"This is a special mission chaps" started Uncle, "Aren't they all" he continued with a smile "But HQ is demanding maximum effort on this one so something is definitely up."
"Apparently some silly buggers testing sea mines up the coast have managed to blow themselves up and sink their own boat. They've survived however and a couple of the bright sparks are now sat on an island off the Dutch coast." He glanced about the office at the gathered faces "Neutral territory as you know."
"So what, you say, so what indeed. Well whatever it is HQ are saying it's imperative that we go and fetch them off so these chaps must be bloody important to someone.
Problem is this island is too small to land on but at low water a socking great sand bar is exposed - bit like in the Camel estuary if any of you have been there - it's pretty solid sand I'm told and it should be OK to land on, it's just that low water is in the next hour and an hour or so after that it starts coming in pretty rapidly so we have to get cracking if we want to get this done, and no, we can't leave them until the next tide or they'll get pinched by the locals or the bally Hun will swoop in and scoop them up."
"Right, here's a snap of the island & the spit of sand taken at low tide so you know what you're looking for - prevailing wind is from the south west they tell me - the photo is oriented north - we'll send three tandems escorted by three scouts, hopefully that'll give us a chance to get them off. "
Lt Bill Foldes in a DH.2 with a cdl tail leads the formation at low level into the target area closely followed by Lt Terry Bull in FE2b #4, and 2Lt Cam Paine in his all PC10 DH.2
They are not alone as from the opposite direction Ltn Willi Kieckhäfer in his Green Fokker E.III leads wingman and new pilot Ltn Kurt Drekman in his plain Fokker E.III; their charge, a pale blue Albatros C.I piloted by Obltn Wolfram Reimer, peels off and heads for the island. The race is on !
Cam Paine escorting FE2b #6 piloted by 2Lt Justin Hale follow Terry Bull in #4 as he heads toward the island in the race to beat the pale blue Albatros. 2Lt Phil Atterley in the all cdl #4 DH.2 follows on (escorting a BE.2c piloted by 2Lt Chris Cross)
Kieckhäfer's pair is followed by Ltn Max Manscott in the striped Fokker E.III & Ltn Otto Hengl in a dirty red Fokker (escorting an Albatros C.III piloted by Ltn Otto Festner)
Foldes opens up on the green Fokker - and his gun promptly jams. Fortunately the return fire does no serious damage
Foldes works on his gun as the Fokker's roar past him - a striped one squeaks a shot past his comrade but again no real damage done.
The Albatros C.I is lining up for a landing on the sand bar when Bull opens up on him with his Lewis gun mounted on his cockpit side.. Was that pink mist ? Did he hit the pilot ?
Behind them Atterley gets an angle on the green Fokker as it turns in pursuit of the Fee's, damaging its flight controls, but it's return fire crashes through his machines structure.
The dirty red Fokker manages a decent hit on Foldes' DH.2 as he passes - Foldes hopes to clear his jam before the Albatros passes...
He gets his wish with a close range effort but the Lewis promptly jams again - Foldes swears loudly and decides to change the pan so he has a full load when he gets back on them.
Bull puts his second burst into the engine of the Albatros C.I; Paine, closing fast, gets in a long range shot on it's cockpit and the pilot slumps forward.. his day is done; moments later his aircraft splashes into the sea
As the lead Fokker's flash past his nose Atterley swaps hate with the lead machine of the next pair - he knows his controls are damaged and his gun jams - as they pass the dirty red Fokker gives him a squirt for good measure and further damages his controls.
Situational shot
2Lt Chris Cross cannot believe his luck as the second pair of Fokkers turn after their leaders and strafe his BE as he crosses their front, the dirty red one gets a second crack at him and sets his machine on fire
The Fee's make their approach to land
Situational shot
As he lines up to land Hale's FE #6 takes a shot from Drekman's Fokker, ahead of him Bull touches down and Paine Immels behind
Atterley gets a bead on the surviving Albatros but has no success other than putting a scare in him
The white Fokker must have seen him coming and turns away but Paine pulls out of his reverse and exchanges fire with the Albatros instead - each scores heavily
Hale's BE takes more rounds from the dirty red Fokker but no real damage
Cross gets a squirt into the back of the Albatros as Paine and the red Fokker exchange pleasantries but no damage done all round
Foldes has better luck as the white Fokker crosses his nose at close range
Disaster strikes and Bull runs out of sand bar - FE #4 plunges into the sea in a welter of spray and steam... Hale had seen what the likely outcome might be and aborted, going round for another try
At the other end of the make do runway - now a slip way - the action continues
Atterley is changing his pan as the dirty red Fokker catches his DH.2 from the side - fortunately his gun jams.
Foldes gets a long range shot into the Albatros
Cross gets a shot as he passes behind the striped Fokker as the green one is forced to pull up to avoid a collision
Mayhem ensues as just about everyone gets a shot at somebody - the air crackles with flying bullets...
The striped Fokker of Manschott wanders into multiple fields of fire taking rounds from Cross at close range, Atterley, and Hale; jamming his own gun in that exchange .
Foldes gets another close range burst into the Albatros causing control damage, he gets the same from Hengl's dirty red Fokker.
Paine targets Kieckhäfer's green Fokker and both exchange at close range, Paine feels a thump and blinding pain, the green Fokker blows fire and smoke
Both Foldes & Atterley are now changing their pans as Hale lets rip with his Lewis at close range fatally lashing the striped Fokker as he passes by.
Situational pic
Hale grins viciously as he sees his opponent fall away, he follows his turn to line up for a landing.
The dirty red Fokker Immels, the green Fokker wanders away on fire as does the BE in the opposite direction.
All the DH.2's are empty, Paine is wounded , the Albatros aborts its landing and the white Fokker heads back to cause more damage !
Kieckhäfer runs out of luck the first time out as the staffel leader as fire consumes his machine and it falls from the sky
Hale give the dirty red Fokker something to think about with the last burst in his pan as he make his turn
As Hale turns for his run in the white Fokker gets a shot in
Paine, wounded and momentarily out of it takes a hit from him too and his machine belches smoke
Atterley, his gun recharged swaps lead with the red Fokker but takes the worst of it - time for him to get out of there while he still can !
Hale touches down
Cross, badly damaged, makes for home & leaves the area
Situational pic
Paine gets the drop on the white Fokker and sets it smoking even as it gets rounds into Foldes
With bingo fuel all machines must head for home
Opportunity presents itself and Foldes comes up from below the red Fokker like a great white on a seal with a similar result...Boom !
The surviving scouts leave the area
With the sea lapping at his tail skid Bull has finally boarded all the passengers and starts the take off just as the Albatros runs in to the attack - rounds snap past and into the Fee as it gathers momentum and bounces along the sand bar - this could be touch and go..
These should be +1's
But they lift off cleanly and show the Hun a clean pair of heels.
Well I completely stuffed the landing, then re-read the rules to make sure I wouldn't do it again - So what happened ?
Well, non the worse for his dip in the sea and assisted by the two hapless scientist Lt Bull retrieved his Lewis gun, a spare pan of ammo and made it back onto the sandbar (just in case the Huns got in next). Once 2Lt Hale had landed they helped turn his aircraft around and after a quick discussion Bull took command of the FEe, crammed the scientists into the front of the nacelle, got Hale aboard in the cockpit, sat on his lap and took the controls. It was cramped and not easy but doable, the weight not being a problem, and all he had to do then was get off the deck without getting shot to smithers and run like fun for home at wave top height. Simples !
Used my Altitude rules, ammo rules, usual stuff.
There is an Alternate ending if you don't like that one ...
(Alt ending1475/76/77)
Butcher's Tally
Eagles:
Ltn Willi Kieckhäfer: Green Fokker E.III. SD-FLM-SEA 0 kills
Rolled 5 -2FLM -1SEA + 2 - KIA
Ltn Kurt Drekman: plain Fokker E.III, RTB 0 kills
Ltn Max Manscott: striped Fokker E.III. SD-SEA 0 kills
Rolled 7 -1SD -1SEA = 5 - Injured - Skip 1D3 Scenarios. Rolled 1 = Skip 1
E&E: Rolled 7 -1WIC -1BEL -1SEA = 4 Captured and escaped! - Skip 1D3 Scenarios. Rolled 5 = Skip 3
Young Max was picked up by a local fishing boat but once ashore gave authorities the slip, making his way across country to the border. Total Skips 3 (RWW)
Ltn Otto Hengl: dirty red Fokker E.III. SD-EXP-SEA 0 kills
Rolled 7 -3EXP -1SEA = 3 Injured skip D6 Scenario. Rolled 2 = Skip 2
E&E: Rolled 7 -1EXP -1BEL -1SEA = 3 Captured and escaped! - Skip 1D3 Scenarios. Rolled 2 = Skip 1
Otto was picked up by a local fishing boat but once recovered managed to 'persuade' his hosts to drop him ashore where despite his injuries he gave authorities the slip, making his way home within the week. Total Skips 2 (RW)
Obltn Wolfram Reimer: Albatros C.I. SD-2WIA-SEA 0 kills
Rolled 5 -1SD -2WIA -1SEA = 1 KIA
Ltn Otto Festner: Albatros C.III. RTB 0 kills
Bulldogs:
Lt Bill Foldes: (DH2 cdl tail) RTB 1 Kill
2Lt Cameron Paine: (DH2 all PC10) FRTB-W / WIA 2 kills
Rolled 11-1WIA +1RTB = 11 - All well when you land well
2Lt Phil Atterley: (DH2 all cdl #4) RTB 0 kills
Lt Terry Bull:(FE2b #4) aircraft lost RTB 0 kills (rescued)
2Lt Justin Hale: (FE2b #6) RTB 1 Kill - scientists rescued
2Lt Chris Cross: (BE2c) FRTB-D 0 kills
Two +1's on Hales FE.
Bookmarks