If you guys are interested in the upcoming scenario, check out my little write up then sign up
It's early 1944 you're a B-24 pilot with the 459th BG stationed out of Giulia Air Field. Today is your first mission over enemy territory. You couldn't sleep all night from the nerves, and when you did fall asleep you were waken at 0400 hours for breakfast. After breakfast you head immediately to your briefing to find out the target for today. It's an ammo factory just south of Rome. Your escort for the day is the 31st FG in P-51's, the 57th FG in P-47's, and the 325th FG in P-51's. Takeoff is scheduled for 0700 hours. After the briefing your brief your crew, it's 0545. You gather your flight gear, and have a word with the co-pilot and you begin your pre-flight checks. Your payload today is twelve 500lb bombs. Your crew begins to check their headsets and radios, you say a silent prayer to yourself. It's 0645, the plane beside of you, The Mississippi Kids, begins starting their engines. You start engine one and work your way to engine four. You move to the flight line, today you are the tail end Charlie for the formation. By 0730, you're airborne, you've just gotten your wheels up and you begin to climb to join the rest of your formation. Your flight is only a few hours today.
By 0930 you're almost to target, your escort is out front and above you. The 325th Checker Tails are out-front, the 31st are right above you and the P-47's are split to the 9, and 3'o clock positions of your formation. The r/t comes to life with sightings of bandits inbound 1'o clock. You look to the 1'o clock and you see several twinkling specks growing fast. Focke-Wulfs 190's are headed straight for your formation. As the grow closer you see little twinkles from the nose and wings, you realize it's bullets being fired at
you. The first rounds impact the right wing, and make some tiny holes. The next rounds pass across the fuselage and rip into your top turret gunner killing him instantly. The escorts are working like hell to get the fighters but there are so many, and you notice little dogfights breaking out everywhere. A 190 goes by with an oil leak, you see a group of 109's come in but the 31st FG gets the jump. Two immediately go down in flames. You see a P-47 go by with a 190 in trail, the P-47 erupts in a massive explosion. The B-17 to your left The Mississippi Kids is hit. Fire pours from engine number four, and you watch the plane dip to the left. You see a chute, "Get out you guys come on!" Two, three, four chutes come out, and then the plane is engulfed in the raging inferno and explodes. You turn your head to the right just in time to see a pair of 109's flash by. You don't see nor hear the 20mm shells that explode outside your co-pilots window. A strong breeze blows in and you see your co-pilot slump to his right with a hole between his eyes.
You turn your head to the 12'o clock position to see a 190 headed straight for you, the next thing you see is an explosion as the 190 is blown out of the sky by a P-47 of the 57th FG.
Or maybe your a P-47 pilot, today is just like any other to you, another mission. You've flown countless missions and made a name for yourself too. You're an ace with 7.5 victories, and in charge of Red Section. Your wingman is one of the best wingmen in the world, he can stay with you no matter what you do and has 4 victories for himself. Your number three is a very good friend LT. Frank Thomas, a new ace with 5 Victories, and your number four is the new guy fresh outta of flight school with 27 hours in P-47's. You aircraft is the P-47D-25, her name is In The Mood, which was made famous by Glenn Miller. You field is in Ghisonaccia, Corsica, today you are escorting B-24s to an ammo factory outside Rome. Your section will be to the 3'o clock of the formation with the 31st FG on top cover, and the 325th FG out front. You favor your P-47 to the P-51, it may not have the looks but it has the fire power and she can take a beating.
You lift off at 0730 and head to the rendezvous with the bombers. . .it's been dull so far out here, it's 0930 and no sign of the Luftwaffe. But something catches your eye to your 11'o clock. A large gaggle is inbound fast to the formation. You turn your section into the gaggle only to discover that it's 190's. You take your section down and make a run for the Tail End Charlie, you close in to within 250 yards and open fire. Your eight .50's rake across his aircraft and he spirals down trailing oil and avgas. But before you can catch the rest of the pack they split for the bombers. You see them dart through the formation tearing at the Tail End Charlie of the B-24 formation. You give chase and you find yourself behind another 190, you let your wingman take the shot. He nails him and he explodes, finally he's an ace. As you head back towards the formation you see your numbers 3 and 4 diving through, but there is a 109 behind number four. By the time you give the call number four has his wing blown off and he's out of the fight. You don't see it but he jumps and will be a POW till wars end. The 109 breaks down and you see a 190 jump LT. Thomas. He's shaking left and right to no use, he goes over the tail end Charlie and gets ready to dive down but it's too late. LT. Thomas doesn't feel the 20mm cannon rounds rip through his body and into his airplane. You watch his plane explode. Anger, and revenge are what you feel. You dive and follow the 190, he goes to the vertical, and is up on over back down on the formation He aims for the Tail End Charlie. He's closing in but so are you. You open fire and your rounds land home. They rake across his fuselage and canopy, and his right wing, then he explodes.
Hopefully this will catch some eyes but seriously guys sign up for the scenario, if we can get seat filled on both sides it'll be a blast. Bring your friends and go back in time to WWII and write your own history you won't regret it.
Here is the scenario write up, click the link, then click the picture to read the write up.
http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,367025.0.htmlHere is the registration link.
http://www.ahevents.org/scenario-registration.html Hope you enjoyed my little story, and I look forward to seeing YOU over Italy.
Major BFOOT1
CO 31st Fighter Group
