DD_Fenrir

Good news, Crash: David Crosby not only lives but was apparently paying attention during his Escape and Evasion training as he made it back to friendly lines!

.. I'd still recommend you watch this video cos this fellow is a great story teller!

Well, if you choose to fly - in daylight - barely 50km from the front-line in the face of crippling enemy air superiority and then you choose not to bring a rear gunner... #darwinaward

Lucky for you the campaign is on Tuesday then!

370th FG Scoreboard, as of the morning of 15th November 1944: 410th BG Scoreboard as of the morning of 14th November 1944:

410th BG Awards and Promotions: Maj. Sid Viscous has been awarded the Bronze Star. Congratulations sir! Personnel: 2nd Lt. Dave Haggis joins the squadron. 2nd Lt. David Crosby joins the squadron. Rosters:

370th FG Awards and Promotions: 2nd Lieutenant Casey Baker has been promoted to 1st Lieutenant. 2nd Lt. Luke Rox has been awarded the Purple Heart. Congratulations gentlemen! Personnel: 2nd Lt. Luke Rox has been transferred from the 402nd to the 485th. 2nd Lt. Denis Richard rejoins the 485th FS. Rosters:

Debrief for the 14th November 1944: 370th FG: 402nd - Bombing of rail targets, Bonn. 485th - Patrol for Air Targets over Front Lines, Gerolstein-Nettersheim sector 410th BG - Bombing of infantry positions near Nettersheim. The 402nd under the charge of Capt. Efftee led a highly successful mission; excellent bombing results in Bonn wiped out the briefed rail targets plus a smattering of peripheral trucks and AAA. As the squadron circled the city trying to pick out any other targets Red 4 2nd Lt. Bowen spotted bogeys to the Southeast; picked up by White Lead, he managed to keep the contacts in sight (just!) and tracked the aircraft to the vicinity of Asbach. Closing to visual range the bogeys were ID'd as five Ju 52s and leading his element up sun Lt. Rea then set them up for a classic bounce. Rea and his White 2 2nd Lt. Baker shot down one apiece in quick order, with the 2nd element arriving soon after to get in on the action, 2nd Lts. Hinkley and Rox also claiming one each in the ensuing massacre, Rea mopping up the final e/a. In the interim Red flight had remained high to cover, and Capt. Efftee called a regroup and the squadron reformed and headed for home. All 8 aircraft recovered safely at Florennes with 5 air and 14 ground kills to their credit. 402nd also an now boast the first double ace of the squadron and of the Group - congratulations to Lt. Rea for being the first to reach this milestone! The 485th ran their air patrol but were unfortunate to yet again miss the action despite the increased Luftwaffe activity. After a fruitless period of hunting around at Angels 18-19 they instead descended to see what punishment could be metered out to the Hun on the ground; yet again however the Flak gunners had other ideas. 2nd Lt. Dave Scott was sadly hit by AAA and killed. 2nd Lt. Mayer struck a tree and crash landed heavily - fortunately he was close to the front lines and friendly troops managed to get to him first, however he is reported as seriously injured and could be out of commission for some time. 2nd Lt. Funflaque also clipped a tree and he too was obliged to crash land in friendly territory, also nursing injuries that will keep him out of the cockpit for a few days. 2nd Lt. Mow was a focus for the Kraut AAA gunners but despite taking damage was able to recover safely to Florennes. With such heavy losses and the ferocious flak opposition, unsurprisingly the 485th's score was somewhat below their usual haul - a total of 8 ground targets were claimed. The good weather is expected to continue on for tomorrow, the 15th November. [Event to be held Tuesday 8th December 2020]

370th FG Scoreboard, as of the morning of 14th November 1944: 410th BG Scoreboard as of the morning of 14th November 1944:

410th BG Awards and Promotions: None. Personnel: No changes. Roster:

370th FG Awards and Promotions: None. Personnel: We welcome Captain Frank Priory to the 485th as a new Flight Commander; he's an experienced P-38 pilot, having flown a tour in the Aleutians and done a spell of instructing. Rosters:

Debrief for the 11th November 1944: 370th FG: 402nd - Escort of RAF B-25s to Krefeld. 485th - Patrol for Air Targets over Front Lines, Gymnich-Düsseldorf sector 410th BG - Bombing of convoy near Düsseldorf Another longer range mission mission today. The 485th ran their air patrol but yet again the Luftwaffe refrained our advances and so they took to harassing the Krauts on the ground; however the Flak arm put up a great deal of resistance and for once inhibited the usually robust 485th efforts. 2nd Lt. Mayer took damage and had to abort early, Lt. Apeehill caught a packet and was obliged to force land wounded on a forward airfield, and yet others collected some holes for their efforts. Most dishearteningly the much-liked and newly promoted Lt. Fryer - who was leading the group after Maj. Payne-less was called to HQ - was killed by a suspected direct 88mm hit. A significantly heavy price to pay for 7 ground targets. The 402nd too had a quiet escort mission, with no air opposition encountered. En route to the bomber departure waypoint the CO, Capt. Efftee ordered White Flight (Lt. Rea and 2nd Lt. Baker) to break formation and go hunting early whilst he and Red Flight stayed to ensure the bombers saftey. White flight dropped to the deck and scoured the front lines in an effort to cause the Wermacht further headaches. Finding a small concentration of flak guns and an artillery position North-east of Julich, they silenced all in short order. Tracking further south towards Düren, whilst calling in Red flight, only single further gun was found, which thanks to an excellent piece of bombing fell to 2nd Lt. Bowen. With fuel starting to become an issue, Capt. Efftee called RTB and the 402nd had an uneventful flight home and landed at Florennes accounting for 10 ground kills with no losses. There's no doubt that Jerry is suffering for airplanes and ground units; the sheer paucity of both in recent missions may point to them trying to conserve forces for a counterattack. Equally though it's been a hard slog for our troops and we're struggling to exploit weakness in their front-line due to our own supply issues. However, intel does indicate we may see them attempt to bolster their forces before we can take advantage of their situation... Another spell of grotty weather is inbound again gentlemen so looks like we'll have some time to lick our wounds. A break is expected for the 14th November. [Event to be held Sunday 29th November 2020] 410th BG:

BANZAI !!!!!!

The thumbnail for EDs latest sale video surreptitiously included a preview of the new cloud tech. Me likey!

The thumbnail for EDs latest sale video surreptitiously included a preview of the new cloud tech. Me likey!

Merely a formatting error on my part FT... now corrected. Your place in the anals annuls of history is now complete.... 😉

410th BG

370th FG Awards and Promotions The following pilots have been decorated for their recent acts of valour: 2nd Lt. Casey Baker - Bronze Star 2nd Lt. Colin Fryer - Bronze Star 2nd Lt. Gary Funflaque- Bronze Star 2nd Lt. Dave Scott - Bronze Star Heartiest congratulations to you gentlemen, and keep up the excellent work; you are indeed setting an example for your fellow pilots to emulate. And with heavy heart we also announce that in his last action: Lt. Per Fesser - Distinguished Flying Cross (posthumously) Group have decided that the following pilots have earned Promotion in rank, effective immediately: 1st Lieutenant Arjen Efftee is promoted to Captain 2nd Lieutenant Colin Fryer is promoted to 1st Lieutenant 2nd Lieutenant Fenton Rea is promoted to 1st Lieutenant Each of you has demonstrated not only individual prowess in the air but also excellent leadership and decision making.

Debrief for the 8th November 1944: 402nd - Escort of RAF B-25s to Gorinchem. 485th - Patrol for Air Targets over Front Lines, Gorinchem sector An unusual day on many counts, some good, some bad. Away from our normal sector of operations the 370th FG were tasked with missions that were in direct support of a push by Commonwealth forces attempting to cross the Waal river; this involved a longer than usual cruise to target. Despite many missions of only paltry appearances by the Luftwaffe they certainly showed up today; a flight of 190s jumped the 485th, with a second group attacking the bombers that the 402nd were tasked to escort. Alas, we did not come off lightly. In the 485th, cruising just below cloud and not yet having even crossed the front line, Red Flight was targeted by the enemies initial pass, with 2nd Lt. Key Moe's Lightning paid particular focus and their aim was all too true. The unfortunate Lt Moe's P-38 was last seen diving out of control and no chute was observed. Further inquiries with our Allies have determined that the wreckage of his aircraft was discovered with his body still strapped in it. Sufficed to say the 485th's vengeance was swift and merciless and they subsequently downed all of the marauding Focke-Wulfs for no further losses, 2nd Lt. Colin Fryer accounting for one & 2nd Lt. Dave Scott getting a further two. White flight then had the good fortune to happen upon a flight of Ju-52 transports and dispatched all 3 in short order, 2nd Lt. Tom Apeehill claiming one and 2nd Lt. Gary Funflaque claiming the other pair. Lt. Funflaque's aircraft was damaged in the engagement, though whether from the rear gunner of a Ju-52 or a nearby AAA battery is currently unknown, as he force landed at Gilze-Rijen airfield, otherwise seemingly none the worse for his adventures. Having opted for carrying a bomb load in the event that Jerry didn't make a showing in the air, Red flight of the 485th used these to good effect bombing and strafing enemy positions in and around the front line, garnering a respectable total of 13 ground targets destroyed, both Maj. Mick Payne-Less and newly arrived 2nd Lt. Artage commendably each gaining five apiece. Nice work gents. The 402nd had barely rendezvoused with their charges when three Fw 190s attacked from the bombers high 12. In the ensuing furball all were eventually smacked down, with one each credited to Lt Arjen Efftee, Lt. Per Fesser and 2nd Lt. Fenton Rea; however, this was not before one of their number had managed to mortally damage the lead B-25 which fell out of formation not long thereafter. Despite the apparent danger having passed, in the effort to regroup the slightly scattered squadron after the dogfight the Squadron leader for this mission, Lt Per Fesser and his wingman 2nd Lt Louis Zook tragically collided; there were no survivors. The two veterans, nee stalwarts of the squadron, both much liked and highly valued by their CO will be sorely missed by all. Taking over the lead of the squadron Lt. Efftee escorted the remaining bombers to their egress waypoint, then led the group back down to the target area to see what mischief could be made. AAA was heavy however, and only two guns were claimed, with 2nd Lt. Rea coming away with significant damage, though Lt Efftee quickly destroyed the offending position shortly thereafter. 2nd Lt. Rea managed to strafe another gun position on his egress, despite some "interesting" control issues and a fuel leak & limp back to Florennes. We've had worse days, gents but we've also had better. Today's losses were entirely avoidable. Remember to keep a good lookout at ALL times, not just when you expect the enemy to show; it seems that the recent dearth of Luftwaffe activity may have lulled some of you in to a false sense of security. If Lt. Moe's unfortunate demise has taught you anything it is to keep your head on a swivel and that the Krauts will punish complacency in the severest terms. And whilst operating substantial numbers of aircraft in formation will always bring risks of collision, it is each pilots responsibility to ensure that the air where his plane is headed is clear and to take his own measures to avoid collisions and not expect other aircraft to get out of his way. On that note gents, looks like the weather is clamping in again; next clear spell is expected for the 11th November. [Event to be held Tuesday 24th November 2020]

You'll be missed Christoph but give my namesake our warmest birthday regards and wish him well from all of us at chez Fenrir.

Hello chaps; updated some of the elevation diagrams as my figures for the altitudes covered by the scan zones were off by a factor of .5! Now corrected.

😲🤩

Red Lion booked for 2 nights; Fenrir and Dadda-Fen in attendance!

The scoreboard as of the morning of the 8th November 1944: Rosters to follow....