A map of the battle area for us. Our home base was a71 in sector 16.9.
After-Action Report
12/3/2011
by Brooke, II/JG26
This was a scenario that ran in the multiplayer on-line air-combat simulation Aces High.
I was in II/JG26 "Schlageter".
A map of the battle area for us. Our home base was a71 in sector 16.9.
II/JG26 takes to the skies in our FW 190A-5's. No bombs this time -- our mission is to lurk over the channel in the general area of 13.10 and 13.11 with other groups, trying to draw out the RAF for a fight there. From left to right: Heater, DrBone, me (Brooke), Redtail7, Wedge, IrishOne (our Group Leader), Ditto, and cactus.
We lurked over the channel for quite a while, more than half an hour. We were hooked up with other groups, patrolling around. On one turn, Heater and I ended up forward left of the formation of planes. We saw a very large number of bogies ahead, which turned out to be enemy fighters.
The call comes in for us not to engage but to turn back and try to lure the RAF out farther over the channel. Heater and I are awkwardly close to make a reversal, and I have visions of 20 RAF fighters catching me from behind after I complete my turn.
Heater and I trying to bug out after our turn back. Well, I figure that at least we are good lures to draw RAF fighters farther into the channel.
The RAF didn't press after us, though, and turned back to England. I wish the groups would have continued in for the fight -- it would have been large and glorious! But that wish is based on the hindsight (always 20/20) of knowing the RAF didn't go farther into the Channel, which is what we were trying for. We then patrolled around a while more, and DrBone spotted our Ju 88's come in under the groups that were patrolling over the water. There was discussion in our group about going with the bombers, but we ended up sticking with our mission orders. I don't think any fighter groups went in with the Ju 88's, though, and they got wiped out; but if we had gone with them, there is no way to know if that outcome would have been any different.
As we patrolled over the water for a while longer, II/JG26 moved off a bit from the other groups and spread out a bit.
I see a group of Spitfires coming in, and II/JG26 moves in to engage. I'm watching them come in and will split S onto tail-end Charlie.
I chased the Spit around, working to saddle up. He stayed elusive for a while then got into an inverted spin as I was closing for a good shot.
I dive straight down and start putting rounds into the inverted, spinning Spitfire IX.
I landed what looked to me like a couple of hits, and then he blew up. I figured I must have landed a lucky shot, but . . .
I don't see IrishOne right behind me, putting shells into the same Spitfire. IrishOne gets the kill, not me.
During our fight, another group or two of LW fighters moved in, and after the above fight, I didn't see any Spitfires that didn't have several LW fighters already on them. I hung around higher over the fight in case of incoming RAF reinforcements, but we didn't see anything else. After flying around some more, we went to the coast of France to refuel.
Back up and on patrol over the Channel. We patrolled around, heard some reports of fighting, but didn't see enemies. A little while later, I saw a bunch of bogies swirling around down low. We figured it was probably a bunch of LW fighters on a hapless few Spitfires, but as there wasn't anything else going on, I asked for permission for Heater and I to dive down to check it out. Yep -- a bunch of LW fighters on a hapless few Spitfires on the deck. We blew a lot of altitude going all the way down to check it out and now started climbing back up to 24k.
I lost track of the rest of the group as I was climbing back up to altitude. Heater and I then came across one Spit that we chased, but he lead us into a bunch of higher Spitfires.
Heater and I get chased off by the high Spitfire IX's. We get free, then report their composition and location on the radio (near p106).
Heater and I got some alt, then moved back toward the coast of England near p106 with another group, toward the location of the rest of II/JG26. We came across some Spitfires and got into a fight. Soon, there was a great overabundance of LW fighters, so I climbed and patrolled over the area, looking for high RAF reinforcements coming in. I patrolled the periphery.
A group of Spitfire V's coming in at about 15-20k near p106. I call it out, and dive on one of them.
I made a pass on one of the Spits then headed toward where I thought other LW fighters would be with Spitfires in tow. Along the way, more high Spitfires came in, so I vectored toward the water, made sure they weren't jumping me, climbed, then reversed back. When I got back, the fight was already on the deck, so down I went.
I put rounds into a Spitfire V's right wing and blow his aileron off.
I tag another of the Spit V's.
I put more cannon rounds into one of the Spitfire V's, and off comes his tail.
DrBone drags a Spitfire V up, and I pour on the hits. Another nice vertical drag by the good Doctor.
The wing comes off and the Spitfire explodes. DrBone has managed some sort of miraculous reversal and is racing back down in the opposite direction.
Once all of the Spitfires were shot down, we climbed back to the water, then headed to France to refuel and rearm.
Once we were back up, it looked like the RAF was mounting a major strike 100-150 miles to the south. We waited around over the Channel, but saw nothing else showing up on the radar. IrishOne made the call for us to hang out in the portion of the Channel near p106, but it looked like most everyone else went south. We milled about for what seemed like half an hour, but it might have been less than that, and then major RAF presence showed up in the p106 area. The only problem was that we and at best one other group were the only ones still up north, seemingly heavily outnumbered. We vectored toward the enemy concentration regardless.
We come across a group of Typhoons and a couple of Spitfires and engage.
I latched onto one of the Typhoons and started to work him over, landing lots of cannon hits all over his plane. Leaking fuel and shedding parts, he went into a vertical dive, and I followed him, continuing to land hits. Why is this guy not down already? How sturdy are these damned Tyhpoons?
I land more cannon rounds and see lots of parts coming off his tail at the same instant I hear hits on my plane, and off comes my right aileron. I am sure that I have taken his tail off and break off the attack. (Unfortunately, I see in the picture that I only took off his rudder, an elevator, and a horizontal stabilizer -- not everything on the tail.)
I look back to see a Typhoon 600 yards back, firing away at me.
I jinked around, headed toward the Channel, and continued to dive out, outdistancing him, and he eventually gave up. I thought about going back to base, but I had plenty of ammo and decided to climb and then come back to the fight. The fight was quite a ways above me as I looked back, so it took me a while to climb. When I got back up to about 20k, I came back to where the fight was, but there were no aircraft around. I could hear folks on the radio talking about the fight, near p106, I believe, but I couldn't find them, and flew around with another group in the area until I got a better fix on their position. I went toward the reported area and came across a lone Spitfire. I chased him and ended up in an area with a couple more Spits and more LW fighters.
I am chasing and firing on the Spitfire IX. Also in the picture, from left to right: Devil5O5, Ace8, perdweeb, DerJude, and Ruah.
The Spits all got shot down, and I climbed toward the Channel. Once back at altitude, I heard more reports of fighting inland of p106 and reversed back to go there, but then got a report of Typhoons fighting one of the II/JG26 guys near a46, and reversed in that direction. Then the report came in that the Typhoons were running west from a46 on the deck, with some of II/JG26 in persuit. I vectored in that direction. I was busy on the radio and working out my interception course when I did one of my periodic looks back and saw . . .
A group of enemies close and closing. Crap. Typhoons are faster than I am, and Spitfires outturn me. I can't even outroll the Typhoons anymore thanks to my missing aileron. I am screwed.
I dove, jinked, and hit WEP. I went for the deck, calling frantically on the radio in case any friendly groups were nearby.
One of the Typhoons takes my wing off as I jink down low, trying to get toward France.
Arg. I should not have been cruising back to France alone. I had felt too safe over the Channel, given that we had patrolled it for 3 hours not seeing much. Three more minutes, and I would have been over France.
I shot down three Spitfire V's and was shot down once.
Overall, II/JG26 got 17 kills and 9 assists, which gave us top-scoring fighter group for this frame.
-- Brooke, II/JG26