Hat in the Ring!

[33LIMA]

A new campaign with the 94th Aero in France!

I don't really have the system as yet for the latest version of Wings over Flanders Fields but I was inspired to start this campaign after seeing some of BladeMeister's screenies of the Nieuport 28 in a certain other new sim, over on SmHQ. I've always liked the N.28 ever since making the newly-issued Revell 1/72 kit back in the 1960s. I'm no big fan of SPADs so I decided to start with the 94th Aero 'Hat in the Ring' Squadron in late March 1918, before the SPADs arrived.

We're based at Villeneuve les Vertus near Reims, which latter is behind the Lines to our north. I'm leading a patrol of four. We're new to this game and are starting out by getting used to the area, and to combat flying in general, well behind the front. So I'm not really expecting too much to happen today.

 Here I am, ready to start up.

And there are the boys, shortly after doing so,  engine smoke blowing away in the propwash. As well as my foursome, A' Flight is putting up a pair of Nieuports to patrol the same general area.

As befits the flight leader, I'm first off the ground, into clear blue skies.

Time for a quick look at my map, I think.

Then up and away we go again.

 I throttle back slightly and begin a gentle right turn to help the boys catch up.

I reckon that's Epernay, down there. If not, then I've wasted no time in getting us lost.

Right, now for the boring bit, the long climb for height, before the patrol really begins.

...to be continued!

[rtoolooze]

Right on, thanks for sharing! I love flying with the 94th Aero. Hopefully this flight won't stay boring for too long!

Cheer's

[TROOPER117]

I've never yet been able to live long enough to transition onto Spads when flying the N28 in WoFF.

Tried it in RoF and managed to survive well into the Spad period with the 94th,  

[33LIMA]

Yes, that can only be Epernay down there. Definitely not lost. That's always good to know.

At about ten thousand feet I'm getting a bit blasé if not yet actually bored, so I decide to short-circuit all the wheeling around to gain height. Instead, I climb as we head for the next waypoint, which will take us over our airfield.

Lovely, elegant little aeroplane, the Nieuport 28. Much nicer-looking than the angular SPAD. I can understand why some US pursuit squadrons were reluctant to be re-equipped with the S.13 and its unreliable geared engine. Urban legend or not, I read somewhere that French esadrilles who had it, retained a full, parallel complement of S.7s, just to enable them consistently to put enough aircraft into the air.

Looking down at our base as we pass above, I realise with a shock that this patrol isn't going to be a milk run, after all. White bursts of friendly AA fire are tracking enemy aircraft headed for Villeneuve les Vertus!

I throttle back and spiral down, careful not to over-stress my machine, prone as its upper wing is to shedding fabric along its leading edge. By now the first bombs have fallen on our field. These Huns have no intention of letting the new kids on the block ease themselves into the war!

There's a sort of staccato barking sound and at first I think it's rounds whacking into my aircraft. But there's no bad guys in sight, so it looks like I haven't treated my mount gingerly enough. She's a bit wobbly as I level off and race after the enemy, who are now running north for the Lines and safety.

I hear the rattle of MGs behind me. It was all clear there a second ago! Now there are Nieuports and Albatros scouts whirling around in a small but intense dogfight.

It looks like the others have their hands full and it'll be up to me to pay back the Hun bombers in kind. I'm soon closing on the nearest of two pairs, from below and behind. Soon now, soon!

...to be continued!

Edited June 18, 2021 by 33LIMA

[33LIMA]

As I get closer I shove down the nose and build up speed. The plan is to pull up into an attack from well out of the observer's field of fire. The biplane tail reveals the Hun to be a Hannover escort and ground-attack type.

Up we go and I start shooting.  And hitting, as I can see from smoke and flying fragments. There doesn't seem to be any return fire...

...despite my climb gradually taking me up behind him.

As I break left to avoid a collision then snake back to the right for another pass, I can see the observer is tracking me with his gun. However, he doesn't seem to be getting off any shots.

My next pass from astern gets more hits and the Hannover begins a gentle turn to the right.

I keep closing and firing, in short bursts. Suddenly, the Hun's wings fall off. The fuselage rolls right and pitches sharply downwards...

...then bursts into flames. No doubt about that one, a dramatic first victory on my first operational flight!

Out of habit I call up the map and the clock, noting time and location for a combat report when back at base. West of Epernay, 08:47. Nobody wants to miss out on being credited with their first success!

But I've ammo left and there are still Huns out there, so I'm not done yet!

...to be continued!

Edited June 19, 2021 by 33LIMA

[33LIMA]

There's another pair of (presumably) Hun 2-seaters up ahead and I race after them in my Nieuport, which is still wobbling slightly after my tight spiral dive earlier on.

My engine's still running normally, though. A quick look behind to clear my tail...

...then I'm in range and shooting at the nearest Hun.

This time, they are two-bay biplanes not the single-bay Hannovers. DFWs, I think. I'm hitting steadily but this time, take some in return.

The big Hun suddenly dips nose down and falls away.

Got him! I pull up hard to avoid fire from his companion, ahead and right.

Having got well out of range, I bank right and go for the other DFW. Do I have enough round left? There's one way to find out!

...to be continued!

Edited June 19, 2021 by 33LIMA

[33LIMA]

I'm soon attacking the second DFW. My rounds are knocking sundry small pieces off him and he banks right in an effort to escape. I take some hits in return.

Just when I think I've got him, my guns stop. Trying to clear them doesn't work. I'm almost certainly out of ammo. So I break down and left, keen not to become the one who gets shot down.

My engine is now running rough as I make a run for it, turning and diving for base.

But the Hun doesn't seem to want to let me go!

After a few scary seconds, the DFW clears off.

Which is just as well, for now, my engine conks out altogether.

Right - now I just need to find somewhere to force land. Can't be that difficult, eh?

...to be continued!

Edited June 19, 2021 by 33LIMA

[33LIMA]

Now then...there are some woods to my right, but on the other side, plenty of promising fields and I have more than enough height to reach them.

Better avoid the ploughed fields, methinks. Those grassy ones over there look good.

The undulations in the land become a bit more evident as I settle onto a final approach, but I reckon I'm still doing fine.

Suddenly, a fence comes into view! Fences and WoFF aircraft don't mix too well, I remember. I can't get down short of the darned thing so try to keep the nose up and get over it. But I just haven't got the airspeed!

Crunch! The fence stops me dead lie a fly in a spiderweb.

'Dead' is the operative word, for the debriefing tells me I've been killed! WoFF's lethal fences have claimed another victim! Granted I had only just touched down and was travelling quite fast, but an animation showing my kite flipping over or breaking up would have been at least more convincing.

That was probably my shortest-ever WoFF career! Next time, I'll be more careful where I force land!

Edited June 19, 2021 by 33LIMA

[TROOPER117]

In WoFF, the fences would always kill you if you hit one... now it's not always the case after a patch changed that behaviour.

Sometimes you can get away with it, and sometimes you can't...

[+VonS]

Nice write-ups Lima, interesting to see a version of WOFF before I began WOFFing. By the way, fences are deadly to about version 4.18 of WOFF (UE). The 4.21 or 4.22 patch that disables SweetFX compatibility also tones down fence (and tree) deadliness. The PE addon (ver. 5.0.x) included a few other subtleties regarding trees and fences, which are continued in the BH&H2 edition. I spend most of my time in my backport of PE aircraft/terrains into 4.18 since I prefer SweetFX color saturation in WOFF to what ReShade can do (ReShade is really the only option after the ver. 4.21 patch) - and I keep a stiff upper lip when crashing into trees or fences.

Happy flying,

Von S