Mission 6 — Siege of Warsaw
Primary Target: Field Fortifications
Secondary Target: Railway Yard
The bombardment of Warsaw continued. The past week had seen Stukas, Heinkells and other bombers drop ordnance from the air as the Army's artillery conducted its ceaseless barrage
Voss had settled into the rhythm of command but the war was quick to remind him it allowed no room for comfort.
Dawn came grey and damp. The Kette launched early toward Warsaw yet again, the smoke already rising above the city in distant plumes. Their target: a string of reinforced Polish positions dug into the outer defences southwest of the capital. More fieldworks. Gun pits. Anti-tank nests — all holding up the Army's advance.
Within partially ruined city, the defenders had grown desperate. They fought hard. Between missions Voss thought of his brother fighting with the German Infantry and wondered where he was. If he was
Voss led the Kette in low. Too low, maybe, but he wanted the bombs to count.
He sighted his target — a concrete bunker with an anti-tank gun at its mouth — and released his 500kg bomb at . The detonation was devastating. The entire gun position vanished in a cloud of black dust and twisted timber.
But his wingmen were less precise. Langer’s bombs fell short, throwing up plumes of dirt, and Dietz overshot — his blasts hitting behind the trenchline. The target was damaged but not out of action.
Voss pulled them up and out, scolding them sharply over the radio. There was no second pass — they only carried the one bomb each and were already catching light flak.
As they turned for home, Voss felt the first shudder through the airframe. The engine coughed. Milo immediately began checking gauges.
“She’s overheating — oil pressure’s jumping,” he warned.
Voss throttled back and trimmed the plane as gently as he could. The engine stayed alive, just, and they limped home at reduced power. He was glad that the skies were empty of any Polish fighters.
At the field, the crew chief met them before the propeller even stopped spinning. A coolant leak. Minor damage, repairable within the hour. The chief yelled and the ground crew got to work feverishly.
Voss chewed through a piece of bread and cold sausage while the mechanics worked. Adler appeared with new orders before he’d even swallowed.
“Rail yard east of the city. Still active. Secondary target. We hit it.”
He looked to Voss.
“Fuel up. Bomb up. You go again. Now”
The second sortie was faster, more focused. They climbed into clean afternoon air and reached the city again, smoke marking their previous strike zone.
The rail yard lay beyond — dozens of boxcars and tankers crowded on siding tracks.
This time, the Kette flew like a blade. Langer and Dietz were keen to make up for their errors that morning
Voss laid his bomb pattern down the central line of cars. Flames took quickly — fuel or munitions, it didn’t matter. The explosion cracked the air. His wingmen followed with perfect spacing, laying ruin to the turntable and the rolling stock lined up to use it.
They turned westward, leaving the burning yard behind them, and made for home.
This time, Voss felt it in his chest — not pride exactly, but a growing belief. His kette had nailed their targets hard. They had made a difference. Surely Poland would surrender soon.
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Game notes
Second mission leading a kette and I think I'm getting the hang of the formations
Dual sortie - dropped some VPs when the formation only damaged the target, but picked up some neat extras with the Railway, including a 3rd Prestige Point.
One more Mission remaining for me in the Poland Campaign. Hopefully Voss will get to reunite with his Brother for Christmas...
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