OTT-EYM Mission 12 - Last Man Home - 27th March 1917 by Baz
The original mission briefing can be found here
In the Eagle briefing room, the drawing room of the current chateau they were occupying, Tilkowski paced back and forth. Earlier Ltn Jurgen Grabowski had been sent up in the Roland D.II to escort a tandem machine sent over for a bit of artillery spotting and they were late back. He decided to send up Ltn Willi Schultz in the Black and white tailed Albatros D.III and Ltn Horst-Dieter Hottges in the Brown and Red tailed D.III. All his experienced pilots were already on patrol so this made him even more worried. The men were to meet up with the returning party and check everything was alright. He didn’t like the fact that they were over enemy lines, but that was the only way to see where the artillery boys were landing their shots. The Albatros CVII tandem was piloted by Vzfwbl Wolfgang Overath with Obltn Helmut Haller as observer/gunner and had in fact met with some Tommy resistance. The machine was showing some signs of damage as was Overath, who had copped a serious machine gun wound. Grabowski was on the lookout for Entente scouts as they came up to the lines.
Coincidentally, the Bulldogs were also missing a Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter piloted by 2Lt Alan Bowles/observer AM3 Ernest ‘Piggy’ Gammon which was late back from a bombing run over the lines, again the machine had taken flak damage and Bowles was not in the best of shape, a piece of shrapnel entering his right shoulder, luckily missing anything vital. Three Sopwith Pups had been sent up to retrieve this patrol.
This was the position as we join the action:
Schulz had stumbled upon the Bulldog tandem first and made a move to intercept it got too close and received a burst from Bowles which missed as he circled to get behind. Hottges had seen the Pups and headed off in their direction. The Pups continued to control the trenches for any sign.
Hottges closes on Pup 3 (2Lt Charles Harrup) and fires at short range, only for his guns to jam. Harrup returns fire and seems to have caused rudder damage and something smoking on the Albatros.
Pup 1, piloted by Lt John Ansell, adds to his misery at long range and a second smoke damage causes the Albatros to catch fire. Schulz receives a rear shot from Gammon, which misses as well, while he attempts to clear his jammed guns.
Overath flies towards the trenches while Grabowski scouts for enemies. Hottges has flown through the Pups but Gammon in the rear of the Strutter gets away a consecutive shot against Schulz at long range, grazing past his head with no serious wound.
The fire starts to burn on Hottges plane.
Harrup in Pup 3 spots the Albatros 2-seater and heads for it, loosing the gun at long range to minimal effect, the more experienced Overath causes major damage without hitting anything vital in return.
Harrup and Overath overlap over the trenches whilst Grabowski and Hottges try to close to provide support. Schulz is chasing the Sopwith but 2Lt Charles MacAndrew in Pup 2 puts himself in between and takes the long range shots meant for the tandem. His legs are shot up in the exchange causing major wounds and pain as he struggles to maintain control. He will need to try to return to the barn as his fight is over.
Schulz has MacAndrew in his sights again and makes it tell with two well aimed shots causing Pup 2 to start smoking. Hottges who has now I jammed his guns, hits Harrup at long range for minor damage, and Haller from the rear of the C.VII adds to his misery. Meanwhile the two tandems are now in long range of their front guns, Overath at long range just succeeds in jamming his gun, while Bowles also jams but causes more damage to the German tandem. The Pups are unable to get off any shots.
The fire on Hottges D.III is building, while Grabowski and Haller look on.
The two tandems overlap over no-man’s land, allowing Grabowski to finally catch up in the Roland. His first long range shot into the Strutter hits something vital and the Sopwith explodes in mid-air causing it to crash into the bomb craters below. Schulz stays on the tail of Pup 2 and MacAndrew and fires at short range for the third time, damaging the engine causing it to stall and fall out of control over enemy territory. Hottges misses his shot at Harrup in Pup 3.
Hottges doesn’t get it all his own way however, and MacAndrew hits at long range causing engine damage. Hottges will need to return to the chateau.
As Grabowski flies across MacAndrew he fires at long range but misses. Haller in the rear of the C.VII also warns off Ansell with a close miss from the rear gunner spot.
The fire peters out on Hottges plane.
As Overath and Hottges make for home the other scouts warily circle each other, looking for an opportunity.
Although Ansell in Pup 1 is giving chase, he won’t be able to catch the tandem now
Harrup Immelmanns to pick up Grabowski and Schulz who have overlapped.
Overath makes it off the map to safety.
MacAndrew in Pup 3 closes to short range on Schulz hitting his engine but jamming his guns. In return, Schulz hits Pup 3 for rudder damage, with Grabowski unable to add to the damage from long range, but this is enough to bring him down just behind friendly lines.
Ansell in Pup 1 performs a Split-S to head back towards the action.
Hottges and Grabowski hit Ansell from both sides in an Albatros sandwich causing the machine to catch fire (Grabowski jams his guns). Ansell fires on Schulz for minor rudder damage.
Hottges fires again for engine damage on Ansell, who hits Schulz this time for rudder damage.
Schulz performs a Split-S and fires at short range into the Pup, to add to the rudder damage from Hottges. Ansell’s close range shot on Schulz succeeds in jamming his guns, it’s not looking good. The damage is enough to bring him down in friendly territory.
With no-one else in the skies, the Eagles return to base.
Victory to the Eagles with the tandem making it back.
Butchers Tally
Bulldogs
Lt John Ansell: Sopwith Pup Nr. 1: SD-FLM-FT / 0 kills
C&W: Rolled 4 -2FLM = 2 - Dead ! KIA
2Lt Charles MacAndrew: Sopwith Pup Nr. 2: SD-ET / WIA / 0 kills
C&W: Rolled 7 -1SD -1WIA = 5 - Injured, skip 1D3 scenarios, Rolled 6 = Skip 3
E&E: Rolled 7 -1WIA -1WIC -1BEL = 4 - Captured and escaped, skip 1D3 scenarios, rolled 1 = Skip 1
2Lt Charles Harrup: Sopwith Pup Nr. 3: SD-FT / 0 kills, 2 Probables (Hottges, Schulz)
C&W: Rolled 9 -1SD = 8 - Injured, skip 1D2 scenarios, rolled 3 = Skip 1
2Lt Alan Bowles: (P2) Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter: SD-EXP-NML / 0 kills
C&W: Rolled 6 -3EXP -1NML = 2 - Dead ! KIA
AM3 Ernest ‘Piggy’ Gammon: (O) Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter: SD-EXP-NML / 0 kills
C&W: Rolled 10-3EXP -1NML = 6 - Injured, skip 1D3 scenarios, rolled 2 = Skip 1
E&E: Rolled 10-1EXP -1WIC +1NML = 9 - They didn’t even see me !
Eagles
Ltn Jurgen Grabowski: Roland D.II: RTB / 1 kill (Bowles/Gammon)
Ltn Horst-Dieter Hottges: Albatros D.III(Brown/red tail): FRTB-E / 1 kill (Ansell)
Rolled 5+3 = Landed safely
Ltn Willi Schulz: Albatros D.III(black/white tail): FRTB-E / WIA / 2 kills (MacAndrew, Harrup)
Rolled 6+6= crashed
C&W: Rolled 6 -1WIA -1FRTB +1RTB =5 - Injured, skip 1D3, rolled 3 = Skip 2
Vzfwbl Wolfgang Overath: (P2) Albatros C.VII: RTB / 0 kills
Obltn Helmut Haller: (O) Albatros C.VII: RTB / 0 kills
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Originally Posted by ShadowDragon
for his continued service to the Kaiser und Fatherland 
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