Tross - Well, the rain is gone but proving that is still quite a struggle. Even more so with a gun that seems to refuse to do anything So the first sorties of the offensive bring fruitful results. Seven down in the first and then four more with only a single real loss isn't bad at all. Shame about the rejections though, and of course the light wounding. That could've been worse, but luckily it seems Kevin evades getting seriously wounded and sent off to the hospital right as things start getting serious.
Fullofit - Ah, of course. Anything for a bit of fame then, eh? Unfortunately the Germans don't seem to be getting any pain over on this side of the front. A strutter would probably be a way more effective than a SPAD it would seem. And on the topic of SPADs, it seems today is another one of those SPAD days for Klaus. At least there's no Strutters, right! For the first sortie it seems there was no problem whatsoever, though one did seem to overestimate his fake spiral given he instead stalled himself and got shot up for it. Dear lord, what on EARTH was that with that second sortie's SPAD. That was no God, that's a bloody UAP right there. Well, maybe identified and certainly aerieal but still a phenomenon all on its own. Or did that American get himself a rocket booster of some kind and is this the American space program!? Either way, I'm telling you. Voodoo magic up in here. The bizarre flying continues on to the second SPAD, who I guess learned the infamous and proven tactics of 'hit the brakes, he'll fly right by', and hit the brakes he did. Hit the brakes till he hit the ground. I bet my whole right wing that he gets... At least three?
Two patrols today now that the weather finally cleared. The word came that the big offensive people were expecting finally came, though it was way North of us that our involvement was so far out of question. Regardless, with some vigor the Escadrille resumed operations and for the first flight of the day went patrolling behind friendly lines. Surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly we found no one and eventually came back home.
The second sortie was to be more exciting as we were ordered to strike at a Boche field. The cloudy but mostly clear weather persisted so we were more than ready to carry out an attack. Unfortunately the plan fell apart rather quickly, as while our flight managed to get to the aerodrome, First Flight seems to have gotten themselves lost while crossing the No Man's Land. More on this later though, as we had ourselves no concern and carried on our mission. We found the Aerodrome and begun our attack after being greeted by Archie and soon noticed the field was lined with a flight of Hannovers. I of course rushed in, eager to deal some damage and lined my sight up with the line of Boche planes, simply holding the trigger shooting a line of bullets into but mainly around their crates. In return their gunners and field MGs opened fire on me and put some holes into my wings. This did not discourage me though, and as our flight begun the attack the Hannovers took off.
I turned my SPAD and as they took into the air I singled out the last one in the flight, thinking he'll be the easiest target to go for. I dove for him, flying almost at tree top level and popping up behind him from below to gun him down, repeating this over and over, getting shot back by both him and his wingmate's tail gunners in return and yet I noticed one peculiar thing. No matter how close I'd get, no matter how many of my bullets seemingly hit, the Boche just didn't seem to care! At one point he did break from his formation, and I only got more enthusiastic but he just didn't seem all that bothered afterwards. Just turned and joined his formation again, at which point I had to break as he was now at the front of it, clearly protected and going up against a formation of them would be death.
As one could imagine, I was rather angry as I turned and headed back for home upon seeing the rest of my flight doing the same. There had to be two possibilities. Either I am a terrible shot beyond redemption or this blasted plane and this blasted gun are just that worthless. Of course I certainly CANNOT be a terrible shot, so it must be the plane. To hell with SPAD, to hell with Bleriot, and to hell with Vickers. May they get dragged to hell where they all belong along with all these Boches. Now if only I had one of those new crates with two guns, I'm sure I'd have gotten that Boche...
Regardless of my anger though, upon getting back to the Aerodrome we found no sign of the First Flight, so we simply waited. Some ten minutes later, they also returned and best of all started to ask where we were we were while they were strafing all those Albatrosses. This of course left us rather amazed, as we in our blindness not only thought First Flight became invisible, but also that those Hannovers were actually Albs! In actuality though, it turns out these genuises got themselves lost crossing the lines but they too carried out their mission and delivered a punishing blow on a Boche aerodrome, albeit evidently the wrong one.. At this point I genuinely cannot tell if this is a feat worth congratulating or shaming for their utter stupidity in navigation. Even with this fiasco though by the end of the day we had ourselves three or so damaged machines needing extensive repair and no claims for any real damage to the boche, so I suppose neither flight was particularly succesful here.
"Those who survive a long time on the battlefield start to think they're invincible. I bet you do, too, Buddy."
Fullofit - Kevin was lucky, there are certainly worse places to get a scar. Maybe that was fate's way of saying "well it'll only be a flesh wound but you're not getting the claims as well!!". Klaus was at his best there against several flights of SPADs despite them having the initial advantage. They're speed was only useful upto a point and that point was when Klaus's guns started doing the talking. Once that happened, it was goodnight Vienna, or should that be goodnight Paris and New York. As for the claims well, that's now resting on what side of the bed the claims board got out of.
NR - Yes in the grand scheme of things it was a good day for 64, despite the rejected claims. At least it appears Buckminster survived. So Baptiste is finally back in the saddle. A quiet jaunt in the morning was just a brief taster for the afternoon. Spotting those two seaters waiting to take off seemed like a gift from the gods but in fact it was something of a nightmare. With the gunners acting like a row of flak posts and then the Hannover proving a difficult crate to bring down. If only he'd had two guns.
"A great deal of an aeroplane could be holed without affecting its ability to fly. Wings and fuselage could be—and often were—pierced in 50 places, missing the occupants by inches (blissfully unaware of how close it had come until they returned to base). Then the sailmaker would carefully cover each hole with a square inch of Irish linen frayed at the edges and with a brushful of dope make our aircraft 'serviceable' again within an hour."
When I watch these recent videos I can't but think something is very wrong with some aircraft behaviour. I can't ever say I had seen anything like it with other versions of WoFF that I have owned. Does anyone think it is an FM issue with BH&H2 only, or has this behaviour always been there and I'm just blind as a bat for not noticing it?
I agree there is something definitely wrong with the FM for the Spad series, Trooper. Either the center of gravity settings are off, or there is something wrong with the induced or parasitic drag settings, I think. They definitely should not be flipping and flopping around as much as they are. I haven't seem any other scout behave this way. As far as the Strutters, I think it may have something to do with their classification as a fighter-bomber, along with Breguet's, Bristol fighters, Roland's, Fe2b's, etc. Reclassifying them as tactical-bombers might help, although that will likely make them too docile. Another problem left over from CFS3 is that the AI is able to ignore FM limitations that would cause the plane to break up if tried by a human pilot.
I'm sure OBD will take a look at it and fix it if anything is seriously off.
“With Major Lawrence, mercy is a passion. With me it is merely good manners. You may judge which motive is the more reliable.”
Great reports gents' - keep them coming. Popped in here today and nice to see many exciting and fresh reports.
In terms of the FMs (regarding Trooper's and BB's comments, also NR's) - I don't recall the SPAD 13 being as maneuverable in WOFF UE/PE but I will load up both my FrankenWOFF 4.18 and BH2 1.14 in a couple of days and will do some side-by-side comparisons in QC - should be a fun comparison.
The SPAD 7 is somewhat twisty even in UE/PE, and a world of hurt if you are up against several of them in an Alby of any variant (speaking from experience a few days ago in WOFF 4.18) - but I will double-check the 13 too. Those somersaults and backflips that I noticed on the 13 in that last vid. posted by Fullofit may be the result of damage, with the pilot then temporarily regaining control, before Raben's final and well-aimed shots place the SPAD in another, last somersault.
And BB is correct - the AI, at least as late as WOFF UE/PE - does not suffer from MaxG/OverG/over-dive limitations (and is a part of the reason why I increased MaxG and over-dive nos. slightly in my FM packs, among other things - will get around eventually to upgrading those for BH2). In the meantime, a "cheaper" alternative is simply to increase robustness settings in JJJ's excellent multimod by a value of 10, or so - should make you a bit more competitive in dives with the AI, but do consult with the Gong Fairy and other C.O.'s in the DiD thread before implementing such modifications (since such modifications may be against DiD rules and may lead to sanctions for the heroic pilots in this thread, or perhaps a brief appearance by the Gong Fairy's evil double - all is possible in love and war ).
Cheers all, Von S
~ For my various FM/DM/AI/Tuner Mods for First Eagles 2, WoFF, RoF & WoTR, recommended is to check over this post. For my First Eagles 2 clips, go here. ~
Major Kevin Carroll, DSO, MC, DFC 64 Squadron Izel-les-Hameux
87 confirmed kills
9th August 1918
Early Morning sortie
Kevin's injured ear had been patched up, it was awkward getting his flying cap on but he managed with a few winces. There had still been no word about Lieutenant Buckminster, but as the Adjutant said, it could be weeks or months before the Red Cross or the Germans confirmed anything.
Kevin had a conversation last night again with the General, well, the General's Adjutant to be more accurate. He'd confirmed the sorties for today, all three of them! Plus they had to remain on standby when at the airfield. He'd also said the offensive had started well, around the Somme, they'd advanced further on day one than they had in months in 1916.
First up was a sortie down to Beaumont Hamel. The weather was good as the squadron headed off south east.
The journey went quietly until they neared the lines. In the clear skies Kevin could see aircraft down below, a lot of them, swirling around, a melee was going on.
He decided to go help and signalled. He circled down and now recognised the enemy aircraft as DVII's and they seemed to be up against SE's.
He picked a target and dived onto the unsuspecting Hun, putting a good burst into him. He stayed on him as he tried to climb and roll away and put a long accurate burst into the enemy. The Hun's left wings disintegrated and fell apart leaving the Fokker spinning down into the ground.
Kevin changed the lewis gun drum and selected another target. He saw one above him and zoomed up and fired into the belly of the German.
The Hun rolled to the left but Kevin stayed with him. He poured a lot of ammunition into the Fokker and watched as it burst into flames. The stricken aircraft nosed down and smashed into the ground.
Kevin saw another Fokker in a turning match against another SE and seemingly getting the better of it. Kevin reloaded again and hit the Hun with a glancing blow but it was enough to get him away from the other SE.
He throttled up and chased after the German as he tried to run. He blasted the Hun with both barrels and then as the Fokker was visibly wobbling he hit him again. The right side wings came apart and the enemy aircraft spun down into the ground.
He couldn't see any more Huns and formed up with the rest of 64 squadron. They then headed home and landed safely some 25 minutes later.
Four Huns had been downed by 64 squadron with only one SE suffering mentionable damage.
Midmorning sortie (awaiting three confirmations)
The second sortie was straight from the top, Kevin's flight was to attack the Athies rail junction. Kevin ordered the second section to remain at standby on the airfield.
Kevin made it quite clear the pilots were not to mess around, hit the railyard hard and get home. He also said he'd carry bombs and would make the first pass.
The weather remained good as they took off and headed east. As they reached the lines they nosed down and descended slowly.
The railyard was now in sight and Kevin dived down and targeted the main buildings. As they passed under his nose he dropped his cooper bombs and a few moments later he felt the blast of air as they exploded bang on target.
The flight then made a few passes each against the ground targets and then headed home.
The railyard had taken a hammering by the time they left.
Everyone landed safely back at Izel-les-Hameux although several crates had suffered damage.
Afternoon sortie (awaiting three confirmations)
The last scheduled sortie of the day was a balloon busting mission out to Arras. Kevin chose, Tempest and Rose to accompany him.
They headed off shortly before 4pm into the blue skies and bright sun. The journey went without incident until they had started their descent towards the target balloon.
Kevin's sixth sense served him well as he glanced behind and saw a Fokker DVII zooming in towards him. He pulled up and out of the way just in time and the Fokker couldn't slow down quick enough and overshot him. Kevin barrel rolled down and onto the Hun's tail. The other two SE's nosed up to cover their boss and checked around but couldn't see any more Huns.
Kevin hit the German with an accurate burst which left the Fokker reeling. Another long burst tore the enemy aircraft to pieces and it spun down into the ground.
No other Huns could be seen or perhaps let themselves be seen. The trio carried on their attack on the balloon. Kevin left it to the other two after an initial pass.
They made their way home and all three landed safely.
Kevin was glad the day's flying was over, every time he'd moved his head to the left his ear had been hurting a lot.
He poured a large scotch and relaxed in his office for a short while but it didn't last. The Adjutant appeared and confirmed all four of Kevin's claims from today. All four had been seen by his fellow pilots. These brought Kevin's total to 91 confirmed kills.
"A great deal of an aeroplane could be holed without affecting its ability to fly. Wings and fuselage could be—and often were—pierced in 50 places, missing the occupants by inches (blissfully unaware of how close it had come until they returned to base). Then the sailmaker would carefully cover each hole with a square inch of Irish linen frayed at the edges and with a brushful of dope make our aircraft 'serviceable' again within an hour."
Cecil P Fawnsworth Sgt, Rfc, 54 Sqn Fienvillers, AF.
Aug 9 , 1918.
2 Victory Confirmed 1 pending
What a Fokker Mess, Our 2 flights of 5 ran into ( almost head on ) a penny pack of e/a 1 Recon type protected by 4 Scouts with squared wings... Ruddly untidy fight Spotted the Top cover flaming the 2 seat then was busy with the Scouts. I got on the tail of one as he dove thru our flight and after both my wingman and I firing when his Top left wing came off The Sqn lost 1 Destroyed + 1 Wnd Landed short of AF Crash ? 3 Damaged for 2 e/a destroyed.
While I've not experienced it myself so far, looking at these videos there definetely must be something up with the AI. I mean that SPAD literally just defied physics and got yanked to the side. That oughta not be normal.
Tross - Well, better be dead than alive, even in captivity. At least in this first war. Those two seaters do prove a challenge, especially in such conditions. Those two guns can't come soon enough. Won't change the bad aim issue though. My my, so three whole sorties for the 64th today. Makes sense with the offensive going on! First of a good jump on some distracted fokkers, and even saving another SE, always a good course of action. Then a flight over to mess with the Hun's trains, which also seems to have proved to be a success. Certainly looks like some good damage was done. Good on making sure no one is messing around doing anything dumb. Can't afford that. And finally a less than pleasant surprise with a fokker during the balloon busting! The fokker overestimated his skills though and ended up in the dirt. And that's 91 kills now! Well congratulations on that! At this rate it'll be over 100 soon!
Carrick - Sounds like it was a mess. Rather unfortunate loss to kill ratio over there, hopefully things get less tough for the 54th.
Operations today continued with nothing all too exciting showing for it. Spent the day in a four man flight. On our first outing we were sent over the line with top cover to attack a rail station on the Boche side of the No Man's Land. Despite our top cover being seemingly nowhere to be found, we found our target and dove in to attack, sending the Boches running for cover with every single strafing run. I found myself a nice big locomotive parked right there to use as a target but despite my very best efforts I couldn't deal any real damage to it, which was a shame as I'm sure setting it alight would've been brilliant. After several gun runs the flight turned and headed for home, having done little real damage but evidently causing enough disruption to the operation for it to please HQ. The second flight was a patrol of friendly lines above and near St Mihiel, once more in a four flight. Despite our eagerness to find something to shoot at we only found clouds and soon enough went home. It would appear the Boche is not wanting to come out and play with us for the time being.
"Those who survive a long time on the battlefield start to think they're invincible. I bet you do, too, Buddy."
NR, yes - a SPAD-day. We should make a national holiday out of that! As to that “odd” one I’d like to think he had a whole battery of Le Prieurs installed in his fuselage just for occasions like this, when he needed a boost to get him out of a tight spot. The AI loves to fly upside-down, but has problems with recovery. This was meant to help, I guess. That also brings another point, the AI seems to have better “brakes”. But enough about odd flying SPADs and let’s move on to Baptiste’s SPAD and that morning sortie. Flying behind friendly front lines during an offensive seems … “safe”. Don’t they trust Baptiste? Now, for the afternoon show, what a mess! First they lose the First Flight, then he gets perforated by a battery of stationary two-seaters and finally gets to fight an ÜberHannover. Baptiste experienced Klaus’ Strutter nightmare, except this one was real. No wonder he felt like hitting something. A day to forget. Better luck next day.
Then today more of the same. Attack some targets that don’t move. Perhaps in Baptiste’s case it may be for the better. Then another quiet mission behind lines. It is an idyllic life for Leanders currently. Let’s hope he doesn’t meet any Dreideckers or Fokkers any time soon.
BTW, how did you know they’d only confirm three?
Albert, as long as he gets to fight SPADs, Klaus will knock them out of the sky. Why can’t he do the same to those pesky Strutters? Unbelievable! Kevin makes the ultimate sacrifice and pays a pound of flesh and gets diddly-squat for it. There has to be a shortage of claim forms to have so many rejected. What rotten luck.
Today was a good day to get a Fokker or four and have them all confirmed. The claim forms have been restocked and could easily be filled out and confirmed. It was lucky of Kevin to notice that Hun during the balloon busting mission. He took good care of him and was back home for another soothing whiskey. Congrats on breaking 90!
Trooper, glad to have you around. If you’re thinking of Strutters and Bréguets then I have to agree something is wrong or at least different from the previous WoFF versions. As to the SPADs I haven’t noticed much difference. I’ve seen them flopping like a fish out of water in previous versions too. If anything, the upside-down flying seems to me to have been reduced noticeably.
Bob, good to see you around. The superior performance from the AI controlled planes in a dive has always been there, but with BHAH2, to me a least, seems more manageable. I feel I can keep up with the diving enemy for much longer and the engine overspeed feedback helps as well. BTW, I’ve changed their classification to tac-bombers, but it made no difference. They still attack like scouts.
VonS, good to see you around as well. I don’t mind the SPAD FM, it’s the tactics they’re using. Like BuckeyeBob mentioned before, they are used as turn fighters instead of BnZ. No FM tweaking will fix that. And … beware of the Gong Fairy, or at least make sure to look underfoot. Her droppings are known to litter these parts.
Three. Three out of seven is the number of confirmed kills. None from the morning flight over the lines. Ltn Gunther von Buren has won the bet. Klaus has no idea how much he’d won. With the Deutsche Mark plummeting further down each day, it can’t be much. Jasta was jumped by a large formation of SPADs high above. Klaus counted 9 of them to 6 of their own. It would be a tough fight. As the first one of the enemy planes dove on them, Raben noticed another large formation approaching. It didn’t look good, but first he had to take care of the Franzose that was firing on him. It was a protracted fight as the enemy biplane was piloted by an experienced driver. In the end Klaus watched him spin into the ground then he was about to attack the next enemy crossing his gunsights but it was all over for him. The second SPAD ploughed into the ground near the first one. More SPADs started to fall and crash into the ground all around him. He was astonished, but soon realized what was happening. That second large formation was made up of friendly Fokkers, which quickly took care of the remaining intruders. Many planes were damaged, including Raben’s. He gave signal to return home.
"Take the cylinder out of my kidneys, The connecting rod out of my brain, my brain, From out of my arse take the camshaft, And assemble the engine again."
Carrick - A tough day indeed for the boys of 54. Cecil tried his best and did enough to claim one of the foe let's hope that's number 3.
NR - Yes I'd noticed the 'mission frequency' switch to HIGH following the start of the offensive, makes sense seeing as 64 is right in the thick of it.
Baptiste on the other hand looks to have chosen a quiet sector. I'm amazed there is such a thing anywhere along the front in August 1918. At least he's had a chance to find his feet now after so long out. But now he wants some action if he's to grab that shiny new XIII.
Fullofit - These claims guys are a complete new species it seems, they have no concept of human numbers and have their own counting system. All Raben and Kevin can do is keep shooting them down. Kevin's reward was to get his squadron back unscathed.
Klaus saw danger from on high there in the shape of a large formation of SPAD's. He did the right thing, the only thing, stay calm, mark your target and take him out. Then, as if Friedrich the Great himself had been looking down from on high, out of the sun comes another group of Fokkers and the Frenchmen start dropping like apples from an autumn tree.
Only one mission for Klaus? He needs to move Jastas.
Welcome to Trooper, Bob and VonS. There are some definite oddities in the AI for sure and clearly it's not just restricted to Strutters. But Bob's explanation of them being classed as fighter-bombers rather than normal bombers would make sense. In that case rather than change Strutters to be more docile, they should add the Hannover to the Fighter-bomber list to make it more aggressive.
"A great deal of an aeroplane could be holed without affecting its ability to fly. Wings and fuselage could be—and often were—pierced in 50 places, missing the occupants by inches (blissfully unaware of how close it had come until they returned to base). Then the sailmaker would carefully cover each hole with a square inch of Irish linen frayed at the edges and with a brushful of dope make our aircraft 'serviceable' again within an hour."
Major Kevin Carroll, DSO, MC, DFC 64 Squadron Izel-les-Hameux
91 confirmed kills
10th August 1918
Early Morning sortie
Kevin had a call from General Salmond first thing in the morning. He explained the offensive had slowed somewhat but was still going well. He gave orders involving targets for today's sorties.
The first outing was going to be the lines south of Arras. The weather was excellent again and the air was already warming up as Kevin and the rest of his flight took off and started climbing. They headed south east but had only reached Filescamp airfield when Kevin spotted an arrow shaped formation up above. They looked too small to be two seaters but they didn't attack.
Kevin was in a quandary, he couldn't ignore the enemy scouts as they could be jumped at any moment, but to climb up after them was risky too.
Finally, the enemy aircraft dived down to attack. Kevin was almost relieved. It was a flight of DVII's and Kevin swooped around to avoid the attack. He pounced on one of the Huns as it levelled out. He fired into the enemy aircraft and it rolled and dived down. Kevin followed although the Hun was skilled, twisting and rolling away. Kevin waited for the German to level out again and then hit him again. This time the burst hurt the Fokker who lost power and height. Kevin watched as he flew over Filescamp airfield and smashed into the trees.
Kevin took stock and saw another Fokker ahead and above. He climbed up after the Hun and latched onto him. He blasted a long burst into him from underneath and then closed in and hit him again with a devastating burst. The DVII burst into flames and went straight down into the ground.
Kevin took stock but couldn't see any more Huns. Some of the flight had taken hits so they headed back to Izel-les-Hameux.
Four Fokkers had been downed although three SE's had been damaged.
Midmorning sortie (awaiting two confirmations)
The squadron had been refuelled and rearmed and the briefing for the day's second sortie was about 10 minutes away when the airfield alarm sounded. Kevin, who was in his office, grabbed his gear and ran out towards the aircraft which had their engines started thanks to Kevin's standing order whenever there was an air raid.
He jumped in and was airborne a short time later. He raced up as quickly as possible as the rest of the squadron began to get in the air too.
He could see the enemy bombers high up as they were pounded by flak. He continued climbing and came up behind one of the DFW's. He nosed up and put a long burst into the enemy aircraft. The enemy gunner tried to swat Kevin off but failed and another burst took the gunner and pilot out. Kevin watched as the Hun went straight down.
He came around to pick another target as the rest of the Huns ran for home. He changed his lewis gun drum as he came up behind another DFW, apparently unseen. He nosed up and put a devastating burst into the enemy aircraft. The Hun's engine spluttered and another flurry of bullets smacked into the pilot. The German nosed down and went right down into the ground.
The rest of 64 Squadron was now tearing into the remaining Huns so Kevin stayed on the periphery. They then headed home.
Six DFW's had been downed and only two SE's damaged.
Afternoon sortie (awaiting four confirmations)
It had been decided that the supposed target for the second sortie would instead become the target for the last. The railyard at Athies was back up and running and Kevin had orders to attack it.
Once again he left a flight of aircraft on standby at Izel-les-Hameux as his flight took off into the bright warm sunshine and headed out east. Once again he'd given instructions to make a mess of the railyard and get out of there. Kevin was again carrying cooper bombs and would take the first pass.
The journey went without incident and eventually the railyard came into view. Kevin pulled away from the others and raced towards the target. He targeted the main buildings again and dropped his eggs as he passed overhead.
The bombs found their mark and a large explosion rocked Kevin's mount.
The flight then made several runs across the railyard strafing anything and everything before finally heading home.
All aircraft landed safely and they'd left the railyard in a right state, although Kevin was sure they'd be seeing it again at some point. A couple of the SE's had sustained damage but were ok.
Later on the Adjutant confirmed three of Kevin's claims with the second DFW being claimed by the flak boys, bringing him to 94 confirmed kills.
He relaxed in the mess with the others for a while, these multi sortie days were tough going but Kevin knew it had only just begun.
"A great deal of an aeroplane could be holed without affecting its ability to fly. Wings and fuselage could be—and often were—pierced in 50 places, missing the occupants by inches (blissfully unaware of how close it had come until they returned to base). Then the sailmaker would carefully cover each hole with a square inch of Irish linen frayed at the edges and with a brushful of dope make our aircraft 'serviceable' again within an hour."
Fullofit - A national holiday? Sure thing! How would one go about celebrating that? Does one fly SPADs? Does one kill the SPADs? Does one cause friendly fire incidents amongst the SPADs? What an amazing design that must've been, Prieur boosters. Honestly I personally haven't seen that many incidents of the AI flying weirdly, sans the constantly mentioned two seaters which really don't like dying. It is indeed safe, although it also seems like this is becoming a painful trend by now. The Hannover attack really was quite like a recreation of that nightmare, but at least none of the Boche two seaters are acting like the Strutters just yet... I think Baptiste at this point would rather prefer moving targets, at least those try to provide a bit of a challenge instead of just... sitting there I suppose! So I think Fokkers and Dreideckers would be a nice change of pace as you'll see. As for how? Evidently I'm a magician. Before you ask though, no, I cannot undo the curse upon Klaus' claims. That magic is much too strong for me I'm afraid. And indeed it seems my magic let me guess those three confirmations! Well hey, better that than nothing I suppose! The point with Buren clearly only highlights the importance to not bet for money but commodities in such situations! Could've gotten himself some extra rationing or something and would've been better off for it! Quite a fight for Klaus to be in, and he's lucky that the second formation was friendly. He'd be at a disadvantage otherwise, and not a good one. Maybe these SPADs will get confirmed too, who knows! A single patrol too, so not much more opportunity to get more SPADs sadly.
Tross - That does make sense, and evidently today follows the same pattern. It is indeed amazing how little action there is, and today is just more evidence of it. Well, at least Baptiste is right next to St Mihiel, so I'm sure once that offensive begins it'll heat up here too. Even with the offensive slowing down, clearly there is a lot of work to be done. First a struggle against some fokkers which I'm sure aren't to be underestimated. I suppose that skilled Hun really wanted to live, but unfortunately for him that doesn't change anything. Then some bombers deciding to interrupt a bombing run of your own, but it seems they were both taught a lesson, first in the air and then on the ground with that very own attack run from the 64th. Shame that that the flak lads are stealing kills, but three out of four isn't bad at all, congratulations!
Absolutely uneventful day today. The weather was mostly clear with some clouds so Captaine Pinsaird took us out on two patrols over enemy lines. The only exciting occurance was perhaps Pinsard wanting to fly in the middle of our formation in the first sortie while assigning me to fly on the outmost corner for the first sortie. Besides that, absolutely nothing happened nor was anything sighted in these two flights. It may be that the Boche is trying to bore us to death? Or have they all given up altogether?
"Those who survive a long time on the battlefield start to think they're invincible. I bet you do, too, Buddy."
Albert, yup only one mission for Klaus although I see Kevin has picked up the slack on his end and gets to fly thrice a day. Klaus was told those two bullets that hit his plane at the beginning of the mission devastated his plane and needed urgently to be repaired and since there were no spares, he’d have to sit the rest of the day out. As to the claims, it’s a roulette. It’s just nasty, bitter people sitting behind their desks in the claims office spreading their misery all over. So, another busy day for Kevin. First he found some Fokkers to play with and broke their toys. Then some DFWs came with a visit, but Kevin had to turn them away as they had no invitations. Finally he made a visit of his own and obviously he was not welcomed. Nevertheless he’d redecorated the place before returning back to base. What a day! Apparently a good one with three confirmed kills. Well done.
NR, it all depends which side of the mud you are on to celebrate the SPADay. I guess it is actually an international holiday then, isn’t it? Now be careful what you wish for. Fokkers and Dreideckers (which are also Fokkers) are more than a match for a SPAD. Just remember never to turn with them … and don’t attack when at a lower altitude … and keep your speed up … and don’t forget to dive for safety … and … you get my drift. Just be careful. So, you are saying the joke’s on von Buren? He actually bet more than the jackpot was worth. Oh, the irony. Yeah, single mission on that day. First they tell Klaus there aren’t enough planes for a mission. Then I look in the journal and it says the Jasta was grounded due to weather. Go figure. Looks like Baptiste had nice enough weather to log two uneventful flights. No problems with quantity of planes there either. Now only if the Boches wanted to play ball. Perhaps they’ve had a day off. Some sort of a holiday?
The SPAD from yesterday has been confirmed. It was at least some consolation to the other news Klaus received this morning. Many of the planes, including his, were not ready and still required more repairs. There were no spares and he would have to wait until tomorrow for the repairs to be completed.
"Take the cylinder out of my kidneys, The connecting rod out of my brain, my brain, From out of my arse take the camshaft, And assemble the engine again."
NR - Another couple of dud missions for Baptiste, but then looking at Fullofit's predicament, is it that surprising. In the longer term I think he can be certain of plenty of action but for the moment will he be patient? As for Kevin, three out of four ain't bad at all and all hands accounted for in terms of the squadron.
Fullofit - So, lack of spares rears its ugly chops again meaning Klaus can't fly. Is this how it's going to be now for the Germans, all but a few 'elite' Jasta's being grounded. Maybe Klaus needs to seriously think of moving to one of those units. Perhaps he could then grab one of the new DVIIF's. As for Kevin, he's expecting these ground pounding missions to be the new norm, especially as they're quite near the front.
"A great deal of an aeroplane could be holed without affecting its ability to fly. Wings and fuselage could be—and often were—pierced in 50 places, missing the occupants by inches (blissfully unaware of how close it had come until they returned to base). Then the sailmaker would carefully cover each hole with a square inch of Irish linen frayed at the edges and with a brushful of dope make our aircraft 'serviceable' again within an hour."
Cecil P Fawnsworth Sgt, Rfc, 54 Sqn Fienvillers, AF.
Aug 11 , 1918.
2 Victory Confirmed 1 Unconfirmed
Claim rejected., Troop Attack : Not my cup of Tea but duty called. MG ed the enemy lines Hits ? 1 Pilot wnd + 1 Damaged.
Afternoon AF attack Cappy AF. B Flight went alone with 25 lb bombs. What a cock up, The e/a were circling the AF when we got there thru Cannon fire 7-9 a/c Mix bunch Sliver colored a/c and D-7 's. It was everyone for himself . I Pickled the bombs and fired at everything that passed by while turning for home and escape. Might have hit 1 then spotted the e/a circling back to the AF and our guys taking hits. We lost 3 of 5 A/c from B flight that day. Enemy Tactics were too do Low altitude high turns over the guns on the AF after pulling us after them.
Fullofit - Oughta be international then, everyone has to deal with SPADs now. Oh they are certainly fearsome, and the advice is much appreciated. Though at this point a bad fight against a fearsome foe is better than a fight against one's own desires to fly off into the sunset. Indeed, the joke is on him. Items are more tangible than money sometimes. Think about it, what will he do when he has all the money but no one has anything to sell. It'll be worthless. Shame about that single mission, honestly. Today it seems is much the same, nothing going on at all. I guess their holiday is the SPAD day. And it's a long lasting one that at that, today too is like that. Congratulations on the confirmed SPAD though!
Tross - He certainly is struggling to be patient! Today there's a bit of a mix up to this, but still largely... nothing. And not at all. The lack of real losses is certainly a win by all means and purposes.
Carrick - A troop attack is certainly less fun than actual fighting I'd imagine. Then again, haven't had that many. Shame about the rejection though! The airfield attack wasn't any better it appears. What an absolute shame, taking losses like that, it really is always the worst.
Got woken up early morning by the Captaine who wanted volunteers to go balloon hunting. Given he /expected/ /volunteers/ but still forcibly woke me up early, it would appear he didn't expect a refusal from me... And he got none, as I agreed seeing no point in turning this down, chances are he'd not listen to my refusal anyway. We strapped in and took off, heading through the morning skies towards the enemy lines and over them. It didn't take long for us to find our balloon and attack. I rushed ahead, pushing the engine to the maximum and diving down for an attack, strafing the gasbag and then turning rapidly. It didn't ignite much to my disappointment, but this was easily fixable with a quick albeit very G heavy turn and another run. The balloon caught on fire and blew after which we headed home. Unfortunately Miss Fortune it appears was not on my side, and my claim despite being backed up by witnesses will have to go through the processing further. What an absolute bother, the balloon was clearly there and now isn't. What do they think could've happened to it? Next up, the squadron got taken up for a patrol of the enemy lines... Again. Clearly we were itching for some kind of a fight. The two flights which were at almost full strength now were flying increasingly close during this, so we surely presented ourselves as a big menacing force to anyone who would've seen us flying past. That is to say, IF anyone would've seen us flying past but it would appear no one has and we in turn seen no one and had to turn back home. By the end of the day, my claim was still being processed and the chances of a confirmation get lower by the second. Another wasted day...
"Those who survive a long time on the battlefield start to think they're invincible. I bet you do, too, Buddy."
Albert, are those D.VIIF’s that much better? I mean, are they better than Strutters. Klaus had a nice day off. He’ll definitely need to make up the lost time. Not today, though. As for transferring to get a better mount … I don’t know. Risk the life of the pilot to get into a fight with the SE’s? It could be exciting, but my rig can’t handle these furballs with hundreds of planes in the air. I have to stick to the quiet sectors. So, you’re telling me now Kevin will dogfight with bombs attached to his plane? What madness is this?
NR, this holiday is certainly a protracted one. I can vouch for that. I wonder what it is? You fly you missions and see nothing. I fly my missions and I see nothing. There’s definitely nothing out there or we are both blind. As for money during the war, there are always some currencies better than others. I bet von Buren could buy things with Dollars, if he had any. So, no luck with the balloon then? Well, let’s give it another day and see then. Sometimes they just like to torment the poor l’aviateurs. But even this wait isn’t as frustrating as having both flights at full strength and miss out the chance to have a go at the enemy. What rotten luck.
Finally Klaus was allowed to take his Fokker up this morning after the repairs were completed. Their first mission was to patrol enemy front lines between south of Pont-à-Mousson and Marbache. Unfortunately the plumbing on the radiator burst soon after take off. Apparently his machine wasn’t as ready as the mechanics thought.
Repairing Raben’s Fokker was a simple affair. One of the pipe clamps wasn’t tightened properly and it let go. After a few tests Klaus was ready for the next mission which was to patrol above Metz railyard. The mission went without a hitch and without meeting any opposition. Klaus didn’t think today was a particularly productive day.
Gentlemen, only three months to go.
"Take the cylinder out of my kidneys, The connecting rod out of my brain, my brain, From out of my arse take the camshaft, And assemble the engine again."
Carrick - Another rough day for Cecil, a rejected claim and then a troop strafing run which went ok and an airfield attack which was a bit of a disaster. At least Cecil is alive and can make amends tomorrow.
NR - Even Capitaine Pinsard is getting bored if he's just conjuring up balloon attacks to liven the place up. Baptiste downed the gasbag and hopefully the claim will follow even if they're dragging their heels.
Fullofit - Well that just about tops the lot. Klaus gets a mission and then a mechanical nightmare. I'm afraid I'd have to introduce the mechanic to a good friend Mr Pain seeing as there's no Eastern front anymore. I think the DVIIF is quicker and better at higher altitudes but yes, it's still no Strutter. I'm afraid you'll be waiting for the invention of air to air missiles before that happens it seems. As for Kevin, he can only fly what he's given. Ground pounding missions break up the norm but I wouldn't want to have to make a living off them.
No flying for me yesterday so I'll be catching up today.
"A great deal of an aeroplane could be holed without affecting its ability to fly. Wings and fuselage could be—and often were—pierced in 50 places, missing the occupants by inches (blissfully unaware of how close it had come until they returned to base). Then the sailmaker would carefully cover each hole with a square inch of Irish linen frayed at the edges and with a brushful of dope make our aircraft 'serviceable' again within an hour."
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.
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