ETO Battle of Britain campaign Mark III

[33lima]

The Spits are still around, but further away. They turn back after the 109s.

I switch to the turret, just as the first attacks develop from astern. Further back, a bunch of aircraft are mixed up in what looks like a dogfight between attackers and defenders.

The first Blenheim is soon in trouble. The attacker dives hard out of the return fire...

...and escapes.

Meanwhile the damaged bomber falls away vertically, on fire.

The Blenheim at the tail end of the formation is next to go.

This couldn't get much worse!

...to be continued!

 

[33lima]

By this time we're also drawing flak.

But the good news is that only one of the 109s is still around, and he's wide on our left, as if content to shadow us.

The flak having confirmed that enemies lie below, I decide it's time I did some attacking of my own. Through the intermittent clouds can be seen glimpses of London, with the River Thames meandering across the cityscape.

Right, here we go then!

It's a long way down, but we finally come out below the cloudbase and I check the situation on the ground, looking for vehicles to attack. There are plenty around - friendlies some way off to the right rear, but enemies left, ahead and closer in on the right. This will do! I start ordering in the boys, selecting targets from a tight cluster of vehicles that's just to our right.

This is it!

...to be continued!

 

[33lima]

I peer out from the cockpit, trying to get a better look at the target as I spiral down, throttled well back. It's just beyond an enemy-occupied airfield.

A quick look through the virtual binoculars reveals that the vehicles in question are inside an impressive factory complex. Of more immediate interest is that it's protected by a battery of 88mm guns! Smoke is rising near some chimneys, indicating that the others have already started attacking.

No point in changing tack now - bomb-bay doors open and in we go!

Bombs away!

Over! I've dropped too late!

How could I miss a target of that size? I seem to have managed it!

...to be continued!

 

[33lima]

It's some consolation that others have had better luck; fires are blazing at one corner of the factory.

I decide that if I can do nothing else, I'll at least have a go at a bit of flak suppression. A single .303 Browning isn't going to do a whole lot of good...

...but the sight and sound of it firing makes me feel a bit better, despite some pretty fierce and accurate return fire from the flak gunners. I seem to be doing a better job of drawing enemy fire than supressing it!

I come off the target on the deck but without running into anything solid.

That wasn't too bad! I wonder if it's wise to attack an alerted target a third time...

...then decide to do just that.

Here we go again!

...to be continued!

 

[33lima]

This time, I'm aiming for a group of what looks like storage tanks on the factory perimeter. But for every round I fire at them, it seems I get one back, from the flak.

Finger off trigger, stick smartly back, and over we go!

Now, I just need to avoid the flak...and those odd-looking towers on the other side of the factory complex.

Bang! Suddenly my aircraft is on fire and in pieces, with the fuselage beginning to tumble wildly!

There's no chance to get out, and it all ends in a sad orange-red fireball, next to some trees.

What must be my pilot's ghost lounges by the crates for the last time, to confirmation that we did actually do some damage. Small consolation, but in the end I was lucky to get as far as I did, when so may others had already fallen to the guns of the 109s or 110s.

It's been fun, and eventful thanks to Diawiletti's new campaign spawns. And whoever built the ETO Blenheims did an outstanding job. I miss the company of my observer/bomb aimer and that armour shield doesn't half restrict the air gunner's view, but it's a really outstanding model, inside and out! I'm very glad that RAF bomber campaigns will feature in Diawilletti's campaigns for the upcoming BoB Mod update.