Wings over Gallipoli

Last Wednesday at the NWS Stephen N ran a semi historical encounter set in the skies above a somewhat greener Gallipoli featuring a lone Turkish Fokker E.III KUVVA-1 HAVVAIYE * 6 BOLUK (well that is what is written on the card) flown by Hauptmann Hans Joachim Buddecke intercepting three Allied planes.

I got to play the Turk.

While greatly outnumbered, Stephen did give me some special abilities: avoid green gun jams, no need to do a straight after an Immelmann, fire first and something about avoiding being tailed.  Sorry I don't recall the much more attractive terms used for these abilities.  As will be seen only one, associated with an Immelmann, was actually used.

The game started with a surprise attack and I must have got a good shot in as the green plane started smoking.

Unfortunately my new smoke marker, which Stephen kept referring to as Marge Simpson, was a bit too heavy for the gimbal mounted plane

Of course, well positioned for follow up attacks I find my gun has jammed.  Not one that my special abilities could over ride either.

I pursued, concerned that the enemy were getting away.  At least it gave me time to clear the jam.

They had scattered and the green plane had dived.  However I found that by side slipping I could actually gain on them.

And gain I did.

The red nosed monoplane suffers catastrophic damage (i.e. the explosion card) and plummets.

The target of the Allied mission is now in view.  Their aim was to photograph a Turkish warship.  It might have borne a strong resemblance to the Goeben, but we are not saying.

My plane is above the other two, but I'm diving down.

And firing my gun into the yellow plane.  The green plane is firing at me, but it is largely ineffective.  My shooting not so and the yellow plane bursts into flames.

We were close, very close.  I think it is unfair that planes can't fire when their bases over lap, but such are the rules.

My Immelmann turn.  Now to use my skills.

Instead of having to go straight I turn and I am back on the green plane's tail, giving it a burst.

It didn't take much.

The yellow plane burnt up and went down as well.

Game over.

 In all I took just 2 damage points in two cards (0 and 2), but as these 1915 model planes only have about 10 or 11 all up, it soon adds up.  One reason why the yellow and green planes went down.

I was just amazingly lucky, perhaps aided by the Allies (Mark B and Simon C) sticking to mission and not attempting to really engage me in aerial combat.  We were only given 18 turns and had used up about 10 by the time we finished (which left just enough for the Allies to fly home if they had survived.