if you could call what the Eagle Aerodrome could put together a feast) before he was hauled off to a prison in Germany.
Rodde and Jarvis broke out of their cell while Montagne dined and later the next night made it back over the lines to join the remains of their battered flight in the same hospital ward.
Butcher’s Tally
Kaiser’s Eagles:
ObLtn Konrad Dahl: RTB / 2 Kills - Sopwith Strutter #4 (Stosham) and Caudron G.6 #2 (Montagne)
Fwbl. Franz Vogel: EXP-FT / 0 Kills
C/W rolled 2 -3EXP = -1 - Dead! KIA
Ltn. Otto Reittinger: FLM-FT / 0 Kills
C/W rolled 8 -2FLM = 6 - Injured - Skip 1D3 Scenarios, rolled 3 = Skip 2
Bouledogues de la Republique:
Lt. Nigel Stosham: (P2): FLM-ET / 0 Kills
C/W rolled 9 -2FLM = 7 - Injured - Skip 1D2 Scenarios, rolled 4 = Skip 2
E&E rolled 9 -1FLM -1WIC -1BEL = 6 - In hiding! - Skip 1D2 Scenarios, rolled 3 = Skip 1
AM.3 George Jarvis: (O): FLM-ET / 0 Kills
C/W rolled 7 -2FLM = 5 - Injured - Skip 1D3 Scenarios, rolled 3 = Skip 2
E&E rolled 6 -1FLM -1WIC -1BEL = 3- Captured and escaped! - Skip 1D3 Scenarios, rolled 6 = Skip 3
s/Lt. Leroy Montagne: (P2): SD-ET / 0 Kills
C/W rolled 8 -1SD = 7 - Injured - Skip 1D2 Scenario, rolled 1 = Skip 1
E&E rolled 2 -1WIC -1BEL = 0 - Captured! The war ended for this pilot...
Cpl. Maurice Rodde: (O front) SD-ET / 0 Kills
C/W rolled 11 -1SD = 10 - All well when you land well !
E&E rolled 5 -1BEL = 4 - Captured and escaped! - Skip 1D3 Scenarios, rolled 5 = Skip 3
Cpl. Louis Faure: (O rear) SD-ET / 1 Kill (Reittinger)
C/W rolled 7 -1SD = 6- Injured - Skip 1D3 Scenarios, rolled 1 = Skip 1
E&E rolled 7 -1WIC -1BEL = 5 - In hiding! - Skip 1D2 Scenarios, rolled 1 = Skip 1
Escort from Escadrille 11: FRTB-D / 1 Kill (Vogel) (by front observer)
FRTB 1+3 = stuck the landing.
Victory Points:
Bouledogues:
2x Hun shot down = 20 pts
Eagles:
2x Bouledogues shot down = 20 pts
1x Bouledogue FRTB = 5 pts
Eagles win 25 to 20
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Hu Rhu
Nice story line there Peter and a very close run mission. Losses were high but at least all but one of your boys made it back, even if in bits and pieces 
Well we live and DON'T learn 
And...excellent storyline.
There will be more fresh faces in the 
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