After-Action Report
11/7/2009
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, 100Chewi, 4brkfast, sevnty, Zap, Saantana, Prono, and Schreibr.
229 IAD ready to take off from our mist-shrouded a46. Our first mission today is to escort 90SHAP (Il-2's) to a42 area. a42 is a capture target for the Germans, and the Il-2's are to kill German tanks. We are to help keep German fighters off of the Il-2's. From left to right: sevnty, me (Brooke), Saantana, Klingan, Schreibr, 4brkfast, and Zap. (prono not in picture.) t=0:00
I am climbing over the A-20's, which also took off from a46 and were headed north. We escorted the A-20's until the Il-2's and A-20's paths diverged. I sent Zap with the A-20's as one close escort, and the rest of us went with the Il-2's. From left to right: me, prono, Zap, snaphook, Flushed, SIK1, and cobia38 (the GL of the A-20 squadron). t=0:08
The Il-2's on the way to a42 area. From left to right: GhostCDB (the GL of the Il-2's), SKWing19, Harpij, Have (the CO), jeff537, and DLO. We (229 IAD) are over the top of them at about 25k currently. t=0:14
We all go to the a42 area, but it is clear for an extended period. There are lots of enemies in sectors south or southeast of a42. So, after a while, Have sends us to go check it out, as we are the closest fighter group.
I see high bogies ahead of me as we get into the enemy-occupied area. They end up being Bf 109G-6's. t=0:33
I tangle with some of them. Here, I (at the left of the picture) am chasing a Bf 109G-6 (center of picture) while another Bf 109 (right of picture) chases me. Because of the 109 behind me, I break off my pursuit and evade. When I do that, I see Ju 88's below me that another 229 IAD pilot has called out. The 109's and Ju 88's were called out on the country channel, too. t=0:34
A view out of my cockpit as I dive vertically on the Ju 88's. I call out that I'm going for the Ju 88's and ask other 229 IAD pilots to do likewise if they are not engaged. A city is barely visible through the clouds upper left from my gunsight. t=0:34
I flame one of the Ju 88A-4's, but his gunners pepper me with bullets and give me an oil leak. I had picked out a formation that had only two bombers in it, hoping that it would defensively be weaker, but this guy is a good shot. Our home field is about a sector away, so I call that my engine is hit and that I'm going to try to make it back to home base. I ask the other 229 IAD pilots to try for home base if they get engine hits. t=0:35
I'm lucky, and no 109's chase me down -- I think 229 IAD is keeping them busy. After a while, Klingan calls on the radio that it looks like more German fighters are coming in and that 229 IAD is getting swarmed. He thinks they should disengage south, and I agree.
I am gliding back in for a landing. 100Chewi, who also got an oil hit, is there before me. Other 229 IAD survivors are on the way. We shot down some Ju 88's -- I'm not sure how many we got. t=0:41
We take off and climb around a46 a while. We are sent to the a37 area, but it is clear. Then we are tasked for escort of Il-2's, to meet them near v43 after they refuel. In the meantime (since they aren't at their refuelling base yet), we go flash v56 just in case it adds confusion to the Germans, then we go back south. But as we are travelling to v43 from a46, the ammo factory in 13.7 starts flashing. It must be a German NOE raid. We are the only Russian forces anywhere near it, so Have tells us to get there as fast as we can.
Going into the area, I go down to about 10k alt, as I know they must be down low. 229 IAD fans out as we go in, so that we can spot a wider area. As I get close to the factory, I see nothing. I go down near the deck to make sure I can see planes near the deck. Nothing. I start to fear that maybe the Germans sent one aircraft to flash the factory as a feint -- however, the factory is about half destroyed.
Then I see bogies after continuing to race east past the factory. (In picture, black dots just to right of my gunsight.) I call them out and go in. They are Ju 88A-4's! t=1:24
I fly up behind one and put cannon rounds into his tail. Debris trails back, his tail breaks off, and he goes down before reaching the factory (which is visible at the bottom of the picture). t=1:25
I go for another and set this bomber ablaze. Prono is zooming back up after an attack as well. t=1:25
I go for a third and blow his wing off. His gunner continues to shoot at me -- quite accurately -- even after the wing is off. t=1:25
I go for a fourth, but prono beats me to it, blowing that one's wing off in a hail of cannon shells. t=1:26
The Ju 88's are shortly all destroyed. I don't think we lost anyone, but some of us did take some hits from gunners. So, I and one or two others head to a46 for replaning whereas the folks who are fine go to a53 to get more fuel and ammo in hopes of getting to the Il-2's faster.
229 IAD is not able to get to the Il-2's before the go in to hit a7. The Il-2's get to a7, but 109's jump them at the last moment, and all Il-2's are lost. Sorry, Il-2's. :(
We are sent to a42 for a bit, but it is clear up there. Then we are sent back south to try escorting the Il-2's again. This time, we do meet up with them. We have 100Chewi go down low for close escort and extra spotting ability down there, and the rest of us stay up high in case we run into high 109's, which is usual.
We are out in front of the Il-2's when a couple of 109's are spotted down lower . I send 100Chewi, Saantana, and prono to go deal with them. The rest of us stay high and sweep in front of the Il-2's to a7. From left to right: Saantana, me, and (visible as a dot on right of the picture) either prono or one of the 109's. t=1:59
As I get to a7 (visible bottom left), I see several bogies up high and call them out on the radio. Also, the flack is intense (see black ack burst upper right). It's bursting all around me and occasionally giving me shrapnel hits. This area is thick with AAA because of a7 (a major airfield), a city, and a factory all in close proximity. I'm worried about the flack, as we'll be hanging out in it or fighting in it for a prolonged period. t=2:00
The bogies turn out to be 5 or so Bf 109's at about 20k. 4brkfast and I are the first ones in. I call for folks to fly conservatively and not to push the 109's low. Having them up at 20k watching us is fine for Il-2's. We mix it up for a bit at 20k.
A 109 takes a climbing run at me and gets a hit on my horizontal stabilizer, but I'm OK. t=2:04
A Bf 109G-14 and Bf 109K-4 get on me and chase me to the deck. I try to drag them under other 229 IAD pilots, but I'm not feeling so good about my position here. t=2:05
4brkfast blasts the Bf 109K-4 off my tail with a marvelous snapshot. Klingan breaks the Bf 109G-14 off me. Whew! Way to go, guys, and thanks! t=2:06
Sometime around here, another group of 109's starts to arrive. The first group seemed mostly to be Bf 109G-14's, and the second group mostly Bf 109K-4's, which come in with altitude while we are in a furball now down low.
A 109 explodes, having taken too many cannon rounds landed by me (left) and Saantana (right). t=2:07
A view behind my plane as Klingan breaks another one off my tail (the higher Bf 109K-4). I and some others were tangling with the three lower 109's. t=2:09
I blast a Bf 109K-4 that was chasing Klingan in a vertical climb. The 109's tail is blown off. t=2:10
A picture of a Bf 109 (center of picture) chasing me (lower right) as I chase a Bf 109K-4 (top of picture). I have to break off the 109 I'm chasing to evade this guy. t=2:10
I put some cannon rounds onto a Bf 109K-4's right wing. t=2:11
That Bf 109K-4 I was hitting and chasing crashes into the ground and explodes. He pulled up, I closed for a shot, then he yanked it into a stall like putting on the breaks, and I shot past him. I thought it was quite a good evasive. I came back around to get back on him, but he wasn't able to recover before hitting the ground. t=2:11
At this point, out of the two groups of 109's, all are down but two, and those two are running. 229 IAD is elated, but a couple have pilot wounds, and folks have been announcing low fuel for a while. I suspect that more 109's can come up from a7, and the fight is right on the outskirts of the field. So, now that we have a breather, rather than chase the two 109's to the airfield, I call for 229 IAD to climb east. We do so, and are not molested on our way out. Klingan succumbs to his pilot wound, and another dies of his pilot wound about 10 feet from the end of our home-base runway (arg!). Several other of us make it back and land. Man, what a battle!
However, I don't know what happened to the Il-2's. I thought that we kept all of the 109's busy, and it didn't seem like there were enough sector counters to account for any German fighters other that those. But I think from later comments that the Il-2's didn't make it through.
At this point, we have tanks and troops near a7, but the town is up, and there are enemy tanks around as well. 229 IAD volunteered to take bombs to hit the town and was given that duty.
The survivors of 229 IAD, on the deck, with bombs, headed to a7. From left to right: 4brkfast, Klingan, me, Saantana, and 100Chewi. t=2:29
The way looks clear for a while, then we see counters start to show up in a7's sector. Drat. Well, in we go and hope for the best.
As we draw near a7, we see a bogie (see upper right of picture). We figure he'll see us and come to attack, but just in case, we stay low, and I call for us to turn on our WEP. We skirt the field to its right, giving it enough distance for us to stay out of ack and from flashing the base, then a left turn to the town. The airbase is in the left half of the picture (gray buildings) and the town is in the right half (dark buildings). Miraculously, he doesn't seem to spot us. t=2:41
Bomb away on town buildings. There is a Panzer in town. Sethbag and other ground-force guys are in the distance. The enemy airfield is visible to the left of the picture (the town is very close to it). The Germans know we are here for sure now. t=2:42
I drop my second bomb and blow up some more buildings. I also take out an ack ahead of me. Other members of 229 IAD have spotted German fighters coming in (see dots upper middle picture) and are over dealing with that. From left to right: me, Klingan, Saantana, 4brkfast, and 100Chewi. There is also the 109 that didn't see us initially, but does see us now and is coming to attack. t=2:42
I take out another ack. A 109 is above the town, coming down to attack me. I have called out the Panzer, and there is at least one Tiger under the water tower off picture to the right that I called out for our tankers. I'm trying to take out the acks then strafe buildings if the enemy 109's don't jump me first. t=2:43
Unfortuantely, a Bf 109G-14 blows my tail off with quite a skillful forward-quarter deflection shot. I didn't think he had the shot, but he did. Alas. I hope Klingan got him!
The other folks fought for a while but eventually were all wiped out.
100Chewi and I are the ones left with a life. We take off with bombs to see if we can make it to a7 town one last time. We get to within about 1 minute of it when the end of the frame happens, but it was worth a try.
Landing back home at a46 at the end of the day. t=3:13
I got 6 kills (four Ju 88A-4's and two Bf 109K-4's) and destroyed 7 ground objects. I got shot down once and made it back to base the other times.
I think 229 IAD did very well this frame. We had excellent "check six" action going on. It certainly saved my life many times over. We damaged one squadron of Ju 88's, shot down one squadron of Ju 88's, shot down a portion of a Bf 109G-14 squadron and a portion of a Bf 109K-4 squadron, and did damage to a7 town. Altogether, 229 IAD got 26 kills and destroyed 16 ground objects for the loss of 15 of our aircraft to all causes. Excellent work!
And most importantly, it was a blast. Way to go, guys!
-- Brooke, GL, 229 IAD