Frame Two - Saturday 5th June 1999

AAR Mission 2 (Fogy) Launched from B41 in P-51 with Normex as wing. Climbout and sweep uneventful save for usual warps, dumps, hi-alt spinouts & compression elevators, etc. which always provide a fine source of listening entertainment as long as you're not involved<g>. Most of 55th got to 38K. Be advised that there is no requirement to stay in rally point sector, only to be at rally points for sweep commencement, so use 2-3 sectors to minimize the racetrack turns. Ductape joined on us enroute, having lost leader to compression. Tooled around CAP station at 8,4 while waiting for buffs. At T+50 Bull and Front in 7,5 saw several 109s also CAPping in same sector at 32K and were able to keep them occupied even though outnumbered. I fail to understand why all the LW were at 32K and below--this gave us a BIG advantage and makes their patrol duties very tough. Seems like column 8 was uncovered by LW for the longest time, and the few forays by enemy into column 8 were driven away without too much difficulty. Killed a 109 during this time, and Normex got one, too. Two buff dumps delayed the BG start south until T+75. The LW should have figured this out and been all over them WELL before the target. They had several single 109s over them from time to time, but the FWz were not brought north soon enough to find them and bring any significant force to bear, it appears. A few passes at the BG enroute were well-defended by the CE from what I could hear. Decision to go to primary was a good one since most of LW spotted were in west sectors. FWz were finally spotted in 9,3 just prior to buffs drop. The fighters who had joined up with buffs as planned kept them busy or ded for the most part. Several FW and 109s were forced down below buffs altitude or dragged/chased away. Killed one FW and drove one down toward C42. On buff egress, two or 3 FW managed to crawl back up to buff alt. Lost 2 buffs (Brice and Mags) to these guys from slow, dead 6 approaches. Didn't have enough fighters staying high over them to prevent this, it appears. I was about 1 ping away from killing the FW that had got Mags when 2 109s jumped and pinged me. Broke it off and dragged them west, which put me out of the escort picture for the rest of the mission. Proceeded north to B42 with 109s in tow for a while. Landed right behind Alleycat at END LOG with a couple of minutes fuel remaining. Special commendation to Front who stayed with the BG all the way north and managed to drive off several of the LW in pursuit. Heard Mikiri's death late in the frame, Lion and AC made it home safely. This was a good first effort. Mistakes made on both sides, we made fewer. Fogy<55th GL>++ AAR Mission 2 (Bull) Front and I climbed out and made it to 36k at rally point at 7,10 with no problems. Climbing from 36k to 38k while trying to stay in one sector is not practical. Informed Fogy that it would be better if Jugs finished climb during sweep. Buffs were in holding pattern at their assigned altitude anyway so Fogy began sweep when all Jugs were at least 36k. Front and I quickly got to 38k in the next row south. When we got to 7,5,5 we saw 2 Me109s considerably below us. We overshot so we could get radio message out. We circled back north and reacquired. We began diving spiral in attempt to get rear quarter attack. We got down to 34k and still were not making headway in getting angle. We broke off and got out of contact range so we could reattack from their flanks or rear. We reacquired and attacked, staying in 7,5. More 109s came from south and I counted 5 nme in sector. A long jousting match began with our section having good luck running up on the 109s quickly. The fight degraded down to 32K, with the Jugs holding their own. Two frens showed up at 38k and joined the fite. I pinged a few 109s in lead turns started from way back. The 109s can outturn us, but they still take up alot of sky to turn. If you notice which way they are breaking soon enough, you can cut the turn from far back and get blind or nearly blind canopy shots if u guess right. The 109s clearly are surprised how quickly the Jugs can run up on them at those alts. I managed to get in behind a 109 that was lead turning another Jug and blasted him good before he managed to split S away. Front, later in the fite, finished this guy off and I got kill credit on #4077, Lt Chris. The fite stalemated at 4v4 at 32k in sec 7,5. Front and I broke off south to extend and 2 109s followed but dropped back as we apparently out climbed them. Radioed Fogy that we could disengage and he ordered us back to our CAP areas. Just then buffs reported 109s overhead. We were about 1 sec away and headed NE to meet buffs instead of heading south. We got to buffs in time to watch gunners and escorts finish off the attacking 109s. We managed to help this effort but did not get shooting opportunities. Front and I drove through buffs to CAP area and waited. No nme there so we checked west side of buffs on a heading for home and found no nme. Radioed Mags that a right turn after drop looked clear. We then headed back to buffs and stumbled across FWs due north of them headed south. Radioed same and then engaged. The FW attacks on the buffs were spread out, and it was impossible to cover all the buffs. I had two buffs in icon and didn't know where the others were, so we tried our best to protect them both. Unfortunately I spied a FW attack too late to save one buff, having destroyed the FW just seconds after the buff blew up. We protected the only buff I could see after that. A hi FW then appeared in the rear. I weaved back and forth trying to time his pass by me into the buff. He didn't see the buff apparently as he went for me. He BnZed me for a bit and I headed east instead of north. The FW stayed with me and I dove to bring him out of the fite. He stayed with me and after 2 or 3 more attacks he got me in a right hand spiral dive. I was shot down by Quick who fortunately never saw buff 6652, Lion, who returned safely. -Bull<343>++ AAR Mission 2 (front) After Bull and I dove through the bombers I lost him as he went out to the South. I had turned to check NorthWest (the direction from which the FWs arrived a minute later). I turned back and headed for the gaggle as Bull was out of "dot" range. As I caught up again the FWs arrived. I kept as much alt as I could and blasted through the FWs head on. I should have swung off and lead turned them but they were too spread out and I was wary of having one swoop onto my tail as they came on in. I reversed as fast as I could and tore after them. I managed to make a few firing passes at a couple of FWs who knew I was there and they rolled out and dove a little thus buying the bombers some time when I caught up. As the bombers then turned for home I headed West looking for Bull. I met up with Fogy who had seperated another FW and I made a pass on that FW too to push him down some more. Fogy chased after that FW and nailed him soon after. I turned north after the bombers and rapidly caught up. I avoided a lone high Bf109 a couple of times and rolled constantly trying to find Bull. Bull was East of me. As I reached the trailing bombers (Mags and Lion) Fogy called a FW190... "FW AFT OF THE BUFFS". Time to really open up this Jug. I rolled in over the FW and pointed the nose down. Damn the compression... and don't spare the horses. I tipped 265KIAs from 29k to about 26.5k. The FW crept up onto Mags 6 as I accelerated. I radioed on Ch2 that I was inbound and kept going. As I closed to within 1200yds on this FW190 he killed Mags. I must have been going about 40-50KIAS faster than the FW and I ran right up his six. I got a bead on him and opened up gaining one ping for my efforts as the Jug was slightly compressed and I could not nudge the brute with rudder to get the gunsight back on him soon enough. I went straight through him and pulled up. He Split-S'd away but did not dive out. I rolled up over him and leveled, curved back around onto him and only then did he dive down and escape. He rolled out to the NorthWest... I went NorthEast to check back to see who was still behind us. About this time Bull got whacked... then DuctTape lost his engine and glided down. Normex had been hit, and I think we lost Rass in a disco earlier(?). That left myself and Fogy from the 343rd. Fogy was to the west... I joined up with AC and Lion. VooDoo1 was in his P-38 and came back on station with these bombers and creased the FW190 who had hit Mags (and I pinged) as I joined up. That FW had stayed on track and near reached the bombers again! Nice shooting VooDoo and just in time. That left myself and VooDoo in the bombers. VooDoo climbed high over them and stayed there. I was co-alt at their six. I check 6 as we race on out of this rally point and I spotted 3 last enemy aircraft, the FW190 who had killed Bull and 2 Bf109 s pursuing. Fogy got down in among them and broke West. One Bf109 took off for home soon after and I ended up in a sickening battle with the other two. The Bf109 engaged me to allow the FW190 to keep on after the bombers. I pressed the Bf109 down the nose in both his passes and managed to swing onto the FW each time. VooDoo came back and went for the Bf109, he made a pass and by the time he had turned back NorthWest we were too far ahead for him to catch us up again until we were descending to land. This 2nd Bf109 left eventually (fuel?) and that left me with the FW190.. By this time I was down to about 40% ammo.... fuel was under the redline, 25k abouts. This particular FW190 kept on and on at the bombers. I radioed that I was back at their 6 keeping him occupied. My tactic was to just stay fast and make wide circles in front, behind, and over the FW as he ploughed along. It worked. He was wily enough to roll out a little on each of my passes and keep more of his alt than I hoped he would. On the last couple of passes I engaged him. He must have figured that I was going to blowthrough again but I turned and pressed him. He had to turn back on me. We ended up with him at 1100yards on my six. I dove a little and outraced him and curved back again. (AC had outdistanced Lion for some reason by now. He really outpaced us and so it was just me and Lion and this JG3(?) bastage) This went on for 15 minutes all the way from 7,4 back to 6,9. (If only we had a couple of Spitfires to come out and meet us on the way back... hehe) I kept wanting this guy to just go home! "Go home you bastage!" I kept shouting. He must have been real frustrated... he never got high enough nor close enough to shoot at Lion with me constantly attacking him. He dipped into 6,9 for a few seconds until SpitBoy called out for all LW to return below row 8. That was okay. We landed. I had to be helped out of my cockpit I was so exhausted. :)