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Mixed bag this time out 485th, wing men like Capt Dave Prang don’t grow on trees !. Hope our replacement, 2Lt Joe Walsh flys as well as he apparently plays the guitar! The technical problems which occurred before we took off are being looked in to by the crew chiefs and will hopefully not plague us again. We can not afford to loose three experienced pilots before we even get off the ground. In flight problems concerning vision, specifically target acquisition, can and WILL be rectified with a combination of the correct spectacles and medication ! Other than that well done for giving Jerry a bloody nose once again. You saved a few GI lives today chaps. Drinks are on me this evening provided you all wear “one item of lace” as was the habit of our dearly departed Capt David Prang.

Thanks Tom! It has shown somebody else can do your job where it concerns clicking them buttons ... But writing this all up the way you do? ... Nope. Never.. Ever... Thanks so much!

Weather looks downright awful tomorrow, but the Met boys report a front clearing for the 30th October [to be flown on Tuesday October 13th 2020] We welcome 2nd Lt. Joe Walsh to the ranks of the 485th! Best of luck.

Debrief for 27/10/44 mission. 402nd: Air Patrol front lines east of Houffalize. Carrying bombs in case the Luftwaffe again refrained from showing up, Lt. Efftee was leading the patrol when bogeys were spotted 12 o'clock high - mistaking these aircraft for P-47s, the 402nd found out the hard way that their aircraft identification needed some work when Lt. Efftee's aircraft was jumped and hit by a Fw 190 before his wingman had time to warn him. Fortunately, Lt. Efftee managed to nurse his plane to just within the friendly side of the front line before bailing, though he has been slightly banged up by the experience. Sufficed to say the rest of the 402nd were not much amused by these actions and took the brazen Fw's to task, downing 3 enemy aircraft, the victorious pilots being 2nd Lts. Casey Baker, Bertie Finknottle and Louis Zook. Revenge was swift, but a statutory lesson not to pay lip service to the Jagdwaffe, even when they appear to be a shadow of their former selves - give them an inch and they'll take a squadron commander! Having used the majority of their ammo in the robust air-to-air engagement and finding slim pickings on the ground they nonetheless managed to root out a number of ground targets to lay waste to, though 2nd Lt. Finknottle picked up some AAA which hit his starboard coolant system and before too long rendered the motor inoperable. However, not unaccustomed to this particular situation he made it all the way back to Florennes and made a better landing on one-engine than some chaps manage with two, so nice work Finky - and part of the reason, no doubt, that upper echelons have seen fit to award you the Bronze Star. Congratulations 2nd Lt. Finknottle! Well deserved. Though you are starting to get a reputation for single-engined returns... . 485th: With instructions to engage enemy ground forces in the vicinity of Houffalize, the 485th was set to continue their record of excellence; however, things started badly with technical gremlins frustrating 3 of their pilots who aborted prior to takeoff. This run of ill-luck was compounded when Capt. David Prang, one of the ground attack luminaries of the squadron, apparently mis-judged his attack pass on an AAA gun and struck trees on egress - the unfortunate fellow was killed immediately. This combined with the enemy adopting well camouflaged positions and forcing some tricky approaches in the hilly wooded terrain, slightly frustrated the squadrons efforts this day. There were however, flashes of the squadrons previous brilliance, particularly from Maj. Payne-less, who alone accounted for 10 of the total 18 targets destroyed by the squadron, including an entire artillery battery who were causing heavy casualties among our advancing troops; they send their wholehearted thanks to the squadron and a freshly liberated case of something to keep you boys well lubricated as a token of their appreciation. So, in all, not the best day all round, and certainly some lessons to be learnt, but a solid performance nonetheless and the GI's certainly welcomed our efforts out there today. Good job fellas.

I am wondering if your special Famous Grouse is as efficacious as the Mr. Grant that I sometimes turn to rely on use....

@Painless would you be so kind as to send me the actual file you use for icons in your install? I will replace mine with that and see if it helps as I am having similar problems offline as I did last night. And that is after a dose of my special Famous Grouse medication, and thorough cleaning of my spectacles 😉