... By the pilots who did it
hehehe looked like this event did some noise around the allied and even axis ranks.
Someone said it's not in the TOD spirit to find 2 loner N1K2s attacking 5 C47s... well if I may answer, it's not in the TOD spirit to let 5 C47s fly around unescorted
Anyone else finds similarities with Yamamoto, 2 P38s and a Betty?
We took off with Sancho's flight with orders to protect A5, maybe from a raid of B26s. reaching A5, Sancho's separated us 10 NM north of his group while flying W. We do this often in the 56th, separating just outside of vis range on parallel headings so we can screen a wider area.
Then the attack on A1 started, we were sent as a back up force to A1, from Sancho's group we were the closests.
I elected to fly dirctly north of A5, and fly west of A1, knowing that we would arrive too late for the A1 fight. Maybe we could catch some bandits returning to base at low level or force a second attacking wave to jettison their bombs.
Nomde and me spotted 5 low cons ... knowing previous attack on A1 was made by low level F4s, we guessed we found the second wave. We dove in, bombers started to shape up ... Yuk ... B26s. Finally coming hot in icon range, it was 5 C47s!
After the initial Wohoo, we got our head back and wondered "where's the escort". We circled the C47s high but saw no escort ... too bad.
the rest is a turkey shoot or mass murdering. the last C47 elected to auger before I was in guns range.
With Nomde we climbed back North, we hooked up with Kronos and his wingman. We caped A7, A8 and RTBed to the island E of A8. We spoted the eni CV.
On the way back, B26s attacking A61 were reported by Mason at 25K. We had fuel left, Nomde and me tried to grab knowing that we would be on their RTB route. One B26 was reported to have possibily escaped. Sure enought here he came, I was still slow grabing, he was 27K. I turned 180 degree toward his home and tried to outclimb him on a parralel heading. I couldn't really, I tried to make a pass, I came from dead 12 and to my surprise we ended up parralel to each other. I was in his 9, slightly lower at 700y. I eard 5 pings and a CRACK. I don't know how he got me in his lower 9 but hey, not my business.
I Weped home, 2 sectors away. I maintained a shalow descent, my engine died quickly at about 20K ... I could glide all the way to my base and make the runway dead stick.
Nomde stayed with the B26, chased him, killed him but got hit at the oil too (notice a patern?). He ditched short of the iland while gliding back.
here is the full storry, being called a cheater is very unsporty. I understand those 5 C47s frustration, but it's not my fault if Axis had a better comunication and initiative.
Being unescorted, knowing that the f4 attack wave at A1 took a beating by numerically superior forces ... a raid in goons to A1 was pure suicide and should had not been atenpted in my POV. Last TOD I circled for 2h over my CAP area and didn't saw a single eni bird. That's the spirit of TOD and I like it the way it is.
