Dweebs of Death

Operation Crusader Frame 1, Sept 9 2001

This night's flying was characteristic of our squadron... 75% casualties to landing accidents and a pair of maneuver kills in dire circumstances.

Executive summary:

strength: 4 Martlets

Losses: 3 Martlets to carrier landing accidents

Kills: 2 Me-110s

Bullets used: none (we're really trying to cut back on ammo use)

Medals Awarded

-tone-

mgyver (landing accident)

-rhno- (landing accident)

-hero- (landing accident)

A classic S3 Frame for us in Operation Crusader. So Mediterranean... so .. DWEEBY.

We had tone rhno hero and mgyver and were charged with protecting our carrier HMS Formidable from whatever the enemy might toss at it.

We took off and flew around it for 20 minutes until we had 50% fuel and then HQ asked us to replenish and take off to help cover Tobruk on the coast to our south.

Smack! Bang! Mgyver and Rhno discover too late that the enemy had jacked up the flight deck of our carrier, and crashed into the ass-end of the ship.

Hero and Tone take off, and (in typical fashion), there is no longer a desire to see pilots of our caliber in the Tobruk region ("The Germans are bombing us! Please don't crash your planes into us!"). So we fly off after some radar reports near two convoys in the area. Rhno and Mgyver's disembodied voices beckon us over the radio... there are bandits inbound the the carrier! We come back on the double and chase off some fighter-types who are none too aggressive (icon settings.. they prolly thought we were friendly and they had alt on us).

At this point, TF-17 was starting to roll at T+60- to take over CAP duties. And another squadron was making to go attack shipping off Suda Bay in Swordfish... COOL! Hero and I are tasked to escort them. But for DEATH! Hero smacks into the fantail, making THREE operational losses to the same farking ship... OUR OWN SHIP!

Tone rolls as a singleton to escort geezr+ and his Stringbags up to Suda Bay. They are going in at wavetop height, so tone decides to go a slightly different route and at 5K. As I fly FAR FAR FAR to the North (around 100 miles!), I am nearing the objective when I sight a large formation at 8K off my left wing. I turn away and try to get away and see better what they are, but then I see only 2-3 planes, but they are clearly coming in hot on my six..... Me-110s!!!

I'm 20 minutes flying time from any assistance and 1/4 that from an enemy airbase. I have 2-3 110s on me and they have the energy.

The first one comes roaring in and delivers a small ping on a not-so-good shot. A few more passes and I find that I am down to 1K and (in accordance with the DoD flying handbook) starting to panic. One guy comes in, I get inverted and realize I'm at 300 feet and about to taste salt-water taffy (the low-calorie, taffy-free variety). I push the stick forward and red-out mightily. I slowly reduce the pressure and see I'm in exactly the same bind. I push it forward again, and then flop the plane out of this position and into sane flight. A six check show me something VURRY NICE... a 110 in a spin and a large splooosh.

Some more dogfighting, still at the disadvantage (though I did force one overshoot) and then I see the other 110 pull onto its tail, falter, and slide over into the drink -- KERPLUNK!

Yes, as the tactical channel to the Swordfish strike burst into idolatry at my feat, I basked in the moment and reported I still had 100% ammo on board (guns are for the unskilled!).

I gamely flew on to the objective, but shortly before getting there, noted that my fuel was at 52%. I turned back and went to land at HMS Formidable. The Swordfish strike reported several torpedo hits and only one loss to ack.