Wow!
That has got to be the biggest and most intense furball that I can remember in over 12 yrs of participating in the FSO!
Not just a few planes popping in and out of icon range...but 39 Allied pilots faced off against 55 Axis in the grim dance of death!
In every direction I looked I saw more Red planes than I could count...and more showing up fast.
First contact came in the form of 109s from LCA trying to find and pull the defenders away from the fleet, then came the 190s of the AKs, and Freebirds. The Butcher Birds were flown by skilled pilots and had the bone in their teeth...lots of brave Allied pilots lost their lives to the overwhelming numbers.
Finally Kommando Nowatny's Stukas arrived and put paid to our Fleet, but not before losing more than half their numbers to the remaining defenders.
I don't know for sure, but it looks like the Axis commander was trying for the brute force approach to overwhelming the defenders...and it worked.
My compliments to the commanders and pilots of the Allied squads assigned to defend C125...325th, 334th, 35th, Duxford Wing, VMF-216, and VMF-101...you did all you could be expected to do in the face of such odds. Our 39 pilots accounted for 30 enemy planes...there were just too many Axis planes to deal with effectively.
Special recognition to Sidious, qbert, and BLBird. You three accounted for 11 of our kills...Well Done!
Finally my <Salute> to the Axis squads...you sure made this Frame an intensely exciting and memorable one!
As an aside...the Nightmares had a better than expected turnout this FSO, and I sure wish that I hadn't had to turn away old friends due to a lack of available seats...I guess we'll have to increase our commitment for the next one. Odd...Ski...I sure hope to see you both in Nightmares colors at the next FSO.
CptA
VMF-101 Nightmares
C125 Defense Coordinator