Fullofit, he did it in his cozy home in the US!

Fullofit - I wouldn't have imagined any another ending for Klaus than with a bang. Unfortunately, not that type of bang though, perishing, testing a new jet. You can clearly see the F86 and MiG 15 in that aircraft. I did know about the Albatros/FW/Messerschmitt/Airbus connection....small world, especially where big business is involved.

Albert, there was no other path for this pilot. C'est la guerre.

Now that the awards have been handed out and the end credits have rolled, it's time for bloopers. Yes?
Here's one of the Entente pilots testing those new parachute things, without actually putting the equipment on.

YouTube Link

Ha! Are you sure it wasn't a jet pack? He seemed to be zipping along pretty good there.

Or, Rocketman: The Early Years.

Bob, you might be right. It sort of looks like it and would explain why I had difficult time keeping up with the boy. The question is, why use an aeroplane in the first place?

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Albert - A rich, full life for Werner! That was a wonderful final episode to your brave flieger's story - well done.

Raine - I was sad to learn that Fergie died much too soon, but was gladdened that he was able to build a good life for himself and his family during the interwar years. And rubbing elbows with the Hollywood elite of the day, hard to top that. A lovely epilogue.

Fullofit - How fitting that Klaus should go doing the thing he loved the most, and as a test pilot no less. Quite sad though that he suffered demons in his later years, but a credit to his inner strength that he did not listen to the voices. A fine ending to his tale. As for that blooper reel, more of a paranormalchute there.

Epower - I know your finale is in the works, and I look forward with sweet anticipation to reading it. So many loose threads to tie up!


Congratulations to all those who lived to tell their stories, and condolences to all those brave lads we lost over the years. As for Freddy, here's a brief bit of what has and will happen to our smiling fellow:


On the 15th of November 43 Squadron was ordered to move to Bissighem where, as fate would have it, they were to serve as the replacements for 24 Squadron, led by Freddy's old chum, Major Oliver Winningstad. The two aces had little time to catch up however as Ripper and his crew left the next day. Not but nine days following, 43 Squadron moved again, this time to Fort Cognelée in Belgium. And again, three weeks after that, was sent further on to Bickendorf aerodrome in Cologne as part of the "British Army of the Rhine". They would stay in Germany as part of the occupation for another eight months.

While in Germany, on 30 January 1919, Major Abbott turned twenty, and on that same day received the Belgian Order of Leopold, as well as his trust fund and portfolio valued at the then princely sum of fifteen thousand pounds sterling. (His investments would continue to grow throughout the decades, peaking in the late 1970's when his net worth at that time was well in excess of six million pounds.)

However, less than a week after his twentieth birthday, the young man was dealt a wretched blow when Nurse Ellison, while serving at a rehabilitation hospital in southern England, succumbed to the Spanish Flu. Freddy, like nearly everyone at the time, had already lost many friends to the pandemic and the war. But Lizzie's death hit him far harder than anyone else's ever had, and the loss would linger with him for years to come. (So much so in fact that, just prior to the outbreak of WWII, he established the Elizabeth Ellison Nurses' Trust which, throughout the war and for the decades following, provided monetary aid and assistance to any young woman wishing to become a trained and registered nurse.)

In August 1919 43 squadron was at last recalled from Germany and returned to England where it was stationed at RAF Spitalgate. It was here that Major Abbott became Wing Commander Abbott when the new RAF ranks were officially adopted, and in the process he himself was given a promotion. Four months later his time with 43 Squadron ended when the outfit was officially disbanded on 31 December 1919. It was a bittersweet celebration as it meant an end at last to their war service as well as their fellowship. It was also a blowout for the record books.

By this time Wing Commander Abbott was deeply despising the growing communist movement and everything it stood for, as indeed all those of the landed gentry did. In an effort to do something about it he volunteered to serve as a military aviation attaché to Poland, hoping his skills and expertise in aerial warfare might again prove useful, this time in battling the Bolsheviks. In the spring of 1920 he travelled to Poland with a group of hand-picked Ack Emmas, along with a shipment of Bristol F.2Bs and Sopwith Camels the Polish government had purchased from England. He and his men would act as flying instructor and trainers respectively to the new squadrons being formed to stem the Bolshevik offensive pushing westward.


"The Bolsheviks, the Bolsheviks, we love to kill the Bolsheviks!"



(to be continued)

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Lou, a terrible news of nurse Ellison’s untimely death. Something Freddy didn’t see coming. Then he, himself was discarded like a pair of socks worn for three weeks straight. Such is the way of the military. I hope that he was able to console himself while fighting the Bolsheviks by meeting a Polish nurse and please, please tell us he dipped into his trust fund to build a distillery which later would be famous for its finest product: “Wódka Abbotta”.
Hopefully we will be able to read Freddy’s further adventures in ‘39 when he takes his trusty PZL P-11c during the invasion and shoots down a far superior Bf-109, then makes his way back to France and returns to England via Dunkirk when he realizes another trench war was about to begin between England and the rest of Europe. 1940 … oh wait, you’re the one telling the story. I’ll just have to shut up and be patient. There is more to Freddy’s story, isn’t there?

Lou - I agree with Fullofit, a real kick in the gulags about Lizzie's death, what a horrible thing to happen. Freddy was moved around like the rest of the RAF was in 1918 and 1919 but finally got a chance to fight against the communists. He might find himself fighting alongside the very people he was up against not long ago. As for Werner, he made a choice to make a life in the free world rather than have one made for him under dictatorship.

Award update. I finally have the awards finished. The finish is drying on them as I speak. I hope to post some pics next week. Hopefully they will be off to their recipients Monday. All the best gents! Hope to see you all in the next Campaign.

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MFair - I can't wait to see what you've crafted Sir, but I guess I'll have to.

Albert - You're right, Freddy may indeed end up on the same side as those he was trying to kill just a few months before. War is a funny thing, the enemy of my enemy and all that.

Fullofit - Yes indeed, Lizzie's death was terrible, and so unfair. As for Freddy being discarded by the RAF, it was rather that HQ wanted to move him into a desk job after 43 Squadron was broken up. Fortunately Abbott was able to convince them he'd be of more use as an RAF liaison to the Poles. No chance of Freddy in a PZL P-11c though as he will be leaving Poland shortly after the Battle of Warsaw and head home. And he will definitely be spending some of his trust fund, but not on a distillery, at least not yet. Details to be forthcoming.

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Tross - Likewise, it was an entertaining read with your stories!
Good that Werner manages to have himself a decent life with some more action after the war while avoiding the situation in Europe once it properly unfolds, more or less. Shame about his son though.

Epower - Well, it's good to be enthusiastic. And hopefully the next one will be just as good! Sure it will be, in fact.
And what a great story you've managed to write up through all this.

Raine - Of course. And I certainly will be here for the next one, too much fun to turn it down, haha!
And so the story of Drummond too comes to an end. It too was a great one!

Fullofit - For Klaus, it seems things have been up and down then. Enduring through the second war must've been a journey with such things as losing his cousin. At least he died doing what he made a life out of; flying.
As for the blooper, ah. That is... exquisite.

RAF - The death of Lizzie certainly must've been hard then, alas poor Abbott. At least now he's going to have something new to do with his time helping deal with the Reds. Reckon a distillery would've been a pretty good investment!

Here are the 3 award platters. Raine and Lou's platters are engraved on the back by me. If I'm alive and still turning wood, I'll do a few for the next campaign.

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MFair - Those look marvelous! Beautiful work, thanks again for your thoughtful gift Sir.

NR - Distilleries are ALWAYS a good investment.

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Freddy's Story

(the continuation, part two)

1920 - At the end of May, Wing Commander Frederick Abbott and his small band of AMs arrived at Mokotow airfield just outside of Warsaw and set to work showing their Polish counterparts how to make full use of the Bristol F2.Bs and Sopwith Camels the Lotnictwo Wojskowe had received from Great Britain. While Abbott's men gave instructions on the peculiarities and tricks of rigging, trimming, and maintaining the mounts, Freddy showed the eager pilots how best to fly and fight in them. It turned out to be an outstanding collaboration despite the language barrier that stood between England's own and the sons of Poland. And the effort paid off when, in August, the decisive battles were fought that stopped the tide of communism from sweeping across not only Poland but central and western Europe as well.

In another fortuitous twist of fate, Frederick Abbott and Oliver Winningstad would here be reunited yet again during the hostilities. On the 17th of August, Freddy had flown with a group of three Bristols down to Lwów to assist the Kościuszko Squadron engaged in intense ground attacks against the Red Cavalry there. After one of the numerous bombing sorties, while Abbott was waiting on the field as the ground crews prepared the planes for yet another go, a lone Albatros D.Va sporting the red-and-white checkerboard of the Polish Air Force was spotted trailing smoke and attempting to make the field. It was clear it was going to come up slightly short, so Abbott took off at a run to meet it should the pilot need help exiting his failing mount. His long legs got him there just as the V-strutter settled onto the grass and rolled to a stop, still smoking but fortunately not catching fire. The fellow climbing down from the cockpit was recognized immediately.

"HAW! Ripper old sport, shot down again eh?"

The two friends had a marvelous catch-up once the fighting was over, and while each went their separate ways again shortly thereafter, both men felt certain they would share another adventure somewhere down the road. In fact, before leaving Poland they did share one thing more. Each was awarded the Krzyż Walecznych, (the Polish Cross of Valour), for their courageous contributions during “The Miracle on the Wisła”.

In late September Wing Commander Abbott retuned to England. He'd had his fill of aerial warfare and was ready for a change. The RAF wanted to move him into an administrative position, but Freddy had other plans. The close of 1920 saw him surrend his commission, and he left military service for fresh fields. A new year was coming and with it new opportunities. With some of his wealth Abbott ordered up a brand new Supermarine Channel flying boat and by March of 1921 was on his way with it, winging down to the Mediterranean. At last, flying for the sheer, unadulterated joy of it!




(to be continued)

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Fullofit – excellent story. You sent me down the rabbit hole in search of more information about Kurt Tank’s last jet in Argentina. There was an interesting Mark Felton YouTube film about it. That pilot needed a reminder that simply pretending to have a parachute was only marginally effective.

Kebab – Schutzmeier had a chuckle at Goering’s expense, I hear. Hope he does well in the US.

Lou – tragic about Nurse Ellison. Freddie did himself proud in Poland. And I’m glad to see that the Polish propaganda posters don’t go too far in dehumanising the Russians! Now, what new adventures or fair maidens await Freddie in the Mediterranean? By the way, hats off to you and many thanks for your post war decorations. Our pilots are all going to have very attractive "I love me" walls in their homes.

MFair – what can I say? You seem to be a master in everything you turn your hand to. The platters are absolutely beautiful. Thank you so much. It was extremely thoughtful. And we haven’t forgotten that your generous sponsorship of OBD has helped to make the latest iterations of WOFF and WOTR possible.

Now, regarding DiD IV:

EPower and I have been playing around with the house rules for the next campaign. We are considering starting DiD IV right after New Year, but the in-game campaign dates will begin in June 1915. Throughout January and February 2022, right up to Saturday, 5 March 2022, we will play the period from 1 June 1915 through until 5 March 1916 at a rate of one week real time being equal to one month in-game. We’ll print a schedule in the rules to help keep this straight. From 6 March 2022 until the end in November 2024, we will play day for day like we use to, with 2022 being 1916.

We are all becoming very good at this war flying thing and victory counts of more than a hundred are now fairly common (yes, Fullofit, Epower, and Lou – we're looking at you). So we are working on some house rules to ensure that we avoid overly high counts and that a confirmed victory is really a cause for a binge. Some of the rules under consideration are:

1) You may not attack EA below 1500 metres / 5000 feet if they are –

a. not part of a formation, AND
b. heading toward home, AND
c. over no man's land or over territory friendly to them.

This allows you to chase formations wherever you find them, to chase lone aircraft still at higher altitudes, and to chase any EA at any altitude who are still over your own territory.

2) You can claim a balloon kill only if you are part of a balloon strafing mission, in which case you may claim only the target balloon. We would require Old Hat’s Balloon Archie mod and provide instructions for its installation.

3) You can attack enemy aircraft in the immediate vicinity of their aerodrome only if they are taking off and not if they are landing. In either case, you cannot attack an EA taking off or landing in the immediate vicinity of an enemy aerodrome unless you are assigned an airfield attack mission to that particular aerodrome.

4) You can't claim ground kills of enemy aircraft, even if they are on standby. You can, however, refer to them in your story.

5) EA landing intact in a field behind their own lines may not be claimed.

6) AI forward firing guns will now be set to Normal rather than Less Accurate. Rear guns remain set at Less Accurate.

7) If you choose, you may skip over a balloon attack provided that your pilot has already conducted a balloon attack earlier in that in-game calendar month. This simulates the practice of spreading the risk among the members of the squadron. If you are a subordinate pilot and want to skip a balloon strafe, change the fuel load for all three aircraft to 5% so that they quickly turn back to the home field. If you are flight commander, you may elect to return to base or fly another patrol wherever you choose.

8) If you are in enemy territory when you shoot down an enemy machine, you may claim it normally only if it burns, breaks up in midair, or is seen by you to crash in enemy territory. In all other cases, claims made for enemy machines shot down in hostile territory must be entered as “no witness” regardless of the in-game situation.

Feedback gratefully accepted!

Raine, these house rules sound the most fair. Also a wonderful compromise for us early war aficionados and who prefers to start in 1916. I'm 100% looking forward to it.

NR, I think Klaus preferred shooting down the French than crashing experimental planes into the ground, but it is what it is. Otherwise he’d grow old as one grumpy SoB.

MFair, outstanding work on those plates. Perhaps for the next DiD you could carve a life-sized replica of Blue Max for the winner?

Lou, another lovely episode of Freddy’s LAW (Life After War). Those Bolsheviks didn’t know what hit them and Oliver in an Albatros! I hope it was an Oeffag. Than a grand idea to get himself a flying boat and get his bones to the Mediterranean. Perhaps he could deliver fresh bananas with Klaus? Looking forward to the next chapter.

Raine, some lovely designs came out from Tank’s fountain pen.
So ground rules for DiD IV: A New Hope. Looks like you and Epower put your heads together to improve the experience. Some good ideas. I’m not sure I’m going to enjoy that “no engagement below 1500 m and not part of formation and etc.” Seems overly complicated.
I can definitely see someone quoting Maverick as an excuse: “We weren't below the hard deck for more than a few seconds. I had the shot. There was no danger. So I took it.”
Sometimes it’s difficult to tell if you are in friendly territory or over NML. The ground textures don’t correspond to the actual frontlines. Doesn’t seem realistic not to attack enemy over NML. And what if they attack you? Are they fair game? If there is a single enemy flight in early war is that considered a formation? How do I know if they’re heading home? If all these rules are to reduce the number of kills, then why not just divide the score by 10 and enjoy the hunt?
I do like the rule of not being able to claim planes on the ground.
BTW, “no witness” is not a handicap. Sometimes I get better results with no witness than if I were to provide the name of one of my blind wingmen.
Kudos for trying to raise the game for the next round.

Lou and Raine, it was my pleasure.
Fullofit, now that’s an idea! VC or Blue Max depending on the contributors pilot.

Raine, I like the concept of the new DID. I will need to digest the rules of engagement a bit, but seems reasonable. I will have to resurrect some good ol’ southern boy for the upcoming conflict.

MFair - Definetely some great work there with those!

RAF - Well of course. They add a lot to life.
What an interesting time and encounter in poland, and then, what's this then. Flying boats? Wonder what else could possibly happen there.

Raine - Those new rules sound fair and reasonable, though also must say that I feel like the first one in regards to formations/altitude and location may get a bit complicated and hard to read as far as situations go sometimes. Fullofit said it well enough, I reckon.

Fullofit - That much is true, obviously. Crashing certainly doesn't enhance the flight experience, but what can one do.

Lou - Freddy certainly did his duty and more out there in Poland and was justly rewarded. So now he owns his own flying boat and is off to sunnier climbs. Great tale and looking forward to the next one.

Mfair - Very fine work on those awards.

As for the rule changes, most seem ok. I'm unsure about the 'can't fight below 5000ft' one though. What if you're already in a fight that ends up down there? Given the preponderance for aircraft to dive out of the battle in WOFF, that's a certainty. I'm not in favour of the rules about attacking single aircraft? That's the very essence of the air war in late 15 early 16 surely?.

The other one I'd have qualms about is the 'Can only attack aircraft around their airfield if they're taking off, not landing'. How are you supposed to know what they're doing until you're already down there? If I've spotted enemy aircraft down below around an airfield and I choose to attack, if I subsequently find they are landing rather than taking off am I supposed to simply fly away? As Fullofit mentioned, what if they're attacking you?

I think rules about not following the enemy miles into enemy territory are fair and historically accurate. The rule changes around claims too seem fine to me. I'd maybe have one that says if claiming a kill in enemy territory you should name your witness and how he came to see your kill, if you can't do that you can't claim it.

Just my two-penneth worth chaps.