Zones A & C
Lunch at the officer's mess:
"Hey, sit over here, Bert! Did you see how the Lieutenant 'evaluated' the triplane?"
"What to do you mean, CJ?"
"When the bloody Baron and his wingman attacked us."
"Yes, that was a shame about Milford. Here for a couple days, wounded, then shot down on his first day back. I hope the Germans take good care of him. You were lucky to get away when the Baron's guns jammed."
"'A shame,' nothing, Bert! Ralph was thrown to the wolves. Grün had a chance at a head-on with the wingman, and he funked it. He can file a report saying he's thoroughly tested the triplane's buggering-off capabilities."
"It was a dogfight, CJ. Anything could have happened."
"And that's exactly what the Major would say if I tried to raise a fuss. But that triplane stands out like a sore thumb — I know what I saw."
"The Lieutenant brought us back right along the trench lines. There was nothing windy about that."
"Don't make me laugh, Bert! After bringing us halfway to bloody Belgium, if he'd taken the back route on the return, the rest of us in SPADs would have gone down out of petrol, and he'd be exposed. I don't know why the Major made Grün acting flight leader, anyway. Lumley would have done better. He was a man."
"Fat lot of good being 'a man' did him, CJ. The only thing that came out of the fireball when that balloon exploded was his engine."
"Well, I was glad to see you come out unscathed when yours exploded."
"And that was some nice work with the rockets when you put half your salvo into that first balloon."
"Look, we can sit here and congratulate each other all day, Bert, but it won't count for much when we get in a tight spot and Grün's nowhere to be found. You'd better just watch your tail for yourself when we go out to strafe trenches this afternoon."
****************
- Victory Points
- Three Balloons Destroyed (Carson-Jeffries, Lumley, Kerneels-Pépin) +75
One Allied Aircrew Killed (Lumley) -30
One Allied Aircrew Captured w/ Serious Injuries (Milford) -25
Two Allied Scouts Destroyed (Lumley, Milford) -10
Mission Offset -20 - Total -20
1 comment:
I was expecting about +80 points for this mission. Six pilots out looking for balloons in cloudy and worsening weather. What more could I wish for?
Lumley's death was just bad luck, but I'm getting fed up with Grün escaping and taking his "5 B" rating with him. I suppose it gives him personality.
The pilot being attacked when the Red Baron's gun jammed shouldn't have been able to escape with the rest of the flight. I don't know what I was thinking at the time, although it may have been a result of my not using the Air-to-Air display. I've played so much that the display is wearing out (I think my fingernails have been nicking the ink when I try to pick up the thin plastic counters).
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