Wednesday, June 2, 2021

A Roland C.II comes loaded with bombs!

This is an attempt to use Wings of Glory on a hex mat. We use hexes in order to simplify play over the Internet while staying isolated at home. Each aircraft has a number of different manoeuvres it can perform, but instead of being represented by arrows they are represented by hexes traversed. The Roland C.II was flying using my autopilot rules.

The German HQ decided that an early morning raid on the Allied aerodrome was a good way to teach a lesson to the bothersome Brits. A Roland C.II was loaded with bombs and set off just as dawn broke, escorted by a pair of Fokker D.VIIs.

Two RFC pilots, Lieutenants Mathew Winterbottom and Sidney Smythe, were planning on patrolling over the trenches, they climbed into their Sopwith Camels and took off from the aerodrome. Mathew Winterbottom flew his grey-nosed Sopwith Camel with stripes on the fuselage and St John Somerset flew his red-nosed Camel with two hearts painted on the top wing.

As they climbed away from the aerodrome, they spotted the three approaching Hun aeroplanes.

Turn 1:
Mathew Winterbottom slide-slipped his Camel as the other planes flew straight.

Turn 2:
The two Fokkers side slipped away from the Roland, The Roland and the Camels continued straight, 

Turn 3:
The Fokker and Camel scouts met head on as the Roland continues straight towards the target,

They exchanged fire at long range, the Red Fokker started to smoke from its engine.

Turn 4:
Mathew Winterbottom and the Red Fokker met head-on. Smythe turned in to attack the Roland and was himself attacked by the Blue Fokker.

Mathew Winterbottom and the Red Fokker exchanged bursts at close range. Sidney Smythe fired at the Roland, and its observer returned fire. The Blue Fokker fired into Smythe at close range.

Turn 5:
Mathew Winterbottom and the Red Fokker danced around each other hoping for an advantage, The Roland turned right trying to dodge Sidney Smythe's incoming Camel. The Blue Fokker got onto the Camels tail,

The Camel and the Roland had a near miss mid air. [when they should have ended movement in the same hex, each received an A damage card].

Both the Fokker and the Roland opened fire at short range, Flames started shooting out from the Camel's engine.

Lieutenant Sidney Smythe's Camel tumbled earthwards, another kill for the dastardly Hun.

Turn 6:
Lieutenant St John Somerset hearing the approaching Huns, dropped is bacon sandwich and ran from the Officers' Mess to his Sopwith Camel. Behind him, the squadron mascot Toby pounced on the bacon sandwich. St John's Camel raced down the runway and took off.

Mathew Winterbottom turned his Camel to attack the Roland. The Roland and one Fokker headed towards the target while the second Fokker attacked Winterbottom.

The Red Fokker opened fire on Mathew Winterbottom at close range. The Roland's observer opened fire at Winterbottom's Camel at long range and he returned fire.

Turn 7:
Having taken off, St John Somerset turned his Camel to face the Blur Fokker head-on. The Roland continued towards its target, Mathew Winterbottom dodged to the right, so the Red Fokker didn't get in a shot.

St John Somerset and the Blue Fokker exchanged devastating bursts of machine-gun fire close range, with Somerset being wounded. 

Turn 8:
St John Somerset turned in to attack the Roland, bravely ignoring the Blue Fokker behind him. Mathew Winterbottom turned onto the tail of the Roland, determined to attack regardless of what the Red Fokker did.

Mathew Winterbottom and St John Somerset both opened fire on the Roland, Smythe's machine-guns jammed.

Both Fokkers opened fire on the Camels, and the machine-guns in both Fokkers jammed!

The observer in the Roland returned the fire from St John Somerset.

The Roland could take no more damage, a shared kill to Mathew Winterbottom and St John Somerset.

Turns 9 and 10:
The dogfight became somewhat confused, when 3 out of 4 aircraft had jammed machine-guns.

Turn 11:
St John Somerset turned onto the tail of the Blue Fokker. Mathew Winterbottom med the Red Fokker head-on.

Luckily St John Somerset had managed to unjam his machine-guns, so he opened fire on the Blue Fokker, causing it to catch fire.

Mathew Winterbottom opened fire on the Red Fokker, but its pilot was still trying hard to unjam his guns, and thus couldn't return fire.

This was too much damage, the Red Fokker could fly no more, one kill for Mathew Winterbottom!

Turn 12:
The Red Fokker, no on fire, turned in a desperate attempt to fight St John Somerset, but couldn't manage to unjam its machine-guns.

St John Somerset opened fire, wounding his opponent.

This was too much damage, the Blue Fokker could fly no more and crashed one the outskirts of the aerodrome, one kill for St John Somerset!

Both RFC pilots landed safely to the congratulations of the whole aerodrome and the adulation of Toby, who immediately lifted his leg and peed on the starboard wheel of St John Somerset's Camel.


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