[Rain Man]

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B-17 #19 – War Dog

Pilot Baby Lee (5)
Copilot Brock Landers (5)
Bombardier Boozer (5)
Navigator Sure-Oz (5)
Engineer BigOlChiefsfan (5)
Radio Op. Gunther_Fan (5)
Tail Gunner Lightning Rod (5)
Ball Turret Gunner chi3fs (4)
Right Waist Gunner Chief Faithful (5)
Left Waist Gunner dtebbe (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)

2 Me109s attack

Bigolchiefsfan fires, hits Me109
Dtebbe fires, kills Me109
boozer fires, misses

Hit Me109 scores 2 hits
-superficial damage to nose
-superficial damage to radio room

Me circles attacks again

Dtebbe fires, misses

Me misses, breaks off attack

Entering Bomb Zone
Good Weather
Heavy Flak – 6 hits
-superficial damage to radio room
-waist – left waist gun is inoperable
-superficial damage to radio room
-starboard aileron is inoperable
-WHOOOSH! A hit to the pilot compartment strikes the main oxygen system tank. The explosion is scary as a manhole-cover-sized hole is blown out the front of the plane, but fortunately there’s no fire. Unfortunately, the entire plane’s oxygen system fails. Brock Landers puts the word out over the intercom, and everyone switches to their own backup supplies.
-nose – boozer’s heat unit is struck and destroyed.

Despite the loss of both oxygen and heat, boozer follows through well – 30% score

Zone 3 Back: France (Leaving Target Zone)

3 Me109s attack

Sure-oz fires, hits Me109
Lightning rod fires, misses
Chi3fs fires, kills Me109

Me misses, breaks off attack

Hit Me dauntlessly presses the attack from 12 o’clock high, scores 7 hits down the length of the plane
-pilot compartment – the backup oxygen system for the pilot compartment is damaged, leaving baby lee and brock landers without oxygen.
-superficial damage to nose
-bigolchiefsfan is seriously wounded by a shot to the right part of his chest.
-superficial damage to bomb bay
-radio room – Gunther_Fan’s backup oxygen system is hit and rendered inoperable. He too is now without oxygen
-superficial damage to waist
-superficial damage to tail

Recognizing that they will fall unconscious within minutes, baby lee immediately noses the plane down hard, and War Dog dives below 10,000 feet, where oxygen is plentiful. This will also keep boozer from getting frostbite and give Gunther_Fan oxygen as well.

Hit Me follows, circling for another attack

Lightning rod fires, kills Me109

Zone 2: English Channel

Dtebbe makes his way up to the top turret and takes over for the injured BigOlChiefsFan, even though he is unfamiliar with that firing position.

War Dog crosses the French coast, low and alone. German fighters scrambling from the coastal bases quickly spot it and descend upon it.

5 Me109s attack.

boozer fires, misses
Dtebbe fires, misses
Lightning rod fires, hits Me109
Chi3fs fires, kills Me109
Chief Faithful fires, misses

2 Mes miss.

Me scores 2 hits
-port wing – flap hit but still operable
-superficial damage to port wing

Me scores 1 hit
-superficial damage to port wing

All 4 Mes circle and attack again since War Dog is alone. 1 Me has been hit already, but not seriously enough to break off.

Chi3fs fires, hits Me109
Chief Faithful fires, kills Me109
Dtebbe fires, misses
boozer fires, misses

All 3 Mes miss, but circle once more and attack again. 2 have been hit, but not seriously enough to break off.

Dtebbe fires, misses
Sure-oz fires, misses
boozer fires, damages Me109

All 3 Mes limp back to base, now wary of the B-17 with the bulldog painted on the side.

Zone 1: England

Good weather
Good landing

Aftereffects

BigOlChiefsFan is sent home as a result of his injury. He will get 70% disability payments for the rest of his life, and will eventually change the story so that he got all five kills.

Eligible for next mission

Pilot Baby Lee (5)
Copilot Brock Landers (5)
Bombardier Boozer (5)
Navigator Sure-Oz (5)
Engineer Gunther_Fan (5), promoted
Radio Op. Lightning Rod (5), promoted
Tail Gunner chi3fs (4), promoted
Ball Turret Gunner Chief Faithful (5), promoted
Right Waist Gunner dtebbe (4), promoted
Left Waist Gunner XXX

Don’t mess with these guys. They shot down five fighters, and hit or damaged five more, not to mention bombing their target.