Mission Number 5: Da planes! Da planes!

[Rain Man]

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B-17 #4 – Red, White, and Blew by You

Pilot KCWolfman (4)
Copilot Lattimer (4)
Bombardier go bo (4)
Navigator KCJohnny (4)
Engineer Redcoats58 (4)
Radio Op. voyager (4)
Tail Gunner munkey (4)
Ball Turret Gunner TheFly (4)
Right Waist Gunner cdcox (4)
Left Waist Gunner headsnap (3)

Target: Meaulte
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 Me109 driven off by fighters

1 Fw190, 2 Me109s attack – 1 Fw190 and 1 Me109 are driven off by fighters

go bo fires, misses
redcoats58 fires, misses

Me misses, breaks off attack

Entering Bomb Zone
Good Weather
Light Flak – 4 hits (that’s bad luck)
-superficial damage to starboard wing
-superficial damage to port wing
-port wing – landing gear brakes are knocked out
-superficial damage to starboard wing

Maybe the flak buffeting was what gobo needed, because he nails the bomb run – 40% score

Zone 3 Back: France (Leaving Target Zone)

2 Me109s, 1 Me110 attack – 1 Me109 and 1 Me110 are driven off by fighters

munkey fires, kills Me109
gobo fires, misses
thefly fires, misses

Zone 2: English Channel

No enemy

Zone 1: England

Good weather
Unaware that the brakes are inoperable, kcwolfman sets down lightly, gently brakes, and Red, White, and Blew by You veers sharply to the right, bouncing off the runway, across the open space, and across another runway. Right waist gunner cdcox gets a splendid view of another B-17 barreling straight toward it on its own landing run, but fortunately the other B-17 is three seconds further up the runway. Kcwolfman alertly realizes that applying the brakes again will cause the plane to tip and roll, so he just steers and the plane bumps to a stop out in a clearing, none the worse for the wear.

Aftereffects

None

Eligible for next mission

Pilot KCWolfman (4)
Copilot Lattimer (4)
Bombardier go bo (4)
Navigator KCJohnny (4)
Engineer Redcoats58 (4)
Radio Op. voyager (4)
Tail Gunner munkey (4)
Ball Turret Gunner TheFly (4)
Right Waist Gunner cdcox (4)
Left Waist Gunner headsnap (3)

For the next mission, the ground crew will add a turn signal to the steering yoke.