The Third B-17 thread [Archive]

Kalel21

07/05/2007, 14:52

Okay, we'll try it one more time:

This time, we'll have 2 B-17s, "Tweedledee" & "Tweedledum," each flying the same mission. Perhaps with two ships, at least one of them might last longer.

First come, first serve to be on the crew this time. Post which ship you want to be on and what crew position you want.

(I'm not sure if we'll have enough interested parties to man two ships and have a large enough Reserve, but we'll try it and see)

Tweedledee

Pilot--Kalel21

Co-Pilot--hair10

Bombardier--charlesx

Navigator--Shellhead's Pal

Flight Engineer/Top Turret--Antipathy

Radio Operator--pbdeberry

Ball Turret--JackAssterson

Port Waist Gunner--bigkahuna83

Starboard Waist Gunner--madslaust

Tail Turret--BudPalmer

Tweedledum

Pilot--EmperorNorton

Co-Pilot--Rokk Krin

Bombardier--Splashy66

Navigator--hail eris

Flight Engineer/Top Turret--St. Cuthbert

Radio Operator--KitsuShel

Ball Turret--NAES72

Port Waist Gunner--batfink

Starboard Waist Gunner--sstralkowski

Tail Turret--Stuart Rex

RESERVES: Kasz216, Melkhor, jedah s, Grinner, AlienFlanders, Jackofhearts2005, Zaq, theanalogkid, BigSoph (bombardier)

JackAssterson

07/05/2007, 14:54

JackAssterson (who really enjoys these things way too much) for the Ball Turret (I get such a kick out of that thing) in Tweedledee! Thanks for keeping us flying, cap'n!

EmperorNorton

07/05/2007, 14:54

I wanna pilot the Tweedledum!

JackAssterson

07/05/2007, 14:55

If you get a third plane you could call it the Tweedledummer!

oy

hair10

07/05/2007, 14:56

co-pilot if available (i've got experience!).

If not, let me blow some stuff up with the Bombardier position.

Either plane is fine with me.

charlesx

07/05/2007, 15:01

Leftenant charlesx reporting for Bombardier duty aboard the Tweedledee, sir! Glad to be going back up, sir!

BudPalmer

07/05/2007, 15:03

I'll take the tail. (go ahead and make your jokes!)

EmperorNorton

07/05/2007, 15:04

I'll take the tail. (go ahead and make your jokes!)

A horse walks into a bar. The bartender says, "So, why the long face?"

Rokk_Krinn

07/05/2007, 15:16

You sure you guys don't want a medic onboard? :laugh:

Sign me up for whatever's available on...hmm...not sure I should really trust the German guy flying us on airraids against, well, Germans....but, on the other hand, Emp does have the better avatar right now so despite the jokes about the plane's name, put me on "Tweedledum".

EmperorNorton

07/05/2007, 15:19

You sure you guys don't want a medic onboard? :laugh:

Sign me up for whatever's available on...hmm...not sure I should really trust the German guy flying us on airraids into, well, Germany....

So you'd rather fly with somebody who doesn't know the neighbourhood?
Huh? Didn't think so...

Kalel21

07/05/2007, 15:21

BudPalmer

07/05/2007, 15:24

Weren't WWII field medics just the guys they let carry the morphine? Even JacinB could stick you with one of those (if he were sitting on you anyway).

Rokk_Krinn

07/05/2007, 15:26

Do you have a preferred crew position?

Hmm...one that survives at least a mission longer than Norton so I can keep my eye on him. :laugh:

(This is turning into an issue written by Garth Ennis, I think)

Kalel21

07/05/2007, 15:28

Hmm...one that survives at least a mission longer than Norton so I can keep my eye on him. :laugh:

(This is turning into an issue written by Garth Ennis, I think)

I made you his co-pilot.

Shellhead's Pal

07/05/2007, 15:32

I'll take my original position of Navigator of the Tweedledee, chief! By now, I've learned a thing or two about directions. I even know what longitude is! Indeed, Charlesx, you and I will put those bombs where they need to be, no probs. And by that I mean probability control. By golly, this time, with our Marvel B-17 Team-Up action, we're sure to make an impact.

Actually...it'll probably be interesting to see which plane's crew lives longer. :sleep:

batfink

07/05/2007, 15:55

I'll volunteer.

Kalel21

07/05/2007, 15:56

I'll volunteer.

Any preference for which plan or what crew position?

splashy66

07/05/2007, 16:03

Can I be bombadier on tweedledum?

hail_eris

07/05/2007, 16:14

I'll take navigator on the Tweedledum.

sstralkowski

07/05/2007, 16:21

Just put me anywhere. I'm a jack of all trades.

Kalel21

07/05/2007, 16:22

Just put me anywhere. I'm a jack of all trades.

I'm gonna make you and batfink the Waist gunners on the Tweedledum.

sstralkowski

07/05/2007, 16:25

I'm gonna make you and batfink the Waist gunners on the Tweedledum.

Heh, bring it on! I'm gonna waist 'em all!

Can I be Port-ly Waist Gunner?

Rokk_Krinn

07/05/2007, 16:25

Question - and I know this joke has been brought up before but deal with it :) - but who's the best artist of the crew? That's who I want in the belly-gun of the "Tweedledum" in case we get into trouble (and with Emp going around his old neighborhood to visit people you never know what we'll run across at the local Kwik-E-Mart! :) )

armac

07/05/2007, 16:30

Step right up, step right up! More casualties wanted.

Hmmmm, should they be shot down in alphabetical order? Or should the inexperienced pilot be targetted first?

Ah, I'll probably just target hair10 again. I didn't get him last time.

Oh, and friends here in Ottawa wouldn't be surprised that I'm playing the bad guys. In the board game of Aliens, I would always play the Aliens.

bigkahuna83

07/05/2007, 16:41

Sign me up for either or both. And If i can have a gun this time, you would all appreciate it. I have mad skills shooting at Krauts.

Kalel21

07/05/2007, 16:45

Sign me up for either or both. And If i can have a gun this time, you would all appreciate it. I have mad skills shooting at Krauts.

I gave you the Port Waist position on "Tweedledee."

Antipathy

07/05/2007, 16:51

Is Top Turret Gunner open for either plane? I'd like to take my old position.

JackAssterson

07/05/2007, 16:52

Question - and I know this joke has been brought up before but deal with it :) - but who's the best artist of the crew?

I've had so much Ball Turret experience that we don't even need a landing strip anymore. I just sketch up LaGuardia.

Rokk_Krinn

07/05/2007, 16:56

I've had so much Ball Turret experience that we don't even need a landing strip anymore. I just sketch up LaGuardia.

You mean Fiorello can catch a plane and land it safely all by his lone self? Man, I knew the guy was great but I think we've finally figured out who helped Clark Kent fool Lois Lane all those years.

NAES72

07/05/2007, 17:18

Tweedledum
Ball Turret if i could

St. Cuthbert

07/05/2007, 17:19

If there's any position left, I'll take it. If not, reserves!

Kalel21

07/05/2007, 17:20

If there's any position left, I'll take it. If not, reserves!

I gave you Top Turret gunner on the Tweedledum.

Only a few positions left--Radio Operators on both planes, Starbaard Waist gunner on Tweedledee and Tail gunner on the Tweedledum.

madslaust

07/05/2007, 17:34

Starboard Gunner on the Tweedledee please!

pbdeberry

07/05/2007, 17:42

these are fun... sign me up for whatever is left.

Kalel21

07/05/2007, 17:44

these are fun... sign me up for whatever is left.

I gave you Radio Operator on the Tweedledee.

That leaves Radio Op. and Tail Gunner on Tweedledum.

madslaust

07/05/2007, 17:46

YESSS!!

Das ist sehr gut, mein freund!

Rokk_Krinn

07/05/2007, 17:48

YESSS!!

Das ist sehr gut, mein freund!

Norton, you better not know these guys! :p

madslaust

07/05/2007, 17:51

I'm on Kal's plane...

Stuart_Rex

07/05/2007, 17:53

Damn, I wanted a Tail Gunner spot again. I guess I'll sign up for the reserves.

hail_eris

07/05/2007, 18:04

I think there's still room for you in the tail turret of the Tweedledum...

KitsuShel

07/05/2007, 18:06

Count me in dudes!

Stuart_Rex

07/05/2007, 18:07

-miniw00t-

Kasz216

07/05/2007, 18:09

I'll go in the reserve pool.

Kalel21

07/05/2007, 18:13

That fills up the crew slots. Stuart, you are in as Tail Gunner on the Tweedledum.

We'll need plenty more people for the reserves, because most of us are going to die. So let's keep those volunteers coming, kids!!!! Buy War Bonds!!!!!

I may not be able to post our first mission results before Monday, but I'll get to them when I can.

JackAssterson

07/05/2007, 18:16

We'll need plenty more people for the reserves, because most of us are going to die.

And those of us not killed outright will envy the dead as we slowly rot in a German prison! Wheeeeeee!

Melkhor

07/05/2007, 18:39

I'll throw in my hat and sign up with the reserves again. I thorougly enjoy kicking back home on the base watching you guys bleed and die to free my country! :)

jedah_s

07/05/2007, 18:56

i'd sign up for the reserves again, but i guess i'm not on here enough to keep up with all the new bomber threads.
have fun all.

Grinner

07/05/2007, 20:14

(This is turning into an issue written by Garth Ennis, I think)

If we're the Rifle Brigade of the Air Corps, wouldn't that mean the Germans were in more trouble if they took us as POWs? :grin:

Oh, what the heck, put me on the reserve list as well.

AlienFlanders

07/05/2007, 20:24

I'll be in the reserves. I got nothing to do in this universe.

Jackofhearts2005

07/05/2007, 21:05

*Escapes german POW camp after a brilliant motorcycle chase scene where I chased myself because nobody else could keep up with me*

*Re-enlists*

Twice as many planes means twice as many deaths. We'll need reserves like me. ;)

Zaq

07/05/2007, 22:53

I've enjoyed reading these! I'd like to be in the reserves, if you don't mind.

theanalogkid

07/05/2007, 22:56

I will be in the reserves.

Kalel21

07/06/2007, 11:37

I've updated the reserve list to include everyone who's volunteeered. Since I'll be running two planes this time, mission reports will be sadly a little less frequent than in previous threads. But I'll post mission results as often as possible.

BigSoph

07/06/2007, 13:32

I escaped!...

somehow...

Let me know when a Bombardier position comes up (Hey, I was the BEST!)

BigSoph

07/07/2007, 16:35

I'll throw in my hat and sign up with the reserves again. I thorougly enjoy kicking back home on the base watching you guys bleed and die to free my country! :)

Congrats Melkhor and Jedah, you are now serving in the RCAF! (go to Lancaster thread)

BigSoph

07/07/2007, 16:37

I've enjoyed reading these! I'd like to be in the reserves, if you don't mind.

You too!

Get your gear, you are in the RCAF!

Kalel21

07/07/2007, 20:02

You too!

Get your gear, you are in the RCAF!

Hey!! Stop stealing my crew!!!!:eek:

JackAssterson

07/07/2007, 20:11

Hey!! Stop stealing my crew!!!!:eek:

It's ok. A good percentage of the ones kidnapped are dying horrible deaths over there, so their reanimanted corpses will serve us just fine.

Glub.

Kalel21

07/09/2007, 11:59

MISSION 1: We’re sent on the shortest possible hop across the Channel to hit the airfield at St. Omer.

Tweedledee:

Zone 1—We take off

Zone 2—Over the target as well, with good weather. But we’re hit by a big wave of FW 190s. Our fighter escorts drive off 2 of them, while madslaust at the Starboard Waist gun drives off another. But the remaining 190 gets in some nasty hits. Our #2 engine is knocked out and our co-pilot hair10 is lightly wounded. A hit on the Nose compartment causes the oxygen system to burst into flame. We use up one of our five available hand-held extinguishers to put out the fire, but we’ll have to drop out of the formation after the bomb run.

We drop down for the bomb run. There’s some flak, but we take no hits. But our Bombardier charlesx misses the target. None of our bombs score hits.

In order to save charlesx and Shellhead’s Pal from oxygen starvation, we stay low. Still in anti-aircraft range, we fortunately take no hits.

But we have less luck with enemy fighters. Our escorting spitfires manage to drive off two waves of fighters, but two ME 110s and an ME 109 get through from a third wave. BudPalmer in the Tail Turret gets one of the 110s. Shellhead’s Pal, using the Port Cheek gun, damages the other 110. But that plane and the 109 both score hits.

Fortunately, the damage is superficial. The 110 flies off to lick its wounds. The 109 comes around again. The Port Waist gun jams while trying to drive it away. bigkahuna83 at that gun position is lightly wounded, while JackAssterson in the Ball Turret is seriously wounded.

When the 109 comes around for another pass, charlesx shoots him down using the Nose gun.

Zone 1—We’re home. The weather has deteriorated since we took off, but I and hair10 manage to bring us home safely.

hair10 and bigkahuna83 are patched up and returned to duty. JackAssterson, though, is more seriously hurt. He earns his discharge after just one mission and is sent home. Kasz216 from the Reserves is called up as his replacement.

Tweedledum:

Zone 1: The plane takes off.

Zone 2: Over the target. A wave of enemy fighters is driven off by other bombers in the formation. Our escorts drive off a 2nd wave. An ME 109 from a third wave gets through, but batfink on the Port Waist gun drives him off with an extended burst.

EmperorNorton and Rokk Krinn drop down for the bomb run. They take no flak hits and bombardier Splashy66 plants 30% of their bombs on the target, shattering hangers and blowing craters in landing strips.

They turn for home.

Zone 2—A single ME 110 gets through the fighter escorts, but its damaged by batfink and NAES72 in the Ball Turret.

Zone 1—Despite the poor weather, the Tweedledum comes in for a safe landing.

So that’s the first mission. Tweedledee missed the target, took some nasty damage and lost a man, but we shot down a couple of enemy plans. Tweedledum took no damage or casualties at all and hit the target, but shot down no enemy planes.

We’ll see how things go on the next mission.

Tweedledee Crew Roster:

Pilot--Kalel21

Co-Pilot--hair10

Bombardier—charlesx (1 kill)

Navigator--Shellhead's Pal

Flight Engineer/Top Turret--Antipathy

Radio Operator--pbdeberry

Ball Turret-- Kasz216

Port Waist Gunner--bigkahuna83

Starboard Waist Gunner--madslaust

Tail Turret—BudPalmer (1 kill)

INVALIDED HOME: JackAssterson

SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS: 0

Tweedledum Crew Roster:

Pilot--EmperorNorton

Co-Pilot--Rokk Krinn

Bombardier--Splashy66

Navigator--hail eris

Flight Engineer/Top Turret--St. Cuthbert

Radio Operator--KitsuShel

Ball Turret--NAES72

Port Waist Gunner--batfink

Starboard Waist Gunner--sstralkowski

Tail Turret--Stuart Rex

SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS: 1

RESERVES: Melkhor, jedah s, Grinner, AlienFlanders, Jackofhearts2005, Zaq, theanalogkid, BigSoph (bombardier), JacinB

EmperorNorton

07/09/2007, 12:02

Good job, crew!

charlesx

07/09/2007, 12:05

Darnit! I missed! On the other hand, I didn't die of oxygen depletion so that's all right. Guess I have to spend more time at the officer's club playing darts so that I can improve my aim. (Oh, and I am sorry that Jack got shot up. He's not having much luck lately. He drowned in the other thread.... poor old Jack....)

BudPalmer

07/09/2007, 12:05

Yeah! That was for killing me the first time!!! Vengence is mine.

St. Cuthbert

07/09/2007, 12:12

Woot woot! Go Tweedledum!

Also, Port Cheek gun?

JacinB

07/09/2007, 12:15

I guess I'll sign on for the reserves this time. Looks like all of the spots are filled (and then some).

Kalel21

07/09/2007, 12:16

Woot woot! Go Tweedledum!

Also, Port Cheek gun?

There are three .50 cal. machine guns mounted in the Nose compartment. One, called the Nose Gun, is mounted right at the tip of the nose. Two others are on either side and point out at angles to cover our front-right and front-left. These are called the Cheek guns.

St. Cuthbert

07/09/2007, 12:17

Oh, I see. That makes sense.

Kasz216

07/09/2007, 12:28

Gah... I was hoping to slide in at the second to last mission before completing the full run of duty and pretend to act like a hero the whole time. Now I'm just going to die!

Rokk_Krinn

07/09/2007, 12:39

Good job, crew!

I think it's your avatar; it just fits for these missions over occupied France.

JackAssterson

07/09/2007, 12:55

(Oh, and I am sorry that Jack got shot up. He's not having much luck lately. He drowned in the other thread.... poor old Jack....)

I know. Last plane I was this close to changing my name to Jack Aceterson, then I drown and get shot.

I'll have to go drown (oy) my sorrows with copious amounts of alkeyhall whilst spinning grand tales of how I single handedly killed Hitler with a potato gun (it's not in the papers because it's top secret)

*hic*

hair10

07/09/2007, 13:00

Man... first run out and already a Purple Heart! Gonna be one of those strings of missions it looks like... :noid:

Sorry Jack. But look at the bright side... at least you're not dead or captured. ;)

hail_eris

07/09/2007, 13:09

Also, Port Cheek gun?
Kalel21 and I were discussing this in the very first thread. The early B-17s were all day suckers if attacked head-on, as they had no guns up front. They were bristling with them everywhere else, but flying straight at the nose of a Flying Fortress was a no-risk proposition for German fighters (my joke was that hair10 would be shooting his .45 through the windscreen). So, after a couple of redesigns, the final version of the B-17 (which I believe is the one we're flying) incorporated some guns up front. That way, everyone gets to play with a .50 cal.

Kalel21

07/09/2007, 13:55

Kalel21 and I were discussing this in the very first thread. The early B-17s were all day suckers if attacked head-on, as they had no guns up front. They were bristling with them everywhere else, but flying straight at the nose of a Flying Fortress was a no-risk proposition for German fighters (my joke was that hair10 would be shooting his .45 through the windscreen). So, after a couple of redesigns, the final version of the B-17 (which I believe is the one we're flying) incorporated some guns up front. That way, everyone gets to play with a .50 cal.

We're in a B-17F, which was the next to last version. The final version, which appeared a year or so after our upcoming and inevitable deaths or captures, was the B-17G. It replaced the machine guns in the nose with a double-barrelled Chin Turret.

Stuart_Rex

07/09/2007, 14:51

What a Keen eye Splashy66 has. How many bomb runs did JacinB completely miss the target on?

Who would have thought a welshman could be so effective?

splashy66

07/09/2007, 14:55

Who would have thought a welshman could be so effective?

I got told they were stealing my sheep....

BudPalmer

07/09/2007, 15:00

Oh Welshy!

hair10

07/09/2007, 15:04

I got told they were stealing my sheep....
Yeah... you don't want to come between a welshman and his harem!

Kalel21

07/09/2007, 15:06

Yeah... you don't want to come between a welshman and his harem!

Now, now. There's no need to taunt those "Tweedledum" crewman, just because their not as brave, talented, smart or handsome as those of us on the "Tweedledee."

madslaust

07/09/2007, 15:14

Now, now. There's no need to taunt those "Tweedledum" crewman, just because their not as brave, talented, smart or handsome as those of us o the "Tweedledee."
I'll try not to taunt them, but it's so hard...

bigkahuna83

07/09/2007, 17:34

I'll try not to taunt them, but it's so hard...

Come on now. We are all part of the same team! We can't have anybody out there showboating. Our lives are on the line here people. We need to stick together, no matter how much better our crew is than yours.

St. Cuthbert

07/09/2007, 17:47

Now, now. There's no need to taunt those "Tweedledum" crewman, just because their not as brave, talented, smart or handsome as those of us on the "Tweedledee."

Ahem.

Scoreboard.

Stuart_Rex

07/09/2007, 17:49

All I have to say is that the Tweedledee crew better hope they're positioned in front of the Tweedledum. We wouldn't want any stray bullets from my Tailgun going their way would we?

Kalel21

07/09/2007, 17:50

All I have to say is that the Tweedledee crew better hope they're positioned in front of the Tweedledum. We wouldn't want any stray bullets from my Tailgun going their way would we?

I'm not worried. It's not as if you're actually hitting anything when you open fire.

Shellhead's Pal

07/09/2007, 18:22

Boy, I think that's the third or fourth time a plane has had to fly low to prevent me from freezing / dying of oxygen deprevation. I'm really feeling the love, thanks crewmates. Tweedledeers Forever!

Also, I'm sorry, Jack, but that's what you get for joining the RAF! And hey, better to lose an arm and go home to Ginny-Sue than to go down and drown in the deep blue!

Kalel21

07/10/2007, 11:54

MISSION 2: We’re sent out to pound yet another airfield—this one at Abbeville, a little farther into enemy territory than our last mission.

Tweedledee:

Zone 1—We take off

Zone 2—No enemy activity

Zone 3—Over the target and the weather is good. An FW 190 dives through our fighter cover to attack us from above, but missed. A second wave of fighters is driven off by other bombers in the formation.

We drop down for our bomb run. Some shrapnel from the anti-aircraft fire rips into our port wing, but the damage is superficial. Despite the jostling, charlesx hits the target this time, slamming 40% of our bombs into the airfield.

We turn for home.

Zone 3—An ME 109 gets through our escorts and attacks, but misses.

Zone 2—No enemy activity.

Zone 1—We’re home and for the second mission in a row, the weather has turned poor since we’ve left. But hair10 and I bring the “Tweedledee” in for a safe landing anyways.

Tweedledum:

Zone 1: The plane takes off.

Zone 2: No enemy activity.

Zone 3: Over the target. An FW 190 dodges both escorts and defensive fire to attack and scores a hit on the Port Wing Root. (Enough hits there and the wing falls off.)

When the 190 comes around for a 2nd pass, bombardier Splashy66 damages it with the Nose gun. The enemy planes misses us and flies off to lick its wounds.

The plane drops down for its bomb run. A nasty flak hit does some nasty damage. Port Waist gunner batfink is lightly wounded, while sstralkowski on the Starboard Waist gun is knocked out by a serious wound. Also, the autopilot mechanism is destroyed—since the plane is normally placed on autopilot when the bombardier is trying to line up on the target, this makes hitting the target harder.

The bombs fall, but, due to the added difficulty, all miss the target.

The “Tweedledum” turns for home.

Zone 3—Other bombers in the formation drive off one wave of fighters, while our escorts drive off another.

Zone 2—No enemy activity.

Zone 1—Home again. EmperorNorton and Rokk Krinn bring the plane in for a safe landing despite the poor weather.

batfink is patched up for the next mission, but sstralkowski is too badly hurt to return to the crew. He earns an Honorable Discharge and a ticket home. Melkhor is called up from the reserves to replace him.

Well, now we both have one successful mission to our credit. No more enemy planes were shot down this time. And now both planes have lost one crewmen.

Tweedledee Crew Roster:

Pilot--Kalel21

Co-Pilot--hair10

Bombardier—charlesx (1 kill)

Navigator--Shellhead's Pal

Flight Engineer/Top Turret--Antipathy

Radio Operator--pbdeberry

Ball Turret-- Kasz216

Port Waist Gunner--bigkahuna83

Starboard Waist Gunner--madslaust

Tail Turret—BudPalmer (1 kill)

INVALIDED HOME: JackAssterson

SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS: 1

Tweedledum Crew Roster:

Pilot--EmperorNorton

Co-Pilot--Rokk Krinn

Bombardier--Splashy66

Navigator--hail eris

Flight Engineer/Top Turret--St. Cuthbert

Radio Operator--KitsuShel

Ball Turret--NAES72

Port Waist Gunner--batfink

Starboard Waist Gunner--Melkhor

Tail Turret--Stuart Rex

INVALIDED HOME: sstralkowski

SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS: 1

RESERVES: jedah s, Grinner, AlienFlanders, Jackofhearts2005, Zaq, theanalogkid, BigSoph (bombardier), JacinB

I've got family visiting this week, so we're unlikely to fly another mission before next week. I asked the CO to give you all 3-day passes to London, but for security reasons, everyone is confined to barracks until the next misson.

Rokk_Krinn

07/10/2007, 12:03

Does anyone else on the "Tweedledum" suspect he switched mission reports just to tie things up? :cheeky:

sstralkowski

07/10/2007, 12:31

Does anyone else on the "Tweedledum" suspect he switched mission reports just to tie things up? :cheeky:

Can I be Port-ly Waist Gunner?

No, but now I'm thinking there is a consipracy to keep me out of the sky. I should be lightly wounded and have a kill under my belt. Oh well, Jack and I will score a couple broads with our medals and stories about all you corpses. HA!!!

batfink

07/10/2007, 12:38

I finally have a purple heart! Cockney girls dig scars.
Hey, waddaya mean confined to barracks!

charlesx

07/10/2007, 12:41

Kal, while I appreciate being credited the kill, it was Splashy not I who downed that enemy fighter. But hey! I got 40% of the bombs on the target this time! Woo hoo!! Finally on track to show those Third Reichers!

WE'RE THROUGH BEING COOL
WE'RE THROUGH BEING COOL
ELIMINATE THE NINNIES AND THE TWITS
GOING TO BANG SOME HEADS
GOING TO BEAT SOME BUTTS
TIME TO SHOW THOSE EVIL SPUDS WHAT'S WHAT

;)

JacinB

07/10/2007, 12:42

Apparently, 'security concerns' translates to 'we don't want you itchin' your private bits when you're supposed to be shooting things because of the assorted diseases you caught from the Cockney girls.'

Kalel21

07/10/2007, 12:51

Kal, while I appreciate being credited the kill, it was Splashy not I who downed that enemy fighter.
;)

The kill is yours from the first mission. Splashy damaged a fighter this time, but didn't knock it down.

charlesx

07/10/2007, 13:02

The kill is yours from the first mission. Splashy damaged a fighter this time, but didn't knock it down.

Oh! Well - in that case! Woo hoo!!! I got a kill!!! :laugh:

Rokk_Krinn

07/10/2007, 14:05

Laught it up gun-boys - just remember who gets you up in the air in the first place!

The military draft!

Er, wait... :eek:

sstralkowski

07/10/2007, 14:22

If you get KIA before the bombs are dropped, do they jsut roll your body out with them? That could be an interesting show on the ground. "I went out with a bang."

Rokk_Krinn

07/10/2007, 14:31

If you get KIA before the bombs are dropped, do they jsut roll your body out with them? That could be an interesting show on the ground. "I went out with a bang."

My paternal grandfather was on a bomber crew during WWII - he alternated between rear turret and belly gunner positions (I think they wanted to kill him off :) ) - and he's listed all sorts of unusual things that got tossed out with the bombs, ranging from bodies of dead crewmen ("We figured we'd give him one last shot at taking out a Jerry.") to cats ("Wish we coulda' heard her hollar on the way down.").

JacinB

07/10/2007, 14:32

If you get KIA before the bombs are dropped, do they jsut roll your body out with them? That could be an interesting show on the ground. "I went out with a bang."I think, more technically, you would die with a bang, go out with a grunt (depending on your corpse's weight and the strength of the gentleman giving you a shove), and then end with a splat or, perhaps, a splurt.

Rokk_Krinn

07/10/2007, 14:33

go out with a grunt (depending on your corpse's weight and the strength of the gentleman giving you a shove)

I think any airman - even a gunner - would resent being called a "grunt" or the accusation he went out with one. :cheeky:

JacinB

07/10/2007, 14:38

I was going to make another comment about banging and grunts and whether or not they'd tell your family that's how you went, but I decided to avoid the potential warning points.

BudPalmer

07/10/2007, 14:41

That's never seemed to stop you before! :cheeky:

Kalel21

07/13/2007, 12:54

We'll be flying Mission #3 this weekend. I'll post results on Monday.

Everyone make sure your wills and life insurance information is up-to-date.

Should we have a pool on who might not make it back?

hail_eris

07/13/2007, 14:00

I think any airman - even a gunner - would resent being called a "grunt" or the accusation he went out with one. :cheeky:
Heh. Just as any self-respecting grunt would resent being called a "chairman."

madslaust

07/14/2007, 11:36

Kalel21

07/16/2007, 13:39

MISSION 3: Today, we’re being sent to hit the Railroad facilities at Ameins.

Tweedledee:

Zone 1—We take off

Zone 2—3 ME 109s cut through our fighter escorts and our defensive fire, but all three miss us on their attack runs.

Zone 3—Over the target and the weather is good. An ME 110 is damaged by fire from both Kasz216 in the Ball Turret and Antipathy in the Top Turret, but it scores hits anyways before being forced to break off. Navigator Shellhead’s Pal is killed instantly. Sorry—there’s no hot French girl with a submachine gun to save you this time.

A second wave of enemy fighters is driven off by our escorts. We drop down for our bomb run and take no hits from the anti-aircraft fire. 20% of our bombs rip into the rail yard, shattering rail lines and setting troop cars on fire.

We turn for home.

Zone 3: Two ME 109s attack. Our Starboard Waist gun jams, but bigkahuna83 on the Port Waist manages to shoot down one of the enemy planes. The other gets only superficial hits on us before being driven off by our escorts.

Zone 2: Enemy craft are driven off by other bombers in our formation.

Zone 1: The weather is clear at home and we land safely. jedah s is brought in from the Reserves to sponge the Navigator’s position clean and take over in that position.

Tweedledum:

Zone 1: The plane takes off.

Zone 2: Three FW 190s get through the fighter escorts, but brilliant defensive gunnery prevents them from doing any damage. St. Cuthbert in the Top Turret damages one, while NAES72 in the Ball Turret damages another. Splashy66 shoots down the third 190 with the Nose gun.

Zone 3: Other bombers in the formation drive off all enemy fighters. Tweedledum drops down for the bomb run. No flak hits are taken, but Splashy66’s aim is off all of a sudden. The bombs miss the target and inadvertently destroy a nearby Starbucks.

The “Tweedledum” turns for home.

Zone 3: A wave of enemy fighters is driven off by the escorting Spitfires. An ME 110 in a second wave comes up at us in a vertical climb, knocking out the Nose machine gun.

Zone 2: No enemy activity.

Zone 1: The “Tweedledum” lands safely.

So “Tweedledee” goes ahead 2-1 in successful missions, but also suffers the first Killed in Action crewman. We’ll see how things go for the next mission.

I just hope we don’t run out of Reserves, which at this rate will happen around Mission #7. It’d be a shame to surrender to the Germans because we’ve run out of volunteers.

We’ll have to do a “Dirty Dozen” bit and recruit violent prisoners to go on missions. Dibs on being Charles Bronson!!!!!

Tweedledee Crew Roster:

Pilot--Kalel21

Co-Pilot--hair10

Bombardier—charlesx (1 kill)

Navigator-- jedah s

Flight Engineer/Top Turret--Antipathy

Radio Operator--pbdeberry

Ball Turret-- Kasz216

Port Waist Gunner--bigkahuna83 (1 kill)

Starboard Waist Gunner--madslaust

Tail Turret—BudPalmer (1 kill)

KIA: Shellhead’s Pal

INVALIDED HOME: JackAssterson

SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS: 2

Tweedledum Crew Roster:

Pilot--EmperorNorton

Co-Pilot--Rokk Krinn

Bombardier--Splashy66 (1 kill)

Navigator--hail eris

Flight Engineer/Top Turret--St. Cuthbert

Radio Operator--KitsuShel

Ball Turret--NAES72

Port Waist Gunner--batfink

Starboard Waist Gunner--Melkhor

Tail Turret--Stuart Rex

INVALIDED HOME: sstralkowski

SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS: 1

RESERVES:, Grinner, AlienFlanders, Jackofhearts2005, Zaq, theanalogkid, BigSoph (bombardier), JacinB

Kalel21

07/17/2007, 11:31

Gee whiz, Shellhead's Pal gets whacked by the Luftwaffe and no one bothers to comment on it!!!

It must nice to have friends, Shellhead. ;)

charlesx

07/17/2007, 11:34

Gee whiz, Shellhead's Pal gets whacked by the Luftwaffe and no one bothers to comment on it!!!

It must nice to have friends, Shellhead. ;)

Sorry, I was too stricken with grief to respond. Also, I was observing a loooong moment of silence. SP, RIP. We'll miss ya, buddy. I get your ration of booze next time we're in the officer's club. :cool:

JackAssterson

07/17/2007, 11:40

My paternal grandfather was on a bomber crew during WWII - he alternated between rear turret and belly gunner positions (I think they wanted to kill him off :) ) - and he's listed all sorts of unusual things that got tossed out with the bombs, ranging from bodies of dead crewmen ("We figured we'd give him one last shot at taking out a Jerry.") to cats ("Wish we coulda' heard her hollar on the way down.").

Ok, I gotta ask: why'd they have a cat up there in the first place?

charlesx

07/17/2007, 11:49

Ok, I gotta ask: why'd they have a cat up there in the first place?

How else would you keep the bomb bay free of rats and other vermin??? Really, Jack... you ask silly questions sometimes. :p

hail_eris

07/17/2007, 11:51

We’ll have to do a “Dirty Dozen” bit and recruit violent prisoners to go on missions. Dibs on being Charles Bronson!!!!!
No way - you'd have to be Lee Marvin. You're the ringleader of this motley crew. Even though he croaks, I'd want to be Donald Sutherland (I'd just pretend it was Kelly's Heroes instead of Dirty Dozen).

sstralkowski

07/17/2007, 12:13

No way - you'd have to be Lee Marvin. You're the ringleader of this motley crew. Even though he croaks, I'd want to be Donald Sutherland (I'd just pretend it was Kelly's Heroes instead of Dirty Dozen).

Is the Dirty Dozen anything like The Twelve? If so, I'll be Cable.

St. Cuthbert

07/17/2007, 12:14

I want to be the one guy besides Lee Marvin who lives. I forget his name, but he's awesome.

hail_eris

07/17/2007, 12:59

I want to be the one guy besides Lee Marvin who lives. I forget his name, but he's awesome.
There were actually two (other than Lee Marvin) who make it out - Charles Bronson and the MP (Richard Jaeckel) who was assigned to the unit.

sstralkowski

07/17/2007, 13:04

There were actually two (other than Lee Marvin) who make it out - Charles Bronson and the MP (Richard Jaeckel) who was assigned to the unit.

Heh, you said unit.

What, it's my job to sit on the sidelines and act stupid now that I'm invalidated.

madslaust

07/17/2007, 13:48

RIP, Shellhead's Pal.

...

damn, someone else already called dibs on his whiskey ration!

Kalel21

07/17/2007, 15:13

I think we're going to be flying our next mission tonight.

Who will live and who will die? Hopefully, we can get through at least one mission without losing a man.

Grinner

07/17/2007, 15:33

Who will live and who will die?

Who will sit back at the base drinking and planning the next wake? :laugh:

madslaust

07/17/2007, 16:39

Who will sit back at the base drinking and planning the next wake? :laugh:
shut the hell up.

Stuart_Rex

07/17/2007, 16:41

I wonder if I'll actually do anything in the next mission. Hit or miss. I don't mind as long as I get to fire my gun.

BudPalmer

07/17/2007, 16:54

Yeah I thought the Tail Gunner posistion was full of action. I've only killed once and I'm getting antsy!

Kalel21

07/17/2007, 16:57

Remember that I don't provide an ultra-detailed play-by-play report. All you gunners are blasting away right and left pretty constantly throughout most missions. I usually only make note of it when you actually hit something. :ermm:

hail_eris

07/17/2007, 17:09

All you gunners are blasting away right and left pretty constantly throughout most missions. I usually only make note of it when you actually hit something. :ermm:
Geez, at that rate, you'd think the Germans would be able to walk from Calais to Dover on a bridge of expended shell casings...

Kasz216

07/17/2007, 17:13

Gee whiz, Shellhead's Pal gets whacked by the Luftwaffe and no one bothers to comment on it!!!

It must nice to have friends, Shellhead. ;)

Too busy plotting revenge/crying in a corner about my own mortality. :laugh:

Jackofhearts2005

07/17/2007, 19:29

Gee whiz, Shellhead's Pal gets whacked by the Luftwaffe and no one bothers to comment on it!!!

It must nice to have friends, Shellhead. ;)
Too busy drinking and playing Gomonopoconnectcheckership.
Sorry.

Kalel21

07/18/2007, 12:40

MISSION 4: This mission is to hit the industrial facilities at Lille.

Tweedledee:

Zone 1—We take off

Zone 2: No enemy activity.

Zone 3: Over the target with clear weather. A couple of ME 109s jump us, but charlesx damages one with the Nose gun and the other misses us.

We drop down for the bomb run. Apparently, we’ve caught the Nazis with their pants down—there’s no anti-aircraft fire at all. 40% of our bombs slam into the target.

We turn for home.

Zone 3: Our fighter cover drives off all enemy fighter.

Zone 2: No enemy activity.

Zone 1: The weather is clear back home and we land without problem.

Tweedledum:

Zone 1: The plane takes off.

Zone 2: No enemy activity.

Zone 3: Over the target. Enemy fighters are driven off by the escorting fighters.

“Tweedledum” drops down for the bomb run. 30% of the bombs hit the target. Between us, we’ve really nailed the Germans today.

The plane turns for home.

Zone 3: “Tweedledum” is jumped by three FW 190s. One is damaged by St. Cuthbert in the Top Turret. Another is damaged by Stuart Rex in the Tail Turret. The last gets through when the Starboard Waist gun jams, but misses us on its attack run.

Zone 2: No enemy activity.

Zone 1: The plane lands safely.

Gee whiz, both planes have actual milk runs, without injury or damage to either craft. Maybe—just maybe—we’ll get through this alive.

Tweedledee Crew Roster:

Pilot--Kalel21

Co-Pilot--hair10

Bombardier—charlesx (1 kill)

Navigator-- jedah s

Flight Engineer/Top Turret--Antipathy

Radio Operator--pbdeberry

Ball Turret-- Kasz216

Port Waist Gunner--bigkahuna83 (1 kill)

Starboard Waist Gunner--madslaust

Tail Turret—BudPalmer (1 kill)

KIA: Shellhead’s Pal

INVALIDED HOME: JackAssterson

SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS: 3

Tweedledum Crew Roster:

Pilot--EmperorNorton

Co-Pilot--Rokk Krinn

Bombardier--Splashy66 (1 kill)

Navigator--hail eris

Flight Engineer/Top Turret--St. Cuthbert

Radio Operator--KitsuShel

Ball Turret--NAES72

Port Waist Gunner--batfink

Starboard Waist Gunner--Melkhor

Tail Turret--Stuart Rex

INVALIDED HOME: sstralkowski

SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS: 2

RESERVES:, Grinner, AlienFlanders, Jackofhearts2005, Zaq, theanalogkid, BigSoph (bombardier), JacinB

EmperorNorton

07/18/2007, 12:44

I'm afraid to praise you, seeing what happened after I did that the last time, but I have to acknowledge that you didn't fail, crew. Keep that up!

charlesx

07/18/2007, 14:05

Excellent missions, job well done - this clearly spells doom for all of us in the next one. Update your last wills and testaments, write home to your loved ones, and try to get one more roll in the hay with the partner of your choice before we have to go back up, boys. The burning skies await us!! ;)

St. Cuthbert

07/18/2007, 14:08

Booyah! I damaged a fighter! Take that, Luftwaffe! You're going to run out of spare parts someday!

sstralkowski

07/19/2007, 12:01

...and try to get one more roll in the hay with the partner of your choice before we have to go back up, boys. ...

Reminds me of a song. "Good morning Mr. Tyler. Going...down?

Rokk_Krinn

07/19/2007, 12:05

Reminds me of a song. "Good morning Mr. Tyler. Going...down?

Is that what it means? All this time I thought it was written when Hourman Jr. was having trouble dealing with Miraclo withdrawals. :noid:

Kalel21

07/20/2007, 15:51

Sorry it's so long between missions this time. I'm trying to get my next book finished, which takes time away from bombing the Nazis.

We'll fly Mission #5 this weekend and I'll post the results on Monday.

madslaust

07/20/2007, 16:59

Shellhead's Pal

07/22/2007, 18:06

Gee whiz, Shellhead's Pal gets whacked by the Luftwaffe and no one bothers to comment on it!!!

It must nice to have friends, Shellhead. ;)
C'est la vie...et la mort!

Attente...pourquoi suis je Français parlant? Est-ce que j'ai été projectile? Mon dieu! J'ai été transformé en fantôme français!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNN!

hair10

07/23/2007, 00:31

It's okay, it's nice to have a few days where I don't have to worry about dying!
Yeah... I wouldn't want to be in one of those gunner positions. About the only way I'm dying is if the rest of you go down with me. :p

Probably just jinxed myself now...

Kalel21

07/23/2007, 10:33

MISSION 5: Today, we’re sent out to hit the airfield at Abbeville.

Tweedledee:

Zone 1—We take off

Zone 2: No enemy activity.

Zone 3: Over the target with good weather. Three ME 109s plow through our fighter escorts. Antipathy in the Top Turret gets his first kill. The two remaining 109s miss us.

We drop down for the bomb run.

The flak is very heavy today. Our tail and waist sections are riddled with shrapnel, but the only notable damage is the Tail oxygen system, which is damaged, but still working.

Despite the jostling, charlesx places the bombs on target. 20% of them hit the enemy airfield.

We turn for home.

Zone 3—A single ME 109 scores some superficial hits to our starboard wing before being chased off by our escorts.

Zone 2—No enemy activity.

Zone 1—Home again. The weather is good and we land safely.

Tweedledum:

Zone 1: The plane takes off.

Zone 2: No enemy activity.

Zone 3: Over the target. The Germans seem to be really picking on the Tweedledum today—three waves of fighters pick her out as a target.

An ME 109 in the first wave scores a hit on the Nose compartment, lightly wounding Navigator hail eris.

2 FW 190s attack with the second wave. Melkhor on the Starboard Waist gun drives off one. Stuart Rex in the Tail Turret scores a very difficult hit on the other—the enemy plane attacked from the front and Stuart hits it as it passes by underneath.

The fighter escorts drive off the last wave of fighters.

Tweedledum drops down for its bomb run. They also take hits from the heavy anti-aircraft fire, taking some minor damage to the Port Wing Root. Splashy66, though, keeps the plane on target and slams 40% of the bombs into the airfield.

Tweedledum turns for home.

Zone 3: Another triple wave of fighters comes in.

In the first wave, Stuart Rex rips an FW 190 out of the sky.

Another 190 scores some hits, taking out the landing brakes. This will make landing upon return to England more difficult.

When that particular FW 190 comes around for another pass, St. Cuthbert in the Top Turret shoots him down.

Splashy66 damages an ME 109 in the second wave of attacking fighters, forcing it to break off.

The fighter escorts drive off the last wave of enemy craft.

Zone 2—No enemy activity.

Zone 1—Back home. EmperorNorton and Rokk Krinn bring the Tweedledum in safely despite the lack of landing brakes. hail eris is patched up and returned to duty.

Well, two missions in a row now without losing a crew member in either plane. But with our next mission, our fighter cover becomes possibly less effective on each mission and some of our targets will be located a little further into enemy occupied territory.

How long will our new-found streak of good luck hold out?

Tweedledee Crew Roster:

Pilot--Kalel21

Co-Pilot--hair10

Bombardier—charlesx (1 kill)

Navigator-- jedah s

Flight Engineer/Top Turret—Antipathy (1 kill)

Radio Operator--pbdeberry

Ball Turret-- Kasz216

Port Waist Gunner--bigkahuna83 (1 kill)

Starboard Waist Gunner--madslaust

Tail Turret—BudPalmer (1 kill)

KIA: Shellhead’s Pal

INVALIDED HOME: JackAssterson

SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS: 4

Tweedledum Crew Roster:

Pilot--EmperorNorton

Co-Pilot--Rokk Krinn

Bombardier--Splashy66 (1 kill)

Navigator--hail eris

Flight Engineer/Top Turret--St. Cuthbert (1 kill)

Radio Operator--KitsuShel

Ball Turret--NAES72

Port Waist Gunner--batfink

Starboard Waist Gunner--Melkhor

Tail Turret--Stuart Rex (1 kill)

INVALIDED HOME: sstralkowski

SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS: 3

RESERVES:, Grinner, AlienFlanders, Jackofhearts2005, Zaq, theanalogkid, BigSoph (bombardier), JacinB

hail_eris

07/23/2007, 11:33

An ME 109 in the first wave scores a hit on the Nose compartment, lightly wounding Navigator hail eris.
Ha! Chicks dig scars and chunk of lead in the shoulder can be character-building. And by "character-building" I mean "probably going to cause all kinds of cancer a few years down the road." But hey, given the records of our previous crews, I should be so lucky to live that long...

charlesx

07/23/2007, 11:38

Made it through another mission without becoming a POW or charred chunks of meat. Always a good way to start the week! :)

Jackofhearts2005

07/23/2007, 11:42

Splashy66 damages an ME 109 in the second wave of attacking fighters, forcing it to break off.
How did that happen? Did he drop a bomb on him?

Kalel21

07/23/2007, 11:44

How did that happen? Did he drop a bomb on him?

The bombardier operates the Nose machine gun.

Though dropping bombs on enemy fighters as they pass by is kind of a cool idea.

Jackofhearts2005

07/23/2007, 11:56

The bombardier operates the Nose machine gun.

Oh...

That doesn't seem like it would take as much skill. ;)

Kalel21

07/23/2007, 12:13

Here's something I don't think I ever did:

A TOUR OF A B-17F

We begin by pulling ourselves up through a hatch into the Nose compartment. The tip of the nose is made of clear plexi-glass. Both the Bombardier and the Navigator are stationed here, along with their respective equipment (including the top secret Nordon bomb site). The Nose Machine gun is mounted at the tip of the compartment--this is the Bombardier's weapon. Two "Cheek" machine guns--pointing out from either side of the compartment to cover our port-front and starboard-front areas, are the Navigator's responsibilty. During combat, he jumps back and forth between these two weapons as needed.

Moving back through the plane, we come to the Pilot Compartment. The Pilot and Co-Pilot sit here. Directly behind them is the Flight Engineer, who stands with his head and upper body in the plexiglass Top Turret. This turret sports a twin-barrelled .50 cal machine gun. Able to rotate 360 degrees, it's one of our most important gun positions.

Next, we come to the Bomb Bay. No crewman is stationed here--just our bombs and the rubber raft to be used if we ever have to ditch in the channel.

Next is the Radio Room. The Radio Operator is the sole occupant. Aside from working the wireless, he also mans a machine gun mounted in the ceiling that is angled to fire at anything coming at us from the upper rear.

Next is the Waist Compartment. First, we come to the hatch in the floor that leads to the very uncomfortable Ball Turret. This plexi-glass death trap mounts a twin-barrelled machine gun. The gunner is crunched up inside it, spinning around 360 degrees to fire in any direction. As with the Top Turret, it's a very important position.

Farther back in the Waist Compartment, we come to the Waist Gunner positions. These each sport a single machine gun, pointing out through an aperature in the side of the plane. The two gunners stand back-to-back to man the guns. If one of the gunners goes down, the other is able to move back and forth between the weapons quickly.

Finally, we come to the Tail Compartment. The gunner here is on his knees for the entire flight, manning a twin-barrelled weapon that protects our rear. Since an enemy fighter coming in from the rear can rake us for a lot of damage, this is another of our most important positions.

Also, of course, there's our wings. Our plane has four engines and, consequently, four fuel tanks located on our wings. Any hits to the wings probably stand the greatest chance of doing fatal damage to the plane.

Stuart_Rex

07/23/2007, 14:50

Woo. I score a difficult hit.

I am the epitome of Ranged Combat Expert.

Kasz216

07/23/2007, 21:19

Nothing like having your work enviroment being called a death trap... again. Is it a bad time to mention that I get Dizzy easy? :nervous:

hair10

07/24/2007, 00:29

Nothing like having your work enviroment being called a death trap... again. Is it a bad time to mention that I get Dizzy easy? :nervous:
Motion sickness? Afraid of heights? ;)

hail_eris

07/24/2007, 11:53

Nothing like having your work enviroment being called a death trap... again.
Could be worse - we could be driving around North Africa in an early model Sherman. They were nicknamed "Ronsons" after that company's motto "Lights the first time, every time" (the Sherman's ammo stores had a tendency to blow up if the tank was caught in a stiff breeze).

Rokk_Krinn

07/25/2007, 13:20

Nothing like having your work enviroment being called a death trap... again. Is it a bad time to mention that I get Dizzy easy? :nervous:

I dunno...when I used to pull morgue duty I had no qualms with calling the place a death trap. :cheeky:

KitsuShel

07/25/2007, 14:13

I'm just my radio skills have been excellent.

I certainly wouldn't want to be known for accidentally giving our enemies our coordinates.

*Nervously laughs*

Jackofhearts2005

07/25/2007, 14:16

I dunno...when I used to pull morgue duty I had no qualms with calling the place a death trap. :cheeky:
That must have been freaky. I would have been worried about zombies. :noid:

Rokk_Krinn

07/25/2007, 14:20

I'm just my radio skills have been excellent.

I certainly wouldn't want to be known for accidentally giving our enemies our coordinates.

*Nervously laughs*

A nervous laugh, eh? As in someone who's guilty of something?

She's a Skrull! Get 'er!

That must have been freaky. I would have been worried about zombies.

Nah. I was more worried about how I was going to successfully reanimate them without more of my "glowing green liquid"-filled syringes. Why do you ask? :rolleyes:

Jackofhearts2005

07/25/2007, 14:24

Man, ever since we killed you on the mafia thread, you've been playing the game everywhere else.

Over in the werewolf thread, you're trying to convince people that Jacin is lieing about you and over here, you're trying to kill skrulls. :p

JacinB

07/25/2007, 14:28

I'm not even in the Werewolf thread!

Kalel21

07/26/2007, 10:07

MISSION 6: We’re sent out to hit the aircraft factory at Meaulte.

Tweedledee:

Zone 1—We take off

Zone 2: No enemy activity.

Zone 3: Over the target with good weather. We have very poor escort coverage today and 3 FW 190s zip in towards us. madslaust on the Starboard Waist gun drives one of the off. jedah s uses the Starboard Cheek gun to damage another, but this scores some superficial hits on us anyways, then comes around for another pass. Kasz216 in the Ball Turret damages it further and drives it off.

We drop down for the bomb run. Some flak tears into our port wing, damaging the wing root. The jostling from the flak hits causes our bombs to miss the target.

We turn for home.

Zone 3: A single ME 109 comes in at us, but misses.

Zone 2: No enemy activity.

Zone 1: We’re home and the weather is good. We land safely.

Tweedledum:

Zone 1: The plane takes off.

Zone 2: No enemy activity.

Zone 3: Over the target. Two FW 190s attack. St. Cuthbert racks up his second kill by shooting down one of them. hail eris damages the other with the Starboard Cheek gun.

Tweedledum drops down for its bomb run. They avoid the anti-aircraft fire and slam 30% of their bombs into the target.

Tweedledum turns for home.

Zone 3: An FW 190 attacks, but hail eris damages this one as well, forcing it to break off.

Zone 2—No enemy activity.

Zone 1—Back home, Tweedledum (having taken no actual damage on this mission, comes in for an easy landing.

The score is now tie with four successful missions each. Also, Tweedledum tied up the total enemy fighters shot down—both planes have accounted for four kills.

Will one plane pull ahead on the next mission?

Tweedledee Crew Roster:

Pilot--Kalel21

Co-Pilot--hair10

Bombardier—charlesx (1 kill)

Navigator-- jedah s

Flight Engineer/Top Turret—Antipathy (1 kill)

Radio Operator--pbdeberry

Ball Turret-- Kasz216

Port Waist Gunner--bigkahuna83 (1 kill)

Starboard Waist Gunner--madslaust

Tail Turret—BudPalmer (1 kill)

KIA: Shellhead’s Pal

INVALIDED HOME: JackAssterson

SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS: 4

Tweedledum Crew Roster:

Pilot--EmperorNorton

Co-Pilot--Rokk Krinn

Bombardier--Splashy66 (1 kill)

Navigator--hail eris

Flight Engineer/Top Turret--St. Cuthbert (2 kill)

Radio Operator--KitsuShel

Ball Turret--NAES72

Port Waist Gunner--batfink

Starboard Waist Gunner--Melkhor

Tail Turret--Stuart Rex (1 kill)

INVALIDED HOME: sstralkowski

SUCCESSFUL MISSIONS: 4

EmperorNorton

07/26/2007, 10:27

Well done!

Looks like the wound hail_eris took on the last mission has made him really angry.

St. Cuthbert

07/26/2007, 10:59

Hoorah! Another kill!

Great mission report. Tweedledum rules.

Jackofhearts2005

07/26/2007, 11:03

Someday I'll get to go in the plane. :(

charlesx

07/26/2007, 11:22

Darnit! I missed with the bombs! Maybe I'll try strapping cats to them next time, since they always land on their feet!!! Geez!!

Kalel21

07/26/2007, 11:42

Someday I'll get to go in the plane. :(

Don't worry--our missions are getting longer and thus more dangerous. We'll need more replacements before long, I'm sure.

Kasz216

07/26/2007, 12:06

Don't worry--our missions are getting longer and thus more dangerous. We'll need more replacements before long, I'm sure.

Considering how well the last few missions have gone i can only imagine that an entire plane will be gunned down and needed to be relaced. :classic:

Law of averages has to screw us over eventually.

hail_eris

07/26/2007, 13:14

Considering how well the last few missions have gone i can only imagine that an entire plane will be gunned down and needed to be relaced. :classic:

Law of averages has to screw us over eventually.
Oh, yeah. We're totally going to have a flak round fly into the bomb bay or a fuel tank or something. And given the amount of time I spent at the guns last mission, I'm surprised we managed to find our way back to England (just followed the trail of shell casings, I guess)...

Grinner

07/26/2007, 13:21

Will one plane pull ahead on the next mission?

Or will one crash and burn like the previous 2? :grin:

madslaust

07/26/2007, 19:41

Or will one crash and burn like the previous 2? :grin:
If not both. If you really think about it, it'll probably go that way.

Shellhead's Pal

07/26/2007, 21:29

Someday I'll get to go in the plane. :(
With as frightening as the enemy fighters and flak was, I got to "go" in the plane enough for both of us, trust me. And boy, I really "went" that last time, lemme tell ya...

hair10

07/26/2007, 21:53

With as frightening as the enemy fighters and flak was, I got to "go" in the plane enough for both of us, trust me. And boy, I really "went" that last time, lemme tell ya...
Great. Now the person who takes your position after you bite it will have to clean up more than blood out of that seat. :eek:

hair10

07/27/2007, 23:25

How about a tribute to our fighter escorts that keep us safe during our runs...

There goes the siren that warns of the air raid
Then comes the sound of the guns sending flak
Out for the scramble weve got to get airborne
Got to get up for the coming attack.

Jump in the cockpit and start up the engines
Remove all the wheelblocks theres no time to waste
Gathering speed as we head down the runway
Gotta get airborne before its too late.

Running, scrambling, flying
Rolling, turning, diving, going in again
Run, live to fly, fly to live, do or die
Run, live to fly, fly to live. aces high.

Move in to fire at the mainstream of bombers
Let off a sharp burst and then turn away
Roll over, spin round and come in behind them
Move to their blindsides and firing again.

Bandits at 8 oclock move in behind us
Ten ME-109s out of the sun
Ascending and turning our spitfires to face them
Heading straight for them I press down my guns

Rolling, turning, diving
Rolling, turning, diving, going in again
Run, live to fly, fly to live, do or die
Run, live to fly, fly to live, aces high.

:grin:

Gentlegamer

07/28/2007, 03:33

How about a tribute to our fighter escorts that keep us safe during our runs...

:grin:A video tribute to the fighter escorts (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2CQ3YE4P_g)

hair10

07/28/2007, 03:52

A video tribute to the fighter escorts (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2CQ3YE4P_g)
Better yet!

Gentlegamer

07/28/2007, 04:03

Better yet!There's another similar video link in the CD thread . . .

AlienFlanders

07/28/2007, 04:51

This actually deals with the night bombers but:

Ain´t a hope in hell,
Nothing´s gonna bring us down,
The way we fly,
Five miles off the ground,
Because we shoot to kill,
And you know we always will,
It´s a Bomber

Scream a thousand miles,
Feel the black death rising moan,
Firestorm coming closer,
Napalm to the bone,
Because, you know we do it right,
A mission every night,
It´s a Bomber

No night fighter,
Gonna stop us getting through,
The sirens make you shiver,
You bet my aim is true,
Because, you know we aim to please,
Bring you to your knees,
It´s a Bomber

Kasz216

07/28/2007, 05:02

I perfer threats. Like this!

"If you let me die my fictional self will totally haunt your fictional self for the rest of your life!"

AlienFlanders

07/28/2007, 05:07

But the video shows day bombers, go figure.

Motorhead - Bomber (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOMjDI4ntHw)

Kalel21

07/31/2007, 12:26

Sorry we've been grounded for so long, guys. I expect us to be flying another mission tonight. I'll post the results tomorrow.

charlesx

07/31/2007, 12:31

Sorry we've been grounded for so long, guys. I expect us to be flying another mission tonight. I'll post the results tomorrow.

No sweat. More time on the ground = less time in the sky, waiting to be shot down and either ending up as Stalag prisoners or as crispy critters. I don't know about the rest of the crew, but I am not looking forward to going out like a dead owl in a cage falling inside a motorcycle sidecar that gets blown up!!! :p

Rokk_Krinn

07/31/2007, 12:41

I don't know about the rest of the crew, but I am not looking forward to going out like a dead owl in a cage falling inside a motorcycle sidecar that gets blown up!!! :p

I promise you Charles, if there's any chance you're just stunned and not dead I will be sure to load you up with plenty of explosives before I toss you out the door. :grin:

Kalel21

08/01/2007, 11:17

MISSION #7: The shipyard at Rotterdam.

DOUBLE TRAGEDY!!!!!

I have no idea of what the odds of this happening are--but it's very low.

Both Tweedledum and Tweedledee were attacked by enemy fighters as soon as they took off and flew into Zone 2.

An FW 190 attacking from 6 o'clock High scored a hit on Tweedledee's bomb bay--DETONATING THE BOMBS AND COMPLETELY DESTROYING THE PLANE. WE ALL DIE INSTANTLY!!!!!

An ME 110 coming up in a vertical climb scores a hit on Tweedledum's starboard inboard fuel tank. The tank explodes, ripping off the wing. Only NAES72 manages to bail out--everyone else goes down with the plane. Then NAES72 dies of exposure in the English Channel before being rescued.

In a single stroke, both planes are gone and both crews wiped out. There's not even any bodies left to be buried.

Sorry about that, guys. An ignomious end to our glorious careers. :( :( :confused: :ermm: :ermm: :disappoin :( :(

JackAssterson

08/01/2007, 11:20

*sung by a female soloist in a long, mournful way as the wind whistles through the trees*

So raise a glass and have some rum
For the men of the fightin' Tweedledum
And raise a cheer of victory
For the men of the fightin' Tweedledee

EmperorNorton

08/01/2007, 11:25

Well, you could just have said you didn't want to play anymore...

JacinB

08/01/2007, 11:26

Booyakah!

... or not.

However, it should be pointed out that, as a member of the reserves, I once again survived the tradgedy of the plane falling from the sky (or, you know, just going up in a giant ball of flames).

The only way to truly ensure your survival, apparently, is to have me aboard. I'm your rabbit's foot.

Rokk_Krinn

08/01/2007, 11:26

See, that's what happens when you let us sit on the ground for too long between missions. :grin:

*looks at EmperorNorton* Though technically TweedleDum did take out one extra German in the process. *whistles innocently*

Actually an Italian as well - like any one considers them an aerial threat - so we got -two- non-English kills in there. :laugh:

Kalel21

08/01/2007, 11:33

Though this is going to make it sound like I did blow us all up on purpose:

I'm going to wait a few weeks at least before seeing if enough of you want to try crewing another B-17. We won't be grounded forever, but I do want to take a brief break from the game.

I really didn't blow up up on purpose, though. It was that darn Luftwaffe.

hair10

08/01/2007, 11:42

"If you're gonna die, die with your boots on."

Keep me in mind for the next go round (whenever it is). Your threads have been an entertaining read. :classic:

Kasz216

08/01/2007, 11:44

But I was one day away from retirement!

I'll be game as well.

hail_eris

08/01/2007, 11:45

We're totally going to have a flak round fly into the bomb bay or a fuel tank or something.
I may be a crispy, aviation fuel-soaked corpse, but I'm a prophetic crispy, aviation fuel-soaked corpse.

batfink

08/01/2007, 11:52

And this happened right after I showed everyone the picture of my fiance and explained how we were getting married as soon as the War was over.:cry:

Rokk_Krinn

08/01/2007, 12:00

I may be a crispy, aviation fuel-soaked corpse, but I'm a prophetic crispy, aviation fuel-soaked corpse.

You really think you got to be a whole corpse after all that?

hail_eris

08/01/2007, 12:14

You really think you got to be a whole corpse after all that?
I figure, being up in the front of the plane, I probably got blown through the plexiglas in the nose. That would have meant that I got to be conscious while I was falling, on fire, at 200mph, into the Channel.

Incidentally, I found this neat little interactive B-17 tour (http://www.arizonawingcaf.com/pages/crew.html).

JackAssterson

08/01/2007, 12:16

I figure, being up in the front of the plane, I probably got blown through the plexiglas in the nose. That would have meant that I got to be conscious while I was falling, on fire, at 200mph, into the Channel.

Incidentally, I found this neat little interactive B-17 tour (http://www.arizonawingcaf.com/pages/crew.html).

Which has the following quote:

The ten men who made up the crew of a B-17 Flying Fortress were each specially trained for their position. Most were unaware of the death and destruction they would soon be facing as they flew their Fortresses into combat.

Suprised they didn't have that tidbit in the recruitment materials, frankly.

Rokk_Krinn

08/01/2007, 12:21

Suprised they didn't have that tidbit in the recruitment materials, frankly.

It was in there. Just in really tiny print. Can't believe you didn't see that as incentive.

charlesx

08/01/2007, 12:42

I promise you Charles, if there's any chance you're just stunned and not dead I will be sure to load you up with plenty of explosives before I toss you out the door. :grin:

Well, hell! Guess this saved you the trouble, didn't it, Rokk?? Now I really DO know what it feels to be in the sidecar of a flying motorcycle when it gets blown to smithereens. The only plus for me is that for once I didn't wind up as a POW in a Stalag. Looks like they dropped the bomb on us, for a change.

Regardless and in spite of having been put through all of this, I have to say that this is still one of the most enjoyable threads on HCR. I still intend to sign up for the next time the B-17s fly off into the burning skies.

In the meantime, I'll sit in purgatory with my ghostly crew. Too bad the bars around here never open. Sigh... At least I brought a deck of cards along. Anyone wanna Go Fish? :p