Octopus Overlords

I’m putting out the call for 10 brave souls to man the B-24J Sack Time Sally based in Italy. You will be part of the 15th Air Force striking a blow against fascism over the course of 30 missions. On certain missions you’ll also get the chance of flying over the picturesque Alps and have some beautiful photo opportunities. Unless there’s 100% cloud cover and there’s the chance of having to abort due to icing conditions or the pilot foolishly decides to fly through a snowstorm and ends up crashing into a mountain.

Who will step up and accept the challenge?

(Name changed from Piccadilly Virgin to Sack Time Sally due to the Virgin being a B-17)

I shall volunteer.

dbt1949 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 20, 2019 3:43 pm I shall volunteer.

Yea! Hope we last longer this time around!

I’m in.

You can feel free to add me as an alternate if you can't get a fresh crew.

Yeah, well - it turns out that they revoked my ticket home. Seems that I forgot which leg I was supposed to be limping on, and something about 'flesh wound all along.'

Anyway, give new people a chance first, and put me down as an alternate as well. If you don't get the full 10, up we go.

Hey Smoove and Blackhawk, is that your signature on the dotted line? Well then, I think you're flying for the duration of 30 missions or death/dismemberment/severe wounding/capture whichever comes first!

But I can give some other folks a crack too if that's what you'd like to do but I'm not waiting too long. Besides, don't you want to see if you have better luck this time around? (Or the chance to get shot in the gluteus maximus which I think is on the wound table. It's a sure conversation piece for the ladies!)

I'm in if I don't have to be in the radio room.

TheMix wrote: ↑Sun Oct 20, 2019 5:29 pm I'm in if I don't have to be in the radio room.

In many B-24J crews during the war the radio guy with not much to do, doubled as a waist gunner while the navigator took his spot on the flight deck which gave him more room to work. One of the usual assigned waist gunners was then moved to the nose and controlled the nose turret. So the radio guy can get some kills but the navigator and bombardier don't get to operate guns. Well until a gunner gets a serious wound or killed then hey, opportunity!

Is this one of those simply add your name to the game and then not actually have to do anything things like the older Xcoms runs were?

If so toss me in. Put me in the most dangerous most likely to be killed first spot plz. Ty.

Daehawk wrote:Is this one of those simply add your name to the game and then not actually have to do anything things like the older Xcoms runs were?

If so toss me in. Put me in the most dangerous most likely to be killed first spot plz. Ty.

Yup. Welcome aboard!

Hey, I worked out so well on the last try I should volunteer again!

I'm in if there's room. If not, I'll just, uh, wait back at the base.

dbt1949 wrote: ↑Sun Oct 20, 2019 8:15 pm

That’s a nice cutaway. Thanks, dbt!

NickAragua wrote: ↑Sun Oct 20, 2019 8:34 pm I'm in if there's room. If not, I'll just, uh, wait back at the base.

You made it! Welcome aboard!

Sign me up skipper!

Edit: I mean if you have room and I'll defer to any new corpses... I mean lucky individuals... who might like to go if any come up before you're ready to go.

Hey just need one more lucky fella and we can bring the fight to Hitler! As for your B-24, I read about how they always seemed to stink of fuel after being gassed up which was a big complaint from the bomber crews. Fortunately, the chances of exploding on take off isn't increased in the game for the B-24 but instead of a 3% chance of mechanical failure there's a 5% chance which we roll for after entering a zone. Also for some reason there's only one fire extinguisher on the plane so there's only one chance to put out an onboard fire. Good morning everyone and happy flying!

raydude reporting for duty.

Ok we now have our 10. Gotta do some boring errands but I'll have your assignments later today and the adventure begins!

If there is room sign me up!

docD wrote: ↑Mon Oct 21, 2019 2:04 pm If there is room sign me up!

Hmm, you're new! I was about to kick things off but I'll flip a coin between Blackhawk and Smoove to see which one will sit out since they offered first to make room for some new folks. Welcome aboard!

And the lucky fella who gets to sit in the replacement depot is...Blackhawk! In the meantime here are your crew assignments!

Pilot: NickAragua
Co-Pilot: Smoove_B
Navigator: DocD
Bombardier: Isgrimnur
Radio Operator: TheMix (Sorry! It truly was a random pick so I guess you have an aptitude for operating radios. However, you also get to be the right waist gunner!)
Engineer/Top Turret: Daehawk
Nose Gunner: Raydude
Ball Turret: Gbasden
Right Waist Gunner: TheMix
Left Waist Gunner: dbt_1949
Tail Gunner: Zenn7



Click on image to embiggen!

I don't trust that Blackhawk guy. He looks like he could be a traitor.

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Mon Oct 21, 2019 2:37 pm I don't trust that Blackhawk guy. He looks like he could be a traitor.

Yay Im an engineer! Now, is this a wrench or a screwdriver?

I'm squinting suspiciously. Random.... Okay.

That said, I sure hope a fire doesn't break out. I'm not diving into the open air to get the extinguisher! I'm amazed it even keeps up with us. I guess it must have it's own little plane!

The Sack Time Sally is a B-24J Liberator based out of San Pancrazio, Italy. It's a nice drive to the Adriatic Sea but I don't know the water temperature in November. The campaign start date will be November 8th 1943. Your bomber is a member of the 512th Bomber Squadron/376th Bomb Group/47th Bombardment Wing/15th Air Force. The 512th even has an appropriately menacing squadron emblem. Now game on!

Ahhh San Pancreatitis. The food is very fattening there.

Good morning, gentlemen. Today's target will be the marshalling yards outside Vicenza in our drive to deny supplies to the German 10th army .



Much of your flight will be over water so we have requested increased naval patrols to attempt the rescue of any downed crews. Hopefully the pressure we are now able to bring after capturing airfields on continental Italy will bring us that much closer to kicking the Germans back over the Alps. That is all, gentlemen. Good luck and godspeed!

The position of your bomber is the middle cell, plane #2. It's not a bad spot to be in.



Your plane joins the hundreds of other bombers flying toward your target or on missions of their own. The air is filled with the stink of petrol as you wait for the signal. The weather, like much of the year in this part of the world is calm and clear today. Perfect conditions for take off. The signal is given and eventually it's your turn to take off. Your bomber lumbers into the sky and nothing out of the ordinary happens which is what you always pray for in a mission. The bombers do their complicated dance to get into formation and eventually you cross the coast and begin your flight north over the Adriatic. As you make your way north there's a slight haze over the water and the gunners keep an eye out for enemy fighters and eventually they're not disappointed as a wave of fighters fly towards the formation.



There's a heavy concentration of fighters attacking your formation and a Me-109 at 9:00 starts toward the Sack Time Sally but gets driven off by a P-38. The Daehawk, TheMix and Raydude call out the position of the Me-109 coming in from 1:30 high and let loose a stream of tracers at the fighter. Zenn7 gets his gun ready in case the fighter passes behind the bomber.

Give 'em hell, boys!



Or at least get back in one piece.

$iljanus wrote: ↑Mon Oct 21, 2019 2:36 pm
And the lucky fella who gets to sit in the replacement depot is...Blackhawk!

Man, two in a row! If I get bounced from 25 missions, do I still get to go home?

After we drop this load, who's for heading over to the Rivera for drinks?

docD wrote: ↑Mon Oct 21, 2019 4:24 pm After we drop this load, who's for heading over to the Rivera for drinks?

In!

TheMix wrote: ↑Mon Oct 21, 2019 4:25 pm

docD wrote: ↑Mon Oct 21, 2019 4:24 pm After we drop this load, who's for heading over to the Rivera for drinks?

In!

If you survive up to September, 1944 then go for it! Before then, well, the Germans might look at you funny as you sidle up to the bar...

Spoil sport!

The tracers rip holes in the fighter's left wing, possibly even damaging the gun.



He lines up to fire at the Sally but his plane is hard to control and he ends up banking away. The skies are eventually quiet again as the bomber formation makes its way north.

Yee haw! Go, Sally, go!

I look like a girl!

Now this is damn peculiar...

The formation continues its flight over the Adriatic and suddenly the plane is buffeted by nearby explosions. There aren't any ships firing at them from below and you look out the window and see bombs falling from above the formation! German bombers have somehow positioned themselves over the formation and are dropping bombs on it. A few come close but miss the plane. Then a salvo of rockets come up from behind the formation but they turn out to be more of a curiosity than a threat as they pass harmlessly by.

Would like to look up the above tactics out of curiosity but I was pretty surprised that "bombs from above" and "rocket attack" both came up. Was scared that there would be a hit and probably game over. I guess the roll is the roll...

Well damn, as I roll on the fighter table for the next zone the bombs from above pop up again!

More bombs fall and explode in the midst of the formation. Angry radio chatter directed at the escorts, telling them to chase those bombers away. It's a terrifying tactic but luck favors the Sack Time Sally as it flies through the explosions unscathed. The Italian coastline is in sight and the bombers are closer to their target. Soon they'll have to worry about real flak.

dbt1949 wrote: ↑Mon Oct 21, 2019 5:31 pm I look like a girl!

Its that fancy fur collared flight jacket ya got on flyboy.