Well Corsaire; You may have a point there, but you still run the risk of aerodrome ground fire. As you can see, they got me! I have heard about their not reacting and this was my first test of that. I did however see one coming at me from my six but it would be hard to say for sure if he was in attack mode.
(System_Specs)
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Congratulations on your escape from behind enemy lines, Robert. I'd like to think that you did it Steve McQueen style.
I'm starting to think seriously about giving myself a minimum alt hard stop that I just don't go below, unless on an attack mission. Bad things happen more easily when you're down low.
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Adjt Gabriel de Tonnac - SPA 81 - 19 Nov 1917 (Mission 8)
Today I draw the afternoon mission and we take off at 15:30 with Caporal Ravel for a patrol on the front lines north west of Beauzée. Like yesterday, dark clouds cover part of the sky and we need to climb over 4000m. We patrol the lines for 20 minutes without seeing anyone.
On the way back, I spot under us between clouds some white puffs of Archie. As we close in we can see three Rumplers and we dive down to try and separate them.
Unfortunately I'm hit and wounded on the first pass ! I decide to look for a nearby airfield and my engine suddenly goes silent. Here we go for a dead stick again ! This time I land at La Cheppe after very closely clearing the trees before the field.
One day of repair for my Spad, four days in the hospital for me !
(*) Although set on less accurate, these gunners are good because we were really going down twice faster than the Rumplers and they only had a few seconds to shoot at us.
Last edited by corsaire31; 07/01/1411:09 PM.
Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker ! Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
I'm thinking about an end O round, but "A-Flight" has 2 HA's. I'm working with a greenhorn. Looks like an impossible task.Cloud cover about a mile high, bust thru a 2 miles high, some clear boxes.
I'll bust Ballons.....just hope I live and my rookie.
We raised Hell on balloons as we worked towards our target. Greenhorn even took out one I had set smoking. At what I thought was the "TARGET BALLOON" I saw a DF and joined it after blazing that balloon. It was a French raid on a German airbase. I took out one Pfalz. My greenhorn flew right over the enemy airbase and was toasted.
The other Spads looked different from mine. I followed them home and landed at their airbase.
Today I led a flight of three westward, more or less paralleling the front line to Eperney some 60 miles to the west.
We almost made it.
While en route, I noticed three dots ahead and below me. Zoom confirmed them as Germans who either didn't see or chose to ignore us. I lazily arced behind them then dove. More DFW C.Vs.
I was feeling pretty good about this. Other than a few stray shots in the beginning their observers were silent, for I dove slightly below their attitude, then moved up to attack from below, behind and to the right. I hammered into my first foe, and just as I thought he must be going down...
My idiot wingman decided to hurry things along.
Their planes spun away. I lost sight of both my #3 and theirs, so it was 1 on 1. I maneuvered towards the last DFW. As I turned, I briefly saw a dot coming towards me, but didn't pay it in mind: It was either my missing wingmate, or a DFW with no forward guns. Right?
Imagine my surprise then when, as I'm busy tearing holes in the DFW, someone lets me have it from behind and point blank range. Tearing fabric, and the odd bop-bop-bop which I take to mean something vital is hit. I spin around to face an Albatros D.III OAW.
Spin. Literally. He's hurt me. I'm having trouble NOT spinning and plummeting. Still, I manage to line him up and fire.
Click.
Not jammed click, 'my gun is broken' click. Pressing the trigger did absolutely nothing, and just in case my joystick had somehow lost connectivity, the space bar did nothing either.
Twice I lined him up, twice nothing happened. Then the second time I noticed my fuel tank was at 35%. Whoa!
Time to leave. I dove. He dove for awhile, firing one last solid burst into my tail, but broke away when I ran out of fuel and had to deadstick it. Fortunately I landed in a wheat field, and had so little momentum I stopped almost immediately.
My wingman (the one who crashed into the DFW) had two claims. A pyrrhic victory.
-------------
Mission 10: November 27
After a few hours to catch my breath, time to get back up there. It was a beautiful sunrise.
This time we went east, heading for the enemy aerodrome at Le Chenois to cause trouble. Once more I led a flight of three.
We reached Le Chenois quickly enough, but then trouble found us in the form of 3 Pfalz D.IIIs. We had the height advantage and dove on them, but...well, it was a confused mess. I kept turning too sharply and spinning out. They kept opting for head on passes which accomplished nothing. Finally one got behind me and fired a steady burst.
My engine started clicking, audibly slower than before, and my speed dropped off. Time to go.
I tried just that, but two Pfalzes began maneuvering behind me. No choice then. I spun around to face them. One turned away, the other tried for a head on pass. I think I won, because he chose to leave the fight.
I turned away again. Once more someone tried to line me up, but then a SPAD raced past me front-to-back to engage. He kept him busy while I retreated across friendly lines.
This time we had one claim, losing none. I'm not getting the kills, but at least I'm living to talk about it.
CatKnight, I love (and hate) those little suprises. I like that this sim can't be 'figured out', meaning you never know what you're really up against at any given time without high situational awareness. And even then...
Beau-ti-ful shots again, Corsaire! I like the SPAD and will come back to it.
Wow, MudW... - aerh, Jacky Fountain, the balloon buster! Impressive collection of medals, Sir! Congratulations!
Glubber, your comic reminded me of the old OFF Forum, where we had done exactly such screenshot comics some 5 years or so ago. So I hope you don't mind that I've used the same idea for a comic page in the "DiD Campaign" thread. You know, it has all been there before.
Gee, that was really a lovely morning, CatKnight - what a contrast to the sombre action pics before!
Vice-President of the BOC (Barmy OFFers Club) Member of the 'Albatros Aviators Club' - "We know how to die with Style!"
Adjt Gabriel de Tonnac - SPA 81 - 24 Nov 1917 (Mission 9)
I came back yesterday evening from a short stay in hospital due to a sniper in the back of a Rumpler... I feel good and our CO lets me lead the morning patrol. Weather is awful, so we wait until 10:00 hoping for the rain to stop. We are sent far away between Toul and Nancy for a CAP flight over Villers les Nancy. I take with me de Pradine and Adjt Discours with whom I never flew until now.
The rain is still there when we take off. After flying 10 minutes, I am thinking about cancelling the mission when a big hole appears in the cloud cover. As we start a steep climb at 120 kmh, I can see the sun through and we finally break over the clouds at 4600m.
I decide to go along the front around the St Mihiel salient before heading straight to our destination rather than cutting through enemy territory. We arrive over Villers les Nancy without having seen anyone, friend or foe. Seems like we are the only crazy guys flying in such a lousy weather ! I take the flight down in spirals to 2000m above the airfield, where we can see a couple of Strutters waiting.
After checking there is no activity around, we head back through the rain, this time staying under the clouds cover. We land back at Beauzée around 11:15, on time for a good warm lunch !
Last edited by corsaire31; 07/02/1402:31 PM.
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Olham, excellent. Gonna head over to the DID thread to check 'em out.
Edit: Just saw your post over there. Awesome! Did you do any kind of touching up or anything? I'd like to have a less grainy effect on mine, but don't know photoshop very well. Looking forward to more! And gonna see if I can find the OFF comics you mentioned.
Corsaire, nice to get an uneventful flight after a hospital stay. Hope lunch was delicious!
Corsaire, nice to get an uneventful flight after a hospital stay. Hope lunch was delicious!
Lunch was warm which was good after being soaked in rain for nearly one and a half hour, and I also appreciated I could land with the engine on !
Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker ! Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
Good show, carrick! You may not be a super star, but you're still alive and doing your duty. Unlike myself, who tends to be aggressive and ends up on this friggin cloud far too early!
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Good show, carrick! You may not be a super star, but you're still alive and doing your duty. Unlike myself, who tends to be aggressive and ends up on this friggin cloud far too early!
I will second that Slick, would you please pass the Ale down to this end of the cloud please Sir?
Never approach a bull from the front, a horse from the rear or a fool from either end. BOC Member since....I can't remember!
Adjt Gabriel de Tonnac - SPA 81 - 25 Nov 1917 (Mission 10)
Today I am in the afternoon flight with Leps as leader and Discours from yesterday's morning patrol. We are to escort three Strutters from Esc 28 on a reco flight over the lines. The light is already declining when we take off, I hope we can make it back before the night !
We find the Strutters and follow them to their reco zone. As they turn around to fly home, we are bounced from above by four Albatros DV. As usual I get two for me and the two other ones for my flight mates. I try to fly defensive but it's difficult when two are after you and soon I hear the dreaded noise of bullets ripping the fabric of my plane. I decide immediately to dive for the Strutters to benefit from their observers fire. Only one of the Albatros dives with me. It is a dark one with some white on the side ! Oh no, not Kissenberth again !
When we reach the Strutters we are rather low over our lines and I spot an observation balloon ahead. I draw the Albatros still behind me (another one that can dive as fast as a Spad !) over the ground crew of the balloon and soon he is surrounded by white puffs of DCA. This gives me a little time to get organized and climb over him. After drawing some circles where noone takes the advantage, he gets tired of shells exploding close to his plane and heads north. I won't let him go ! I catch up with him and wait until his wings fill the first circle of my sight then hit him with a few bursts. It is getting dark now and I don't want to collide so I go for a circle to come back on him.
This time I saw him close by and it is not Kissenberth ... The white marks are lozenges around the fuselage and something else behind I cannot see well.
As I come back for the second round, I notice he is really slow and smoking. In fact his prop has stopped so I decide to let him try to land, and anyway it's time for me to make it back to Beauzée because we will soon barely see anything ! I get to our field just in time, and curse the ground crews for not turning on the lights ... but I manage to land properly.
The Strutters made it back and both my flight mates have landed on another airfield, Discours scores a victory. My plane will need two days of repair.
(*) After research it turns out my opponent was Alfred Lenz from Jasta 22. I will probably meet him again as he finished the war with 6 victories !
Last edited by corsaire31; 07/03/1403:21 PM.
Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker ! Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
For the records, here is a view of Alfred Lenz's Albatros DV
Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker ! Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
Sorry to be picky Corsaire, but 'triple A' is Vietnam-era US doublespeak. They still use it as obviously AAA is better than AA as used in WWII, I mean AAA has more letters so much be better! The Brits in WWI used 'Archie' (from a song 'Archibald') and I do wonder what the French used to describe being shelled from below. Let us know if you can find out what 'les sales Boche' were doing...
Gigabyte Z87P-D3 - CPU I5 4670 Haswell @ 3.6Ghz - 8 Go Ram - GPU HD 7850 2Go OC - SSD Samsung 128Go - HD 2 x WD Black 1 To - 27" Iiyama Pro Lite - Logitech Extreme 3D Pro - Saitek Pro Flight Yoke - Rudder Pedals - Quadrant - Cessna Trim Wheel - Track IR 5 - Logitech G35 headset ... and a big coffee maker ! Flying in FSX/Air Hauler, Wings over Flanders Fields, Rise of Flight, IL2 1946 Hsfx, Condor soaring.
7 Dec 1917 @ 07h30 Balloon busting mission East of Verdun
I led the mission with Plurien and Pradine accompanying me.
We crossed the lines and approached the balloon without encountering enemy craft. I made the first pass and burst the balloon. Banking left and climbing I looked for my squad mates and discovered that two enemy craft were approaching. One Alb DV came in on my tail and we danced a bit until I was able to gain on him and send some burst into him. At that point Pradine jumped in and shot the enemy plane down. I broke left and circled climbing and heading SW when I saw a Pfalz DIIIa pass over my head and begin to circle so I engaged him and after some time I sent him down and watched him crash. I again circled looking for my squad mates but not seeing any headed West and then saw two more Alb DV's Approaching me and high above. I continued west keeping an eye on my six, and sure enough one of them came down to play. He sent some rounds into me as we circled and then after some time I got on his tail and gave him some good bursts but ran out of ammunition. I broke right and headed West in a slight dive. He did not follow I suspect he had had enough of me. I landed back at base and found my squad mates had made it back and Pradine and I both had 1 confirmed kill each and I was promoted to Sous Lieutenant.
Mission #12
Last edited by Robert_Wiggins; 07/06/1401:18 AM.
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