Pleased with success of the last raid, LT Gen Spaatz ordered his bomber wings to continue attacks on rail tunnels. The maintenance teams, after heroic efforts were able to make 20 bombers available (5 players, 15 AI wingmen). Launching from their fields in East Anglia, they headed far to the south west and then south once over the Channel heading for a coast crossing into France just to the east of Caen. Two P-47s launched from their field in Kent and once again made a feint towards the mouth of the Somme. The LW had a mixed group of BF109G6/RVI and a Fw 190A-8 airborne to intercept Allied aircraft, and some made a move towards the P-47s. Shortly thereafter the bomber group made an appearance on radar in the far south west, catching the LW fighters out of position. The bombers headed east then north east to attack the railway tunnel south of Deauville (F132). Eight of the B-24s dropped 64 1600lb bombs, destroying both tunnel entrances, but one of those bombers was shot down by a LW fighter. The buff grouped turned towards the railway tunnel at Parquet, north of Rouen. LW fighters shot down two more B-24Js, but lost a Fw190 and a Bf109G6/RVI. No more bombers were lost before 90 1600lb bombs were dropped on the railway tunnel, destroying it. The bombers turned to the west then north west, harried by LW fighters. One B-24J was brought down. Defending gunners and the escorting P-47s shot down another Fw 190 and a Bf 109G6/RVI. The bomb group made it home, but several more badly damaged B-24Js crashed on landing.
Team Gold (Allied) 7 pilots: WLDBIL, bombr-, jedijc, muzz--, -deak-, grmpy-, -splt-. Guest gunner, freeb-, flew with WLDBIL. B-24J, 5 sorties (20 aircraft): three railway tunnel entrances destroyed; 3 Bf 109G6/RVI and 1 Fw 190A-8 shot down; 7 AI wingmen lost and one player aircraft (DISCO Damage) after a friendly fire incident on landing. P-47D-25, 5 sorties, shot down 2 Fw 190A-8; no losses.
Team Green (Axis) 5 pilots: juice=, =wilz=, redsgt, godirt, okdoc- Bf 109G-6/RVI, 6 sorties: shot down 5 B-24J AI wingmen; 4 aircraft lost Fw 190A-8, 4 sorties: shot down 1 B-24J AI wingmen AI; 3 aircraft lost. Bf 109G-6, 1 sortie, shot down 1 B-24J AI wingman: no losses.
Scoring Team Green scores 32 VPs for eight B-24Js lost. Team Gold scores 7 VPs for Axis fighter losses and 60 VPs for destroying both ends of two railway tunnels for a total of 67 VPs
After four frames: Team Green: 121 VPs Team Gold: 148 VPs
Gold Team wins the PTO2 series!
Sum of both PTO and PTO2 Team Green: 181 VPs Team Gold: 244 VPs
Next series, OVERLORD, starts this Sunday, 11 June at 2030hrs, Sunday 4 June 2023. Rules and maps to be posted shortly. See you in the unfriendly skies. <S>
Muzz muzz-- Sqn Ldr past-CO 417 Sqn RCAF "Supporting Liberty and Justice" -------------------------------------- Muzz's Maps
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