Last Friday night I was dazzled by brilliance...
We were tasked with the defense of an airfield, namely A126, for the last frame of Operation Clarion. Our assigned rides were excellent for the given task, FW190D-9's and Ta152's.
Looking over the position of the field in relationship to the likely avenues of approach, we came up with a good plan. We would set up blocking patrols relatively close to our base and send out longer range scouting patrols to our westerly and southern flanks. We would also reserve a couple of flights over the base to clean up what came through the outer defenses. We would have plenty of warning of any approach from the north and east from the bases situated all around, so if need be we could call our flights in and vector to intercept. All pretty standard stuff, right?
Not hardly...
We got a call from our scouts of a substantial strike package, with escorts, headed in our direction from a likely avenue of approach. The scouts were told to shadow it and try to get a positive ID. They did and were promptly pounced on by the escorts, but got the word out. They were formations of Mossies, with Tempest escorts, and their heading had changed. Looks like things are on...
We vectored two flights over to intercept and warned the overhead cap to make ready. The package was intercepted just south of our base and engaged. After a decent disruption, the package vectored off and dropped altitude. We sustained substantial losses from the escorts, but felt pretty confident we had disrupted the attack.
We then started to receive warning from the non target bases to the northwest. Thinking it was a diversion, we sent some scouts to investigate and they were met by a fighter sweep at altitude. The sweep was engaged and incurred some further losses to the defense force.
At the call of the sweep, the call was made to drop our tanks. Now we were on internal stores, which are limited even further by the need to burn aft tanks first in the event of anticipated combat. Our remaining forces continued to patrol, but had to start coming down to refuel. This was to be done in shifts, in order to keep a presence at altitude.
As we are starting our refueling, we got another warning of aircraft approaching this time from the northeast. (Oh crap...) Send out a scout, what do we have? Lo and behold, we have a mission of (counting drones) what looks to be over forty heavy bombers with escorts coming in at well over angels 25. Better get back up in the air boys, cause they're comin'...
Being in the tower at this time (I caught a PW from the engagement with the Mossie package and bled out RTB), the sounds of the bombs seemed like it was going to go on forever. Left and right I am hearing "So and so, you picked up a Spit, check your six", "I'm down"... All the while our strats are going "BOOM" with fires and smoke billowing every where, our hangars getting hit and blazing.... It was freaking BEAUTIFUL man!!!!
Nowwhat little that is left of us are chasing after these Lancasters, struggling to climb up to get them and getting whomped by the escorts. What happens? The damn dinner bell goes off again! The Mossies are back again, finishing off whatever was left on base that the heavies hadn't already obliterated.
The whole operation was a thing of beauty. The timing was downright elegant, the comms HAD to be excellent. The place was decimated. I was in awe...
There wasn't a damn thing we could have done...
To my Allied Adversaries:
<<SALUTE>>
for a job well done!
StraBult
FSO Commanding Officer - ClaimJumpers
