Well hello there /k/, how about we take things back to the war torn skies of Europe with the updated and expanded version of the game that started these threads? If you thought Queen of the Skies was autistic...oh just you fuckin wait. Target for Today adds multiple layers of complexity to the game, including all kinds of things such as:>6 different aircraft (B-17E/F/G, B-24D/J, YB-40)>weather simulation>more detailed systems damage (ex: loss of a specific engine on a specific submodel of the B-24J results in a -1 to gunnery accuracy for a specific turret)>expanded target lists>squadron simulationAnd so much more. This is gonna get fucked up super fast, and these threads are likely going to be a bit slower than the QotS threads since they involve a lot more rolling. But fuck it, let's get autistic. For those of you who missed the Queen of the Skies threads: https://desuarchive.org/k/search/subject/Queen%20of%20the%20Skies/And for those admirals wondering when we'll get back to Rule the Waves, soon enough.
Our first order of business should be the selection of which campaign we're going to play. Each one covers a different theater and time period, but I'm going to strongly, STRONGLY suggest that we go with Campaign #4 for this thread. Playing 1-3 will put us in England with the 8th Air Force, which will essentially lead to a repeat of the previous QotS threads, while the later campaigns I think would be a bit less interesting, as German resistance slackens off considerably. I would also personally suggest we go with the B-24D model, for a couple reasons. It still retains the three-gun nose layout that veterans from the QotS threads will be used to, which lets the bombardier and navigator share in the fun. It also has a couple quirks compared to the B-17, which I'm sure we'll discover.But let's get to the one the most fun elements of these threads: crew nominations and bomber naming!What men and women (male) are going to be taking this noble beast into the air to face down the Luftwaffe, and what title will it carry?Crew positions:>Bombardier / Nose Gunner>Navigator / Cheeks Gunner>Pilot>Copilot>Engineer / Top Turret Gunner>Radio Operator>Ball Gunner>Left Waist Gunner>Right Waist Gunner>Tail Gunner
>>62908781>And for those admirals wondering when we'll get back to Rule the Waves, soon enough.The Regina Marina shall sail again!>>62908785: Bombardier: Captain John Yossarian
>>62908785>Radio OperatorSean Bean.
>>62908785>PilotDonald Trump
>>62908781>copilotKamala Harris
>>62908901>>62908903>Navigator Joe Biden. Should've been copilot tho.
>>62908785>Ball GunnerGene Edward Talls. Gen E. Talls to his friends.>bomber nameBusta Move.Also wow this new post timer is ass.
A quick set of rolls on the group assignment chart puts us in the 725th Squadron of the 451st Bombardment Group of the 49th Bomb Wing, all serving as part of the 15th Air Force.But you know what's better than one bomber? Eighteen of them. Target for Today implements a (somewhat basic) system for simulating damage to the rest of the aircraft in your squadron, allowing us to follow the progress of the entire flight over the course of our campaign. So, in addition to all of the above, we'll need more 17 more names for the rest of the bombers flying alongside us in the 725th Squadron.
>>62908969Putin on the Ritz
>>62908969>17 more namesDamn, OK. Off the top of my head:The Retard RacerThe Misery MachineFlak FodderKraut CookerDresden Delenda Est
>>62908969>we'll need more 17 more names for the rest of the bombers flying alongside us in the 725th Squadron.The "Lead Weight"
While you all handle the naming conventions, OP will be handling a...few things in the background.
Well, that's an unexpected diversion. Can we get the Padre Giovanni back in action?
>>62908781Disregard all orders and bomb the Swiss.
>>62909028If we are going to disregard all orders we should bomb Austria-Hungary
>>62908785>Tail GunnerBronx Charlie.
>>62908969Pizza
>>62909022That is a beautiful filename, anon.
>>62909022Nice one
>>62909031Later, first the Swiss, their very existence is offensive. Then those epileptic, Chad jawed sibling fuckers can get theirs.Then we bomb London.
>>62908959>Busta MoveSurprised no one demanded the Big Nigger: Black 4 More
>>62909066That can be one of the other bombers in the formation
>>62909061>t. Got cucked by a Swiss Chad, or diddled by a Roman cardinal
>>62909067I nominate Shit Post and 88 B8
>>62908781Whoever is most likely to die is named Admiral Franculo
>>62909085No, I'm fucking allergic to chocolate and lactose intolerant.Every second of their cuckoo lives, they mock me.
>>62909091I meant Fanculo, the retarded doublenigger.
>>62908785>Right Waist GunnerLefty Navel>>62908959>Gen E. TallsDamn, this is good. I was going for Saddam Hussein but this is far better
>>62909122>Saddam HusseinSounds like a good ball gunner
>>62909085To be fair, if the Swiss ever got their hands on our downed pilots, it won't be long before we'd all be advocating for TSD.
>>62908969Abbot WarCunning LinguistLufthansa 181Pepe ApuMoot Hero
>>62908969Uncle Sam's Dick
>>62909047>>62909057/k/ actually won the quarterly inter-board soccer tournament for the first time in 12 years last weekend specifically because of that event. If the decision hadn't been made to highlight the Nigger and the Treaty of Fanculo, the team wouldn't have arrived at its wacky-ass formation that swept 3/4ths of the knockouts bracket. So thank you, OP and all you fucking faggots that have made these threads the best part of /k/ in the last year.
>>62908969Eva Braun's ButtplugNext Stop MoscowSturm und DrangOne Way TicketKamikazeBRAPPP
>>62908969Cunny Crusher, Pedophile Lite, Furries on Board, TRAPS
If we use most of these names we are ending up in the brig, if not the Hague.
MISSION 1NOVEMBER 24TH, 1943Castelluccio Airfield, Foggia, ItalyAs dawn broke over the horizon, the men of 'Busta Move' made ready for their combat debut. Ground crews moved carts of demolition bombs about, gunners loaded belts of ammo aboard and pilots conducted their preflight inspections. The officers had just returned from the briefing tent, having learned of the target for their first mission – the rail marshaling yards in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. This news was met with mixed reactions. On one hand it did mean that we would be spared the danger involved in flying directly into the heart of the Reich, in fact we'd spend a decent amount of time over the waters of the Adriatic. But Bulgaria was certainly not a coastal target and this mission meant spending a couple hundred miles over Axis territory. Worse still, Command had allocated a good deal of the fighters to bomb groups attacking targets further to the North, leaving us with a rather underwhelming allocation.>AVAILABLE FIGHTER ESCORT, ZONE 2-7 – 1D10 RESULT: 2 - POORRegardless of any misgivings, the weather was good, the engines of Busta Move roared to life without issue, and the mission was a go.>OP note: strictly speaking, having this unit and Castelluccio active in November of 43 is a bit ahistorical, as both of these only began operating in early 1944. But you know what? Fuck you, make your own T4T thread if it bothers you that much.>>62909156>>62909174>>62909183All added to the reserve aircraft list
>>62908969Cash & CarryHitler's MilkmanBouncin BitchWing and a PrayerStripped Ass BirdFlak MagnetBioya (Blow It Out You Ass)Round Trip Ticket Old CockUgly Bastard
One by one, the bombers of the 725th took to the skies, each plane lifting smoothly (more or less) into the Italian skies and began forming up. Busta Move had pulled a somewhat unenviable slot in the formation, position #14 in the low cell. We'd be the most likely cell to attract attention if Axis fighters appeared, but at the very least we hadn't had the luck of 'Pizza', whose tail hung exposed at the very ass end of our cell and the entire squadron. As our formation turned towards our target, the occasional flight of Allied fighters could be spotted, our somewhat mediocre escort accompanying us as we went. >ALL TAKEOFF ROLLS: SUCCESS
>>62909252Oh yeah it's bloodbath time.
>>62909163I was completely unaware of that, thanks for the context mate
We'd barely managed to break out over the Adriatic when the cloud cover began to intensify. Given how good the weather had been at base this came as a bit of a surprise, but the heavy cloud cover did mean less chance of being spotted from the ground by Axis skywatchers, so we had little to complain about. As we continued our flight, all eyes scanned the skies for targets, but despite a few calls over the radio claiming to spot something, no Axis aircraft made an attack.>ZONE 2>WEATHER ROLL: 100% CLOUD COVER, NO CONTRAILS>GERMAN RESISTANCE LEVEL: LIGHT>GERMAN FIGHTER APPEARANCE: NONE>OP note: I don't include every roll, nor will I include most of these later on, but for now I like to give newcomers an idea of how little of what I write up here is 'flavor' text as opposed to something the game actually does have tables for determiningAlso, we still need a top turret gunner, for whoever wants to call that slot.
>>62909252Pizza will somehow survive, it always does.
>>62909282>Top Turret GunnerAirman Snuffy
>>62909282>top turretDandy Dan Danielson.
>>62909298Seconding snuffy
Our flight over the Adriatic continued, the clouds below remaining as impenetrable as ever. While Biden in the nose had his own duties in position keeping, it was the flight leaders that were responsible for keeping the squadron on course. Everyone on board hoped they knew what they were doing. Lefty Navel tapped his gloved hand nervously against the Browning in the waist as he peered out across the rest of the squadron, waiting for something to happen.And as it were, things were about to happen, as a sudden flurry of radio chatter exploded across the bombers shared frequencies.“Fighters up ahead!”“I see them!”“Get ready guys!”>ZONE 3>RESISTANCE LEVEL: MODERATE>GERMAN FIGHTER WAVES: 2
>>62909322Aw man I hope none of our guys go down, we are still above the sea. If the flight and crash doesn't kill us the cold water will.
>>62908969>Boxxy>Early Life>Biggus Dickus>Capt. Killjoy's Buttplug>McNiggerator>Garand Penis
>>62909322FUCKIN BRING IT JERRIES
>More bomber /k/inoWe are so back.https://youtu.be/AsLyG6A13f4
Every man aboard Busta Move readied himself for the onslaught, ready to respond to any intruder with a flurry of .50 caliber ammo. Yet at first, it seemed like we might be spared. No German fighters came diving at us with cannon and machine guns blazing and apart from the persistent droning of our engines all was quiet. After a minute, Gene E. Tails in the tail spoke up.“There's, uh, a couple of them hanging way back behind us.” he reported. Peering through the plexiglass bubble of his turret, he could see them in the distance, a pair of twin-engine fighters keeping their distance, too far for the dual .50 caliber guns in his turret to reach them. Squinting, Tails could see what looked like small bombs suspended from their wings. Was this a German airstrike that had happened to pass by them on the way to bomb their base in Italy?A moment later, that question was answered, as the heavy rockets slug under each wing of the Bf-110s erupted to life, jumping from their launch tubes and arcing towards our bomber cell.>GERMAN ROCKETS LOBBED INTO FORMATION FROM AFT>>62909338First mission I ran on Target for Today had the bomber catch a round in the fuel tank and go down in flames over the Adriatic. Two survivors.
>>62909183Not "PedoFlight"?I think we need a Memphis Belle, cliche or not.>Memphis Belly?
>>62909338We just take off our uniforms and cuddle for warmth.
“Incoming!” Tails screamed as the rockets flew towards our formation. In the cockpit, Trump and Harris barely had enough time to glance at one another across the aisle to try and determine what was supposedly incoming before explosions blossomed within our cell around us. The heavy German rockets were not the most accurate weapons, but they carried a heavy warhead and the shock of each detonation was threat enough, to say little of the whirling shrapnel that each produced. As the detonating rockets exploded all around, our formation rapidly lost cohesion, each bomber spreading out in an attempt to evade the deadly projectiles. On board Busta Move, the crew braced themselves for the worst. And yet, Busta Move escaped unscathed, no damage having been sustained in the barrage. The same could not be said for all of the other bombers in our squadron, as Lead Weight and Lufthansa 181 both took significant damage from the exploding rockets, shrapnel having peppered both their aircraft.Their job of breaking up our formation complete, the Bf-110s broke off and dove away, leaving our scattered bombers to be assaulted by the rest of their fighters.>FORMATION DISRUPTED>>62909356*rubs suspiciously AN-M65 shaped belly*
>>62909384Off to a lovely start it seems
As the Bf-110s broke away, another wave of German descended upon us. A quartet of Axis aircraft singled us out as their target, a trio of Messerschmitt 109s and a 210. Before we can react, our escort fighters bounce one of the 109s, who breaks off his attack.>ESCORTS REMOVE 1 FIGHTERAhead of us, a Bf-109 barreled towards us head on at an incredible rate of closure. Yossarian gripped the handles of the nose gun and opened fire at the German, followed shortly by Snuffy and his pair of guns in the top turret. Both of their shots failed to connect, the bullets missing the fighter by wide margins. The German fires, but his shots go wide as well as he rockets past us.>NOSE/TOP TURRET MISS, 109 MISSESBeneath, another 109 with a rookie pilot pulls up into a nearly vertical climb, straining every bit of energy he has to keep the nose of his plane pointed at us. Inside the ball, Saddam Hussian sees this attempt, the German losing speed and presenting a wonderfully compliant target for him. The fifties open up, bullets ripping through the skies and into the German's right wing, which rapidly begins disintegrating. As the German plane begins falling back Earthward, the plume of a parachute is seen blossoming as the pilot successfully bails out.>BALL TURRET HITS, DESTROYS 109On our six high, a German Me-210 dives on our tail, the experienced pilot lining us up for a strafing run. Perhaps used to cutting down less well protected aircraft, he presents himself as an easy target to Tails, who eagerly takes the shot. Rounds slam into the 210, tearing into the twin-engine aircraft.>TAIL TURRET HITS, 210 HEAVY DAMAGE (-2 TO HIT ROLL)But despite the damage the expert pilot manages to hold it together, pressing his attack as his plane shudders and shakes. At close range, the German the Busta Move into his gunsight and opens fire.>210 ATTACK: HITS>BASE HITS: 4>HITS AFTER AIRCRAFT MODIFIER APPLIED: 6
>>62909413F
>>62909427We are fine!
>>62909384>Forced to leave the formation to keep crew members aliveTo avoid Flak or descend due to loss of oxygen supply I assume?
>>62909413God willing that rookie pilot dies in the Adriatic; he'll be back smarter next time otherwise.
>>62909444In QotS, it was mostly engine damage or oxygen/heating out, plus heavy weather, but this seems to simulate the overall formation better, so there's probably more.
The German walks his gunsight along our wings and waist, striking each as his stricken aircraft's cannons spit shells at Busta Move. A pair of shells burst across our left wing, although doing little but scar the exterior.>SHELL HITS: LEFT WING – SUPERFICIAL, SUPERFICIALAnother pair of shells punch into the waist as Fanculo and Navel dive for cover. Each pierces into the compartment before detonating, one severing a set of control cables leaving the pilots controls feeling floaty but still functional. The other strikes the main oxygen tanks of the bomber, rupturing the valves on several. Instantaneously, hours worth of vital oxygen is lost as the tanks vent their stores into the air.>SHELL HITS: WAIST – CONTROL CABLES, OXYGEN TANKS DAMAGED (2 ZONES OF OXYGEN REMAINING)But the sudden loss of most of our oxygen supply quickly becomes the least of our problems. Another two rounds strike the right wing, and while one passes through mostly harmlessly, the last shell strikes the outboard engine, punching through the cowling into the engine before detonating. Flames erupt from the engine as oil, fuel and smoke pours from the wound torn in it's casing. The emergency extinguisher is activated, the suffocating chemicals snuffing out the fire. But engine #4 is no more, and Busta Move begins to lag behind the rest of the formation.>SHELL HITS: RIGHT WING – SUPERFICIAL, OUTBOARD ENGINE HIT – ON FIRE – EXTINGUSHED >ONE ENGINE OUT – BOMBER OUT OF FORMATION – MUST SPEND TWO TURNS IN EACH ZONE WHILE BOMBS ONBOARD – MISSION ABORT PERMITTED
>>62909455>heating outGod I can't wait for the frostbite rolls.
>>62909022Kek. Any screencap of when we finally took North Korea after 3 years of the army fucking around?
>>62909459Know when to fold 'em, lads. I think we gotta take that abort.
>>62909459>control cables hit>engine out>oxygen hitYou know you've seen too much shit when your first reaction to that is>eh, I've seen worse
>>62909459This is the first zone right? As much as I hate to leave B*lgarians unbombed I think we've got to abort.
>>62909485Nah, this is zone 3
>>62909223>>62909252>>62909282>>62909322>>62909413I thought this was actual board game. Why do these look like screenshots?
>>62909500Digital version, less of a mess than laying all this shit out on a coffee table.
>>62909500>Why do these look like screenshots?Because they are screenshots.
With an engine out, unable to keep pace with the rest of our flight and limited oxygen, Trump wastes no time in declaring that this is the worst mission he's ever been on, perhaps ever. We rapidly ditch the bombs somewhere near the coast of Yugoslavia and turn for home as the rest of our squadron pushes onward without us. A lone bomber on its own is a tempting target, though, and we're soon set upon by another set of German aircraft, as a total of four Krauts arrive. Three bulky Focke-Wulf 190s appear overhead and dive on us, while another 109 makes a head on attack. Trump throws Busta Move into a set of maneuvers to try and throw off the aim of the Germans, heedless of it's impact on our own gunnery.Admiral Fanculo and Lefty Navel choose to favor ammo expenditure over accuracy and blaze away, pouring ammo generally in the direction of the incoming Germans. Their fire finds no purchase, and the Krauts keep coming. Yossarian opens fire with the nose gun, but after only a few rounds it suddenly seizes, jammed. In the top turret, Snuffy fires at the head on Fw190, but fails to achieve a hit. >ALL DEFENSIVE GUNS: MISS, NOSE GUN JAMSYet despite our own failings, the Germans fail to land any hits either, narrowly missing as Trump and Harris put our aircraft through it's paces despite the dead engine.>ALL ENEMY FIGHTERS: MISSAs the fighters pass us Tails makes a last attempt to hit them as they zip past, although his shots fail to connect either. Nevertheless, the German fighters head off to chase the main formation as we continue towards home.>OP note: Target for Today breaks from Queen of the Skies in an aspect regarding being out of formation: in QotS being out of formation meant that all fighters got to attack you multiple times, even if they miss. In T4T they do not, meaning being out of formation is a lot less dangerous than in QotS. While being OoF was extremely punishing in QotS, it was supposed to be, while T4T seems much more lenient in this regard
>>62909500Like >>62909507 said, the bookkeeping is a bit easier with a digital version. Running it through Vassal, as with QotS and BtM
>>62909507Where the hell did you find that? I only see Target for Tonight available as digital and I am on Dixon's and LegionWar's official sites.
>>62909513>Trump wastes no time in declaring that this is the worst mission he's ever been on, perhaps ever.Oh pilot my pilot
>>62909524>VassalGot it. Apologies for the interruption, anons.
>>62909322Ayo hol up, where did you get the digital version? I have and love the board game but the paperwork is a pain to set up
As the formation faded into the distance, Yossarian tried his best to get the nose gun working again. Typical clearing drills turned to muttered curses turned to percussive maintenance, until a particularly forceful attempt resulted in something important in the bolt assembly suddenly snapping.>NOSE GUN INOPAs if waiting for their cue, a pair of boxy Messerschmitt 109s arrived to try and take us down before we could return to the safety of Italy. Pulling out in front of us, the pair rolled in together head on, going for a frontal attack. Yossarian could do nothing but stare down the pair of German fighters, as Snuffy opened fire with the top turret at the incoming bandits. Tracers streaked between our aircraft, slicing across the sky and striking one of the 109s, forcing it to break off it's attack. The other fighter, piloted by a spirited rookie, opened fire as his wingman broke off. His fire is mostly inaccurate, but a single well aimed shot hurtles towards directly at us. Kamala shrieks in alarm as a hole sudden pops into existence in the wind screen ahead of her, along with a snap as a cannon round narrowly misses her head. A split second later, a resounding bang resonates throughout the flight deck, accompanied by a spray of red fluid that spatters across the occupants. For a moment, Trump mutely stares at the droplets of crimson fluid thrown across the instrument panel, before forcing himself to look back at the occupants of the flight deck behind him. Snuffy still mans his guns, trying to follow the damaged 109 as it breaks off. Trump finally turns his eyes to Sean Bean.And, to his great surprise, Sean looks back at him, alarmed but very much unharmed. A moment of confusion reigns, before both men look back at the bulkhead wall separating their compartment from the bomb bay. From a faintly smoking hole blasted in it, an oily red fluid drips.>AUXILIARY HYDRAULIC PUMP DESTROYED >OP note: had you going there, didn't I?
>>62909525>>62909546https://vassalengine.org/wiki/Module:Target_for_Todayhttps://www.stevenkdixon.com/TFT_errata.htmhttps://www.stevenkdixon.com/extras.htm
At long last, our bomber and crew found themselves back over Italy, finding a break in the clouds to descend. As our now three-engined bomber lined itself up for landing at Castelluccio, the ground was abuzz with activity as fire trucks and ambulances rushed to prepare for our arrival. Despite the perperations, they proved quite unnecessary as Busta Move was set down gently on the steel planking of the runway. As Busta Move handed over to the ground crews, our crew is brought in for a debriefing. Thankfully, the damage to our bomber makes to more than obvious that our decision to turn back was justified and we're shortly dismissed.>LANDING ROLL: SUCCESSA few hours later the drone of the rest of the squadron returning echoes across the base. A quick count of the aircraft reveals all seventeen other planes have made it back, albeit not entirely unharmed. While we were present when Lead Weight and Lufthansa 181 took shrapnel from the German rocket attack, at some point during the mission 'Dresden Delenda Est' and 'Putin on the Ritz' had both earned a few scars on the way out of the Balkans. As it turns out the mission had gone quite well once we had fallen out, as the resistance by Axis fighters was somewhat sporadic, and the bomb run had been considered adequate as well, with a good number of bombs striking the target. 'Shit Post' had even been awarded a kill for their claims.>SQUADRON BOMB RESULTS: 20%>LANDING ROLLS: ALL SUCCESSThus ended our first mission. Not exactly the glowing combat debut we'd hoped for, but we all made it out in one piece and even got a kill to our name!
>>62909599Well, not fun basically being the bombing group's meatshield, but I guess it all turned out as well as we could hope.
>>62909599>nobody diedOff to a good start, how long until it goes horribly wrong?
>>62909599
>>62909599Lead Weight defying its namesake by remaining flying, despite taking the most damage. Nice work on Shit Post, the only one who actually got a kill.
>>62909559Thanks, I forgot Vassal exists
After a couple days work, the ground crews put Busta Move back into service, a brand new Twin Wasp engine having been mounted where our wrecked #4 engine once was. A few bullet patches had been hastily slapped over the various bullet holes and by all means she was ready for battle again, just in time for our next mission. At dawn Castelluccio airfield was abuzz with activity as the bombers were prepped and the officers settled in for their briefing.Command had demonstrated a truly American commitment to fucking up train networks, as they announced that we'd once again be striking a marshaling yard. The twist, however, came with the locations: Alessandria. For a moment there was some confusion, as less geographically gifted officers questioned why we were flying to Egypt to bomb British trains. Clarification came with a display of our flight route: we would strike out West across the Mediterranean, then turn North and work our way along the coast to strike the town of Alessandria in Northern Italy.Finally, each bomber crew was handed down their position in the formation. Trump winced slightly at our assignment, we'd be in the high cell, but at the very tail end of it. >FORMATION ASSIGNMENT: #11 – HIGH CELL – TAIL END CHARLIEOur departure from Castelluccio goes smoothly and our formation sets out to the West. Our fighter escort seems somewhat better than the anemic handful we got last time, which brings us some comfort. Visibility is unlimited as our planes soar through the nearly cloudless skies, and for a time all seems calm.>CLEAR WEATHER>FIGHTER ESCORT: FAIR>ZONE 2: LIGHT RESISTANCE – ZERO FIGHTER WAVES>>62909631Shouldn't be too long
>>62908781Ya gotta start this on opening weekend man? Thanks for the company in the stand.
>>62909631Fanculo survived, unfortunately.
As we continued along the Italian coast, unfamiliar aircraft begin to appear in the skies above. Our escorts break off to intercept them, the fighter jocks eager to earn some kill markers. Despite their efforts, a singular Me-109 manages to make his way through the screen, and comes diving down on our six high. Tails and Snuffy open fire on the encroaching fighter, and while Snuffy's fire goes wide, several rounds from our tail turret strike the German fighter. No doubt alarmed, the German fires off only a short inaccurate burst and breaks off his attack.
>>62909551>>OP note: had you going there, didn't I?Yeah, really nice suspension.
Energized from our scuffle and primed for more, our bomber formation continues, waiting for the Germans to send more fighters after us. And we continue to wait, nothing but the drone of our engines breaking the silence. The formerly clear weather begins to cloud up, a field of cotton covering the sea far below us, but also masking our progress.>ZONE 4: ONE WAVE – OVERRIDDEN BY RANDOM EVENT>RANDOM EVENT – LADY LUCK SMILES (1 FREE REROLL)>ZONE 5: ZERO WAVES – 50% CLOUD COVER>ZONE 6: ZERO WAVES – 100% CLOUD COVER
>>62909716>we're actually gonna make itinb4 a whole damned flak brigade covering the target
The lack of fighters was a welcome gift, but it didn't last. As we began to approach the Italian coastline (not that we could see it), an abundant amount of hostile aircraft waited for us. >ZONE 7: 3 WAVESOur crew braces themselves for action, but the first wave of German attacks makes for the middle cell instead. German fighter slash through the formation, tracer rounds leaping across the skies towards the bombers. Their fire is focused, singling out '88 B8' as their prime target. Peering through the ball turret, Saddam groans as he sees a series of flashes erupt along the unlucky bomber as cannon shells ruthlessly slam into her. With smoke emitting from both inboard engines, the bomber slowly loses it's position, beginning to lag behind the rest of the formation. >BOMBER #6: 4 HITS
good shit as always.
>>62909768Things ain't lookin good for ol 88 B8
The next waves does not spare us, a trio of Messerschmitt fighters converging on us with ill intent. Our escorts are kind enough to see one off, but the other two press in on us. With guns chattering our gunners respond, and while Snuffy and Yossarian both manage hits, they do not down their targets, while Fanculo's fire goes wide The 109s themselves fare no better, both missing and breaking off afterwards.
>>62909768>Putin on the RitzFuck whoever came up with this.
The last wave of Germans comes for us again, a pair of sluggish Bf-110s from behind and to our right. Saddam Hussein and Navel Lefty give the German on our right a warm welcome, the twin fifties of the ball turret damaging the German before an accurate burst from the right waist gun finishes the job, sending the German twin-engine interceptor plummeting downwards. From behind another dives on us, being met by our top and tail turrets. Despite sustaining heavy damage during the attack, the German manages to fire off a burst that strikes us, although it does little else other than scuff up some paneling and leave spiderweb cracks throughout one of the flight deck windows.>PILOT COMPARTMENT: WINDOW DAMAGED
>>62909794Gunners putting in work today
>>62909794Just fix the window with some bubblegum and duct tape.
Finally, we reach the target. The cloud cover has broken a bit, and our lead bomber sights the target far ahead of us. Keeping an eye out for enemy interceptors, Fanculo looks out of his gun window, his heart nearly stopping as he spots a formation of twin-engine fighters rapidly overtaking us. But the distinctive twin-boom design reveals their true nature, the long-range P-38s. As we continue our approach, more and more of the escorts haul ahead to clear the path, hunting for any Germans that might try and molest our formation. >ZONE 8 ESCORT COVER: GOOD>NO RESISTANCEWith no fighters attacking, the only thing left to fear is the flak, but even that proves little threat, a few inaccurate puffs of smoke appearing scattered about the sky as the gunners on the ground struggle to spot us through the partial cloud cover.>LIGHT FLAK – NO HITSWith nearly ideal conditions, our formation brings themselves smoothly over the target, and a textbook drop onto the rail yards is achieved! Now we just need to get home.>BOMB RUN: ON TARGET>BOMB ACCURACY: 48%
>>62909822Thank you Lady Luck, lets get out of here before we push our luck too far.
As our formation wheels about to make the journey home, the flak intensity increases but it's accuracy remains deplorable, failing to achieve any hits. German resistance, however, increases significantly.>MEDIUM RESISTANCE, 3 WAVESA pair of German Messerschmitts single us out for an attack, the two fighters bringing up the rear together. Gene E. Tails grips his controls, ready to repel the attack. What he's less prepared for is the sudden appearance of a pair of P-38s, fire ripping from their noses into the encroaching Germans. As one bursts into flames the other breaks away, leaving us free.>WAVE ONE – ESCORTS REMOVE ALL FIGHTERSSeeing this himself, Snuffy cheers on the fighters, spirits lifted.>WAVE TWO – RANDOM EVENT – ACE FOR A DAY (TOP TURRET)A final pair of Germans descend on us, although one of them gets bounced by a P-38 before it can attack. The final, a 109 on our six high, is engaged by Snuffy, who accurately snipes the German fighter before he can draw a bead on the Busta Move. Our gunners aren't the only ones having luck, as just ahead of us, 'Cunning Linguist' downs a German attacking them as well.
>>62909809I need that gum. I haven't had a cigarette in hours.
>>62909853Damn right lads
With that, we depart the target area, although most of the P-38s remain behind to duel Germans. Our crew prepares for the remaining journey which will doubtlessly be as treacherous as the Germans responded.Right?>ESCORT COVER: POOR>ZONE 7: ZERO WAVES>ZONE 6: ZERO WAVES>ZONE 5: ZERO WAVES>ZONE 4: ZERO WAVES>ZONE 3: TWO WAVES – NO ATTACK – NO ATTACK – BOMBER 15 (Pepe Apu) SHOOTS DOWN FIGHTER>ZONE 2: TWO WAVES – NO ATTACK – RANDOM EVENT>RANDOM EVENT – BAD LUFTWAFFE COMMS – YEAH NO SHIT
>>62909891Good work Pepe
>>62909891Goering sat on the radio back at Luftwaffe HQ.
With good weather and a nearly unharmed bomber, our landing at Castelluccio is smooth and uneventful. As we taxi back to our parking space, the crew celebrates a mission well done. The droning engines are shut down and we disembark. In the comparative quiet, we overhear a commotion as another crew points to the sky.Arriving far behind schedule, the limping form of 88 B8 comes into view, both inboard engines still and feathered. As it approached, a red flare shot from the fuselage and emergency vehicles rushed to positions. The stricken bomber turned inbound for it's landing approach, the two remaining engines straining to keep the bomber aloft. For a minute, it seemed steady. But as soon as the landing gear dropped, the drag was too much – the aircraft stalled, it's right wing dropped and the bomber and it's crew plunged into the Italian countryside in a massive fireball.>88 B8 crashes on landing
>>62909915RIP lads. I knew things were going to smooth.
>>62909915NOOOOOOGoodnight, sweet Prince.
>>62909915That poor Italian countryside, imagine how many worms and bugs died when the plane crashed.
>>62909915nice landing m8 I r8 it 8/8
Bomber Command's crusade against trains would be stopped by nothing, as we learned at our briefing. Once again a marshaling yard would be our target and once again we'd be flying to Northern Italy. In a valley in the foothills of the Alps sat the quite picturesque town of Bolzaro and unfortunately for it's inhabitants a railway ran through it as well. We'd be flying the majority of the flight up along the Adriatic Sea, keeping over the water to minimize our exposure to ground spotters. Of course that was preferable to having every occupying German and Salo Italian calling in our flight as it passed over, but the waters of the Adriatic were hardly something any man wanted to parachute into. Spirits were not improved by the announcement that we could expect precious little fighter escort, as most of the squadrons in the area were either assigned to other units or undergoing refit following previous operations. The saving grace was that we thankfully pulled a halfway decent spot in the bomber formation, assigned to a slot in the middle of the high cell. Perhaps not the best or most secure spot, but better than we'd gotten any time before. Where once 88 B8 flew with our squadron, now flew a bomber christened 'Flak Magnet'. With good weather prevailing at base, we set off for our third mission.
Our takeoff and form up with the rest of the squadron went off without a hitch. In the high cell we could see the rest of our formation arrayed below, as the four-engined aircraft in unison turned towards the sea. Bitterly, we noted the distinct lack of friendly escorts even now, a grim reminder that for this mission we'd be on our own. Despite the ill omens, things started off decently. It was not long after our departure that cloud cover provided us some concealment, and as we plodded along no German fighters were seen. Unfortunately, the good luck was not to hold. Snuffy's keen ears picked up the slightest warble in the the droning of our powerplants. Before he had a chance to inspect the engine instruments, the #3 engine suddenly begins to sputter, it's prop struggling to maintain speed as the engine's power rapidly declines.>ZONE 3 MECHANICAL FAILURE CHECK: FAIL>#3 ENGINE SUPERCHARGER FAILUREWith the supercharger failed, the #3 engine was suffocating in the thin atmosphere, for all intents becoming largely dead weight. As any attempts to get the system working again fell flat, we gradually lost our position in the formation, the rest of our squadron pulling ahead. Faced with a long flight alone into the jaws of the Luftwaffe or a short flight home, the decision seemed fairly obvious. Sluggishly, Busta Move turned back for base.Turning back this early was bittersweet. On one hand, we would be spared the flight to enemy territory and could enjoy a bit of leisure time once the mechanics confirmed we hadn't just chickened out. On the other hand, turning back due to mechanical failure not the result of enemy action meant this outing would not be considered one of our required missions to go home. Regardless, lagging behind the squadron the whole way was certain to end badly.
>>62910081You're not the Crusades history anon by chance are you? The writing style is similar if different, which makes sense from an established past vs unfolding "present" persective, but those were the comfiest threads in memory until these.Either way; I love you, /k/ommrade and all you do for us. Slight homo.t. /fit/
>>62910081We live to fight another day. Let's drink some warm beer and shag some snaggle toothed broads.
And yet the safe option turned out to be anything but. In an instant the intercom system aboard Busta Move turned into a cacophony of urgently shouted warnings, as German fighters were spotted inbound. >HEAVY RESISTANCE – 2 WAVES>WAVE 1: 4xFW-190, 1xMe-109The crew made ready to fight, and Fanculo on the left waist gun was first to respond to an inbound Focke-Wulf, holding down the trigger of his Browning as he poured ammo at the inbound aircraft. With a flood of tracer rounds hurtling at him, the Kraut made the choice to break off his attack, much to our relief. At the same time, Trump and Harris put the Busta Move through as much evasive maneuvering as they could manage, hoping to throw off the aim of the inbound fighters. From nearly every other angle our other gunners opened fire Yossarian, Biden, Snuffy, Lefty and Saddam all politely but firmly letting the Germans know we were not interested. Unfortunately, their fire all failed to find purchase.As the four remaining German fighters fired, everyone braced. Mercifully, most of the interceptors themselves failed to hit us, shots going wide as our bomber did it's best to keep the Germans off of us. However, one of the Fw-190s ahead of us does manage to send a volley of shells into Busta Move.The first shell strikes the nose landing gear, shredding the rubber tire to bits. Another grazes the edge of our fuselage but does no damage. The last two come within a hair's breadth of disaster, as a pair of shells impact our wing fuel tanks, puncturing both as volatile avgas sprays out violently from them. Only by merest chance does neither hit spark an ignition of the tanks, sparing us a bailout over the Adriatic. >NOSE GEAR DAMAGED>TWO FUEL LEAKS>LADY LUCK SMILES SPENT (REROLL FUEL TANK FIRE)With steams of fuel trailing our bomber, we'd certainly have been fucked were it not for being so close to home. The Fw190 that struck us wheels around for another attempt, but breaks off soon after.>>62910106Nope
>>62910128Well, at least this will count for a combat mission now, right? Assuming we survive.
Barely has the first wave of Germans disengaged before another makes their move, as a trio of fighters swoop in eager to get their chance for a kill marker. Our gunners open up again, and with considerably more success, landing hits on two of the three inbound aircraft, although neither are destroyed by the gunfire. The Germans offensive fire misses us, however, and with that we're clear to zone two.>>62910148Actually an interesting question. On one hand, yes our ability to complete the mission has been compromised as a result of enemy action, but it came after we had decided to abort. Rules as written state:>Aborted missions only count toward the required number of Campaign missions (see Table 2-1) if any of the following circumstances occur due to German fighter attacks or German flak:>a. Bomb bay doors, intercom, or Nordenbombsight inoperable.>b. Compartment heat or suit heater inoperable for one or more crewmen.>c. Pilot, Co-Pilot, Bombardier, or Navigator seriously wounded or KIA.>d. One or more engines out (if two or more engines are out, the bomber must abort)>e. Oxygen out for one or more crewmen (and no alternative oxygen station exists. See Section 5.14 Loss of oxygen and its effects)>f. Electrical system failure.>g. If the bomber is forced “out of formation” for any other reason.
>>62910201>g. If the bomber is forced “out of formation” for any other reason.Supercharger failure doesn't count for that?
Despite our proximity to base the Axis fighters refuse to let us off easy, perhaps seeking to judge us for not pushing through with the mission. Three Bf-110s make attack runs on us, as well as a lone 109. As usual, our gunners are quick to respond, and with accurate gunfire Snuffy sends one of the twin-engine interceptors down in flames, while another two of the Germans receive some damage. Their own gunfire is inaccurate, leaving us unharmed.
>>62910128If Raufoss had been invented just prior to or during WWII how much difference do we think it would make? Assuming the Germans didn't have it.
>>62910219On a single engine? Just push the rest or have formation slack back a single degree, unless command is real pricks about timetables (They are)
>>62910221>Ace shot downDamn right Snuffy. I've lost count, how many aircraft have we shot down already? Is the Busta Move technically an Ace aircraft?
>>62910219I think it depends on how exactly you're reading the rules. Based on the emphasis it puts on the part about it being the result of German actions, I think even section g requires their input. If we had the supercharger fail in zone 2 then turned around and immediately landed, it certainly wouldn't count I don't think.>>62910230So while reading up on the 451st during my prep for this, I read the account of a copilot who during his first mission was given a beat to shit bomber with a bad #4 supercharger. While over Hungary, their efforts to redline the other 3 engines to keep in formation led to a fire and failure of #3, which given the now entirely asymmetrical thrust put them into a flat spin. Only the author and bombardier (I think) got out, and spent the rest of the war in POW camps.>>62910222>US$75 per roundI don't know about that one. Plenty of nations had HE shells at 50 cal and lower size, they typically were pretty eh IIRC>>62910243So looking at the gunnery tables, T4T has super forgiving tables to hit enemy aircraft. From this point forward I've tweaked the tables to bring it more in line with QotS.
>>62910230Shoot meant and/or and "in single degrees"Supercharger down plane bumps up fuck I'm drinkingSay trailing plane bumps three remaining up 4%, rest of formation backs off 3.25% on all four?I might be retarded.
>>62910261>Plenty of nations had HE shells at 50 cal and lower size, they typically were pretty eh IIRC.50 is sorta right at the point where you're starting to get an actual explosive bullet, instead of "you were already dead from the .30-06 to the chest, the explosive is just for fun", but against vehicles, that's still a lot of extra expense for a pretty small return.
>>62910261Well, I suppose per the rules our initial abort wouldn't cut it, but given the damage we've sustained since (heavy fuel leak) would have I'd say it's up in the air.
>>62910269On this situation the whole group is now ~13% slower though. I imagine that makes a huge difference to vulnerability. Probably initially throw the enemy off, but they would very quickly capitalize.
A final wave of Krauts is the only thing standing between us and home, as a pair of Me-210s and a 109 appear ahead of us. With limited firing arcs we attempt to bring them down, but our gunners struggle to make their shots, missing all three of the German fighters. The two fighters making head on passes also miss, but the Me-210 at our 1:30 high sends two cannon shells into Busta Move as he passes us by. The first pierces into our fuel tanks again, but the self-sealing liner actually manages to do it's job for once, stopping this third perforation soon after.The second shot is much worse for us, punching cleanly through the waist just abeam the gunner windows. A split second later the shell detonates, sending whirling shrapnel into both Fanculo and Lefty. Both gunners fall to the floor of the bomber, seriously wounded. As Gene Tails fires a burst off at a passing fighter, he calls for another crewmember to come administer first aid to the wounded men strewn across the floor. Sean Bean makes his way to the waist, skirting along the narrow catwalk in the bomb bay, pausing only to wince as there's another burst of gunfire from the nose and the rapid snapping of shells narrowly missing Busta Move just outside.>FUEL TANK: HIT, SELF-SEALS>LEFT WAIST GUNNER: SERIOUSLY WOUNDED>RIGHT WAIST GUNNER: SERIOUSLY WOUNDEDThat is the last of the Germans we see, and our bomber comes into for a rapid landing. Despite the blown tire on the nose gear, our landing goes smoothly and we pull off rapidly as emergency vehicles swarm our aircraft. Fanculo and Lefty are carried off in stretchers and rushed to the hospital, while the rest of the crew is brought in for debriefing.
>>62910285Assuming power output is linear to air speed. Is drag linear or quadratic at B-17 approach speed?
>>62910289I'M FINE, CAP
>>62910298I don't think it is uniform over the airframe.
>>62910289Damn, we turned back extremely early and it was still a bitch of a mission. At least we stuck the landing.
>>62910269>>62910309Wouldn't you have to throttle up the good engine on the weak side more than the two on the unaffected wing?
>>62909189NOT IF WE BOMB THEM TOOEVROPA DELANDA EST
>>62910364I'm sorry, OP. I don't want to politicize, endanger or shit up a quality thread. Trying to delete now.But the image is true.
Hours later the remaining crew of Busta Move sat waiting for the return of the rest of our squadron, eyes scanning the horizon. For a time we see nothing, except the ominous formation of dark storm clouds gathering, an ill omen if there ever was one. Soon afterwards the storm is upon Castelluccio, buffeting winds and rain pelting the base as visibility dwindles, awful weather for any flying, let alone for a bomber and her weary crew.It was a relief, then, to see the bomber lead Flak Magnet come out of the mist, setting down with minimal difficulties. Soon after came several other, each landing safely. But the winds were unpredictable, and when Dresden Delenda Est came in she carried too much speed and overran the runway, ending up in a ditch at the far end. Despite this the damage to the aircraft was minimal and she would be back in service shortly thereafter.As Kraut Cooker came in, a strong crosswind caught the aircraft. Struggling to keep the ungainly bomber aligned with the runway, the B-24 came down too hard, the landing gear collapsing as the barely controlled aircraft slammed down onto the runway. While her crew was largely unharmed,Kraut Cooker was thoroughly ruined and the wreckage was dragged off the runway for parts. A count of the bombers who'd landed came up two short, as neither The Retard Racer or Moot Hero was to be seen.As soon as our flight leader had climbed down from his aircraft we anxiously asked about them. The story that followed was grim: soon after we had turned back, Moot Hero had been set upon by several fighters, who'd landing hits that left her trailing black smoke. Unwilling to turn back, she'd done her best to stick with the formation, and seemed okay up until the target. At that point every flak gun in the valley had chosen her as their aiming point and opened up. The last sight of Moot Hero was a brilliant eruption as a flak round found it's mark, sending the spiraling, burning aircraft downwards. Only a single chute was seen.
The Retard Racer had been fine up until about halfway back, at which point German fighters had landed several hits on her, with the crew reporting casualties. At some point the wounded aircraft had gotten separated as the weather turned foul, unable to find the rest of the formation. That was the last anyone had seen, although radio communications indicated she was still airworthy. As we wondered what had happened to the wayward bomber, a grim clue was given as ambulances and other emergency vehicles screamed by, making for the roads leading out of the base.The news filtered back shortly afterwards. With a wounded navigator and pilot, The Retard Racer had lost her way, yet still managed to find the general location of home base. With fuel nearly exhausted, the crew made the choice to put her down in a field. Unfortunately, the field chosen happened to be nowhere near as suitable as it appeared from the air, as well as containing a herd of cattle. When ground crews arrived, they found a wrecked bomber strewn with bodies and wounded. The entire aircraft forward of the engines had crumpled, with the rest of the plane faring little better. In the end, only the ball and a waist gunner were able to return to service, with the engineer, radio operator and other waist gunner being sent home with crippling injuries. The rest of the crew had been declared KIA shortly after recovery.Three bombers lost in a single mission, and yet there was still bad news ahead. While Lefty Navel would recover, the shrapnel having narrowly missed any vital organs,Fanculo's injuries had proven considerably worse, and after a botched attempt to remove the metal fragments he had passed away in the hospital, the Busta Move's first casualty in the line of duty.
>>62910389>>62910399Damn.
>>62910399>died in hospitalWhat a way to go.
This will probably be the last mission for tonight, but here's our current campaign record. Not exactly the most stellar, huh?>>62910269One early lesson in multi-engine flying is that, at least in a twin, losing an engine essentially means losing 80% of your capabilities, because you're not only losing 50% of your horsepower, you're dragging a brick around on one wing. Tactically it doesn't make alot of sense either, because you're putting the entire squadron at risk to give a single bomber better odds.
>>62910389I feel sad that our efficacy is diminished, but I have to say, knowing that "Moot Hero" died in flames and agony gives me a chub.Nagasaki deez nuts>S
>>62910440What did planes with one engine out historically do? Trail and eventually form a new formation or did they all back out?The main advantage of a radial over a V is that you can catastrophically lose multiple cylinders and keep going, right? Besides less material, better ability to balance a centerline and increased exposure to air cooling.Radials produce more torque but Vs can rev higher and make for more efficient induction/forced air feeding and exhaust layouts. Or am I mistaken?
>>62909804It seems Ade O'Clarke trained them well.
>>62910399>Fanculo KIAGood
>>62910534>What did planes with one engine out historically do?Pretty much depended on the individual circumstances, pilot bravado and whatever else. Plenty of planes would turn back, while "straggler squadrons" weren't unheard of. >radials vs inline enginesFrankly put, I'm not the guy to be asking, but as a very basic rule of thumb I believe that inlines tend to be more efficient but are more fragile due to reliance on water cooling. Catch a bullet or shrapnel fragment in your oil system and that engine's going to die eventually, but if your water line gets ruptured you probably have minutes left on the engine.
Mission #4 is a notable break from our prior three. Today we won't be bombing trains, but rather something a bit bigger. At the French port of Toulon a year prior, the French had scuttled their fleet as the German military attempted to seize it. Someone, somewhere, had gotten it into their head that the Germans might be able to salvage some of the ships and we were happily volunteered for the duty of dissuading the Germans from doing so.>TARGET: Shipyards at Toulon
>>62910865>Alright men, gather round. Today we'll be bombing the French at Toulon...>Sir, weren't those ships already destroyed?>Ships?
>>62908785>Left Waist GunnerSamuel Hyde
>>62910865>last chance to bomb the FrenchEnd of an era.
>>62910865>3 missions in>still no damage to the NiggerWhat kind of bizarro fucking timeline have we landed in?
>>62911248they throw the radio out of one of the waist turret windows shortly after takeoff on every mission. (dont tell mama)
>>62909022Christ on a stick. I didn't bother replying to that drooling retard because there's no honor in fighting a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent, but for posterity, the original draft had the exact same tonnage limit as the final. My stalwart negotiations allowed us 14" guns instead of just 12 and an extra 10,000 tons for new builds.
>>62911542
>>62911562
>>62911638kek
>>62911638T-treatysisters, our response?
You hate Fanculo because of the Naval TreatyI hate Fanculo because he asked for my Rodini class to be scrappedWe are not the same.
>>62911859You mean the same Rodini that famously got its butthole retailored by the Negroni? You should thank your lucky star to get such a bone throw. Besides, we all have to make sacrifices. It damn near killed me inside to see Padre Giovanni go, but I didn't object.
>>62911638
>>62910399Can the new right waist gunner be named Poncho
>>62909300Our new left waist gunner by waitlist>>62911930>>62911110Added to the reserve list
>>62911110HE CANNOT KEEP GETTING AWAY
>>62911930Based. We need a Roland.
>>62912165You son of a bitch.
>>62912165I also want to nominate a Warren Zevon for any position or name.We need lawyers, guns and shekels.
>>62908781I'm the radioman (KIA). I'm dead.
do love these threadssorry ship bros but plane autism>navy autism
Command modern operations autism when?
Oh shit we back in the air.>3 missions>The radio has survived>BN4 has yet to receive a scratch>Only 2 casualtiesWe're not gonna make it are we?>verification not requiredYeah we're double fucked
>>62911898>we should scrap 2 of our 6 16" battleships when we can't build more 16" battleships because of a treatyYou are the dumbest nigger alive.
Forgive the delay, all. OP had forgotten an obligation of his for this morning. Have a nice visual representation of where everyone in >>62910865 should be
>>62909231Goering's Gherkin
>>62908781>But fuck it, let's get autistic.I used to be a wargamer. Used to be. Then I realized your typical wargamer is an absolute glutton for punishment by subjecting themselves to super-autistic rule sets, even when they realize that the rules are a supremely anti-fun waste of time. Doesn't matter what wargame it is: fantasy, sci-fi, historical, or whatever the hell. Now the only wargames I can tolerate are done on the computer, which will take care of all the unfun details and math for us.
Names for bombers:Radio’s Revenge[Empty]A whole lotta lotionDiddy’s playhouse (formerly Epstein’s)Ook Ook! Time to Nook!The Serbian Glass BottleCrew members:Puff DaddyJeffsteinAde’s less lucky cousin (twice removed)Professional retardMonkeBoris JohnsonI’m CIA
>>62913703>Ade’s less lucky cousin (twice removed)I believe that side of the family is Scandinavian: Sven O'Clarke
>>62912257>lawyers, guns and shekelsAdd it to the list of bomber names.
>>62912851>implying it was my idea in the first place and the admiralty would've been glad to ax the carriers instead Oh, so *now* maximum BIG BOOM is our doctrine. Would've been fantastic to hear you speak up when you had the chance.
>>62913994Gotta remember what we're fighting for, boys!
I still want the biggest ships decked out with the biggest guns we can produce.
>>62913398>more bomber namesCells (Within Cells)Grande Negroni, on account of us operating out of Italy
Well, Toulon was the furthest the 725th had been sent out for a mission, but the flight route was actually pretty favorable. The Mediterranean was a large enough place for our squadron to spend it skirting the most likely concentrations of Luftwaffe patrols, so despite the length of the flight we should be pretty safe. With no objections to dropping a load of bombs off with the French, Busta Move and it's crew took it's place in the formation alongside Black 4 More and the rest of the bombers in our cell.And for the first hour or so, the journey was uneventful. A lone German aircraft was spotted as we made our way past Anzio, but our escorts wasted no time in chasing it away. It seemed like this mission might just be an easy one.>Zone 2: No fighter waves>Zone 3: 1 fighter wave, escorts remove all attacking fighters>Zone 4: No fighter waves>>62914166>>62913994>>62913925>>62913703>>62913596>>62912165>>62912257Added to the list
>>62914578We are in the clear. Commence strafing.
>>62914166Vini Vidi Vichy
And then, abruptly and for seemingly no reason, the port inboard engine decided it had done enough work for today and seized up.>Zone 5: 1 fighter wave overridden by random event>Random event roll, 2d6: 1,1 = engine failureAs the flight deck crew attempted to get the engine spinning again to no avail, the rest of the crew was treated to the increasingly common sight of our squadronmates tail ends, as Pizza, Cunning Linguist and Dresden Delenda Est each pulled past us to stay with the rest of the cell. For the third time, Busta Move was being left behind, and with a substantial distance still to go to even reach the target. With a grimace, Trump made the decision to once again wheel the bomber around and head for home, ditching the bombs as we went.And that's when the fuel transfer pump went out. >Zone 5 return – mechanical failure roll: failedOur new left hand waist gunner, Danielson, moved into the bomb bay to attempt to sort out the problem. A handy enough man, Dan manages to get the leaking system under control and further complications are avoided. But to have systems suddenly start breaking, the crew of the Busta Move certainly did not feel as much faith in their bird as they had before.
Of course, as soon as we left the safety of the formation the Germans arrived. A pair of 109s came in from ahead of us, and Yossarian, Biden and Snuffy opened fire on the inbound fighters. Some hits are scored on the leading Messerschmitt, while Biden misses his target. Both rookie Krauts miss their own shots though, so in the end no big deal either way.
>>62914656Who forgot to gas the gremlins?
>>62914656This is one cursed plane. We must sacrifice a radio to appease the machine spirits.
>>62914597>Vini Vidi VichyI cameI sawI surrendered
The Germans weren't done with us yet though, as a pair of Bf-110s appeared. Coming in from ahead and behind, our gunners opened up on them. Gene Tails and Saddam opened fire on the trailing bandit, scoring some hits. As he began to fire, one of the guns in Saddam's ball turret suddenly jams, leaving him with only a single gun. Ahead, Yossarian and Snuffy both manage to hit the head-on 110, and it bursts into flames and goes down.Having only a moment to celebrate, Snuffy has to wheel the top turret around to try and fire at a Fw190 diving at us from above. His hastily aimed fire misses, but gratefully so does the Germans.
Rather sheepishly, our bomber returns to base with our remaining three engines. As Trump and Snuffy go off to have some rather choice words with the maintainers, the rest of the crew goes about securing the aircraft. Being one for four was not exactly a great war record for us right now, but it wasn't like we had a lot of choice in the matter.A few hours later the drone of the rest of the squadron washed over the base. A quick count of the inbound aircraft showed all 17 other aircraft had made it back, although some were clearly showing sign of damage. Both Pizza and the newcomer BRAPPP were fairly beat up, and our wingmate Black 4 More also had a few holes in her. The aircraft came in for landing, each one managing a smooth landing, except for one. Unknowingly haven taken a hit to one of their brake lines, Black 4 More unexpectedly swerved off the runway during their landing roll, smashing through a camo netting aircraft park. While it'd take some time to untangle the netting from the fouled props, the aircraft would fly again.The mission as a whole had gone okay, the target had been mostly obscured by cloud cover and the bomb run had been guesswork at best.
In an attempt to show how totally not upset at us they are, Command has assigned us to be the lead bomber of the low squadron on today's raid on a Axis airfield in Yugoslavia.Hooray.
>>62914934Now's our time to shine!
>>62914934>Command has assigned us to be the lead bomber of the low squadron on today's raidIs it just me or does that sound like the prime target for flak?
>>62915065I wouldn't worry about it.
>>62914656Who the fuck made this plane, Boeing?
Our journey across the Adriatic is going well at first, although with hazy skies providing no real cover. As we near the Yugoslavian coastline though, long streaming contrails begin to form, a clear sign to anyone on the ground of our progress. Sure enough, it's shortly afterwards that German fighters appear.A pair of Me-109s comes in from ahead, screaming down at us at the head of our cell. The escorting fighters manage to bounce one, but the other keeps coming. Yossarian and Snuffy open fire but narrowly miss their shots, and the German opens fire. Two well aimed shots find purchase on Busta Move. One of these bursts relatively harmlessly on the outside of our fuselage. The other punctures through the roof of the waist and explodes, showering the waist gunners with metal fragments. Our newest crewman, Danielson, goes down hard, while Navel merely curses as he sustains painful but less threatening injuries.>Left waist gunner: Seriously wounded>Right waist gunner: Lightly wounded
>>62914934If we get shot down hopefully its over partisan territory so we get Allo Allo'd
>>62915112Looked here, you little faggot; We don't make the engines. That is on that Yale cocksucker Lawrance. I got nothing against the Wrights, or Martin, but those Midwestern boys, they are too honest. All dreams, no drive.Curtis, now he was a proper bastard. Then he had to go and get in the muck, so his drive drowned him.t. Willie
>>62915203Rip Danielson, he never scored (a kill)
The Messerschmitt comes back around for another pass, attacking from the 0130 level where only Joe Biden can fire back at him. Perhaps unsurprising, Joe fails to hit him, but so does the German, shooting past us and breaking away from the formation. And for a time, we saw no more Axis fighters in the area.Finally, we arrived at the target zone. The weather had remained consistent and hazy, as had the conspicuous contrails following us all the way. And patiently waiting for us to arrive over Zagreb was the Luftwaffe.>Target zone fighter waves: 3
>>62915296Why is it zone 3? It looks like Busta is in zone 4 right now.
>>62915296Oh boy here we go
>>62914770>Nigger has a crash landingbalance is restored. Hopefully that means our engines will stop having existential crises now.
>>62915359The gremlins cannot be appeased until radios are sacrificed to German bullets.
Our first wave is a large one, as a quartet of German fighters wheels in to attack us. Some damage is scored on them as they attack, but none are downed. Our only saving grace is their gunnery is no better, leaving us unharmed.
Second wave passes us by, leaving only the third consisting of an experienced 190. He manages to weave between our gunfire but misses his own shot as well.
>>62915561Don't get my hopes up, man...
>>62915572Shh, don't jinx it
Despite heavy flak during our run in and out, the flak is fairly inaccurate. We take a couple minor dings to our wings, and Lufthansa 181 and The Misery Machine also catch a couple fragments. But despite the efforts of the Germans, we have a good bomb run and land nearly half of out bombs near the target.
>>62914056Your idea was to keep 30 year old 14" BBs, you stupid nigger. We kept the newer CVs and all the 16" BBs. >>62914597>>62914700I came, I saw, I collaborated
>>62915618A surprisingly decent result all things considered.
We turn around for home, with a wave of German fighters opposing our exit. But then our friend Mr. Random Event shows up in their place.>Bad Luftwaffe Communications: Remove one fighter of your choice from each wave for the remainder of the mission.
>>62915623>Your idea was to keep 30 year old 14" BBsAll zero of them? How silly of me!>We kept the newer CVs and all the 16" BBs. No we didn't. Are you pretending to be retarded?
Figure it out
>>62915655Well that's a spot of luck for the return trip. And I'll bet command is so pleased with our performance they'll give us the same slot next time since we did so well in it (they're trying to kill us).
>>62915674I don't think he is pretending, I think he is the real deal.
>>62915674My mistake, you wanted to keep the 25 year old BBs that couldn't keep pace with the CVs and would hamstring the battle line, for less armor and a single additional 16" gun each. >>62915682Fagculo BTFO.
Lady Luck smiles on us in zone 4, giving us a reroll for the future. Zone 3 on the other hand...>German resistance: Heavy>German fighter waves: 3
>>62915718Oh god oh fuck
A combination of good escort coverage this zone and the bad luftwaffe comms event entirely negates the first wave, as well as most of the second, leaving only a single Me-109 left to attack us. Snuffy's fire goes wide, but Yossarian is surprisingly on the ball and pulls of a fantastic shot, sending the German plane down in flames.
>>62915752>bad luftwaffe comms eventWe've been getting that a lot, actually...Has someone been shooting out *their* radios?
>>62915711Your claim to BTFO me with a hypothetical would be a little more convincing if we hadn't actually, literally tested better armor and more speed against a single additional 16" gun.
The escorts and event save us from another two fighters, leaving a single Messerschmitt as the only opponent in wave 3. Snuffy and Navel both miss, but Saddam lands some hits that throw off the German's aim and we're off to Zone 2.
>>62915752>>62915780The escorts are actually doing their jobs for once, amazing.
Zone two goes smoothly without any attacks on us, although we do spot The Misery Machine's gunners down a German fighter that attempted to attack her. Weather at our base is poor, which complicates landing a bit but all aircraft manage it safely regardless.The only thing to bring down the mood is the state of our port waist gunner. Regrettably, he does not survive, the second loss of a crewman of the Busta Move, concerning in the same position as the last. Despite that, another eager fresh face is there to take his place.
>>62915841Hopefully the new guy will last longer then the other two.
>>62914656>And then, abruptly and for seemingly no reason, the port inboard engine decided it had done enough work for today and seized up.
>>62915769>keeps bringing up the RNG wargame against the Negronis>ignores the combat record since that wargame, where Rodinis performed perfectly>ignores the fact he wanted to keep the Anglo Dispositivos, which were slower and worse armored than both the Negroni and RodinisAre you actually this stupid, or is it a bit?
Now this is the /k/omfiest a thread's been since the one back last October ish where I read A-10 and pilot for the first time. Shit, I've missed out by skipping the Rule The Waves threads, haven't I?
>>62912257Supremely Based Warren Zevon appreciatorAlso nominating Mr. Bad Example for a bomber name
>>62916139>I've missed out by skipping the Rule The Waves threads, haven't I?Ohhh big time
Somewhere in Italy, General Twining bolted upright in bed. The cool December breeze felt good against his bare chest. "I HATE TRAINS" he thought.>>62916139You've only missed, uh, 15 threads or so
"TRAINS could be here" he thought, "I've never been in this airspace before. There could be TRAINS anywhere." The freezing wind felt good against his bullet wounds. "I HATE TRAINS" he thought. Over There reverberated his entire B-17, making it pulsate even as the pilfered Sicilian wine circulated through his powerful thick veins and washed away his (merited) fear of trains and timetables after dark. "The bomber always gets through." he said to himself, out loud.
>>62916154Don't suppose you could help a man out with an archive link, could you?
>>62916303https://desuarchive.org/k/search/subject/Rule%20the%20Waves/start/2024-01-01/order/asc/
>>62916288My sides have gone the way of our lst three waist gunners
>>62916098>utterly fails to address the point and just doubles downBro if I were you I would've stopped posting yesterday. But do keep going, I've got plenty more sardonic reaction images.
>>62916288Mother fucker
I was unaware we were having another bomber TTRPG thread, I loved the ventures of Big Nigger. All the crewmates I named died too lol>>62909906kek>>62909915>>62910389F for the boys>88 B8>Delenda Est>The Retard Racer>Admiral Fanculo>Danielson>>62914693>>62915373>>62915756CIRCUITS FOR GOERRING
>>62916570Delenda survived, rolled a 3 on a -2 landing
>>62916588>>62916570
Continuing the Zevon theme: Crew: Lee Ho FookPlanes: Learjet SWAT Team, Death from Above, Macht Schnell, Old Lady Mutilator
OP here, plan was to run the entire mission tonight but we're, uh, we're still on the first zone.
>>62916694Go to sleep sweet OP, is time for slep
>>62916694oh shit
>>62916694Goodnight
We'd barely left the coastline when they were upon us. On paper it wasn't a terrible attack, only two Messerschmitt 109s, and one of them got chased off by a Thunderbolt. That left a single Kraut barreling down on our six, which shouldn't have been a hard target. Snuffy and Gene both opened fire on the inbound aircraft, but both of them managed to flub their shots, and the German closed the distance, lined up his gunsights with Busta Move, an opened fire.>HIT LOCATION - Walking fire: 1 shell hit in each of the following sections—Nose, Pilot Compartment, Radio Room, Bomb Bay, Waist and Tail.
>>62916780OP meant to use this image, but that one was still relevant.
>>62916780Snuffy, what the fuck man?
OP here, did you know that planes require fuel to fly?
>>62916780Well fuck.
>>62916780>Radio room hitRemain calm, all is well
A steady stream of bullets leaped from the 109's nose as he held down the trigger, raking our bomber from stem to stern. In the nose, a shell struck the exterior and detonated, sending metal fragments through the compartment and leaving Yossarian and Biden both cursing as they were peppered with the shrapnel.>Bombardier light wound, Navigator light woundNearly simultaneously, a bullet punched through the roof of the cockpit and zipped towards our pilot Trump. The projectile slammed into one of the earpieces of his headset, slicing through his ear as it passed and impacted the front panel. Copilot Harris in a shocked shout yelled "Donald, are you oka-" before being cut off short and slumping over the control column.>Pilot light wound, Copilot KIA (bullet, shrapnel punctures the brain, orbital surface)The radio room and bomb bay of the bomber rattled as projectiles struck it, but these found nothing but metal to scar.>Radio room superficial hit>Bombs hit, explosives do not detonateIn the tail, both waist gunners braced themselves for impact, but it was the ball gunner who got it, as a tumbling round managed to find it's way past the entrance to the ball, striking Saddam. The wound smarted something fierce but was not serious>Ball gunner light woundAnd the last round blew out Gene Tails oxygen supply, leaving him with only his portable bottle to use, a precious few minutes worth of air at 25,000 feet.As the crew reeled at the sudden flood of injuries, things weren't over. High above, a flight of German aircraft had maneuvered above us and began dropping fragmentation bomblets. The small frags began exploding all around our squadron, leaving us scattered. We're not the only ones affected, and a cluster of bomblets bursts around Bouncin Bitch>Formation disrupted>Bouncin Bitch - 4 damage (out of 6hp)So Anons, a decision to make>move Tails to the top turret (and oxygen) while Snuffy takes over pilot duty, continue the mission>turn the fuck back now
>>62916839fuck it, we gaan
>>62916839>Donald gets shot in the ear>Kamala gets taken outAnd so history repeats itself. Also the plane is not that damaged and we do need to bomb those trains. Bring up Snuffy and continue the mission, with any luck he can redeem himself for not shooting down that plane in the first place.
>>62916839>Superficial damage to radio roomIt’s so joever
>>62916839Well, aside from Kamala we're looking alright, not great, not terrible, so let's try and keep it going.
>>62916839Please add “Hyena Harris’ Yeen Peen” to the bomber name pool in honor of our fallen crew member.
I heard Kamala loved trains, lots of history having them run on her, so this is a good omen. Team is all on the same page now.
>>62916839>Nearly simultaneously, a bullet punched through the roof of the cockpit and zipped towards our pilot Trump. The projectile slammed into one of the earpieces of his headset, slicing through his ear as it passed and impacted the front panel. Copilot Harris in a shocked shout yelled "Donald, are you oka-" before being cut off short and slumping over the control column.Kino.
