Nightfighter Command v6: Sortie 1

 

This was the first of the second round of playtesting for Nightfighter Command, with a new crew of F/Sgt Walker, RNZAF, and Sgt Jones, RAF, of 609 Squadron setting out for their first op on 9th May 1941. The sortie from Middle Wallop was on the Bristol loop, with light rain, a 13kt moderate breeze, 10/10 cloud cover and a 3/4 moon. Take off went smoothly and the first three zones were flown with no problem, the GCI vectoring Sgt Jones onto a He-111 but the subsequent attempts by both the GCI and AI operator failed to make a successful interception, allowing the bomber to slip away. The crew were now over Bristol and a new target was acquired in the shape of another He-111, the GCI and AI approach both being successful, bringing the Beaufighter into a 12'oclock position at long range. 

Sgt Jones then managed to guide F/Sgt Walker into a '6 o'clock position at close range, with the bomber then spotted by the pilot, who lined up for a perfect attack after dropping his undercarriage to slow down the night fighter. A four second burst of cannon rounds tore into the bomber, inflicting an engine and a tail hit which reduced it's evade rating to just one. The bomber crew spotted the night fighter and opened fire but missed, with an unsuccessful evade roll allowing a second blast of cannon fire from F/Sgt Walker, which obviously hit the bomb bay as the Heinkel exploded in a ball of flames. Now out of ammunition, F/Sgt Walker throttled back to allow Sgt Jones to reload, cursing the AA gunners below who would no doubt claim the bomber as their confirmed kill.

The Beaufighter now moved beyond the flak and searchlights of Bristol and turned back toward Middle Wallop, with the GCI guiding Sgt Jones onto a new vector and a new target, this time a Ju-88. However, despite several successful GCI approach rolls and subsequent AI approach attempts, the Ju88 managed to outwit Sgt Jones repeated attempts at an AI interception, eventually slipping away as the frustrated AI operator cursed his luck. By this time, the crew were approaching Middle Wallop and F/Sgt Walker decided to call it a night and set down for a well earned breakfast. Unfortunately, being new to the squadron and unfamiliar with the sloping airstrip, he overcooked the approach and slammed the aircraft down hard, almost knocking out Sgt Jones, who was less than amused by his pilot's rough landing. 

The crew claimed the He-111 as a confirmed kill but, as they suspected, the AA gunners of 236 Battery, 76th Anti Aircraft Regiment got in first, claiming the bomber as theirs. This meant that Walker and Jones could only claim a probable, much to their disgust, especially when the oiks pulled fragments of Heinkel out of the air filter on the port engine of their Beaufighter (this could explain Walker's bumpy landing?). The crew performed well on their first sortie, although Sgt Jones fluffed his AI interception rolls on the return leg of the op, which denied F/Sgt Walker the chance to get an attack on the Ju-88. The GCI was very good but they can't rely on her skills for subsequent sorties, as I'll be rolling up a new operator for the next op, following a tip off from Alan. The rules tweaks that have been made seem to have ironed out some of the wrinkles and it all went very smoothly. I only had one query about the GCI approach mechanism, but a closer reading of the rules cleared that up quickly, so no problem.

Next sortie up soon.