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Volume 18, Number 12

Indy Squadron Dispatch
Volume 18, Number 12
September 25, 2006

RICK'S SE 5 ACE SHOT DOWN
Flyboys Movie Review
Alice Returns to Gaming Table

Indy Squadron Game Reports for 23 September 2006

by Stephen Dale Skinner

 

Game #1: German Lines, (9/23/17), Clear skies.

The first game of the day was to commemorate the Flyboys film by pitting two Fokker Dr1’s against two Nieuport 17’s.

 

Lnt. Griffen Strausendorf (Fokker Dr1, Stephen Dale 3/0) looked at rookie Augustus Dagget (Fokker Dr1, Alice 1/0) with a smile. It was Dagget’s first offensive patrol and everything had gone smoothly. Their home airfield wasn’t far away.

 

Suddenly, Cpl. Vlad Kirosk (Nieuport 17, Stephen 3/1) and rookie Roger King (Nieuport 17, Rick 1/0) seemed to come from nowhere and fired on Lnt. Strausendorf’s tail. Griffen pulled his plane into a large loop then snapped to the right. Cpl. Kirosk couldn’t keep up with the triplane but managed to fire a 200 foot burst into its side. Vlad’s months of target practice paid off... Griffen looked at the hole the Russian had put in his chest, and then slumped forward, dead.

 

In a vain attempt to save his wingman Augustus pulled up below Cpl. Kirosk and pulled the trigger. Vlad heard the bullets whizz by and felt a sting in his right leg. He checked his wound but Dagget had only grazed him.

 

The two Nieuport’s then focused their attention on the lone Dr1. Augustus twirled magnificently, punching holes into both of the French aircraft before the odds began to take their toll. With the holes being added to his plane Dagget couldn’t hold his own much longer. Shoving the stick forward he dove for hard toward German lines before glancing back over his shoulder. The Nieuport’s were nowhere in sight, seemingly back from whence they came.

Game 2: German Lines, (11/23/17), Cloudy Skies

The second mission of the day was one of the historical set up games featured on our Missions page, titled Richtofen’s 63rd Victory.

 

Lt. Norman Duckworth (SE 5a, Stephen 17/6) and Lt. Richard Porter (SE 5a, Rick 21/3) expected an easy flying day, but with a giant cloudbank seven hundred feet overhead it wouldn’t hurt to be watchful. Three hundred feet below they spotted two Albatros DV’s and Lt. Porter, deciding to play it safe, gave the signal for the two Allied planes to make a defensive formation.

 

Unt. Johann Strauss (Alb DV, Stephen Dale 3/1) noticed two Allied planes forming up above him and signaled to Otto Kroll (Alb DV, Alice 3/0) to attack. Johann pulled up 150 feet below the nearest Allied aircraft and squeezed the trigger. Crimson splattered over Lt. Porter’s goggles; he ripped them off to see a gaping wound in his chest. He coughed hard... then he couldn’t breath, couldn’t scream and suddenly everything went black. Johann watched victoriously as the SE 5a slammed into the ground below erupting into a ball of flame.

 

No sooner had he rejoiced over his victory then another SE 5a began to fire at him. Otto Kroll knew what to do and began a continuous defensive circle to lessen Lt. Duckworth’s onslaught on Johann. The altitude passed slowly... 100, 200, 300 and then both Albs climbed into the cloudbank.

 

Furious, Norman ripped off his goggles. “Come out,” He screamed, tears streaming down his face, “Come out here and fight!” He watched for a solid half hour but nothing emerged from the white mass. Reluctantly he headed for home, stealing one last glimpse at the pile of rubble below. He was going to miss his friend.    

                     

Game 3: German Lines, (4/23/18), Mostly Clear Skies

The third mission was rolled randomly.

 

"Two rookies going after a balloon aren’t good odds," figured rookie Brian Meadowlark (SE 5a, Stephen Dale 1/0). He looked over to the rookie beside him (SE 5a, Rick 1/0), a man he didn’t even know, and crossed his fingers.

 

Four hundred feet below the two allied planes two Pfalz DIII’s flown by August Lowenhardt (Alice 7/0) and an unknown rookie (Stephen 1/0) watched carefully. One SE 5a turned hard to the right and the rookie accelerated to catch up. Unfortunately the young pilot was focused on the Allied aircraft above him and slammed straight into a hill... he died instantly on impact.

 

“Great,” thought August, who opted to stay far behind the two British planes as they closed up on the balloon. The inexperience of the two Allied pilots showed as pass after pass they failed to inflict any serious damage on the drachen. Then, out of the corner of his eye, August noticed the Pfalz DIII of Ltn. Nathanial Spadinger (Stephen 1/0) and a wry smile crossed his lips... maybe the Germans could still make a go of it!

 

Soon the two German aircraft had caught up to the Allied planes and the balloon was less than a hundred feet from the ground. But taking no chances the unknown allied rookie sped towards home leaving Brian by himself. “Thanks a lot” thought Brian, who pressed the throttle down and attempted to follow his wingman.

 

Suddenly, an explosion washed through the air as Meadowlark’s SE 5a blew to pieces, demolished by anti-aircraft fire. When Brian woke up a few moments later he wandered aimlessly for a moment, stunned to be alive. Then he heard the distinct cock of a German rifle. He raised his hands in the air and was wrestled to the ground. He would remain a prisoner for the duration.     

 

Game 4: German Lines (10/23/18) Mostly Clear Skies

The fourth and final game was rolled randomly.

 

Ltn. Walter Strahle (Pfalz DXII, Stephen 25/5) told Unt. Johann Strauss (Alb DVa, Stephen Dale 4/1) that this mission would be a test of patience. During the flight Johann found out he was right. Their assignment was to destroy a floating pontoon bridge, nothing else. However, the situation made Johann salivate because the sky was decorated with a balloon and two Sopwith Camels flown by Lnt. Christopher Ridley-Scott (Rick, 6/2) and an unknown rookie (Evan, 1/0).

 

As Johann surveyed the situation he looked over at Ltn. Strahle who authoritatively pointed down towards their target. Johann obeyed but the mission seemed repetitive, as pass after pass at the bridge seemed to produce nothing and it was hard to hit with any accuracy. Suddenly an explosion rippled underneath the bridge and it slowly began to sink. He looked towards Walter for a moment, and then he felt several slugs slam into his engine - the anti-aircraft fire had done its job.

 

In a panic Johann headed for home but the Camels swooped in, trying for an easy kill. For a brief moment Johann looked up to see Walter’s Pfalz dancing through sky, firing round after round into both Allied aircraft. Soon Johann spotted German lines and franticly began working the controls to try and land his crippled airplane. He looked up but it was to late... he had accidentally dove towards the ground.

 

Yanking the stick backwards he felt the wheels shatter on impact and the propeller snapped off, flying over his head. When the dust cleared he looked up and saw Walter fly past shaking his head. The ace had not abandoned him despite the threat of two nearby Camels. “Oh well,” Johann thought as he crawled from the wreckage to be escorted home by German troops, “at least I’m still alive.”  

Flyboys Movie Review

by Rick Lacy

 

Ok, here is my brief review on the movie Flyboys. First off, let’s address the historical accuracy. It’s not all it could be. And that’s about all that needs to be said about that.

 

The movie itself is actually more of a coming of  age or love story than it is a straight up combat fest. More of the time is taken up on the plot elements for the main characters than it is in matters pertaining to aviation. And in my opinion this is a good thing, it made the movie more enjoyable. Each of the major characters (with the exception of the French commander for the Escadrille) has backstory that is developed and pertains to the events as they unfold. And the results of continued combat operations on the pilots is also represented very well with different characters handling the stress of combat and the loss of squadron mates in realistic ways.

 

Now, on to the aerial sequences. Very well choreographed and quite visually stunning. The combat as presented really gave one a feel for what it was to be in the cockpit of a WW1 fighter. I was particularly impressed with the first sequence where the new Escadrille pilots went up on their first mission - I think this really did a lot to capture the confusion that must have been present with new pilots (which is something that made new pilots such easy pickings for experiences pilots). 

 

The tactics as represented should give any DP player a new understanding of what aerial combat was like (LOTS of head on attacks and more pilot hits than we have come to be used to) and in my opinion go a little way to help explain how the game is a somewhat accurate model of aerial combat while at the same time is subpar at handling other aspects of aerial combat (see my posting in the Forum about the Indy 2 Seat defense rules). In no way does DP closely match what is shown for combat on the screen, but at the same time, DP does allow such combat to be modeled in a playable and enjoyable method. If we were to try to model more closely what happens from a physical standpoint we’d end up with some huge monstrosity of a rulebook that only physicists would understand.

 

Overall rating: 3.5 of 5 stars (and definitely worth owning on DVD!)
 
 
News and Notes
  • The format of the Indy Squadron Forum will soon be redesigned to match the new look of the main page. Hang in there for a bit while the rest of the work is completed.
  • It was great to see Alice at the Dawn Patrol table again. She's only played once or twice in the last year but didn't appear rusty at all. She flew well and survived every mission.
  • The Richeson clan played games on Friday night. They played until nearly 5am Saturday and we hope for a game report from them soon.
  • Too bad more Indy players didn't make the movie. It was really a lot of fun to get away from the gaming table and soak up a fun WWI aviation film. Rick, who originated the idea, says we should do more group outings. We agree.
  • Rumor is that Wyatt Richeson is anxious to return to the Indy Squadron skies... watch out.
  • Look for Rick's unfortunate SE 5 pilot in the Indy Squadron War Cemetery. A proper eulogy and burial service with full military honors has been performed.