The mighty III/KG 30 taking off from a23 in Sicily.
After-Action Report
III/KG 30
6/16/2007
by Brooke, GL, III/KG 30
This was a scenario that ran in the multiplayer on-line air-combat simulation Aces High.
III/KG 30 consisted of me (Brooke), 1ijac, 8222, Alverca1, Cooley, Daubie, DeadCow, Fuzeman, Hitch, Jappa52, Jim98, Nerdicus, Patriot0, and Tudza.
Our mission was to go hit the allied landing fleets in our Ju 88A-4's armed with torpedoes.
The mighty III/KG 30 taking off from a23 in Sicily.
III/KG 30 forming up and climbing away from the airfield.
We climbed NW from a23, to go out to western Sicily. Fighters were scouting for the enemy landing fleets, which we expected to charge for our western shores. Jim98 had to leave after about 30 minutes of flight. We had put him in a C.202 capping a23, so he landed there and bid us a farewell.
Three-plane formations from left to right: me (in the leopard-patterned formation),
Cooley, and 8222. Cooley and 8222 are keeping a rather tight formation on my
bombers as we head out west.
III/KG 30 flew out to the western end of Sicily and then did racetrack patterns there, waiting for word of enemy fleets. Our fighters checked vast areas of sea around Sicily, but no luck. The enemy fleets did not seem to be close. After about 45 minutes or an hour, I headed III/KG 30 back east, thinking that the allies would send their CV fleets to hit the eastern shores. Along the way, we had to bid farewell to DeadCow and 1ijac who had to leave. They went back to land at a base other than a23. As we got back near a23, though, still no CV's had been found, and our acting CO Krusty ordered us back out west -- the allies must have some landing fleets out there somewhere.
III/KG 30 looking for enemy ships to kill. A view from in front of my lead Ju
88, looking back.
We flew back out west, and there were still no enemy ships to be seen. We flew out into sectors 8,7 and a little of 7,7 to help scout, but we didn't find anything either. At this point, we had only enough fuel to make it back to a23, so I called for us to return to our starting base.
About half way back to a23, the call came out that enemy CV groups had been spotted, in 11.0.7 and in 11.1.1. Krusty asked if we could make it there, but there was no way. We would have enough fuel only to make it half way there one way. We continued on back to a23 and had enough fuel to make it back, but not any extra. I asked the pilots to turn down RPM and reduce throttle and to go into a 2-3k fpm descent starting about 25 miles from the airfield so that even those with less fuel could make it with enough to spare for a go-around or two.
I am landing back at a23 in my Ju 88. Fires illustrate that the allies have
attacked the base previously.
I think everyone but 1ijac and DeadCow make it back and land safely, but I'll have to check to make sure.
At this point, there is about 30 minutes left in the frame -- not enough time for III/KG 30 to get bombers down into 11,1 to attack the CV groups. Krusty orders us to go up in Bf 109G-2's to protect a63 and a64. These are the only two bases left that have torpedoes, so they are quite important to us. I split us up into me, Hitch, Nerdicus, and Tudza to protect a63; and the others to protect a64.
I take off in my nimble Bf 109G-2 from a63. I take a drop tank just in case,
but jettison it after takeoff.
We patrolled around our airfields until about 8 minutes left in the frame. No attackers came to destroy the ordnance at the fields. Then I asked everyone to land back at their takeoff bases.
Landing my 109 back at a63.
The allies did not bring forth either their CV groups or their landing groups to launch amphibious invasions against Sicily. This really surprised us. In addition, the landing fleets seem to be more than 1.5 hours away from Sicilian shores, as we looked out about that far and didn't find them. Sorry, III/KG 30, that there was no action in this one. However, I feel quite certain that won't be the case in frame 3!
The allies spent their effort mainly in taking out all fighter hangars in Sicily. However, they didn't go for capture of any bases or move any invasion fleets up (or so it seems). Here's the status of Sicily after frame 2.
Status of Sicily after frame 2. The red letters show what is destroyed.
by Brooke P. Anderson
e-mail: brooke@electraforge.com
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