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#4565309 - 04/20/21 07:26 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) ***** [Re: Raine]  
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Albert Tross Offline
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Flugmeister Jacob Kühn, EK2
Marine-Feld-Jagdstaffel 1
Jabbeke airfield

9 confirmed kills

20th April 1918

The weather had improved today but it was late afternoon before the ground was fit for aircraft to operate.

Oberleutenant Saschenberg took the briefing and explained the whole Jasta would be heading down to Roulers to patrol around the railyard there which had been under attack recently.

Although the weather had improved it was hardly ideal, monstrous clouds remained and strong winds made heavy work of staying in formation.

The Jasta took off at 3.45pm and after forming up they climbed up to 4500 meters before heading out south towards Roulers.

After a couple of days of inactivity Jacob was ready. His memories of his previous flight were still vivid however and he scoured the grey mass constantly.

The Jasta were now south of Aertrycke airfield when out of the clouds ahead appeared several dots. Jacob saw them straight away and as they neared a cool determination swept through him. He recognised them as enemy SE types.

The SE's had height advantage so the Jasta nosed up and started climbing towards them.

Jacob waited for the attack he knew was imminent and sure enough, the SE's rolled and dived towards Jacob and the rest of Marine-Feld-Jagdstaffel 1.

Jacob instinctively pulled left and avoided the enemy's first pass. He came around and an SE zoomed in front of him for a second. Jacob fired and the SE rolled away and dived.

Just then Jacob saw another SE trying to get on his tail. He dived and then zoomed over and around. After several turns like that the Albatros had gained on the SE5 and put a burst into him.

The SE5 dived down but Jacob stayed with him. He was above the enemy aircraft now and the SE realised he had nowhere to go. He rolled left towards the lines but Jacob read the move and came up behind the enemy. He put an accurate burst into the SE and the enemy aircraft slowed.

Another burst from Jacob and the SE burst into flames with smoke pouring from the stricken aircraft, Jacob watched as it flew straight into the ground.

Jacob looked and saw several other Albatrosse nearby and they formed up. Oberleutenant Saschenberg signalled a return to base.

As Jacob climbed down he was met by Saschenberg and Leutenant Heinrich. "Excellent work Jacob, I saw you bring that SE down" confirmed Saschenberg. "Heinrich here also got one and Kette Eins are reporting three more downed" extolled the Oberleutenant.

"Five enemy aircraft destroyed and we all made it back, a few holes here and there but all safely back" finished the Oberleutenant.

Flugmeister Kühn completed his report and Saschenberg confirmed the claim.

"That's 10 confirmed kills now Jacob, you are showing the Marine-Feld-Jagdstaffeln off very well indeed Flugmeister and headquarters are overjoyed at our results today" explained Saschenberg.

Jacob celebrated the success with the rest of the Jasta that evening in the kasino.

Attached Files 1.jpg2.jpg3.jpg4.jpg5.jpg6.jpg7.jpg

"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."
#4565323 - 04/20/21 09:31 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
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Jules M. Dubra
Sgt, Esc 26
Hetomesnil, Aerodrome
Marne,


20 April 1918.

Intermittent Rain here I suppose flyable. The problem here is Mud. We roll a machine out and the wheels sinks in the mud. It becomes a glue holding the a/c below flying speed. One brave fellow tried flying in between rain showers The wheels never got out of the mud , he just skidded a little then the wing dug in the mud and Mon Dieu ! A Broken prop, lower wing gone , and landing gear broken. The commandant's answer is to give us shovels so new drainage channels can be dug thus next time it will be better.

Last edited by carrick58; 04/20/21 09:50 PM.
#4565324 - 04/20/21 09:34 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
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Well done Albert great pics.

#4565349 - 04/21/21 01:15 AM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
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RAF - Those two are definetely not to be missed! Suppose no one has some masterful strategy themselves besides the usual and logical. Dean certainly oughta avoid hospital visits for own sanity's sake at this rate.
65 at 65 huh, definetely something going on here. Some kind of universal sign, perhaps.

Tross - This weather must be a plight for everyone at this rate. At least the airmen don't have to go crawling through that rainy mud under. Dean certainly is wishing he'd have a chance to have a go at a Hun or two though.
Great pictures there

Trusty - Welcome back! Why clearly, The King wants more airmen at the front! I jest of course, fly as whoever it is you want.
And another one down! Jacob is surely on a very good track, great pictures too.

Carrick - What misfortune, poor aircraft. Guess the mechanics will have something to occupy them. Hopefully the weather clears up soon!



2/LT Dean Andrews Cunningham
№64 Squadron RAF
Izles-Les-Hameux, Flanders
April 20th, 1918.


To call today a regretful day would be a gross understatement...

The day begun with a degree of great excitement, as the terrific weather from earlier cleared itself up and in the early hours of the morning we were called in for a briefing. The entire squadron today was to undertake a special mission of flying towards Bapaume at which point we were to attack two of their airfields located nearby, hoping to perhaps curb the Hun's excitement at the prospects of trying to interfere in our own affairs. Many were enthused by such an opportunity, as not only did we have a chance at striking back at the Hun after everything that we've endured, but also because striking in the early morning meant we had a significant chance of catching the Hun off-guard and delivering an even more painful strike. Eager and ready we went to the field and then took off into the breezy morning sky, all in all 16 airmen from both flights.

Without much trouble or effort we flew from our field and then climbed, both flights splitting off to target their respective fields as we flew across the lines towards Bapaume. Arriving there surprisingly unmolested, managing to avoid whatever early hun might've been up in the air that day we turned and went straight towards our target. Soon enough both fields came into view, and in the distance we saw A flight come towards us in preperation for their attack just as we begun ours. The Hun, now clearly weary and alerted by our presence begun to mount their desperate defence, machineguns starting to open up on us as we dived firing away at the men and hangars. Undaunted by several bullets loudly whizzing nearby and even passing through my wing I made several passes, shooting at the running men and aircraft, hoping to change their mind in regards to even trying to take off. This is where the streak of bad luck begun, as almost halfway into the first pass my Lewis had jammed and before resuming my pass I had to pull away to try and unjam the thing, with some success. Unfortunately almost at the end of every pass from there on either my Vickers or the aforementioned Lewis decided that they would much rather become pacifistic war objectors, and that the firing mechanism was merely a suggestion to them, making me go out of my way to forcibly make them change their minds. During one such attempt at an unjamming following a dive I then had a misfortune of nearly colliding with one of our own, noticing at the last second and breaking sharply to avoid whoever it may have been.

With that disaster thankfully avoided I resumed my attack, receiving several more bullets in the process, aiming to head for home afterwards as I've noticed others begin to pull out and fly towards the lines when I noticed a most dreadful sight mid-climb. There on the Hun field sat what seemed an undamaged SE5 that must've landed there either due to the received damage or perhaps even a mechanical failure. God knows I wish I could've helped, but seeing there was nothing that I could feasibly do I simply climbed for our lines and headed home, all alone. Just like on the way in, the flight back was calm and there wasn't a single Hun in the sky that I could see. Unnerved by the fact that even in such a favourable position and with such small opposition we've still managed to lose someone, combined with a discovery that my motor was struggling to hold steady RPMs, perhaps due to sustained damage from the MGs I made it back home and landed, greeted by a few of my comrades that arrived just before me.

It was then when we realised what great misfortune had fallen upon our squadron. That morning 8 men took off in B flight. Only 5 had returned. Of those, one was forced to land over at the Hun field, another crashed and was fatally injured while trying to land over home and the other two simply didn't return. From those that did come back, the planes were shot up and had to be taken away for repairs immediately, my own included. Suffice to say, the atmosphere for the rest of the day has been more than gloomy...

Attached Files Shot04-20-21-23-49-20.jpgShot04-21-21-00-21-19.jpgShot04-21-21-00-33-51.jpg
Last edited by NotRelevant; 04/21/21 01:15 AM.

"Those who survive a long time on the battlefield start to think they're invincible.
I bet you do, too, Buddy."
#4565356 - 04/21/21 02:04 AM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
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epower Offline
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Albert - A wise move letting that cloud Camel go. I trust Jacob was turning to the left with the afternoon batch of Englanders. Shame about the unconfirmed kill. Next time you must have witnesses!
A nice gesture by Herr Oberleutnant to make a formal presentation of the Iron Cross. I hope Jacob wasn't too hungover. Nice to see the German Navy getting some storytime. I fear they are underrepresented in our DID campaign. Great old photos.
The oft bombed Roulers Rail junction! The RFC know it well.
An SE in flames, you say. Horrido! Number zehn! Congratulations. Cool pics. The SE in flames behind the Alb was my favorite, although, speaking for Oliver, I can't say I approve of this wanton destruction of His Majesty's air frames.

MFair - Gott Im Himmel! Another Kemp ist perforated. Whence cometh this mysterious bullet? Angry Tommies with Lee Enfields? What dreadful luck but at least Ludwig is among the living, and had the basic common decency to unconsciously set his machine down undamaged. The Kaiser is undoubtedly grateful. Now, let's make nice nice with this nurse so we don't get septic and die like our brother. Be charming. Antisepsis is more important than coition at this juncture.

Fullofit - And on the subject of coitus, my goodness, Rudi has just turned into the Anaïs Nin of the the Luftstreitkräfte. HORRIDO! Some experience under his belt for the future magic night with liebe Berta.
Tybelsky is quite the rogue, but a good friend as well. Unfortunate how the Allied blockade affects all levels of German society. Nice job introducing the sharp edge of that reality to the narrative.

Raine - Change is afoot for MacAlister. He's fallen in with a group of young Turks there in 74 Squadron. Have the Young Turks happened yet? I can't remember. In the words of a later Viper, Mac had a hellava first day. Two Huns. Bravo! Rules of engagement exist for your safety and that of the squadron. Not sure what the historical equivalent of the cargo plane of rubber dogsh*t out of Hong Kong might be but it can't be pretty. Best to go along and get along for the time being. Poor Bronwyn must be worried sick about the two men in her life. I do hope Mac can finagle some leave soon.

NR - Dean must be losing his mind with all this weather waiting. The old hands don't quite have the knack for teaching either. Discouraging indeed but another day comes and that right soon!
A red day for B Flight. Those stoppages always seem to happen at the worst moments. Very glad that Dean made it safely home over the lines. The Butcher's bill was high today.

TWK - Hope we can bring Helmut back to life in this bubble of the multiverse but either way, it's good to know your return is imminent.

Lou - Poor Freddy, hobbling around on that cane. No doubt he's been tasked with paperwork during his convalescence. How tedious. Hopefully diversion awaits.

Carrick - And in that sleep what dreams may come... Jules has an entire product line there. Unfortunate about the rain day landscaping. If only there was a Zen pebble garden nearby.
___________________________

À la Recherche du Temps Perdu - Part 76



17 April 1918
84 Squadron RFC
Bertangles, France

5.45 Dawn attack on Harbonnieres aerodrome. We keep pounding the place but the Huns somehow rebuild it during the night. The entire squadron came up in two large Flights. Proccy led 7 in A Flight. They would fly top cover. B Flight would attack the field with Cooper bombs. Robin led, I flew his wing along with Manzer, Southey, Clear, McBride, Falkenburg and Duke. Fifteen Vipers in all.

[Linked Image]
No more half measures.

We left Harbonnieres ablaze and climbed north to the rally point over the Étang de la Hutte. I looked down at what was my old home and aerodrome at Chipilly to see an enormous encampment of German infantry spread all over the former airfield. This would not do.

[Linked Image]
Robin led us home above the clouds.


Weather increasingly unsettled. I could feel the glass falling. We’d not be flying after late morning. Major Douglas agreed and pushed up the time of B Flight’s next patrol. Wing were asking for a low altitude sweep over and around Proyart, in the heart of the Amiens salient. That was not going to happen without top cover and A Flight had another assignment. I had a different idea which the Old Man approved.

At 10.45, I led Southey, Duke, Johnson, Clear, Manzer and McBride up to 14000’ then went over looking for any Huns above the cloud layer. Blue skies above and the sun blasting though the towering columns of angry-looking cumulonimbus made for a spectacular panorama. Sadly, we found no Huns.

After an hour I led B Flight northeast and we circled down through the clouds to pay a call on the interloping Huns at Chipilly. Each man had his instructions and knew what to do.

[Linked Image]
B Flight began evicting the squatters

[Linked Image]
Four passes, four Lewis drums and a full belt of Vickers. I kept this one for the flight home.

The encampment was ineffectively defended. We shot the place about but I couldn’t tell if we'd done any damage. The Huns scattered and we couldn’t concentrate fire like when we caught them in trenches or marching on the road. We’d need a different calling card next time. Bombs!
______________________

Landed in a heavy mist which quickly turned to rain after 12.00, washing out any remaining patrols. I saw 65 Sqn’s Camels landing so after making my report, I went over to their hangars inquiring after Freddy.

“He’s Orderly Dog today, sir. Caught a bullet in the leg on the 16th”, said a young AM, who offered direction by pointing a greasy finger towards a nearby collection of buildings.

65 Squadron had their office in one of the many Nissen huts behind their hangars. I walked right in without knocking. Force of habit. He was sitting there behind the desk, his formidable brow furrowed in concentration, grinding out some report.

“Freddy!” I exclaimed. My sudden greeting startled him to such extent that he flinched and rammed the pen he was holding fully through the report and into the blotter beneath.

"I say,” he cried in exasperation, “bad form sneaking up on a chap like th...", he trailed off as he lifted his head and saw who I was.

“Ripper! By Jove old top, you are a sight for sore eyes!"

Same gap-toothed smile and cheerful expression. He reached for his cane and made to stand.

“It's good to see you, too. Don’t get up, old man. How's the leg?”

He ignored my order and continued to rise, extending his free hand in greeting. We shook hands.

"Leg's bally painful, but I'll survive,” he replied. “Should be back in the air in a week or so, unless I can make a liar out of the medical officer and go up sooner. And you? How've you been, old sport? Last I heard you were in Blighty teaching the green pilots how best not to kill themselves, yet here you are."

“Here I am,” I replied, “fresh from the good old No. 1 School of Aerial Fighting. A proper job of work we did there, ‘teaching the young idea to shoot,’ but I was not entirely successful. They're better equipped to kill the Hun but many still kill themselves. Your Camel is a fickle mistress to put it politely.”

“She is that. And you may put it politely, but she certainly won’t.”

“No, indeed. She took more than a few young ones to the Death God. You’ll think me mad, or … what’s the word? barmy, but here in France I believe I have a better chance of keeping them alive. I enjoyed the teaching but watching them spin their Camels into the ground wasn’t for me, so here I am, on a refresher course if you can believe that.”

Freddy waited, eyebrows raised in expectation of what I’d left unspoken. His features returned to a slight frown when I didn’t elaborate.

“Come along then, there’s more to this story, I’ll wager,” he said, not without irony.

“True. It’s a longer tale. One that might go better with a glass or two. Shame about you being the sober Orderly Dog today.”

“Yes, but once I’ve finished this bloody sentry schedule, I’ll be Orderly Dog in name only, so sobriety will be less a requirement”, Freddy beamed, then added, “And, I’ve some very agreeable 8-year-old scotch back at my quarters we could take advantage of.”

“Let me get out of Mr. Cotton’s suit and clean up a bit. I'll be back."

“Toppers! And I’ll finish muddling about here while you do. By the way, did you see? You probably have, but we've just received the communique here yesterday, along with a fortnight's worth of mail and packages and what-not that have been chasing us around all over Flanders. Finally caught up with us now that we've been in one spot for more than two days."

"What are you on about, Freddy?"

"The French. They've sent a list of British airmen who've been awarded medals for their efforts against the Hun in this latest push, and you and I are both on it - for the Legion of Honour! Spiffing, eh what?"

“I’ll be damned." I cried. "So, we’re knights of France are we? Time to christen our spurs!"
________________________________________

I returned 15 minutes later to Freddy’s erstwhile office. He’d finished his schedule and we sloshed through the rain to his quarters. Coat Comma Warm shed the water surprisingly well. Freddy moved with some difficulty and it was obvious that his leg pained him greatly but he hobbled along stoically with his characteristic good humor.

Freddy occupied the front right-side quadrant of a Nissen hut, which he shared with the two other Flight Commanders. The rooms were partitioned off into separate accommodations. Freddy’s had the best view with a window looking out across the fields north of the aerodrome. The space was tidy, set with a bunk, a small writing table and chair. Two shelves on the wall above held a small collection of fossils and rocks, but no photographs. Compared to my spartan berth, this was the Savoy. Several open letters lay on the desktop along with a copy of H.G. Wells “The Time Machine.” The usual airman’s articles were stowed neatly. Everything appeared in its proper place - all shipshape and Bristol fashion. I imagined that Freddy must have a truly formidable batman.

Freddy offered me the chair, then from a wooden case beneath the bunk he retrieved a bottle of whiskey and two heavy bottomed glasses. Peeling the lead foil, he twisted the cork free and poured out two considerable portions of the amber nectar, handing me the larger. He seated himself on his bunk and raised his glass in libation.

"To fine friends, willing women, and winning this bloody war!” he said.

"Now, Ripper, old top, who did you bribe or blackmail in order to get sent back so soon? Or did they simply have misgivings at the air school about a Yank teaching England’s finest how to fight a war?" Freddy jabbed, but from his grin it was clear this was a good-natured ribbing.

"One of the advantages of being a perfidious ex-colonial is that the Brass Hats aren’t entirely sure what to do with me. The Great Battle of the Age was coming. I had to take part, so I convinced the Air Ministry, quite without shame I admit, to send me on a refresher course. Important for a Fighting Instructor to get a closer look at the new Hun tactics and some experience fighting in larger formations, don’t you think? They bought it, so here I am with 84 Squadron, and none too soon. The Boche attacked a week after I arrived.”

Freddy raised a bushy eyebrow at this, no doubt thinking me rather smug.

“You are a crafty one, Ripper, and I’m sure the lads at 84 are as chuffed to have you with them as you are to be here. But I’d be careful with any further talk of tactics and formations and the like. The Brass Hats might claim you for their own ranks and plop you in an office back at HQ - American liaison in charge of clever thinking. Haw!”

I chuckled ruefully.

“You laugh, but that almost happened. Boom threatened to send me to America if I kept refusing promotion or Home Establishment. Oh, my nefarious plan wasn’t so clever or elaborate as it might appear. It was much closer to me going cap in hand to the Air Ministry. I had help from Colonel Rees and Colonel Dowding."

“Tugged the forelock, eh? Hard to imagine you scraping and bowing to anyone, Ripper, old man. But, desperate times desperate measures and all that - anything to avoid the office sentence.”

"And as for offices," I said, "you'll be permanently hunched over the blotter soon enough. Can't be long before you have a command. At least there’s no prohibition against the CO flying."

“Me in command? God save us all!”

We talked about nothing in particular. After an hour, I was feeling rather comfortable, both from the excellent whiskey and the jovial company. Freddy had an easy way and generous spirit. I’d not realized until now how much I’d missed him. He pulled the cork free and leaned forward with the bottle.

“Another?” he asked.

“Just a dash, please.” I replied. “The Maj has a decorations party in the works for tonight. He’s been planning it for days. I’ll need my wits about me if I’m to survive it.”

“Wise, Ripper, quite wise. I’d best follow suit as well. I am still Orderly Dog after all, and as such it wouldn’t do for me to be weaving my way about camp.” Freddy gave a broad grin. “We must plan something though. A raiding party on Amiens? We can find out what our French knighthoods are worth around town, eh what?”



Last edited by epower; 04/21/21 12:58 PM.
#4565408 - 04/21/21 01:03 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
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RAF_Louvert Offline
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Senior Member

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Posts: 4,879
L'Etoile du Nord
.

Epower - Another very enjoyable collaboration on this latest Ripper/Freddy crossover, I look forward to the next one. Also, that armada of Vipers is an awesome shot.

NotRelevant - Those ground attack outings are the worst, why HQ keeps insisting on them shows just how deep their stupidity runs. My man and his crew can full empathize with Dean and his own when it comes to such losses. Here's hoping the next sortie has a better outcome for the King's airmen. As for avoiding the hospitals, good luck with that.

Carrick - So Jules is now a hydrological engineer as well as a pilote and a designer of women's under fashions. A man of many talents.

Albert - Jacob's a double ace already? Well done! He must be quite intent on earning that Blue Max before the war ends. All well and good, provided he doesn't get careless in the process. Nice screenies of that toasted Se5a.

Robert - Good to see you dropping by again. Did you bring something single-malty to share?

TWkebab - Good to see you returning as well, I look forward to your new man's reports.

.

#4565450 - 04/21/21 05:48 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
Joined: Mar 2020
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Albert Tross Offline
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UK
Carrick - Thanks. Poor Sergent Dubra, hopefully it'll dry enough soon for some flying.

NR - That's a tough mission for Cunningham and the squadron and they paid the price. I agree with Lou, for the damage done sending scouts against airfields seldom works.

Epower - A couple of ground pounding missions but that second one must have felt sweet, some payback for the boche having the audacity to camp on his old airfield. Then an impromptu meet up with Freddy, so much to catch up on and all over a few not so wee drams. A welcome break from the bullets and bombs and a fine way to celebrate your joint Legion of Honor awards.

Lou - A pretty medal the Blue Max, but Jacob's just doing his duty. After three years doing very little in terms of helping win the war, he's just happy to be part of the action.


"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."
#4565457 - 04/21/21 06:35 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
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Albert Tross Offline
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UK
Flugmeister Jacob Kühn, EK2
Marine-Feld-Jagdstaffel 1
Jabbeke airfield

10 confirmed kills

21st April 1918

Morning sortie

Jacob pulled the dust ridden curtains back on his window and smiled. His gaze was greeted with bright blue skies and a warming sun. "At last some decent weather" he muttered to himself as he went to get dressed.

Jacob and the rest of Kette Zwei sat in the briefing room as Leutenant Heinrich took the briefing. "As you can see, you will have the joy of my company on this morning's sortie" the Leutenant started.

"Oberleutenant Saschenberg has already left with Kette Eins on a patrol around Nieuwpoort" he continued.

"We will fly down towards Passchendaele and watch for incoming raids, which with the improved weather should be a little easier to spot".

"Stick together and signal any sightings right away" he concluded.

Jacob took off with the others and formed up as he kept his gaze upwards. Visibility was very good although there were some large clouds still looming around.

They climbed quickly with the absence of strong winds and reached 12000 feet before heading off south.

However they'd not gotten far when several dots appeared ahead and above. Against the backdrop of blue skies the aircraft were as clear as day and Jacob watched as they came overhead. They had a huge height advantage once again and there was little MFJ1 could do but wait for the inevitable attack.

Jacob charged his guns and looked around to ensure this wasn't one big feint but there was nothing. He returned his gaze upwards and watched as the aircraft rolled and dived towards them.

Jacob recognised them as Camels as they tore down at them. Jacob left it until the last moment to jink to the right and avoided most of the attacks. He came around and checked his six which was clear.

He now selected a target and saw one Camel in a long left turn and went after him. He cut across the turning Camel and fired a burst as much to get the Camel to do something stupid as to actually hit it.

The Camel rolled and dived and Jacob went with him. Another burst scored hits on the Camel who now sped for the ground at maximum speed. Jacob pushed his Albatros to the limits to stay with the enemy aircraft.

The Camel now swept to the right but Jacob had height and cut across the turn and fired into the Camel scoring many hits.

He came up behind the enemy and put a devastating burst into him. The Camel started spewing smoke and lost power and height. He hit the ground hard and burst into flames.

Jacob levelled off and scanned around. No-one else was within sight although there were plumes of smoke near Aertrycke airfield. Jacob made his way towards home and on landing he was pleased to hear other aircraft nearby and saw several Albatrosse nearing the airfield.

Once the reports were in the Leutenant confirmed that four enemy aircraft had been destroyed and although one Albatros was lost, the pilot, Gunter Erling was ok.

The Leutenant explained that whilst he didn't doubt Jacob's victory they would have to wait for confirmation from a ground unit.


Afternoon sortie

Oberleutenant Saschenberg had returned safe and sound from Kette Eins' morning sortie and took the briefing for the afternoon jaunt.

He explained the whole Jasta would be heading towards Ypres. The weather was still good and they took off without incident.

On forming up and climbing to 14000 feet they made their way south west towards Ypres.

The mission went without a hitch although no enemy aircraft were found.

The Jasta returned home and landed.

Later that evening, the pilots were enjoying a drink together in the kasino when Oberleutenant Saschenberg was called to the telephone. He was on the phone for some time. Jacob could only overhear the odd word but definitely heard the name Richthofen. On returning to the group he looked grey.

"You will forgive me meine herren, but I must return to my office" Saschenberg announced

The pilots looked at each other as he left, something was definitely up.

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"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."
#4565474 - 04/21/21 08:46 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
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Jules M. Dubra
Sgt, Esc 26
Hetomesnil, Aerodrome
Marne\

April 21, 1918.



Mon amie ! , what a mess 1st flight Aerodrome attack. Dark scudded skies I became lost soon after take off and had to return to the field after finding a hole in the overcast. Some of the Esc a/c made it ,but little damage.

2nd flight: 1206 hrs clearer skies Offensive Patrol: Ran into Scouts dove and chased 3 allemands then more joined in Zee mix up. I fired off over 200 rds then climbed and headed home only to run into a Tri plane that wanted to fight I was doing Zee boom and zoom till all my ammo was gone except for my .25 cal pocket pistol I Broke off and added full power running for home. counted 12 hits in my mount after landing. The Esc of 11 a/c claimed 3 e/a destroyed for 5 damaged.

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Last edited by carrick58; 04/21/21 08:48 PM.
#4565508 - 04/22/21 01:23 AM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
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Epower - Suppose the old hands are better at flying than teaching, not instructors after all. Indeed, the stoppages pick the worst times to happen. At least Dean hasn't had the misfortune of them jamming mid fight with an actual foe
Now that's a proper field attack, using actual bombs. Not the MGs poor Dean is stuck with.

RAF - Reckon Dean will need a ton of luck at this rate, given how unlucky people are right now. Feels like HQ is just out of touch in regards to what goes on at the front these days!

Tross - Tough's one way of putting it, at least A flight got along unharmed. One would hope that such things would serve to discourage HQ from anymore foolish ventures but alas.
And another one down, hopefully soon to be confirmed. And so the day finally came, bad tidings... Wonder how everyone would react once it becomes clear.

Carrick - No kills from those few fights but hey, at least Jules lives to fight another day, and unharmed while at that.




2/LT Dean Andrews Cunningham
№64 Squadron RAF
Izles-Les-Hameux, Flanders
April 21st, 1918.



Today has started off with more dreadful news. Alongside the losses from yesterday, our dear Lieutenant Randolph has managed to get himself a very well timed leave, and it turned out we were now down yet another man for the time being, and that's not counting those who simply couldn't fly because we didn't have enough planes. Despite this, we were to move on and keep on operating as normal without any concern, what a load of bollocks. HQ had two missions for us today, one in the early morning and one in the afternoon.

In the morning we undertook a patrol of the Hun lines up north, with five planes in A flight and only three in B flight, consisting of me, Captain Hayden, and another Lieutenant Harris. Despite my concerns in regards to just what might happen should our measly three plane flight run into a full Hun squadron nothing of that sort had happened, and the skies were utterly empty besides A flight who trailed behind and then ran into us only once after disappearing and then vanished once more. Absolutely grateful for such a turn of events, we eventually turned and returned to base, landing without a hitch. The ever diminishing mood however dropped further when we discovered what our second mission of the day entailed...

Orders came that in the afternoon the 64th was, in all its weakened capacity, to repeat our misfortunate feat from yesterday and to once again fly towards Bapaume and attack the Hun airfield for a second time. As one can imagine, no one was enthused about this idea, especially given just how ineffective our raid from yesterday was and the amount of men we lost because of it, but unfortunately as it stands in the line of duty we've had no choice but to go. Grudgingly climbing into our planes, we formed up on the field and took off into the blue once again, hoping to return back in one piece... The flight towards Bapaume went relatively well, with A flight repeating their moves from yesterday and splitting off to attack their own field nearby while we kept moving towards our target. It was then when I've noticed that trailing way above us in the blue skies stood out a flight of 12 aircraft, and upon closer inspection I came to the shocking realisation that they were Boches, seemingly following us as we flew on... Be it due to their negligence or some kind of divine luck that we've had, they failed to spot us or at the very least decided we aren't worth the bullets and left us well alone as we went into our attack. The three of us made several passes at the field, strafing the various hangers, planes and the few trucks parked across the it, sending the Huns scattering into cover. Perhaps they were simply not expecting the fact that we would arrive here for a second time, which would certainly explain the utter lack of resistence we've seen on their behalf.

After emptying several drums on the strafing and receiving my own share of bullets into the wing I broke off and headed for home, flying low and but fast towards our lines, still vary of the scouring Huns over in the sky that might've decided to jump me while I climbed. Due to this however I instead managed to chance upon a more entertaining opportunity, that being a Hun column of trucks heading towards the front. Not wanting to pass up such a tempting target, and wanting to inflict at least some sort of damage to the Hun besides a few holes in their sheds I turned and flew at the column, dumping most of my remaining ammo into them as I passed and then flew ahead, giving the Boches a quick glance and shaking my fist at them as I went, wishing that I've had a hand grenade on me or two to chuck at them as well... I'm sure that would very well teach them what's what. Now with almost no ammo I returned to my journey back home and crossed the lines without issue, landing at the field to discover that besides some other light damage to their aircraft, no one else had run into any issues during the attack today. A vast improvement compared to yesterday.

Though relieved, I still can't help but wonder just what on earth HQ is even thinking trying to send us off attacking Hun fields like that.

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"Those who survive a long time on the battlefield start to think they're invincible.
I bet you do, too, Buddy."
#4565612 - 04/22/21 08:29 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
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Carrick - So Sergent Dubra got himself lost, that's not difficult when the sky is full of clouds and no clear views of the ground. Best to head for home in that circumstance. He was lucky he was in a SPAD when he bumped into that Dr1 with no ammo left. At least he could put his nose down and run.

NR - Yet another ground pounding sortie for Cunningham, at least this one wasn't so costly for the squadron. A shame there was nothing but empty skies on that first sortie, a rarity indeed in 1918.


Flugmeister Jacob Kühn, EK2
Marine-Feld-Jagdstaffel 1
Jabbeke airfield

10 confirmed kills (1 awaiting confirmation)

22nd April 1918

Morning sortie

Oberleutenant Saschenberg had called the entire Jasta and ground crew into a briefing prior to the morning's sortie.

"Meine herren, I've called you all here to bring some bad news, well.... terrible news to be frank. However, I wanted you to hear it from me rather than hearsay or gossipy tittle-tattle" he began.

"Rittmeister von Richthofen is missing, presumed dead. Although there has been no official word from our enemies, he did not return from his last sortie yesterday morning and was last seen across the enemy lines and flying close to the ground." Saschenberg continued.

"I received a call last evening as you know and further conversations this morning with HQ, they have authorised me to brief you now". Saschenberg stopped there to allow the group to take it in.

There was stunned silence from everyone there, this developed into mutterings and chatter which Saschenberg stopped with a wave of his hand.

"I know you are as shocked as I am, but we must carry on. We have a duty to our fatherland and our Kaiser, and this loss, terrible though it is, cannot get in the way of us all doing our duty" Saschenberg continued

Saschenberg finished the briefing and told the pilots from Kette Zwei to return here in an hours time in full flight gear.

Jacob and the rest of Kette Zwei duly returned and were told they would be flying over to the lines south of Nieuwpoort. Oberleutenant Saschenberg emphasised he didn't want any thoughts of revenge, but instead he wanted a steely determination from us all to push any advantage to the maximum.

Blind rage would only lead to mistakes.

The weather was perfect, with clear blue skies, as Jacob and the others took off and formed up near Ghistelles. They climbed up and Jacob watched the skies above carefully.

They reached 4000 meters and headed off west towards the lines.

About ten minutes in, Jacob noticed several dots ahead and above. He wondered what these were as they were not in arrow formation, or indeed any formation, but rather spaced out and turning. The next moment he saw flak bursts near the dots which could mean only one thing.

As the dots grew larger he made out they were enemy two seaters. By now the rest of Kette Zwei had seen them too and the Kette climbed up towards the enemy aircraft.

A few moments later Jacob was startled to see the two seaters diving down towards them.

He now saw them for what they were...... Brequets.

Jacob avoided the rather clumsy initial attack but as he turned right to get above the enemy, his Albatros was rattled by bullets from one of the rear gunners.

Jacob rolled and dived down onto one of the French machines and fired a burst into him, just then another Albatros fired into the same aircraft. The Brequet, now being hammered from two sides, disintegrated and burst into flames. Jacob watched the burning wreckage falling and smiled.

He looked for another enemy and duly saw one off to his right. He dived down under the Brequet and came up behind the two seater. He aimed at the gunner and took him out. The Brequet dived for the ground but Jacob went with him.

He lined up the enemy aircraft and put a devastating burst into him. The Brequet headed down and tried to land but hit the ground hard and burst into flames.

They were well over the German lines and Jacob levelled off. He saw nothing but Albatrosse as he climbed back up. They formed up and headed home.

On landing Jacob went over to the huddle forming around Oberleutenant Saschenberg. "Excellent work Herr Flugmeister, that Brequet was burning beautifully!" confirmed Saschenberg.

The Oberleutenant confirmed that five French bombers had been brought down and although several Albatrosse had taken hits none were lost.

Although Jacob could have justifiably entered a claim for the first Brequet he'd fired on too, he decided to allow Flugmeister Hansen, who had been the other attacker, to claim it instead, it would be his first kill after all.

Jacob went to clean up, get some lunch and complete his report before the afternoon sortie.



Afternoon sortie

Oberleutenant Saschenberg was leading the whole Jasta on the afternoon sortie. He'd explained that they would be heading south west towards Ypres.

The weather was still excellent, a few more clouds around but nothing too serious.

The Jasta took off, formed up and climbed towards Aertrycke airfield. They'd only reached about 5000 feet when they noticed several aircraft directly above them. The Jasta watched as the aircraft, now identifiable as Camels, dived down onto the Albatrosse.

Jacob kept his cool and rolled left and avoided the attack. He climbed slightly and looked behind before selecting a target. He spotted a Camel straining to get on the tail of Oberleutenant Saschenberg.

Jacob rolled and dived towards the Camel who seemed to be getting the better of the Oberleutenant. Jacob fired into the Camel who now dived away.

Jacob stayed with him and could hear the wind screaming through the wires of his Albatros as he dived towards the enemy aircraft.

The Camel leveled out and rolled right to try and get at Jacob but the Flugmeister was ready. They turned against each other but Jacob had speed after his dive and got a bead on the Camel. He put a burst into him and the Camel leveled out. Jacob hit him again and the Camel nosed down with his engine seized and crashed into the ground near Aertrycke airfield.

Jacob now saw the remaining Camels running for home and the Albatrosse heading for home. He joined up with Leutenant Heinrich and headed back himself.

They landed without incident and Jacob walked over to Oberleutenant Saschenberg as he climbed out.

"Danke meine freund" said Saschenberg as Jacob approached.

"I was in trouble there with that Camel. I watched you bring him down" explained the Oberleutenant.

Jacob was called to the Oberleutenant's office later that evening. "This has been a day for news here Flugmeister, terrible.....and excellent" Saschenberg began.

"I'm not sure I understand here Oberleutenant" said Jacob.

"You have two claims confirmed from today by me personally......and a local infantry Captain confirmed he saw your aircraft from yesterday crash, your claim from yesterday, is confirmed as well Herr Flugmeister" explained the Oberleutenant.

"That's 13 confirmed kills Jacob and I have confirmed this in my report to headquarters as well as mentioning your actions today which I believe warrant notice" finished Saschenberg

"Now, accompany me to the kasino if you would. The atmosphere is somewhat subdued after the news of von Richthofen but with the superb performance of the Jasta today, and you in particular. I think a celebration is in order" confirmed Saschenberg.

"......and Jacob.....thank you again" said Saschenberg

"What for Herr Oberleutenant?" asked Jacob

"Saving my life Herr Flugmeister" finished Saschenberg as they walked out of the office.

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"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."
#4565629 - 04/22/21 11:19 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
Joined: May 2012
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epower Offline
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Lou - Always fun to create an adventure with DID comrades. We must take advantage of Oliver's time at Bertangles. In the meantime, Freddy needs to heal that leg, lest it become gammy... Gods! I completely forgot about the 'other' Ripper. Mind is going.

Ripper: Mandrake, in the name of Her Majesty and the Continental Congress come here and feed me this belt, boy!
Mandrake: Jack, I'd love to come. But, what's happened, you see, is the string in my leg's gone.
Ripper: The what?
Mandrake: The string. I never told you, but, you see, I've got a gammy leg. Oh dear. Gone. Shot off.

Albert - Sounds like the Camel got a head start on doing something stupid by turning left. Nice work and a most dramatic pic of the burning wreck.
So the Baron has gone to the House of Death God, and in Oliver's neighborhood too. Rather sad. The war seems a bit more impersonal with him gone. Congrats on the three victories! Then there was that minor detail about saving the CO. Well done indeed.

Carrick - Those blasted Triplanes are most wily. Nice that Jules has a fast plane and can disengage at will.

NR - Most unfortunate that No 64 Sqn is short of Cooper bombs. They make airfield raids so much more satisfying. I hope your Armamants Officer gets a supply soon. Excellent strafing and great pics of same. The new repair dynamic does have some consequences. Are 64 in Vipers yet? If so, you should be able to allocate reserve AC (regular SE5a) to other pilots.

Looks like the SimHQ code changed. Be aware that the right clicking menu is altered somewhat. To view an embedded image at full size you must now right click and select "Open image in new tab."

_________________________________

À la Recherche du Temps Perdu - Part 77



April 1918
84 Squadron RFC
Bertangles, France

One hell of a party last night. Major Douglas had the news of my Legion d’Honneur and added my name to the program. I left Freddy and returned to the hut I shared with Robin and Proccy, I found Babson holding a reddish-orange ribbon and my tunics under his arm.

“I’ll have these back to you presently, sir.”

We started with drinks in the Anteroom which I did my best to shun. Despite half an hour on the bag and a nap I was still feeling the effects of Freddy’s whiskey. Lt. Colonel F.V. “Tony” Holt, our Wing Commander, was an honored guest. He was a frequent presence during the chaos of the retreat, dropping by to check on the squadron every other day. Dinner started with oysters and champagne. Following a soup whose ingredients escape my memory, we dined on lamb, herbed potatoes, and a variety of winter vegetables. Dessert was custard that reminded me of Cook’s wonderful Spotted Dog. I couldn’t help but notice that our dining chairs felt a bit wobbly and that the dining table so splendidly decorated was not the one at which we usually sat. The Major and Captain Burke had planned well.

After the speechmaking concluded and Wing Commander Holt took his leave, the Old Man brought forth a deadly concoction in a large punchbowl. Bottoms up he ordered and each man drained his glass. Ghastly stuff! Is there any officer in the British Empire who can make a punch that doesn’t taste like petrol?!

The godawful witches’ brew called forth all manner of gleeful violence. The pent-up stress and restrained emotion of these past grueling weeks erupted in a wild spree. The binge was on! Chicken fights, with and without pillows, furniture smashed, objects hurled about, and the CO himself seized by his Flight Commanders and held feet first to the ceiling! The Maj was a sport and played along, leaving the trail of his lamp blackened boot prints across the ceiling of our mess.

I looked at Proccy, Ed Clear and Johnson, all wearing the white and purple ribbon. They were smiling ear to ear. To celebrate these first awards of my new squadron mates was the best part of the evening. Only last April, I was the greenhorn waiting at the No 1 ASD for the squadron transport. Not quite a year ago I received my own MC. Tonight, I was the old hand, a Chevalier of the Legion d’Honneur, marking 130 Huns but I still remembered the joy of that first decorations party with 54 Squadron. Everyone clapping me on the back saying “good show,” the feeling that I’d finally proven myself mixed with a sense of disbelief that it was really happening. O. A Winningstad MC. So many who were there that night had gone West. As I got progressively drunker, they returned.

Through the conjuration of memory, the power of Major’s alcoholic concoction, or some combination of the two, my dead appeared - the full complement, as they were in life. They walked the room, mingling like party guests. All my dead brothers from 54 - Duxbury, Pixley, Grevelink, Sutcliffe…Hill who’d crashed into the tree the day we transferred to Bray Dunes. 56 came and with them, the men I couldn’t save: Cawson, Wilkinson, Cowan, Preston-Cobb and Townsend. Arthur was there of course, smiling as he always did. Maybery too, along with Steve Clement. I spoke to them but they remained silent. Whatever power brought them forth soon expended itself and the phantasm dispersed as quickly as it formed.

“Who were you talking to, Ripper?” asked Robin. “Come along now, I need your help.”

With much of the steam let off, Robin got us going on a singsong from Cinquante Quatre. He left 54 squadron before the book arrived but he knew all the old songs as did the others. Those still standing joined in and all finished with a rousing chorus of “because we’re 84” which drowned out my singing the old 54 lyric. I’m not sure how it started but by the end of the night everyone was calling me Ripper, even the Maj. It had to be Robin. I don’t recall much after that. Vague memories of Proccy helping me to our hut.

I woke to a stabbing headache, the sound of rain, and Babson’s whispered voice informing me that the morning patrol was washed out. I suspect Major Douglas knew that would be the case all along, hence the lethal punch.

“Here’s some water, sir, and I’ve brought you some aspirins,” said Babson.

Grunting my incoherent thanks, I swallowed the proffered pills and returned to the embrace of Morpheus. I woke again at 10.00. The weather continued foul but my headache was much reduced. Babson to the rescue, bless him. The field here was swamped. We wouldn’t be going up even if the skies cleared. Thank the Gods! I struggled to dress then staggered down to the mess. A fine English breakfast with an extra rasher of fatty bacon set me right. The perimeter of the West field and adjoining Poulainville I judged to be just over two miles. Following a jog around this circuit I gave the bag an hour of my best. When I finished, exhausted, last night’s poison was burned from my brain and body.

Overdue mail continues to find us. Today, a letter from Vera Brittain.

[Linked Image]



19 April 1918
84 Squadron RFC
Bertangles, France


Snow this morning giving way to hail storms. The sun fought through in brief intervals but the high winds and unpredictable weather put paid to any thought of flying. Major Douglas was off in the squadron Crossley leaving me stranded at Bertangles, but by the afternoon I’d procured a lorry. Conscripting 2 /AM Knight, the rifle-wielding scourge of low flying Albatri, as driver, I set forth towards Corbie intent on finding Madame de Rochefort. The roads were crowded and increasingly quagmired. More than once Knight sent us precariously over the shoulder to pass a vehicle struggling in the Spring mud.

Australians held Corbie. These were the same troops we’d fought to support since arriving at Bertangles two weeks ago. The town showed some evidence of shelling but was largely intact. Many of the shops along the Rue de Faidherbe were still open despite the proximity of the Hun.

The Café Fou was closed but through the window I could see the tablecloths laid out and other signs of recent activity. I tore a page from my notebook and dashed off a quick missive which I slid under the door. A locked iron gate barred the courtyard of L’Hotel. Leaves swirled across the flagstones. I could see no evidence of habitation.

2/AM Knight turned the lorry about and as we drove back up the Rue toward the main road to Amiens we passed a familiar looking figure. In response to my sudden call to stop, Knight rather dramatically applied full brake, bringing us to a screeching halt. I was off the lorry in a flash.

The man was none other than the dashing and enigmatic M. Du Guesclin. As I approached, he recognized me and his eyes lingered briefly on the new red-orange ribbon.

“Bon jour, Chevalier,” he said drily. “One is pleased to see that you remain among the living.”

The old man was still the very image of vigor. Not a hair appeared out of place in the great silver mane and his Napoleon III beard remained as majestic as ever.

“Monsieur du Guesclin! You look well. I am happy to find you.”

“If you have come to see Madame, I must disappoint you.” he said. “She will not return until the 23rd.”

“Perhaps it would be best if she did not, Monsieur. The Boche are preparing an attack. I can see them from the air. They will come will come for Corbie any day now.”

“On ne passe pas!” he exclaimed.

“That may be,” I replied, “but the artillery will fall like rain. It will be very dangerous to stay here.”

“What you say is true, but Madame will never leave Corbie and I shall not desert her. One must trust in God and the Antipodeans you see here.” He gestured at a passing column of Australians. ‘If you have a message for Madame…”

I wrote another brief note and gave it to the old man.

“Au Revoir, Chevalier,” he said, then nodded and continued on his way.

Our road home brought us back through the main square.

[Linked Image]
We passed the Corbie Church as the afternoon sun made a brief appearance.

Last edited by epower; 04/23/21 11:54 AM.
#4565637 - 04/23/21 12:47 AM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
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Tross - Indeed, that one actually turned out a lot better! Less shame and perhaps more a blessing, given it would've been just the three British musketeers against an entire Hun armada. Though the skies have indeed been quite empty.
Good one with saving Saschenburg, Jacob's sure doing a good job keeping his comrades alive.

Epower - If the amount of ground attacks keeps up, it would certainly help out a whole ton to have them! Those MGs really aren't ideal for blowing up hangers, eh? The 64 is indeed flying Vipers. Admittely I've not messed much with the reserves and aircraft allocation, though I don't think we had all that much in reserves. Thankfully the damage is only light so far so repairs are quick.
Of course such an occasion warrants a celebration, though it seems the drink may have been a tad TOO strong.




2/LT Dean Andrews Cunningham
№64 Squadron RAF
Izles-Les-Hameux, Flanders
April 22nd, 1918.



Another largely uneventful day today with one patrol of clear but most empty skies, and a sadly wasted scramble that failed to result in anything. On a brighter note though, our mechanics have managed to bring back most of the SE5s into flyable condition again, so we can fly once more with larger sized flights comparable to the Boches themselves, now flying with six planes in each flight.

In the morning we were ordered to fly towards Lens in order to patrol the Hun lines and see if we manage to catch any interlopers trying to cross the lines or any huns doing patrols of their own. Takeoff and the climb towards the Hun lines went without a hitch, as did the patrol itself, as with the exception of the occasional Archie fire from the ground we simply didn't see anyone else up there except for us. Dejected but having completed our patrol, we turned for home and flew on until we landed, again without any trouble.

This afternoon however a surprise came in the form of blaring sirens. An entire flight of Huns was spotted crossing the lines and now aggressively headed straight in our direction. We were to take our machines from the field and take off into the blue to chase them off or otherwise deal with the daring Hun raiders. Climbing into my craft and not long after rising upwards into the air I felt a sense of excitement, hoping that finally I would get a chance to deliver the payback for my injuries onto the Hun, the feeling only intensified from looking up and seeing them up there, smugly flying not that high above us. Unfortunately it seems that this just wasn't meant to be, as the moment we took off and begun climbing they dispersed and turned back heading for Germany. By the time we were at altitude there was simply no sight of them and after circling for a while longer we landed back at our field, finding that no one reported any form of damages. Whether we were not the target or we managed to scare them off before they could attack, the Hun was still driven away and no damage was done. Good riddance.

Attached Files Shot04-23-21-00-08-49.jpgShot04-23-21-00-26-33.jpgShot04-23-21-00-28-20.jpg

"Those who survive a long time on the battlefield start to think they're invincible.
I bet you do, too, Buddy."
#4565642 - 04/23/21 01:44 AM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
Joined: Aug 2010
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carrick58 Offline
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Jules M. Dubra
Sgt, Esc 26
Hetomesnil, Aerodrome
Marne

1 Unconfirmed


April 22, 1918

Exhausting, Two flights both line patrols with e/a contact.

Dawn and off the Esc went 11 a/c. over the lines it got confusing. We were level at height in two flights then nobody . I scanned the skies and spotted a Spad diving down and to my port so wingover and down. Looking around I saw a lone dot headed for the enemy side of the lines I put my mount in a shallow dive and caught up to a Vee Strut type . I hosed away with my Mg in short staccato firings from 200 yards then 100 yards, 75 yards A Buff of smoke then a long trail. A flame broke out and quickly consumed the entire a/c going strait down.. After landing the Flight Lt. chewed on me for not watching for his instructions, but backed off when hearing of my Victory. which was rejected for lack of witness. The Esc claimed 4 a/c including mine. no losses 3 damaged.

Afternoon: Got into a shoot em up with V struts who had blue tails They appeared to want a turn fight . I closed on one he made a sharpe turn i cut sharpe one and nearly fell out of the sky. I guess I was going too slow. nearing the ground was a terrible feeling then the machine leveled and regained flying speed. Full power I went home. No losses both sides, but 1 Spad driver wnd.

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Last edited by carrick58; 04/23/21 01:50 AM.
#4565660 - 04/23/21 05:29 AM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: epower]  
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Lake Louise, AB Canada
Originally Posted by epower

À la Recherche du Temps Perdu - Part 77
We passed the Corbie Church as the afternoon sun made a brief appearance.


A view of the Abbatiale after Kaiserschlacht:



Attached Files AbbatialeCorbie resize.JPG

We will remember them.
#4565684 - 04/23/21 11:58 AM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
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epower Offline
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Shredward - Corbie is about to catch all manner of hell.

#4565686 - 04/23/21 12:01 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 4,879
RAF_Louvert Offline
BOC President; Pilot Extraordinaire; Humble Man
RAF_Louvert  Offline
BOC President; Pilot Extraordinaire; Humble Man
Senior Member

Joined: May 2012
Posts: 4,879
L'Etoile du Nord
.

Shredward - Another project for our 3-D modelers perhaps?

Carrick - That was quite the flamer, well captured with those screenshots.

NotRelevant - Those Ack Emmas really do earn their keep, don't they. A quiet outing or two for Dean and his team isn't a bad thing, considering what they've had to go through recently.

Albert - With the Baron gone, the remaining fliegers will have to work just that much harder, and it appears Jacob is doing just that. 13, let's hope it's a lucky number for your man. Love that one shot of the French B/R bus falling right in front of him.

Epower - "Purity of Essence", that's what it's all about. Now to your Ripper, that was quite the awards binge his CO put on. Wonderful stuff! And a letter from Vera. It seems our Miss Brittain is quite the American fan, (if the term "groupie" weren't so anachronistic I'd use it here). Too bad about Madame de Rochefort being out when Oliver called on her; ah well, next time.

.

23 April 1918
65 Squadron R.F.C.
Bertangles, France

Captain Abbott is still serving as OD while his leg heals, which it is doing, albeit slowly. Yesterday he got some exercise when he went to see the burial of Richthofen. It was shortly past afternoon tea when he hobbled down to the crossroads that divided the west and east fields at Bertangles from the field at Poulainville to the south. On his freshly brushed tunic flashed the bright red-orange ribbon of the French Legion of Honour, which Corporal Coles had deftly sewn on the previous morning, having first removed and repositioned Abbott's other ribbons to put them in proper order and to center the row above the pocket. Along with this, Coles had also added the rosette to the DSO ribbon for Freddy's second award of that gong, and finished up by fitting the third Wounded Stripe to the sleeve. No question about it, Freddy looked a proper hero now indeed as he walked along, cane in hand, towards the crossroads. And he was not alone in his walk. Nearly every available RAF pilot, along with a fair number of ORs and AMs, had also gone to watch the procession. The Aussies of No. 3 Squadron, who were currently stationed at Poulainville, had taken charge of the whole affair, even providing a twenty-five man firing party. Freddy watched as the tender carrying the coffin covered in wreaths rolled slowly by, followed be the rifle squad, and a line of vehicles carrying visiting officers, dignitaries, and several press correspondents. Freddy limped along the edge of the road, doing his best to keep up with the procession, when a French major in the back of a trailing staff car, seeing the Captain's handicap, called out and offered him a lift to the cemetery. Abbott flashed his toothy grin, gave a hearty thanks, and climbed into the front seat next to the man's driver, the back seat being occupied by the thoughtful major along with a French captain. When the two officers at the rear caught sight of Abbott's Légion d'honneur and Croix de Guerre avec Palme he was immediately welcomed as one of their own and the French captain insisted that they change seats as Freddy should have the place of privilege next to the major. Abbott tried to wave it off but his hosts were having none of it and the seat exchange was made as the car crawled along the dusty road towards the cemetery. Freddy's French was awful but he did his best to engage in conversation with his benefactors. Thankfully, the major spoke fairly good English and so talk went ahead in that tongue.

The late-afternoon sun of April pushed through a hazy, cloud-streaked sky, while the formal pomp and circumstance of the proceedings continued on at the gravesite. One would almost think they were burying royalty from the looks of it all, at least that's how Captain Abbott perceived it. He was not pleased that an enemy pilot, no matter who he was, was being shown such honour when the King's own fallen fliers were given little if any of this. It was barely a week ago that Freddy and the rest of the men from 65 Squadron had buried the charred remains of young Peabody after he'd been killed, on his very first outing, by Richthofen and his gang. No grand procession for that poor lad, just a few words said by his companions as they plopped him in the ground and covered him up, placing a simple wooden cross to show he'd ever been here at all. Common courtesy and respect by providing a decent burial for the enemy you've killed is one thing, but this? It was an insult to fighting soldiers of the Crown everywhere.

When the bulk of the ceremony was done Captain Abbott stood and watched the grave detail fill in the hole. "Good riddance", he thought to himself, as the earth was being tossed onto the coffin. Numerous officers were parading by, offering a salute to the vanquished foe. Frederick was asked by an Aussie captain if he would like to do the same, to which the young ace replied, "Salute him? Haw! I'm glad he's dead. I will drink a toast to him though when I return to camp, and hope that the rest of the Circus follows him down shortly."



[Linked Image]

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#4565699 - 04/23/21 02:31 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
carrick58 Offline
Hotshot
carrick58  Offline
Hotshot

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
Shredward : What a Magnificent structure the Abbatiale after Kaiserschlacht:. I would love to be walking in and around that structure for hours.

RAF Lou: A great photo

#4565701 - 04/23/21 03:34 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 2,105
Raine Offline
Member
Raine  Offline
Member

Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 2,105
New Brunswick, Canada
Albert – Jacob continues to impress. I suspect some bling will be in his future soon.

EPower – wonderful couple of episodes. I love the crossover with Freddie. And since I'm in the middle of reading "Testament of Youth," the Vera Brittain letter was interesting. I recall her description of seeing Americans for the first time marching past the hospital. You captured it very well. Also, she refers to Oliver as her American aviator – a term she used for a fellow she went to a few shows with when back in London later in the year. I wonder what the connection is???

Not relevant – Cunningham has had a few quiet days. As much as you want to get in a scrap, you need a few of those to survive.

Carrick – you seem to be doing well with the Spad. Are you still on the Spad 7?

Lou – great photo. My eyes are drawn to the poor Chinese Labour Corps fellow looking over the hedge. He is probably thinking that there are at least a hundred round-eyes standing about looking sanctimonious but when it's all done, I'll be the only one with a shovel filling in the bloody holes.

#4565706 - 04/23/21 03:58 PM Re: Deep Immersion DiD campaign -- Player Instructions (UPDATED 28 Nov 2018) [Re: Raine]  
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 737
epower Offline
Artless Aide-de-camp
epower  Offline
Artless Aide-de-camp
Member

Joined: May 2012
Posts: 737
Raine - Crossover with Freddy is always a good time, even moreso since I don't always have a sense of how he'll react to things. The man is a bit of a cipher.

You are kind to say so but "Capturing" the scene is much easier when one quotes entire passages verbatim from primary sources biggrin Glad you enjoyed. I did see the other 'American Airman' a bit later on in Testament which gave me the idea.

Last edited by epower; 04/23/21 04:01 PM.
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