21.12.2001
Red flight:
GA
Easykill
Swap
Blue flight:
Bozon
Goofy
Nilsen
Iceydee
Duvel
IL2
Take off from A24.
Primary target: level A11
Secondery target: Hangers at A3
It was a cloudy grey morning and the waters of the grey-blue lake rippled little as 7 IL2 of the 332viking squad and about 12 of the 332Mongrel squad roared across the single runway at A24. Had it known that was about to happen to all those brave commerads, it might have given a last ripple to their honor.
Check out the eagle on the tail
We circled twice to pick every one up and formed. Daddog, leading the Mongrel and the entire IL2 swarm, ordered us a climb to 8k heading NW. At about 7.5k we broke through the cloud layer and met with a brightening sun and clear blue sky.
Great formation Blue! and a view of the entire force
Little after passing the cloud layer and reaching an alt of 12k, a partol of 4 109 had spotted our force. WHERE THE HELL WAS OUR ESCORT? was the first thought. The area was sposed to be swept for fighters. Well, no time for that. The four did 1 circle over our head, probably warning the boys in leather undies and procided to drop down on vikings blue flight which was the rear.
I ordered Blue flight to drop ord if needed and turn into them. To my embaresment, I found out that I had nothing to jettision... hmmm... That was what the ground crew running after the plane at takeoff tried to say... I turn into the first couple in. too late. The first 109 pings me twice, but the IL2 is tougher than a sibirian "Gulag" cheif and doesn't even shake.
4 bf109 under d2.0 is not what you want to see out the window of IL2...
At this point I guthered we don't stand a chanse, so my idea was to stall the 109 here as much as possible and let the other IL2's get away. The 109's go for another pass, this time 2 go HO with me and avoid at the last sec, the other 2 are after Nilsen. As I finish the turn to keep all the 109 infront of me I see Nilsen and a 109 loosing alt fast. Apparantly from the film, they shot each others wing off (Nilsen with the pea-shooter at the back I belive).
Me showing my empty bomb-bays..hmm, and Nilsen trading a wing with the 109
The downed 109's wingman flies off toward where the other IL disapeared in the horizon and now It's us 3 vs. 2 109s. Icey and Goofy preformed flawlessly as they kemp close, never getting more that d2.0 away and turning with me to accept every 109 droping down on us. Every 109 who thought IL2's were easy prey found himself in a HO looking down the barrel of 6 23mm canons :) This went on for a few min with us taking a few shots but missing. Until one of the bogies had set himself for a long shallow volley. I lowered nose to grab some speed (200 mph - wow..) and pulled hard for the shot. Got 2 nice flashes from his belly, but he kept flying (could be just MG). Shortly after they buged out.
Missing a shot and 109s extending
Pulling for the belly shot & View from the 109 perspective
We continue toward our target undamaged
and a little shaken, while listening on the radio to red flight and the mongrels
being slaughtered be nme fighters. Made little sense flying into that inferno,
so I order blue flight to circle A10 which is the refuel point for the next
target. Duvel who came in a bit late was on the way, so I hoped to meet with
him and with the survivors there.
No survivors.
Hmmm, I order us all to land and refuel/rearm at A10 and each of us is joined
by one of the downed vikings as a gunner.
Happy meeting with Dvel and you can
see GA complaing about my driving
on the txt buffer :)
Circling around, Duvel exeeds the speed limit with gear down and tears it off. We loose goofy on the takeoff, as he looses control and smashes into the BH (there was a problem with the sand that made the planes jump and tore off landing gears - terrain bug).
Duvel's shadow on the runway as we
prapair for takeoff,
and Goofy parking his IL2 in a less than an othodox fashion.
Taking off again we report to frame CO "skernsk" of the situation. His orders are to go for primary target. This time I order low level flight and we went there crawling low & slow (IL2 won't go over 200mph no matter what you'll do..). Half way there Duvel looks down at his fuel gauge to see it almost empty - Oops.. to far this way and too far that way, he ditches.
Just me and Icey now (and GA and Easykill as gunners). We spot a gagle of dots to our left, but we stay low and they either not noticed us or were busy, and went their merry way. Comming close to the target now and I order the "pull up". We grab a few kft and since I didn't have any bombs <caugh..caugh..> I went for the acks to lower the risk for Icey as he delivers his bombs. Got 2 acks on one side of the field when a con was spotted. I ordered Icey to start his run before we are engaged and he blows a fuel depot just as I get the last ack on this side of the field. This time as I pull away acks ping me twice, but boy is this kozak plane tough.
That is for red flight, the mongrels and mother russia!
Going for the acks on the other side I change my mind and decide to attack them parralel instead of perpendicular, but without paying attention, my hessitation had put me just inside the ack's range and my engine is blown out! how stupid...
Attention: knuckle head comming down..!
Now I have nothing to loose, and I decide to go for a fast emergency landing at the nme base...hoping I'll stop on one of the taxi way and get out before acks blast me. As I glide down and take gears out, I see an ammo bunker nearby. Pushing stick forward to keep tail high I fill it with 23mm shells while driving at 100mph on the ground... It blows and I roll into the flames.
IL2 really asuming the roll of a tank :)
Passing the flames, still too fast and the sand bug makes the plane jumpy and hard to control. Miss a taxi way, pass the runway and near the tower the acks sends me back to drink vodka in the tower.
Iceydee was still alive and with rockets. he got some more fuel and ammo but as he was RTB he found himself very low on gas (I really need to check this planes fuel consumption). I suggest that he take out the 2 remaining acks and land at A11, but his engine fails and he crashes.
20 IL2 left that lake near A24 that morning. None made it back. Cry for them oh dear pool of dark water, cry them a river...
Exelent flight and fight Blue formation! Am proud of you and was honored to lead you <S>
Bozon