Mission 11: Now the fun starts.

[Rain Man]

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B-17 #18 – Fooooo Fighters

Pilot NaptownChief (10)
Copilot Tommykat (10)
Bombardier PastorMikH (10)
Navigator Mr. Christopher (10)
Engineer B2chiefsfan (10)
Radio Op. Adam (10)
Tail Gunner Amnorix (10)
Ball Turret Gunner KC Kings (10)
Right Waist Gunner el borracho (10)
Left Waist Gunner NewChief (10)

Target: St. Omer. In a truly odd coincidence, the Fooooo Fighters become the third crew sent to this nearby target.
Mid-formation horizontally, high vertically
Distance: 2 zones

Zone 1 Out: Britain

The weather is horrid, and will be the entire trip. The entire British Isles and nearby France is engulfed in fog and rain.
No enemy

Zone 2 Out: France (Entering Target Zone)

As the B-17s feel their way through the fog, the fighters are duking it out ahead of them.

3 Me110s are driven off by fighters

2 Fw190s are driven off by fighters

Entering Bomb Zone
Bad Weather – It’s tough to see anything
The Germans are not putting up much flak since they’re shooting blind, but their blind shots work incredibly well. Somehow, Fooooo Fighters is running into every flak burst that’s being fired.
Light Flak – 4 hits
-tail – control cables are hit and slightly damaged
-port wing root is slightly damaged
-tail – amnorix grunts as he takes what doctors will describe as a light wound to the groin. That’s gotta hurt.
-Whammo! A flak shell bursts only fifty feet to the right of the nose. Shrapnel blisters the nose of the aircraft, and the two men inside. Pastormikh, just about to drop the bombload, takes a serious wound to the stomach, and Mr. Christopher takes a serious wound to the left hip.
Fighting off the pain, pastormikh lets the bombs loose just as he collapses. Through the flak and the fog, he still somehow manages to nick the target – 10% score

Zone 2: France

4 Me109s attack through the mist – 2 are driven away by fighters, but the plane has no gunners able to work the nose guns.

B2chiefsfan fires, misses
Amnorix fires, misses
Me misses, breaks off attack

Me scores 1 hit
-nose – Mr. Christopher’s luck has run out badly on this mission. He is killed instantly by a shot directly into the left side of his head.

Me circles, attacks again

B2chiefsfan fires, misses

Me misses, breaks off attack

3 Mes attack

B2chiefsfan fires, kills Me109
Newchief fires, misses
Amnorix fires, misses

Me misses, breaks off attack

Me scores 1 hit
-superficial damage to waist

Me circles, attacks again

B2chiefsfan fires, misses

Me scores 2 hits
-starboard wing root damaged
-superficial damage to pilot compartment

Me circles, attacks again

Amnorix fires, misses

Me misses, breaks off attack

Zone 1: England

Bad weather continues
Naptownchief brings Fooooo Fighters in for a good landing despite the weather, and the crew hustles down to the nose to help and get their first glimpse of war casualties amongst their crew.

Aftereffects

Pastormikh will be eating soft foods for the remainder of the war, but the shrapnel missed his major organs. He’ll be back aboard the next flight.

Eligible for next mission

Pilot NaptownChief (10)
Copilot Tommykat (10)
Bombardier PastorMikH (10)
Navigator B2chiefsfan (10) , promoted
Engineer Adam (10) , promoted
Radio Op. Amnorix (10) , promoted
Tail Gunner KC Kings (10) , promoted
Ball Turret Gunner el borracho (10) , promoted
Right Waist Gunner NewChief (10), promoted
Left Waist Gunner XXX

That must stink for Mr. Christopher. He survived ten missions and then got chewed up on a two zone training run.