DD_Fenrir

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3315123/

What rank Arjen?

Mission Date 28/11/44 402nd FS - Fighter Sweep, Nettersheim-Düren Sector 485th FS - Rail Target Strike, Zulpich 410th BG - Rail Target Strike, Bonn Debrief: 370th FG 402nd FS: It is with a heavy heart that the 402nd report the death of their squadron leader, it is a very sad day in the 402nd, his excellent leadership will be sadly missed, not to mention his laid back presence at the bar in the the mess in the evenings. We were preceding along our patrol route, when we initially spotted 5 enemy aircraft at our low one O'clock, in two elements, a three ship and a two ship. Major Arjen Eftee led the attack and dived on the three ship, whilst the second element started to dive on the second enemy element. During the dive, the second element noticed many more enemy aircraft under the cloud coming into view slightly behind the first aircraft spotted and pulled out of the attack to maintain altitude advantage. Alas this was to late for the lead element, and Major Arjen Eftee's aircraft was seen to impact the ground after the dive down. Captain Kevin Fruitbat as ranking officer, took command of the remaining planes in the flight, with the first priority to extricate 2nd Lt Dennis Falcon out of a very hairy situation. Fortunately he still had plenty of energy, and so was instructed to shallow climb on what ever heading he was currently on, whilst Captain K Fruitbat and 2nd Lt Patrick Last flying as his wing, maneuvered to position themselves to cover his initial escape. It was during this point that the Captain realised his radio was fitted with a faulty radio crystal and was unable to directly talk to the 485th, and so all messages had to be relayed through a ground controller. After this work around was figured out, the 402nd urgently sent position, altitude and bandit number chasing us, requesting a heading for intercept with the 485th to give support. The 485th replied with a heading and that they were 10 miles north of our position but lower. Not long after this, with 13 bandits confirmed in tow we sighted the 485th and quickly ascertained they were still climbing, so the order was given to turn west to give them time to get more altitude. The enemy obviously had not spotted the 485th as they turned to follow the 402nd. This allowed the 485th to latch onto the back, and battle was joined, at this point the 402nd reversed course and entered the fray. At first the 402nd maintained combat formation and flew purely defensive against the more numerous enemy, as it appeared in the confusion they weren't fully aware that the 402nd had been joined by the 485th, until this was no longer tenable, and battle was fully joined. In the ensuing melee, the 402nd claimed 3 confirmed, with one apiece to each pilot, a Fw190D for the Captain, and Bf110's for the Lt's, along with damaging at least 3 other enemy aircraft. During the fight, both Captain K Fruitbat and 2nd Lt D Falcon received damage, but were able to continue. Finally the last of the enemy aircraft was seen to go down, and the call to return to base was given. Shortly after regrouping, Captain K Fruitbat gave command to 2nd P Last, as he decided that his aircraft was too heavily damaged to return and land, and so looked for a area devoid of trees to bail out over. The remaining two ship returned to base, and landed safely. Without the quick assistance given to the 402nd by the 485th, It would almost have certainly been a much bleaker day for the squadron, in what was already a bleak day. 485th FS: Capt. Fenton Rea led a four ship attack on the Rail Station at Zulpich and train targets therein, the flight successfully destroying a train and a number of AAA guns in the vicinity. Heading NW to Düren to see what other ground targets the area might yield, the 485th received an assistance call from the 402nd, initially interpreted as an alert to more ground targets. However it quickly became apparent that the 402nd were engaged with and heavily outnumbered by enemy aircraft. The 402nd reported their altitude as Angels 12; the 485th were at Angels 5. Turning South and clapping on all available sail, climbing as fast as possible, Zenith squadron were passing 7,000ft when they saw 3 P-38s coming north with 13 bandits, a mixed force of Fw 190Ds and Bf 110s, in pursuit. Leakage White 3, Capt. Kevin Fruitbat (now leading Leakage squadron) in an excellent tactical decision, dragged the conga line to the west allowing 485th to tack onto the trailing elements of the bandit group in the climb, with Leakage squadron turning back in to engage as Zenith leader called they were committed. Thereafter proceeded the largest air engagement yet recorded by the 370th FG. There were simply too many e/a to maintain cohesive elements and the fight broke down into a massive furball covering 10 square kilometres, ranging from 10,000ft down to the deck. The 370th FG combined gradually managed to whittle down the odds but not without cost as Zenith Red 4, 2nd Lt. Harrison Hailey, already wrestling with a faulty radio did not return; Zenith Red Leader witnessed a P-38 seen to crash into woodlands after being attacked by an Fw 190D-9 on the frontline west of Zulpich. It is presumed that this was Red 4. It was his first mission. Zenith Red 2, Lt. Rox, after dispatching 2 of the bandits came under fire from yet another and the enemies aim was a little too true; heavily damaged Red 2 managed to disengage from the fight and made for the airfield of Bierset, where we are relieved to say he made a successful safe landing. Despite these setbacks, the 370th acquitted itself magnificently and after about a 10 minute period, the skies were cleared of enemy aircraft. All told, the group managed to account for nearly all the e/a first spotted, our claims totalling 11 of the 13 initially counted. It is assumed that the remainder ran home to lick their wounds. At this point the group returned home in mixed formation, with several aircraft having sustained varying degrees of damage, but no further pilots were lost. On a personal note, the 485th extend our deepest condolences to the 402nd for the loss of Maj. Arjen Efftee who so effectively led their squadron for so long and to great success. He was respected and admired by all of us here in Zenith squadron and we mourn his loss to both you, us and the Group. 410th BG The 410th attacked their assigned target and, despite the strong winds, obliterated it. However, the defensive fire from the ground was some of the strongest yet encountered with ~20 AAA guns in the target vicinity; such a withering rain of flak was going to cause issues and so it proved. That said, despite the damage received by their aircraft, both 2nd Lts. David Crosby and Major Major were able to regain friendly territory, with Major force landing at Venlo, and Crosby just managing to belly land his crippled A-20 across the frontlines. 370th FG Awards and Promotions: None. Personnel: Major Kendall Bozeman has been posted to the 485th Fighter Squadron. 2nd Lieutenant Lou Keyberstad has been posted to the 485th Fighter Squadron Flight officer John Johnson has been posted to the 485th Fighter Squadron Rosters: 410th BG Awards and Promotions: None. Personnel: None. Roster: Scoreboards:

No, Crash, you made it by the skin o' your teeth old bean! Yikes! That sounds like a pretty bowel loosening recipe... despite it you did some damn fine work on the target though. I'll get the debrief proper up when I can.

Sorry to hear that Reggie, I can sympathise as my work has been flat-out of late (though not to the same extent as you it appears). Hope some semblance of sanity returns soon mate, rest assured whenever that is there's always a Lightning here with your name on it...

Scoreboards:

410th BG Awards and Promotions: None. Personnel: 2nd Lt. Major Major has been posted to the 410th Bomb Group. Roster:

370th FG Awards and Promotions: Captain Arjen Efftee is promoted to Major. A long time coming Major, but congratulations, it is well earned. 1st Lieutenant Fenton Rea is promoted to Captain. Captain Kevin Fruitbat is awarded the Bronze Star. 2nd Lieutenant Karl Spartan is awarded the Bronze Star. 2nd Lieutenant Dennis Falcon is awarded the Bronze Star. Personnel: Captain Fenton Rea is transferred to the 485th Fighter Squadron. A new pilot has been posted to the 485th Fighter Squadron - we await confirmation of his identity. Rosters:

Mission Date 25/11/44 402nd FS - Fighter Sweep, The Hague 485th FS - Fighter Sweep, The Hague 410th BG - Attack Rail Targets, Shiedam Debrief: 370th FG 402nd: Taking 2 x 1000lb bombs in case the Luftwaffe refused to play, the 402nd were obliged to jettison their load just crossing the frontline when a flight of Bf 109s deigned to put in an appearance; the e/a engaged 402nd from the Easy with a slight height advantage but the 402nd held together well and mad good work of covering each other and all e/a were dispatched within relatively short order. Continuing on to target the 40nd were then directed by 'Marmite' ground control to bandits in the Breda/Roosendaal sector. Quickly turning southeast the squadron spotted the bandits at low level just as they were crossing the Hollandschdiep, Red flight engaging a group of Fw 190s to the west and White flight another to the east. Quite a furball developed at low altitude, but all e/a were eventually knocked down, with Leakage White Lead, 1st Lt. Rea trailing some further bogies out to the East, his flight and Red in long pursuit. They caught up with the bogeys just east of Tilburg and engaged, though White 2, 2nd Lt. Karl Spartan was hit by flying debris - the entire vertical stabiliser in fact! - when his last victim exploded violently in front of his aircraft, obliging Spartan to try and dodge the wreckage. His port engine inoperable, he bugged out for home base, making a succesful landing. A similar fate befell Red 2, 2nd Lt Dennis Falcon, though fortunately he too made it home under the watchful escort of his squadron mates. All told the 402nd claimed 15 enemy aircraft destroyed, a superlative feat gents, well done indeed. 470th: Major Payne-less' debrief again outlines a tale of unfortunate luck and bad timing regards encountering the Luftwaffe; just a few minutes too far South of assisting in the first engagement and a few kilometers too far North when the call from 'Marmite' control came through request all aircraft assist in the Breda sector; that said the ordnance they elected to carry was put to good use with Capt. Cloister and 2nd Lt. Iden Hoe ruining the day of several AAA gun positions near Schiedam, accounting for 7 guns between them. 410th BG The 410th attacked their assigned target, accounting for a number of transportation targets, though we mourn the loss 2nd Lt. Dave Haggis who lost control of his aircraft at low altitude and spun in; this dedicated, fearless doyen of the group will be much missed.

Scoreboards:

370th FG Awards and Promotions: None. Personnel: A new pilot has been posted to the 402nd Fighter Squadron - we await confirmation of his identity. A new pilot has been posted to the 485th Fighter Squadron - we await confirmation of his identity. Rosters: 410th BG Awards and Promotions: None. Personnel: No changes. Roster:

Mission Date 25/11/44 402nd FS - Attack Transportation Targets, Emmerich 485th FS - Fighter Sweep, Emmerich-Mönchengladbach sector 410th BG - Attack Rail Targets, Krefeld Debrief: 370th FG 402nd: Again in the face of spirited AAA resistance the 402nd remained un-phased and wrought terrible destruction upon the enemy ground forces in the target area. Finding themselves with ammo and ordnance to spare they pushed SE along the front and discovered further opportunities to beat-up on the Krauts in the vicinity of Weeze, breaking off through a combination of low ammo and the instance of Lt. Finknottle receiving damage to his airframe; he elected to make an emergency landing at Ophoven, making it safely but not without incident - his right engine quit on him as he approached the threshold! Nonetheless he seems re markedly unperturbed, though we suspect a few shots of whiskey may have had their medicinal effect! By the time they broke for home the 402nd claimed 37 ground targets destroyed. Another excellent performance chaps, well done! Particular mention goes to 2nd Lt. Patrick Last who claimed 14 targets alone - a most impressive haul we're sure you'll agree. Great work that man! 470th: Major Payne-less' debrief covers the salient points - unfortunate showing gents; looks like we've been too effective hammering the Luftwaffe of late. Regards the flak, there's not much you can do against that 88 stuff; it often seems to creep up as the gunners gradually correct their fire and the only possible recourse is to regularly adjust course and alt if you're in a known 88 area, but they move the guns around so much it's almost impossible to be sure of where you'll encounter it. The major towns and airfields will certainly have some but we're regularly seeing stuff near the front also. Guess we've just got to keep a wary eye out for the bursts. 410th BG The 410th flattened their assigned target, primarily due to the excellent low level bombing skills of 2nd Lt. Dave Haggis who single-handedly took out an entire train consisting of a locomotive and 9 wagons! Great job that man!

Dayum...!

From the various online calculators (which coincide with your GMT+10.5) it appears the start time for you would be 0730. I trust these over the forums calculations - not sure why the forum is so keen to get you up at the crack o'dawn?! If you could be on from 0700/0715 that'd be great.

Hey AOB. Glad you're interested in joining the campaign, our next mission is on Sunday 7th February at 2100GMT which I understand is your Monday morning? If you could join half an hour/15 minutes before hand I will happily include you if you can still make it. One thing that consistently catches out the first timers is getting the engine start procedure running without a hitch; we start engines off at the ramp then taxi to the relevant runway. Due to the specific procedure to engine starts in the Lightning we have often found that it can catch out those unfamiliar with how to do it, people mostly being used to air starts, or on the runway with engines already going, so I would suggest you take some time to get comfortable with getting the motors running, and how to rescue the engine start procedure should you accidentally fluff it! Here's the procedure in case you haven't tried it before: 1. Ensure both engines selected (they are both selected by default when you spawn in). 2. Mixture 100% - Levers fully forward 3. RPM 100% - Levers fully forward 4. Press Engine start key (default 'E') 5. Left Engine will start first, then Right Engine. 6. When both motors running reduce Mixture to 70% 7. When ready to taxi release Parking Brake by pressing your brake input/key once. 8. Should either motor fail to start ensure you switch off that engine by selecting it and pressing 'E' to switch it off prior to trying again.

Well for this F-14 crew, it just got a LOT harder... https://www.f-14association.com/tales/crash-landing-a-crippled-tomcat.html Geez...!

Oh no, Crash. Hoping for a positive outcome mate, really am. Good luck.

Found this gem on the ED forums: https://forums.eagle.ru/topic/260841-engine-bearings-and-how-you-can-keep-them-happy/?tab=comments#comment-4558624

https://uk.pcmag.com/comparison/130136/oculus-quest-2-vs-oculus-rift-s-which-vr-headset-should-you-buy *Doh! Sniped!*

Simple:

Yup, got it in one Nick.

Scoreboards:

370th FG Awards and Promotions: None. Personnel: A new pilot has been posted to the 485th Fighter Squadron - we await confirmation of his identity. Rosters: 410th BG Awards and Promotions: None. Personnel: No changes. Roster:

Mission Date 23/11/44 402nd FS - Attack Transportation Targets, Rotterdam 485th FS - Attack Rail Targets, Den Haag 410th BG - Attack Transportation Targets, Gouda Debrief: 370th FG 402nd: Despite fierce AAA resistance the 402nd pressed home a determined attack and whilst only a handful of enemy vehicles were found (and destroyed) they wrought terrible carnage upon the enemy's flak arm, escaping with only moderate damage to one airframe and minor damage to a second, and all 8 aircraft returned successfully to base. All told the 402nd claimed 38 ground targets destroyed, a superlative performance in the face of stiff enemy fire - well done boys, impressive stuff! 485th: The 485th also faced off against a savage barrage of anti-aircraft fire whilst decimating the rail facilities at The Hague; alas they were not so lucky in avoiding the worst of the enemy's fire. Lt Rox, despite receiving heavy damage pressed home his attacks and claimed 10 ground targets prior to force landing. So too 2nd Lt. Starling, who claimed some ground units before taking hits and being obliged to break off, though he thankfully he managed to recover at Florennes. 2nd Lts. Artois and Tonar were unable to claim targets before they too had to break off and find places to ditch thanks to taking heavy punishment from the guns. Alas, 2nd Lt. Iden Kare's aircraft was seen to strike the ground during an attack run and it presumed he was killed in the subsequent conflagration. It is unclear whether he was struck by flak or misjudged his run and recovered too late. Nonetheless, this recent member to the squadron was already starting to make his mark and his loss will be felt by all. All told the 485th claimed a solid 27 ground targets, but at a cost - though one that could have been greater, especially considering the brutal defensive fire. Well done to those of you who had the presence of mind to get your aircraft back to friendly territory - whilst the losses in machines are troublesome in the short term, the fact we have managed to keep you the pilots is a far more important resource to retain. 410th BG The 410th had a rare unsuccessful mission today, the stiff and varying winds at altitude playing havoc with their bomb runs; whilst making what seemed like solid drops from the bomb-sight their runs were frustratingly off target and inconclusive.