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Wednesday, October 20, 2021

My Little Fokker in Action On the Front

Having been away on leave, ace pilot, Rittmeister von Freitag missed his Jasta's initial deployment of the new Fokker DR1 Triplane.  That initial combat trial ended in mishap as Heinrich Manove' narrowly escaped destruction in the new fangled aeroplane (see A Brief Update for details).  As luck would have it, von Freitag would return to his Jasta on the frontlines flying one of these new contraptions.
The German squadron takes to the skies
As Rittmeister approaches his airfield, he witnesses three DV's arising from the field.  Even from this distance, he can make out that Manove' is leading the sortie in his trusty, steel blue aeroplane.  Looking around, a trio of enemy aircraft is seen approaching in the distance. Without hesitation and without knowing the mission, the Baron banks hard to the right to join in the hunt.
First contact!
Before he can make contact with his comrades, action is already heating up over the river below.  Still a distance out from the fight, the Baron can just make out a two-seater on a possible recon mission escorted by two fighters.  Surveying the dogfight, only two German DVs are engaged.  Was the third already shot down or had it returned to base?  No time to waste!  The Rittmeister must come to the aid of his countrymen while trying to figure out how to handle his new steed.
Lt Manove' gives chase
Lt. Manove' signals that he is giving chase to the two-seater as the recon plane descends from the clouds.  The Rittmeister acknowledges and turns toward the action to engage the two enemy escorts and even the odds.  With a young pilot in the cockpit of the DV, against two pups, Lt. Schneckeneichener could use a hand.
Nice maneuvering, Manove'!
As Lt. Manove' lines up his initial attack on the two-seater, the two escorts dive to the strutter's rescue.  With both German fighters higher and out of position, the Germans must act quickly before Manove' becomes the hunted rather than the hunter.  
The Baron tailing the enemy
The Baron swings his triplane about and dives to get upon the enemy's tail.  He succeeds in positioning himself on the tail of one of the pups and sends a burst into its tail.  At long range, it is difficult to see where the bullets hit.
Hard to tell friend from foe
Unfortunately for the Baron, his momentum and unfamiliarity with the characteristics of the DR1 carry him through the enemy aircraft.  Curses!  Manove' has the bit between his teeth and continues tailing the strutter as it peels off and begins a steep climb.  Has the strutter completed its recon mission?
The two-seater spins out!
While still on the tail of his adversary, the Baron sees the strutter go into a spin.  Lt. Manove' may get his third kill!  Manove' follows his prey watching as it crashes lands into the field.
The duelists
With the two-seater down, time to put away these fighter escorts.  Positioning himself to face an enemy pup, the Rittmeister leads Schneckeneichener into the fight.  The Rittmeister pumps a burst into the engine of the opponent and then passes overhead.
The pup's engine conks out
Following up in the second attack, Schneckeneichener pumps two long bursts into the pup.  The pup's engine coughs and then stalls.  She is smoking!  Sputtering, the pup pulls away and begins to descend, the pilot frantically trying to restart the engine.  It is no use.  The pup glides to the ground as the second British escort breaks off.  A kill for Schneckeneichener!  Hooray!

Stoked with adrenalin, the young Schneckeneichener follows his adversary too close to the ground and clips a tree with his wing.  His DV crashes not far from the spot where he brought down his adversary only moments before.  

The Baron and Manove' return to base as Schneckeneichener is fetched from the field.  The young pilot will have some explaining to do during the debrief, of course, after a suitable convalescing period to recover from his injuries.

For Lt. Manove's account of the action, please visit Graham's blog at Back up in the air.

Very fun!  Thank you Richard for hosting another entertaining session.

Oh, and the purpose of the recon mission was to photograph the Fokker DR1 Triplane downed on the previous day's sortie. 

50 comments:

  1. Ahhhh! Beautiful planes in great battles! Love II WW planes, air battle, pilots but Great War air combats looks awesome too!

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  2. Jonathan with the opening sentence of this post I was detecting some serious "Peanuts" vibes, reliving Snoopy's missions over the front lines in France. i love air to air dogfighting posts! added bonus that you dont need a large amount of miniatures

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    1. WWI aerial combat provides an enjoyable, light-hearted gaming session. Works very well remotely too although I sometimes misjudge range and elevations. Low barrier to entry too which is nice.

      Peppermint Patty WAS in one of the British cockpits; a pup I believe!

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  3. The planes look excellent! As does the game.

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    1. Thanks, Ray! Richard gets all credit for the tabletop display.

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  4. Nice work, I’m afraid my WW2 aircraft collection/ game wouldn’t work remotely too small 🤔

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    1. What scale are your WWII planes? Perhaps if the camera is close enough, it might work?

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    2. My collection is 1/300. It has made me think that once my hex based mat is completed (reminder to me to get on with that project) I could adapt my rules ? Food for thought

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    3. Aerial combat is a perfect use for you hex grid,

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  5. Lovely looking model there Jonathan, and a nice game.

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    1. Thanks! The model is mine from my own collection but it did not see action in the game since the table was in England!

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  6. My only foray into WWI arial combat was through "Wings of Glory", I found it fun and light hearted, maybe more-so because my opponent kept insisting that we toasted brave and fallen comrades while also taking a dram to keep out the cold of arial flight.

    Looks like you had a great game. And I hope appropriate toasting was partaken?

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    1. Yes, WWI wargaming is more light-hearted and never as serious a other forms of wargaming. We call it "beer and pretzels" wargaming.

      No toasts in this game since everyone was virtual. good idea, though.

      Good to see you visiting, Anthony.

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  7. Fun interlude from all the gory musket and bayonet work.

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  8. Great War in the air = great time Fokking around. Fun game narrative!

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it, Ed! Everyone deserves a little Fokkering around occasionally.

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    2. Oops--forgot the "er"--didn't intend to be profane!

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  9. Splendid stuff Jonathan…
    I do like WW1 aircraft with all their personalised heraldry .

    All the best. Aly

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    1. I enjoy seeing all of the personalized aircraft heraldry too. They present a fine spectacle flying above the table.

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  10. That's a great looking game and a period I keep meaning to dip my toes into, once my other projects have finished of course;)!

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    1. Steve, WWI aerial combat gaming does not take a big budget or thousands of figures. Even one-on-one dogfights can be great fun. I wager you have room to wriggle in another “small” project.

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  11. Looks a great game for keeping all parties fully engaged throughout, with lots (lots) of narrative moments. That is a very visual game for that seems well suited to the zoom environment.

    Are they 1/72? I know you have have been working on a stash of old 1/72 models.

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    1. Whether trying to keep your aircraft aloft, out of someone’s gunsights, or lining up a burst of fire, always something to keep a pilot engaged. Perfectly suited for zoom.

      Yes, Richard’s models are 1/72; same as my collection. You have a good memory on my collection of models. While I have about two dozen built, I have boxes (and boxes) of unbuilt kits. I need to take inventory and see exactly how overboard I have gone…

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  12. Our mate Julian got very keen on Wings of War a few years ago and bought HEAPs of their models - possibly all of them, I dont really know - and we have had a few games - its always a nice change from the more serious matter of terrestrial warfare!

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    1. Keith, WWI aerial combat is a very nice chance from more complicated games. I find it a relaxing gaming session when the planes are out on the table.

      When was the last time Julian’s models were out for a game?

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  13. "Yes, Miss, but these Fokkers were flying Messerschmitts."

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  14. Always love a WW1 aerial game,lovely Fokker!
    Best Iain

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  15. Pretty cool! And an unexpected topic. 😀
    I imagine bc the planes are on pegs that altitude was important?

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    1. I agree! Yes, altitude is very important as our young German pilot discovered having clipped his wing on a tree top having flown too close to the ground. We have seen British pilots flying into mountains. Quite fun to watch from afar.

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  16. These WW1 planes are sooooooooo beautiful, great looking game!

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    1. My host, Richard, gets the thanks for the game presentation. I am only a remote participant.

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  17. My only experience of gaming WW1 aerial combat is only limited to ‘Ace of Aces’ innumerable years ago. Still, despite all the years, the theatre still remains fun and fascinating in my memory, just as it seems a whole lot of fun on your table!

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    1. WWI aerial combat is a very fun diversion from the rigors of regular campaigning. Thanks, Mike!

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  18. Good hunting Herr Baron!

    Heinrich Manove. 😂

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    1. Thank you! Yeah, Graham came up with a doozy of a German pilot name, didn’t he?

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  19. Those flimsy WW1 planes have such a romance to them, don't they?!

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  20. Very fun to follow Jon! I do love some WW1 fighter plane action. Less speed and tech than other air games so lots more impetuous put into raw piloting I feel.

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    1. Thanks! Fun to play too! Flying takes skill and a lot of luck.

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  21. Wow that looks so cool Jonathan! I love the WWI aircraft. Are those telescoping stands so you can change the elevation? Sort of look like they might be.

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    1. It is a fun and light game. Very relaxing way to enjoy a game without much stress or pressure. Yes, stands are telescoping and show different aircraft elevations.

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