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#4230290 - 02/17/16 06:43 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
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Good stuff! smile

For some reason, the escorts in WOFF tend to behave in an extremely cowardly way. I've had it happen in most, if not all, two-seater pilot careers. That was one of the most important reasons why I transferred Albrecht Niemann to a fighter unit in the other DID. It just became too difficult to stay alive in 1917 when the escorts failed us all the time.

The rating and disposition of the escorting squadron doesn't seem to matter much. I've seen the same behaviour from aggressive elite formations and from completely mediocre squadrons. It's something of a mystery!


"Upon my word I've had as much excitement on a car as in the air, especially since the R.F.C. have had women drivers."

James McCudden, Five Years in the Royal Flying Corps
#4230291 - 02/17/16 06:44 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
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Banjoman, when they run like that they want you to follow! yep


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!
#4230296 - 02/17/16 06:49 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
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Shoot, I wouldn't run. The Aviatik C.1 is a tough old bird. I'm finding that when attacked if you act in an aggressive manner the AI really gets confused and then your observer can really punish them.


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#4230299 - 02/17/16 06:53 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: Banjoman]  
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Originally Posted By: Banjoman
Shoot, I wouldn't run. The Aviatik C.1 is a tough old bird. I'm finding that when attacked if you act in an aggressive manner the AI really gets confused and then your observer can really punish them.


It's a surprisingly tough bird! I've shot down (or rather my observer did) a Sopwith Tripe in the other DID. Especially this early in the war, those two guns of the observer are nothing to laugh at.


"Upon my word I've had as much excitement on a car as in the air, especially since the R.F.C. have had women drivers."

James McCudden, Five Years in the Royal Flying Corps
#4230664 - 02/18/16 05:00 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
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Dear Barmy,
07:15 Saturday 21 October 1916

I've got an hour before this mornings show thought I'd drop my dearest brother in the trenches a line. I'm sitting here slurping my second cup of tea after devouring a boiled egg, toast and marge.



It's nearly been a week since I touched down for the first time in my new home for the foreseeable. St-Pol Sur-Mer isn't a bad airfield, once you get used to it being almost completely surrounded by huge French oaks, got a few branches caught in the wheels on one early approach. The other are chaps friendly and my batman "Toad" is a thoroughly decent sort. The bar in the evening is quite a riot, and in our off times the country side is pleasant enough, though the noise from the front is constant and sounds as if it's in the next field. My flight leader 'Dallas' is a steady chap, good pilot, doesn't take many risks and knows his way around. It turns out October is good time to see northern France, the trees ( apart from the Bally ones around the airfield are beautiful shades of yellow and red) and the weather good. A few of the chaps took me into Dunkirk a couple of days ago, I always knew the ladies liked a sailor but a sailor and airman! All the pretty girls are queuing up for a kiss!



I've seen the Hun just once - I was in my BE2 and spotted another two seater, too far away to do anything. Almost felt like waving when I saw the shiny white machine, but don't think that's the done thing.




Yesterday, the most amazing thing happened; the BE2s were taken and given to RFC 12 while we were given 12 Nieuport 10s and a couple of Nieuport 11s. Redford Mulock, known as "Red", 'A's flight leader and Dallas bagged the 11s - affectionately called "Babes", due to their slightly smaller size. For the rest of us, our kites, the 10, are ex-two seaters, with the observer's seat covered up and a Lewis slung over the wing. Bought from the French; it's so fresh from the French I can still see their inside out roundel on the wing! It is hoped, by those in the know, that they may help us against the new German single seater scouts I've heard about but not seen. I was allowed to paint a lucky charm sort of thing on the port side of my 10, the Padre's taken to calling me Saint Angus as I didn't feel like drinking the first night I arrived, (there was a bit of a binge on when I landed), so I've painted a 'Stickman Saint' on the side, I'm hoping he'll bring me luck! I've flown the 10 twice so far, sadly not made it 'Sausage Side' yet - which is a shame as I can't wait to have a smack at the Hun.



Not one of us was sorry to see the back of the BE2s - though it looks light we'll be escorting them from time to time. One bright spark came up with this amusing ditty; it's a take on the 23rd Psalm - it may even have been penned by the squadron Padre - who is a super down to earth chap called " Caldwell". It's called The Pilot’s Psalm , and it goes:

The B.E.2 is my bus;
therefore shall I want.
He maketh me to come down in green pastures.
He leadeth me where I wish not to go.
He maketh me to be sick;
he leadeth me astray on all cross-country flights.
Yea, though I fly o’er No-man-’s Land where mine enemies would compass me about,
I fear much evil, for thou art with me; thy joystick and thy prop discomfort me.
Thou prepareth a crash for me in the presence of mine enemies;
thy R.A.F. annointeth my hair with oil, thy tank leaketh badly.
Surely to goodness thou shalt not follow me all the days of my life,
else I shall dwell in the House of Colney Hatch for ever.

(Quoted from "No Parachute, Arthur Gould Lee" p.54)




Take Care Ole Brother of Mine, hope all is well in the Guards, you P.B.I

ANGUS

12:30 hrs Ps Barmy! I went up this morning just got back - an escort early morning show, with RFC 12 of all people, Dallas leading myself and Cox. Cox and I share a basher with two other fellows. About 20 minutes into our recon/patrol, just as we hit the Hun lines, Dallas gave the 'washout' signal and headed back. Cox, my wingman, and myself continued with the BE2s, perhaps because we remember, ourselves, what it was like just a few days ago, all alone over the lines in those flying coffins.



As we were heading home we spotted a lone, single wing Fokker, flying NE from our side of the lines about 400 ft below us, the BE2s were in no danger so we dived down on him. Blipping my engine (a great trick thought to me by Dallas which means sort of turning off my engine) I dived down and banked, came right down in his tail before he even knew we were there, my kite was creaking like nobody's business, I thought the whole thing might end up just a bag of match sticks. At about 90 yards I let him have it, my rounds seemed to go everywhere but in him. I heard a few strike, then he just plummeted and flipped-over. He went turtle, span and plummeted at great speed.



Honestly Barmy, I've never felt so powerful, all of France under me. The front like a huge brown ribbon trailing around me and my first Hun spinning to death. I put myself if a slow bank to follow him with my eyes as he went down spinning helplessly.



I noticed Cox following him down, I was concerned with what he was doing. "Had he been hit?" I asked myself, I looked around hoping there wasn't a second Fokker, but I was alone, couldn't even see the BE2s, the sky was empty. Looking down I saw the Fokker still spinning and Cox still following, when all of a sudden, in a split second, about 500 ft up the bally Fokker starts to straighten up and and then starts to pull up! I'm now about 2500 ft above him - too high to get down quickly with out wrecking my kite. I see Cox pile him with lead as the Fokker starts to climb wildly, outpacing Cox. I'm getting closer all the time, blipping my engine 'till I think it will explode, I noticed his prop was stationary, at about 150 yards I give him a three second squirt from the Lewis, by which point I've overshot him.



I bank around again - which seems to take forever - and he's gone.... I search again with my eyes and there below in the mud of no-man's land, I see a crater, wreckage and smoke, with Cox triumphantly flying through it about 25 yrds above the mire. I outpaced Cox home; I think he took some damage in his pursuit of the Hun down. We both landed safely. I'm hoping Cox and I will have half a kill each.

It's not until I write 'kill', that I realise that's what we've done; not sure how I feel about that ... Still us or him, right Barmy? Best not dwell ....

PPS 14:45 Barmey! Rotten luck!! Cox awarded the kill, and awarded the MC for his efforts. It seems I pretty well missed with every bullet! Putting it in the post now - I'll do my best to keep you up to date! TTFN

Last edited by SebToombs; 02/18/16 05:14 PM.
#4230665 - 02/18/16 05:10 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
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Sounds like you've been properly introduced to the Centenary DID.


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#4230666 - 02/18/16 05:12 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
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Superb stuff, Seb! smile


"Upon my word I've had as much excitement on a car as in the air, especially since the R.F.C. have had women drivers."

James McCudden, Five Years in the Royal Flying Corps
#4230680 - 02/18/16 05:30 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
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Journal Entry: February 18, 1916
St. Pol-sur-Mer

Blimey, Roderic is a dashing sort. This morning we were ordered to fly a line patrol up near Ypres, which we did and saw nothing. On our return flight home, I spotted four Aviatiks about 5,000 feet above us dropping their eggs on some poor defenseless supply dump. I signaled Roderic and pointed upward, he looked up, got this huge smile on his face and began to climb. I'm thinking they outnumber us 2 to 1, what could possibly go wrong, but I follow because he's my mate. Fortunately for us, the Aviatiks were still spread out from their bombing when we finally reached them so that I could separate one from the others. A couple of bursts and down he goes. I look over to see that Roderic is just finishing his up as well. He then slides over to the next one and begins to attack him. Against my better judgement, I follow suit and begin to attack the last one. This Hun is made of sterner stuff and he fills my engine with bullets before I can even attack. I immediately break off my attack and turn for home, which thankfully, is only about 4 miles away. Roderic broke off his attack when he saw me turn for home with a smoking engine. As we were walking to the R.O. office, he says, "Awful bad luck, we should have bagged all four of them." I just smile and shake my head, he will probably be the death of me.



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#4231299 - 02/19/16 11:15 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
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Seb, what a great debut! Nice!

H


System: i5 8600K @ 3.6GHz,16GB DDR4 @2666MHz. RTX2080, MSI Z370 mobo, Dell 27" G-SYNC @ 144Hz. 2560x1440

#4231418 - 02/20/16 10:57 AM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
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The Diary of August Ege.

23.X.1915. Frescaty - Metz.

I was off to a rough start with the crash of my Aviatik, but since then everything has been going really well. I've flown two orientation flights in the Metz region with the Staffelführer, Hauptmann Manfred Stelzer (he's an Alter Adler*) and my observer, Oberleutnant Andreas Balthazar. The flights were successful and I had no trouble with navigating or handling the Aviatik. Even the landings went quite smoothly! I think I've made a good impression on my new comrades here. I feel like they've already accepted me as a member of their fellowship of aviators! I greatly enjoyed flying back in the Fliegerschule, but somehow the real thing over here on the front feels even more exciting.

I was worried about engine troubles after the crash, so I've been getting to know my mechanics and together we've pulled apart a couple of Mercedes engines and then assembled them again. They're not so different from automobile engines, which I know like the backs of my hands. My mechanical training is turning out to be very useful here (as I had hoped it would be) and being in good terms with the men responsible for your machine's well-being can never be a bad thing!

We've also had time to visit the city of Metz itself. It's a beautiful old city, though being so close to the front, it's now full of soldiers and all kinds of military activity. The civilians seem to be well adapted to the situation though. Our field is a big one and even has hangars for Zeppelins! I wonder how it would feel to fly one of those monsters! But to be honest, I think I prefer airplanes. The thought of having so much highly flammable gas hanging over you inside a thinly shielded tube is rather unnerving!


A Zeppelin hangar at Frescaty.

* Literally "Old Eagle", the honorary name used of the 817 pioneers of German aviation who became pilots before the Great War. Many of them served as flight instructors during the war, and several were high-ranking officers in the German air force.






"Upon my word I've had as much excitement on a car as in the air, especially since the R.F.C. have had women drivers."

James McCudden, Five Years in the Royal Flying Corps
#4231482 - 02/20/16 03:51 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
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Hi Guys,

I'm just filling out my score card for my first week. I'm unsure whether bomb hits count for anything at all?





Cheers chaps

#4231486 - 02/20/16 04:04 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
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They did in the old scoring system, but not now. All we are tracking now is hours, kills, claims, and missions. You don't need to enter a score, I have a formula that calculates it for the status report.


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#4231489 - 02/20/16 04:07 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: Banjoman]  
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Thank You Banjoman!

#4231524 - 02/20/16 06:14 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
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Journal Entry: October 23, 1915
Bertincourt

I saved Wolfgang's life today. For the life of me, I can't understand why we still have a comrade flying and old Aviatik B.I. It is as if poor Wolfgang is the sacrificial lamb, well, not on my watch he isn't. When we transferred over to the C.Is and he didn't, I knew something like today was bound to happen, and I've been dreading it ever since. The entire Jasta was turned out to fly an artillery shoot around Guillemont. We had just started registering the fire, when two of those cursed frogs in their cursed Nieuports arrived. I was leading Schwarm Zwei and Hauptmann von Schoenebeck was leading Schwarm Eins. We were about 2.5 kms from Eins when the French began to attack. I noticed that one of the Frenchmen separated and began to stalk Wolfgang. I immediately gave my old bus full throttle and turned to assist Wolfgang. I knew I couldn't rescue both of them, but since Wolfgang was defenseless I obviously had to help him. The Frenchman must have decreased his speed considerably because while he was stalking Wolfgang I was able to close the range quickly. He obviously was not paying attention because I was able to approach from below and behind him without being noticed. When Hans was satisfied that we were close enough, he gave that frog a good burst. A puff of smoke appeared from the frog's engine and he quickly dove away, with his tail between his legs scampering for home. I pulled up next to Wolfgang and waved and received a huge smile and a wave in return. While all of this was taking place, Hauptmann von Schoenebeck had successfully dealt with his Nieuport and sent him packing as well. We finished our work and returned home. Upon landing, Wolfgang clasped my hand and would not let go while he just repeated over and over, "I was dead, but you saved me." I reminded him that as his comrade I would always have his back as he would have mine. Just another day in this cursed war.


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#4231530 - 02/20/16 06:23 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
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A great read, Banjoman!

FFA 71 also has a couple of old Aviatiks. Fortunately we haven't had any combat encounters yet. I'm pretty confident with the Aviatik C.I (has two guns and everything), but the B types are already as old as the mountains.

The Metz area is a great to place to fly! Very easy to navigate using Lou's maps, thanks to all the obvious landmarks there in the Verdun sector. Even a completely hopeless navigator like me can't lose his way there.


"Upon my word I've had as much excitement on a car as in the air, especially since the R.F.C. have had women drivers."

James McCudden, Five Years in the Royal Flying Corps
#4231533 - 02/20/16 06:26 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: Banjoman]  
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a shack in da woods
Originally Posted By: Banjoman
They did in the old scoring system, but not now. All we are tracking now is hours, kills, claims, and missions. You don't need to enter a score, I have a formula that calculates it for the status report.


...and I thank you again for making it so easy salute

#4231795 - 02/21/16 01:04 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
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I didn't bother entering info for Ed Edwards. His worthless piece-of-s**t observer fired maybe three bullets in the several minutes that the E3 fired lots more at them. Ed's only, albeit very short-lived, satisfaction was knowing that the piece-of-s**t observer died first when the BE2 finally made a hole in the ground.

#4231808 - 02/21/16 01:38 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
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Lofty, I know what you mean. The observers sometimes freeze. OBD programmed it to simulate fear? That actually could be interesting if you get a green observer, but shouldn't happen to an experienced one. On several occasions I presented my tail to the enemy for my gunner to have a clear shot, which he never took. When I realized he wouldn't shoot I had to start banking the bus and avoid enemy fire. I still got shot to pieces, but was at least able to put it down without crashing, thanks to the latest patch. Another glitch I've noticed is when you go to the gunner's position and then return to pilot's seat, the gunner AI will not take over - he will not shoot or even track the enemy. Anybody know if there is a command to turn the gunner's AI back on?


"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."
#4231903 - 02/21/16 07:31 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
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No I do not. I also feel your pain for observers, sometimes you get one that starts banging away at anything and then you get one that does nothing. My frustrations with the Aviatik C.I is that the observer will be firing the right gun but when the enemy is now on the left he won't switch to the left gun. In one engagement, I had to continue to circle to the right because he wouldn't switch guns.


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#4231904 - 02/21/16 07:32 PM Re: DiD Centenary Challenge [Re: CatKnight]  
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Here is the latest status report.



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