DD_Fenrir

Mission Date 16/11/44 402nd FS - Rail Targets Remagen 485th FS - Fighter Sweep Ulmen Sector 410th BG - Bomb Infantry Positions Remagen Debrief: 370th FG The COs have covered the major events in today's missions, not much to add but the exceptionally heavy enemy air activity encountered over the front and well behind our lines by the 402nd - and a number of other friendly squadrons too by some of the rumours we are hearing. With regards the 402nd, special note goes to 2nd Lt. Roy Hinkley, flying as Leakage White 3. After receiving damaging fire from an enemy aircraft during the first engagement by the 402nd, Hinkley not only kept his bomb load throughout but persevered on to target, destroying the largest amount of ground claims of his squadron (7 in total) from his attack. As commendable as this action was, as he was limping home, he then engaged a squadron of Ju-88s, downing 2 and damaging a third. Then just after his wingman, 2nd Lt. Zukkerelli was obliged to bail out when his aircraft was struck by debris from the a Ju-88 he was attacking, Hinkley was engaged by 4 Fw 190s, whose ministrations he managed to avoid for more than 5 minutes as other elements of his squadron rushed to assist. Just to top it off, he downed a further Fw 190. Exceptional work 2nd Lt. Hinkley. Incredible even, especially for his second mission. Not to be left out, our brand new pilot, 2nd Lt. Patrick Last downed 4 enemy fighters in his first mission. Clearly one to watch from hereon in. Excellent work and great shooting Lieutenant! Veteran Lt. Finknottle also had a good-day, claiming 2 long nosed Focke-Wulfs and a Ju-88. He also engaged a squadron of Bf 110s single-handed and damaged one before discretion took the better part of valour and he disengaged - wisely as he was low on ammo and fuel. However, he showed considerable sagacity by alerting the returning 485th squadron via radio as to the location of the e/a and thus Zenith squadron were able to tear into the Zerstorers with considerable success. Capt Efftee opened the scoring by knocking down a long-nosed FW during the first engagement near the frontlines. 2nd Lt. Zukkerelli, prior to his misfortunate of being hit by a large piece of debris falling from the enemy Ju-88 he had just shot down, had also claimed a second kill , an Fw 190, during the stiff air-to-air fighting earlier in the mission. He hit the silk successfully and has telephoned from XIXth Tactical Fighter Command in Vervrier that he will be on his way back to us soon ( a few Belgian bars notwithstanding...!) Our resident top-scorer Lt. Rea also added 2 scalps to his collection today but came damn close on the last to joining his victim, passing so close to the ailing Kraut that the Focke-Wulf's wing tip took off his starboard aileron. Close call there Rea! Alas, 2nd Lt. Dennis Winger was not so fortunate. Having shot down an FW during the early engagements, he collided with the enemy aircraft he was attacking. The wreckage of his aircraft was seen to hit the ground in friendly territory but no chute was witnessed. A dedicated and faithful wingman to Capt Efftee and a friendly effusive fellow in the squadron mess, his departure has left something of a vacuum in the squadron that will be hard to fill. Leakage Red 4, 2nd Lt. Tony Bowen had engine troubles on startup that obliged him to abort the mission - and he will no doubt be cursing the name of his Crew Chief for missing out on so action-packed a mission. Considering that their remit had been to attack rail targets in Remagen, you could be forgiven for thinking that with this record haul of 15 air kills in one mission that perhaps the 402nd had neglected their duties, but the opposite is the case; the 402nd decimated the target and left Remagen with 16 ground claims under their belt. Capt Efftee you should feel justly proud, both of your boys and of the leadership you exhibit to garner such impressive results. Well done. Maj. Payne-Less should feel no less satisfied, though Group well understand your frustrations at missing out on the bulk of the air action today. Nonetheless, Zenith squadron still took the fight to the Germans with gusto strafing and bombing any thing that moved in their sector of operations and still having the mettle to get stuck in to Luftwaffe when the opportunity presented itself on their flight home. Whilst 5 kills may seem slim pickings in light of the rather unprecedented performance by your sister squadron, 5 air kills in a mission is exemplary by any squadrons measure and that represents 5 enemy airplanes that will tomorrow, not be dropping bombs on our troops heads. Group knows that given the same remarkable circumstances that the 402nd encountered today, the 485th would have equaled or bettered their performance. It is with sadness then that we announce the loss of 2nd Lt. Gary Funflaque and Capt. Frank Priory. Both fell, we suspect, to rear gunner fire in the engagements with the 110s. Funflaque had been with the squadron since our move to Belgium in the Autumn and will be sorely missed. Capt. Priory, so recently new to the squadron had already started to settle in and earn the trust and respect of his squadron mates as Zenith White Leader. Tomorrow, the 17th is looking fine and bright gents, according to the Met boys, so keep your heads clear and get some rest. [Event to be flown Tuesday 22nd December 2020] 410th BG Please refer to Maj. Viscous' debreifing.

Understood Reggie but it was the kind of thing that would haunt my dreams in the small hours, particularly as it was my absent-mindedness to blame. My own eye for detail would cause this to gnaw at my soul henceforth, so it was as much to save my own sanity as to see justice done to two hard working virtual pilots. Besides, if Painless thought for even a moment that the 485th was being denied legitimate kills, he and Artie would break out the tin-foil hats and cries of "CONSPIRACY" would forever plague our Teamspeak channel. Thusly it is better for us all that I did this!

VICTORY IS MINE!!!! Or, more accurately, victories are now FTs and Reggies. Only took four hours. I will complete the forum debrief when I have re-invigorated my stocks of give-a-sh*t, 'cause right now I'm fresh out.

As with anything involving PWCG, it's complicated... 😵

Thanks to all who attended last night gents, that was a pretty intense one! I had a lot of fun, hope you all did too. First thing I need to do is apologise profusely to both @FoolTrottel and @Reggie for missing their claims during the AAR process; as most of you know I normally ask if I have missed anyone before committing the info but last night having worked my way through all (I thought) of the personnel tabs in sequence I just forgot to do this usual last sanity check - I've got a lot on my mind regards work and home at the moment and I rushed it. I did spend 2 hours trying to correct the error manually last night by editing the various files, but thus far I've kept corrupting the campaign. I will keep trying but please bear with me.

370th debrief for last mission is now up - it has been inserted into the debrief post above.

410th BG Awards and Promotions: Maj. Sid Viscous is awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross 2nd Lt. David Crosby is awarded the Purple Heart Personnel: No changes. Roster:

370th FG Awards and Promotions: 2nd Lieutenant Bert Finknottle is promoted to 1st Lieutenant. 2nd Lieutenant Dennis Winger is awarded the Purple Heart 2nd Lieutenant Denis Richard is awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross Personnel: 402nd replacement pilot is due, identity TBC Rosters:

Mission Date 15/11/44 402nd FS - Fighter Sweep Nettersheim Sector 485th FS - Fighter Sweep Nettersheim Sector 410th BG - Bomb Infantry Positions Zuplich Debrief: 370th FG The 402nd had 485th unusually had identical mission profiles today, aiming to cover the front-lines with airpower, the 402nd tasked with covering the sector North of Nettersheim and the 485th the sector to the South. With a 7-8/10ths cloud cover at Angels 10 the squadron COs agreed to split the ingress to target area cruise altitudes, the 402nd covering above the cloud and the 485th keeping a watchful eye on the airspace below. As the group approached Nettersheim the 402nd spotted 5 bogeys just above cloud and as they approached these resolved into a number of Fw-190A aircraft engaged with a couple of RAF Tempests. The first 190 was quickly dispatched by Lt. Rea, and with the fight gradually descending through and below the cloud, 2nd Lt. Bowen managed to claim his first kill and Capt. Efftee claimed a probable (with some help from 2nd Lt. Winger). This aircraft was latter upgraded to a confirmed by upper echelon. 2nd Lt. Finknottle engaged and badly knocked about a 3rd 190 but finding himself out of position briefly after the it forced an overshoot, two un-ID'd P-38s joined the fight and with some very accomplished shooting delivered the coup de grace before Finknottle could. This turned out to be the lead element of 485th, Maj. Payne-less and 2nd Lt. Rox, the latter being the pilot who was awarded the kill. With this initial air threat apparently now neutered the squadrons separated and flew their respective North/South patrols finding little of note in the air. Capt. Efftee split the 402nd, leading Red flight above the clouds while directing White (led by Lt. Rea) to scan below. Just South of Eiskirchen Lt. Rea spotted landing lights on the airfield at Odendorf, and got permission to lead an attack. The AAA was light on the initial run and hits were scored on an Fw 190 taxiing on the field but tragically, recently promoted Lt. Casey Baker failed to pull out of his attack run dive and struck the ground on the field. He was killed instantly. As a quick witted bon vivant, accomplished pilot, scourge of the Krauts and general good egg, his presence in the 402nd will be sorely missed. With White flight now only two aircraft, Lt. Rea attempted to keep pressure up on the flak gunners at the field but had to call it a lost cause when the enemy gunners took umbrage with 2nd Lt. Finknottle and inflicted some significant damage to his airplane, obliging Finknottle to RTB and Rea to cover him on his egress home. Finknottle thankfully landed safely, but did run out of gas halfway round the peri-track! Red flight, proceeding on their flight plan but seeing no further air action, also headed back to Florennes. Alas, the Luftwaffe again eschews to afford the 485th much opportunity for kills, 2nd Lt. Rox's kill being the only e/a that they spotted during their patrol. However, dropping to ground level they metered out heavy punishment to two artillery positions and their AAA guns, with Maj. Payne-less and 2nd Lt. Rox claiming a commendable 8 ground targets apiece. 2nd Lt. Richards collected some AAA causing him control issues and whilst he was able to return to Florennes, was obviously fighting to maintain controlled flight on his approach; some palpitations were caused among the ground crew as it appeared he would touchdown amongst a clutch of parked '38s but fortunately he was able to take avoiding action and touchdown just beyond in the grass. Once down he was able to rejoin the runway proper. The pressure isn't letting up gents, we have another mission for tomorrow, the 16th November [to be flown Sunday 13th December 2020] so get your rest and make damn sure you're bright eyed and bushy tailed for tomorrow. 410th BG To follow.

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.... 😉