A great option the real pilots had not

[Olham 164]

Yesterday, I made me a pilot for training my air combat. He's in Jasta 15, April 1918.

He is doing that in Campaign, with "die roll at death" setting.

 

When we had the first encounter with SPAD VIIs, I realised soon, there were aces among them.

Now, I allow this pilot to do all the things, that would kill the immersion, but help to understand

the situations.

He flies with labels on. So he can always see, which wingman is were, and who the enemies are.

In my normal flights, I would have just seen a SPAD with an Indian chief's head, a red "T" on a round black spot

and a yellow 11 on it. Now, I could read his name: William "Bill" Thaw from 103rd. There were also Paul Frank Baer,

and Charles John Biddle. There was a total of about 10 or 12 SPADs.

Now, my pilot made his first note: I KNOW, I should get out of here, if I was sane.

 

But, to continue the training, he didn't. I panned around my plane in outer view; I marked the opponents, and switched

through them, still paused. A frozen moment of air combat.

I checked, how many were at my level or even higher; and who had gone lower yet.

I checked, were my wingmen were, and decided to help them out.

Second note: two of them three are so low now, and in such a furball - you would risk your life more than acceptable.

You should not go there!

 

But, to continue training, I did. I managed to shoot up Paul F. Baers plane so hard, it just exploded.

Now, I remembered: safety first - climb a good bit again. And then: freeze again.

The situation had gone worse. From my flight of 4 planes, and the other of 3, I only saw three blue labels left, and

also on the TAC, within 4 miles.

Third note: NOW is the very last chance you should try to make your way home! You can't make more kills here AND survive that.

 

But, to continue training, I didn't stop. William Thaw came so wonderfully well in front of my Spandaus, I just had to hunt

him down. He got badly hit, plane smoking. He did all his best zig zagging and curving, but I stuck at his tail, and he

took more hits. Freeze again, and check.

And there his wingman was - some 500 feet behind me, just lining in to the kill. Above me at least 5 SPADs coming down.

Near me as a visible blue dot on TAC: only one German plane, further away.

This is the end. I knew it, but would you give up?

I managed to pull my D Va in a very steep curve, and only got hit a little. We curved like mad, and I read Biddle's name.

We circled tighter and tighter, until I could hit him; three times a little. He showed effect, got "heavier".

But around us, 5 SPADs now also circling. Freeze.

Fourth note: you get into bloodthirst craze again and again, and will therefor die again and again.

This action was only insane - not heroic.

 

To end the story: I got hit again, plane unmanoeuverable; the sim decided to end it, before I even crashed.

 

My whole way of fighting was idiotic from almost the beginning. There had been two SPADs further away from the rest.

If I HAD to have my fight - I should have marked and chased those.

But, well - it was a good lesson. I thought, I'll continue this way of learning, with this one pilot.

(By the way: I had downed two SPADs - but with what use?)