[Rain Man]

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B-17 #11 – Commando Chief

Pilot JOhn (4)
Copilot Bob_Damned_Dole (4)
Bombardier bkkcoh (4)
Navigator WilliamTheIrish (4)
Engineer Dartgod (4)
Radio Op. ck_IN (4)
Tail Gunner grandllama (4)
Ball Turret Gunner CASHMAN (4)
Right Waist Gunner Slim_Shady (4)
Left Waist Gunner penchief (4)

Target: Lille
Mid-formation horizontally and vertically (low vulnerability)

Zone 1 Out: Britain

No enemy

Zone 2 Out: English Channel

No enemy

Zone 3 Out: France (Entering Target Zone)

1 Fw190, 2 Me109s attack – 1 Me 109 driven away by fighters

williamtheirish fires, misses
bkkcoh fires, misses
dartgod fires, misses
grandllama fires, misses

Fw misses, breaks off attack

Me scores 2 hits
-superficial damage to port wing
-port wing – outboard fuel tank. Uh-oh, a fire starts.

John waggles the wings, but the fire grows. BobDamnedDole attempts a fuel dump and turns off the #1 engine, but it’s no use. The fire grows quickly and it’s only going to get worse. John reluctantly puts the plane straight and level and gives the bailout order.

Pilot JOhn (4) and Navigator WilliamTheIrish (4) bail out easily, land and hit the ground running. However, they had the misfortune of landing near a German base, so it’s just a matter of time. 20 hours later, they’re discovered in a cellar munching on potatoes and are marched off to Germany.

Copilot Bob_Damned_Dole (4) bails out fine, and can’t find anybody once he hits the ground. He enters a French farmhouse and trades his flight jacket for 3 bottles of wine and a train ticket to the coast. After a pleasant but cold train ride, he approaches a French fisherman and trades his service revolver for a ride across the Channel. Less than 24 hours later, BobDamnedDole is asleep in his own bed.
Bombardier bkkcoh (4), Engineer Dartgod (4), and Right Waist Gunner Slim_Shady (4) bail out fine and meet up when they land. However, the Germans are already on their trail and they evade capture for only three hours.

Tail Gunner grandllama (4) bails out fine but lands right in the midst of the German base. He surrenders immediately.

Ball Turret Gunner CASHMAN (4) has a bit of a rough parachute trip because he was the last one out of the plane, as the fire was engulfing the wing. His parachute smoldered and caught fire, but managed to avoid burning through until he was almost on the ground. A tree ensured that he only broke his left ankle. He met up with Radio Op. ck_IN (4), who had bailed out fine and was already toting Left Waist Gunner penchief (4). Penchief had struck the tail upon bailout and broken his left leg badly. The two injured crew members have no realistic chance of escape, and ck_In stays with them and helps them into the German truck upon their capture.

No bomb run

Aftereffects

None. Commando Chief will not be resurrected. Farewell, warrior.

Eligible for next mission

Pilot Bob_Damned_Dole (4) (if position is available)

It was recorded in the annals that Bob_Damned_Dole went on a rant during his debriefing about the fire extinguishing system aboard Commando Chief.