A map of the battle area for us. Our home base was a71 in sector 16.9.
After-Action Report
12/17/2011
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 on its last takeoff all together, our beautiful FW 190A-5's thundering down the runway. From front to back: IrishOne (our Group Leader), Redtail7, Ditto, DrBone, Wedge, cactus, Heater, and me (Brooke).
II/JG26 on the way to target (p105 city). From left to right: Heater, DrBone, Wedge, me, cactus, Redtail7, and IrishOne.
A view left from my cockpit on the way to target. Other groups are with us (109's as escorts, for example), and we are a large strike group. From left to right: Heater, Redtail7, TheBug, BigRat, Krupinski, Frodo, DrBone, Stampf (GL of that group of 109's), and IrishOne.
A view right out of my cockpit after I move over to the left a bit. From left to right: BushLt, DrBone, IrishOne, cactus, Jenks, rUG, Redtail7, shamus, Dace, 1ijac, Ditto, and Heater.
A view back from my cockpit as we are on the way to target. From left to right: FlyinFin (howdy, Finny!), some I can't make out, frantic0, xPINGx, Charge, and Wedge.
Sector counters in the target area built up at first on our way in, then ebbed, then built up again. Our escorts went in first, and we went in on p105 city. As the city came in sight, reports started to come in of our escorts engaging enemy fighters, but we were unmolsted going in thanks to our escorts mixing it up.
Bomb away on p105 city. I tried to drop at a higher altitude and keep a higher speed so that I could zoom back up and get to the fight north of us. However, , I ended up destroying only one building, so not the greatest aim this time around.
The plan was for us to climb southeast from the city, which several of us did, but some in II/JG26 turned back quickly and engaged. I climbed SE with DrBone behind me. Once we were back up above 15k, we turned back and got into the fight.
I fire at a Typhoon I'm chasing, but miss. I chase him for a while inland, but can't close, and then turn back.
I land some hits on a Spitfire IX pulling a high-g evasive in the fight near the coast.
There were lots of LW fighters around, and before I got saddled up for any more shots, all of the enemies in the area were dead or gone.
Next mission, there were enough enemies around that we jettisonned our bombs and went out in a purely air-to-air role.
I come across a group of Typhoons and some Spitfires and call it out on the radio. We are near p106. LeitWolf is there fighting.
I go for one of the Spitfire IX's, but he pulls a high-g evasive, and I miss my shot.
I reversed back after missing the Spitfire and already I had trouble finding much to fight. Man, it seemed like some of these fights were forming and then disappearing quickly, but it was probably a combination of rapid changes in the composition of the fighting and me losing sight of things in the clouds. I nosed around for a few more minutes, then the call came in to head back to base to rearm.
We were climbing out of a46, and I was paying attention to getting formed up when on the radio, I heard, "Typhoon left! Watch it Brooke! Break!"
I ram my stick forward and left and stomp left rudder. It flicks me over to the left, and I jank the stick back until the stall horn blares. I excape taking hits and count myself as being very lucky.
Whoever yelled the warning saved my hide on this one. I didn't see the guy coming in. He was a lone hunter, looking to kill the unwary climbing out from base. The Typhoon was hauling, and we were chugging along at about 175 mph in a climb. He zoomed past, and we had no hope of catching him. We just called it out on radio.
Near the English coast, another big fight was in progress, so we headed there.
We come across a group of Typhoons. DrBone and IrishOne are in mixing it up, and I'm about to do the same.
I went after one of the Typhoons, but it was really hauling, and I stayed high rather than follow him down in a 500 mph dive. Calls were on the radio about higher Spitfires coming in, and I figured we'd need some folks to stay up high for that, so I climbed in the area over the lower fight.
I spot a group of Spitfires coming in high, and go for the highest one.
I lay some cannon rounds into a Spitfire V and knock some pieces off.
High Typhoons come racing in, and I get flushed out. FlyinFin is in the background.
I jinked and dove, then oriented east and pulled out of my high-speed dive.
A look back as I pull out. Already a lot more friendlies are right there on the Typhoons. From left to right: FlyinFin, Wedge, LeitWolf, Charge, and me.
I went for the Typhoon closest to me, and he dove into nearby clouds, and I lost him. I tried continuing to follow, looking around to see if he'd appear again, but no luck. Drat. I turned back, and already, again, the fight was mostly gone. There were a bunch of Luftwaffe fighters working over a remaining couple of Spitfires. One got shot up, started to stream oil, and made a run for it to the nearby airfield. I didn't see any other Luftwaffe fighter giving chase, so I decided to go for it. Someone's kill was getting away! I chased him through the ack of the nearby airfield (being careful to stay evasive, and I was really hauling, so I wasn't too worried), then through the ack of the field's town, then started to close on him, but slowly. He was really moving -- but my 190 is faster!
I have to break off the Spitfire as I look back and see a group of Typhoons closing on my 6 o'clock.
A look forward and up from my cockpit as the Typhoons close on me. The one 400 yards out has layed out a burst of cannon shells ahead of me, and lands a hit on my cowling, taking out one of my machine guns.
Here, I had visions of again getting jumped by a group of Typhoons. I called on the radio to let anyone in the area know the situation, calling for help.
Running on the deck, under treetop level.
I was racing back toward the coast directly, right through the ack of the airfield and city. I quickly got back among friendlies, but the Typhoons had turned back inland instead of chasing me to the coast.
Back at the coast, we nosed around, but nothing was going on. Previously, IrishOne had been shot down on his second life, so he transferred the GL position to me. I asked on the radio to see if there were any fights around for us to get into, but no luck. We started to head back to a46 to rearm when one call did come in, so we headed back toward England while I asked for more details, but the the announcement we got ended up being at the end of the fight, and we headed back to a46 to rearm.
We took off, jettisonned our bombs, and went to the coast of England to look for a fight. Sector counters showed enemies over England, and we patrolled the coast to no avail. After about 15 minutes, a lone Typhoon appeared and did a head-on run at our group. I turned back around to get on him, and he and Heater went for each other.
Heater blasts the Typhoon's left horizontal stabilizer off. Way to go, Heater!
We chase the Typhoon inland, but I can't get closer than about 1.5k yards, and he is pulling away.
We chased the Typhoon hoping that he'd call support, and we'd get a rousing fight out of it, but by mid 12.11, even though there were enemy sector counters in the sector, we didn't see any others, so I called for our group to climb north to the coast since there were some counters in 12.12. We got up to the coast, and the counters in 12.12 were gone, with some still in 12.11. I called for the group to follow the coast east, then south. We did that down all the way to p105, then back up along the coast. Then we saw a Typhoon again.
We chase again.
We chased the Typhoon again inland. Of course, we couldn't catch him but hoped that either he would lead us to battle or that our egress to the coast would take us across some enemies. Once we gave up the chase, we turned back SE to get to the coast this time, as based on sector counters, we figured that had the best chance of us coming across enemies. We went to the coast, flew up and down along it, but didn't see anything. Then we saw enemy sector counters transition into the Channel and shortly a46 started to flash. We headed toward a46 as fast as we could, and I asked the guys to fan out. Reports came in of Typhoons attacking a46. Then some counters started to appear N of a46 as we got near a46, so I had some folks head north and then northwest to try to cut them off. Some of the guys got close enough to get into a fight, but this was all done right near the end of the frame, and so the fight got called off. This last 50 minutes of the scenario was quite frustrating, as we were hoping for one last rousing battle between the RAF and Luftwaffe.
I got an assist on a Spitfire IX. I had plenty of chances, but didn't manage to capitalize on them.
Overall, II/JG26 got 16 kills, 7 assists, which gave us top-scoring fighter group for this frame, and destroyed 5 ground objects.
-- Brooke, II/JG26