After-Action Report
10/31/2009
by Brooke, GL, 229 IAD
This was a scenario that ran in the multiplayer on-line air-combat simulation Aces High.
I was the Group Leader (GL) of 229 IAD, a fighter squadron for the VVS. We were flying La-5FN's. Today, 229 IAD consisted of me (Brooke), Klingan, numbrsguy, 100Chewi, 4brkfast, sevnty, Blutik, Zap, and 1olo.
229 IAD ready for takeoff from a46 in our lovely La-5FN's. We are the planes in the middle of the picture. From left to right: sevnty, Zap, Klingan, me (Brooke), Blutik, 4brkfast, 100Chewi, 1olo, and nmbrsguy. At the bottom of the picture are some of the planes in 221 BAD, a squadron of A-20G's we are to escort (snaphook on left and RAYL49 on right). At the top of the picture are planes from a Yak-9U squadron that was also based at this field. t=0:00
We took escorted 221 BAD to v36, a vehicle base that was our (the Soviets') first target for capture. We got there before the Germans, and the way was clear. We went in before the A-20's just to make sure and called out that it was clear and that the vehicle hangars were already down.
A picture looking down upon v36. There are some Il-2's down there, working over the field and German tanks. From left to right: Spinnich, me, chicken1, kvuo75, GhostCDB, and SKWing19. The burning VH's are giving off black smoke. t=0:10
A picture left out of my cockpit as some enemies come in low. They are visible as dots near Floatsup off my left wing. The Yak-9U squadron in the area has called them out and is on them. I call for 229 IAD to stay high and CAP the area, that the Yaks have these. From left to right: Floatsup, NatCigg, Warspawn, jappa52, Vudu15, and Dominus. t=0:14
The A-20's patrol the area for a while, attack some targets down low, and 229 IAD stays up high, capping the base. Soon, the A-20's call that they are exiting the area.
A view down from above my La-5 as I escort the A-20's home. I didn't notice at the time a FW 190 zoom past the rear of the A-20's from their 3 o'clock. He did not engage them and zoomed past. I don't think that the A-20's saw him either, as I don't recall any radio calls. t=0:18
We all landed back at a46 and were called to escort the A-20's again to v36.
Joining up with the A-20's. From left to right: Flushed, me, snaphook, and cobia38 (who is the GL of the A-20's). t=0:36
A view upper right from next to my cockpit. There are about 5 109's up there high (25k or so), and a couple of our higher planes in 229 IAD (1olo and 100Chewi) are starting to mix it up some. For those of us who are a bit lower, I call to stick with the A-20's and continue on course. t=0:37
On the way into the target area over the top of cobia38, SIK1, and snaphook. The 109's that came across us did attack some members of 229 IAD but tended to bounce and zoom back up to altitude. Most of us were able to move ahead without trouble and with the A-20's. As we come into the area, the hangars are down, meaning that the A-20's will be loitering in the area again instead of a hit and run. t=0:38
As we mill around over v36, trying to cap it, one of the Bf 109K-4's bounces me. I hear "Brooke! Check six!" on my radio in time. I roll and pull g's to avoid getting hit. t=0:39
I see some FW 190's down lower, which are thus a more immediate threat to the A-20's, so I go in to engage and call it out on the radio. I mix it up with several FW 190D-9's and am soon fighting down low, chasing one particular FW 190D-9 around.
I evade a forward-quarter pass from another FW 190D-9 (one I wasn't chasing), which has taken some damage (smoking and missing its left aileron). It still has plenty of cannons, though. t=0:41
I put some cannon rounds into the FW 190D-9 that I'm chasing. t=0:41
That FW 190 takes the fight VERY low. He is weaving through the trees. A view through my gunsight as I work to stay on him. Note the clump of trees ahead of me -- it figures into the next event. t=0:41
I pull g's to avoid the trees and to stay on the FW I'm chasing. Unknown to me at the time, there was another FW 190D-9 closing quickly on my tail for a shot (the same FW that previously tried a forward-quarter shot on me). The clump of trees is my savior, however. The FW behind me also pulls g's to avoid but can't quite clear them. He plows into the trees and explodes. I put some more hits into the FW I'm chasing, knock off some parts, and get him smoking. t=0:41
Another FW 190D-9 makes a run at me. Again, I get a good check-six call and break hard, avoiding hits. I break off the FW I was chasing, but he is leaking oil and on the deck, and as we are far from any German active airfield, he is probably not going to make it back. Around this time, v36 is captured by our ground forces. t=0:41
A view forward out of my cockpit after I evade the previous FW 190. There is quite a melee now, and it feels like more and more German fighters are showing up. I'm getting uneasy about possibly getting overwhelmed. I turn into and head toward the melee, which has in it (from left to right): RAYL49 (in an A-20), 4brkfast (in an La-5), and snaphook (in an A-20). t=0:42
I fight for a while and then call for folks to try to regroup at v36, as it feels like we are starting to get swarmed. I take a couple of hits during the fighting, but seem not to take any significant damage to my plane. Once near v36, more 109's show up higher than we are (not surprising, as we are on the deck), and I recommend that folks head south if they can, back toward a46. At one point in the fighting, I get a little bit of room and claw for some altitude, then back into the fight, toward snaphook and some others. I try to clear their tails so that they can run south.
I put some cannon shells into one of the Bf 109K-4's in the fight. He loses some parts. I follow him through about 180 of a turn, then break off as he leads me toward several other enemy fighters with no friendlies in sight anymore. I do another 180 and try to run south. t=0:45
I run south with three enemies chasing. Thankfully, they give up the chase after a bit, and I make it out alive. I don't see anyone else around me, so I head to a46 to regroup. t=0:46
We are to takeoff and head to v36 to help cap it. v36 is quite a hotbed of enemy activity.
As I take off, calls come in on the radio of 109's at the base! This is a picture to the right of me just after my gear is up. The 109's are chasing B-25's over our base. Some of the 229 IAD guys are up, but it is not looking good for the B-25's. From left to right: Strip, me, Hibbie2, and sevnty. t=0:58
I turn hard into the attack, and they are past me, chasing the B-25's. They seem to be Bf 109G-14's. Ack is shooting at them, but they have blown up one of Strip's bombers, and it's not looking good. Hibbie2 has two on him. 1olo in his La-5 is charging hard trying to help. t=0:58
I chase the only 109 I seem to have any chance at. All of the A-20's are following this happless 109 as well. 100Chewi takes the 109's wing off. I think that all of the 109's were shot down. But I think, too, that we lost the B-25's. t=0:58
We start toward the v36 area, but before we get too far, we are ordered to go check the city near v47, as it is flashing and thus under attack.
Over the city near v47, we do not find low bombers (as we expected) but instead German tanks and Wirblewinds taking down the city. 100Chewi goes down and destroys the turret on one of the Wirble's, but as there are tanks there and as there isn't anything we can do to tanks, I figure it's not worth it to risk getting shot down by the Wirble's. I call the situation out on the radio, and we head to v36 area. From left to right: 100Chewi, me, nmbrsguy, and Zap. t=1:15
We come across about six high (25k or more) 109's on our way to v36. I have 229 IAD continue to climb and head toward v36. I don't call for us to turn into the 109's as I don't want us getting bounced by them while we are trying to climb up to them. They don't come after us. t=1:22
Near v36, I come across three 190's mixing it up with GWurzel. I call out the 190's on my radio and that I'm engaging. A view out of my cockpit as I dive in. t=1:23
I mix it up with the 190's for a while, but don't get any hits on them. Here, I evade a run at me by a FW 190D-9. t=1:28
229 IAD fights for a while, then climbs to see if we can get to some high-altitude 109's.
I come across some 109's at about 26k, but I'm not near any friendlies at this point. So I just do a half-hearted run through them to get them turning and to see if any one of them gives me a good shot. None do. I call them out on the radio and get a text message out on their position and alt. I hassle them in a minor way a little more, but at this point 229 IAD is running very low on fuel (less than 10 minutes fuel left), so we head back to base. t=1:40
Mission 4 is a new one: take bombs and go hit the troop facility in sector 11.8. Alright! I'm happy to mix it up with some bombing duty.
Me and 4brkfast, down low, loaded with 2 bombs each. 229 IAD is heading to the troop facility flying under radar. Along the way, we run into a sector with large enemy presence. We hope that we are not spotted. We are lucky and make it to the target without seeing any enemies. t=2:06
Buildings that sevnty hit are exploding as I release one of my bombs, which also blows up a building. t=2:08
A few buildings exploding from my second bomb.
Strafing down a building. I ask for 229 IAD pilots to strafe with up to half of their ammunition (as I figure we might have still to fight our way out). t=2:09
After my strafing run, I spot bogies SE of our position in the far distance. I call for 229 IAD to climb hard NE, to get some altitude before we are engaged. After a few minutes, Have (our CO) informs us that B-25's are under attack SE of our position and orders us to assist if we can. I call for a 180 turn.
After flying south to SW a bit, we come across four bogies that must be enemy planes. (Bogies are just barely visible as black dots right of my cowling.) nmbrsguy and I go for the first two bogies, and Klingan and the other guys for the trailing two. t=2:17
I put cannon rounds into a Bf 109K-4 that was the lead bogie. He loses some parts and starts to leak copious amounts of oil. Unfortunately, there is a German airbase right nearby, and I know that he will head straight for it -- I would absolutely do the same. I will have to kill him before he lands, or he can come back up fresh from the field. t=2:18
I chase him around, get some more hits on him. He loses more parts and starts to trail water from his radiator as well. But he's not down yet, and I have to follow him into the ack of his field. More enemy fighters show up as well, and I have to at one point evade an attack by a FW 190. The 109's engine quits as he turns onto final, and I press in for an attack.
Forward right view out of my cockpit as I hammer past, after having put two rounds into his tail, which is starting to break up. t=2:20
His horizontal stabilizers and elevators break off, and he slams into the ground. You could say he gets his revenge since about two second later, while I am racing away low, jinking, trying to make it out of the ack --
I get a pilot wound from the ack. t=2:20
Also, about 10 seconds after that, a FW 190F-8 makes a run at me. I turn hard into him, but he's a very good deflection shooter and lands a cannon round on my engine cowling. Now I'm trailing oil. t=2:20
I do a run at the field to destroy acks, since there is no way I'll be able to make it home. It's hard to see, but I get one ack (exploding here in front of me), then black out from the wound. After I come to, my engine dies, so no more ack runs.
I zoom out of ack range, use my remaining energy to get a little bit of altitude, then bail out. I watch on the ground as the folks still alive from 229 IAD fight it out near the base. They kill another enemy fighter or two but are eventually taken out by the enemy fighters and ack. Except for Klingan, who makes it back to base missing half of one of his wings. t=2:22
For mission 5, there are only three of us left with lives: me, Klingan, and sevnty. We are told to take off and try to intercept Ju 88's attacking way north of us. We took off, and sevnty actually got to the bombers before they were all shot down. He got one, but it gave him an oil hit, and he had to ditch.
I'm landing back at our mist-shrouded home base at the end of the day. Klingan and Nurminen are already down.
I got three kills (two FW 190D-9's and one Bf 109K-4) and destroyed 7 ground objects. I bailed out once and made it back to base the other times.
I think 229 IAD did well and mostly accomplished our missions. Altogether, 229 IAD got 13 kills and destroyed 25 ground objects for 17 losses of our own aircraft to all causes. Good work, guys!
More importantly, I think folks had a blast. I know I did. It was great flying with you guys.
-- Brooke, GL, 229 IAD