Excalibur Squadron OOC Thread

[The Tiger Kingdom]

After watching entirely too many WW2 movies, playing entirely too many arcade-style flight sims, and reading too many pulp action novels, I decided to make Excalibur Squadron a reality. The plot? An elite Royal Air Force fighter squadron, capable of fighting as commandos on the ground as well as fighter pilots in the air, travels around the world, fighting the Axis Forces of Germany, Italy, and Japan wherever the greatest damage can be done. These men are comprised of almost every Allied nationality, with their diversity of skills and backgrounds making the squadron all the deadlier. It's all-out Historical Action and Adventure here, to be sure. Do-or-die air battles, POW rescues, airstrikes deep into the heart of enemy territory, covert infiltration...all are par for the course for Excalibur Squadron.
Tally-ho men, for King and Country!

September 20th, 1939.

Nazi Germany, after years of being appeased, years of threats, and years of military buildup, has finally unleashed its military upon the world. In a matter of a few weeks, Poland has been entirely overrun by German forces, with the unprecedented might of the Luftwaffe aerial forces playing a huge role in the annihilation of the Polish military. It will be only a matter of weeks, maybe days, before the entire Polish Army is annihilated. To the East, Stalin's Russia has cynically made a marriage of convenience with Hitler's Germany, and has annexed all Poland east of the Curzon Line, denoting historically Polish and Russian territory, taken by Poland in the 1920 war. Even farther East, Japan continues its brutal war in China, and begins to look towards British, American, and Dutch possessions to fuel its conquests. The United States itself, though a potential military and economic giant, has yet to arise to fight the fascist tide rising across the world. It is a dark time for humanity.

Currently, the only Western nations ready to take a stand against fascism (at least, without being directly invaded first) are Britain, France, and their respective Empires. However, these nations are materially unready to fight, and few in either of these nations has a clear idea of how exactly to win a straight fight against Hitler's Germany. Some of the older French and British Generals believe that the war will be won by attrition, trenches, and prepared defensive lines on the ground, not unlike how the Great War was "won". Little do they know that war has changed, and is about to change more than they could ever imagine.

It will not be the tactics of the old war that will bring triumph to the Allied nations, but new ideas and conceptions of warfare. The new First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy, Winston Churchill, has never been a man to shy away from novelty in warfare, and has been sending new ideas and tactics into the War Office for consideration constantly, with some good ideas, and many merely "interesting" ideas. One of these ideas, for "airborne commandos", met with a reply that Britain was already working to train battalions of soldiers in parachute tactics. Churchill clarified that he meant to take that idea one step beyond - to train actual pilots who could also work as commandos on the ground, capable of accomplishing sensitive and high-risk missions with unparalleled versatility.

As a gift to the new First Sea Lord (and ruefully acknowledging the usefulness of the idea), the RAF and the French Air Force have collaborated, and have started to set up and train a squadron to this effect. Named Excalibur Squadron, it will be the bleeding edge of the Allied military, taking in people regardless of nationality, as long as they have the necessary skills and loyalty to the Allied cause. They will need to be adaptable, utterly fearless, and very, very skilled, in the air and on the ground - because their opponents will be too. They can expect to be deployed all over the world, with the best weapons and aircraft that can be procured, and go up against the best the Axis Powers have to offer.

1. Don't be an ass. Really, you know what I mean. Be courteous, be polite, whatever. Just get along. Anything less than this standard gets you a warning. 1 warning, 1 hour time-out from the operation. 2 warnings, 1-day ban. 3 warnings, and you're out of the operation for the duration. 4, and you're gone for good.

2. We've had a real problem with activity, to the point where inactivity has very nearly killed us. If you're inactive during an active Operation for 5 days and your character is important to the plot, I'll take it over, and you'll be getting an official strike. If you're gone for 8 days during an operation sans excuse, you are out. 3 of these inactivity strikes counts for a full removal.

3. No godmodding. Real surprise, right? I know we're an elite squadron and all, but there is a difference between being an well-trained, dashing, and experienced pilot/commando and just being a damn superhero. No killing 50 Nazi planes at a go. No taking on a battalion of armed Japanese soldiers with nothing more than your fists. You get the idea.

4. I expect good posts from you people. I do not intend for this to be a throwaway RP for people to post one-liners and poorly written posts. Good grammar is a must. Detail is great. Interactions with other characters are great. Description is great. Make each post as good as it possibly can be. I don't want to see throwaways.

A New Player's Guide To Excalibur

- Written by Morrdh, edited by The Tiger Kingdom

What Is Excalibur Squadron?

In short Excalibur Squadron is an as-historically-accurate as-possible RP set during the Second World War.

The squadron itself is made up of pilot-commandos which was setup under the orders of Winston Churchill and tasked with special operations and raids against Axis forces. Each of the squadron's operations take place as a RP in its own right in the style of Pulp Action and WW2 action films.

Recommended Media

Movies/TV:

Band of Brothers
633 Squadron
Mosquito Squadron
The Dambusters
The Last Drop
Kelly's Heroes
Where Eagles Dare
The Battle of Britain film
The Great Escape
A Bridge Too Far
Memphis Belle
Yamato (Otoko-tachi no Yamato)

Books:

Any of William Breuer's "*INSERT HERE*...of WW2" books
The Rogue/Wraith Squadron series entire - Michael Stackpole/Aaron Allston
Churchill's books
Beyond Band of Brothers
With the Old Breed


Games:

Secret Weapons Over Normandy
Ace Combats 4/5/Zero
Assassin's Creed (similar methods of constructing alternate history)

Great, How Do I Get Started?

First off you need to think of a character and then fill out the character application before waiting to be accepted into the squadron. To help with this here are some pointers;

Background

Your character will have grown up in the Interwar period of the 1920s and '30s, so they may have lost relatives early on due to the First World War of the post-war Influenza Epidemic that ravaged the entire world and killed millions. Early part of the 1920s had civil wars in Ireland, Russia and China from 1927 as well as a General Strike in Britain. The Wall Street Crash came in 1929 with the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl in the US soon after, whilst towards the latter half of the 1930s saw an Arab Revolt in Palestine and civil war break out in Spain. Britain wasn't entirely trouble free during this period either as war with Germany loomed on the horizon, 1936 alone saw the Battle of Cable Street and a constitutional crisis as three Kings sat on the throne of the UK and its Dominions of the British Commonwealth.

There are plenty of cases to earn some flying experience; either as a stunt pilot, crop duster, the numerous small wars and of course the military. Though for the military route your character must have been at least 19 years old to have joined, though some combat experience could've have come from the Spanish Civil War for example.

Becoming Part of the Squadron

As stated above your character would've been 19 years old when they joined the military, so age wise being in their early 20s would work. Since Excalibur technically comes under the RAF's remit it is best that you used a RAF rank (which works the same for any British Commonwealth air force except that of South Africa which used army ranks) for your character, I've included these below with an army rank for comparison where needed;

Sergeant:- This is the lowest rank that could fly aircraft in the RAF, alot of the pilots in the Battle of Britain were of this rank.

Flight Sergeant:- It is a senior NCO rank equivalent to a staff sergeant in the army, only recommend if your character has been in the military for at least five years straight.

Warrant Officer:- The most senior NCO rank, only use if your character as been in the service for 10 years straight and is in their 30s-40s.

Pilot Officer:- Lowest commissioned rank used and normally denotes an officer who has elected to join as a non-graduate direct entrant officer (aka non-university educated), graduate entries usually only spend a week at this rank after training before being promoted to Flying Officer. It is equivalent to a second lieutenant in the army.

Flying Officer:- Junior commissioned rank and is equivalent to a lieutenant in the army.

Flight Lieutenant:- Another junior commissioned rank and is equivalent to a captain in the army, this would be the highest rank that'll be accepted.

What If I Wanna Play A Chick Lolz?


So you want to play a female character, ok but remember that historically aside from within the Soviet Armed Forces and some resistance forces women didn't typically get to be in combat. If you still wish to play a female character then there are a few things to keep in mind.

*Your character would be part of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force which was formed on 28th June 1939, but WAAFs didn't normally play and Britain's women pilots flew non-combat roles as part of the Air Transport Auxiliary.

*From February 1940 it was not possible to join the WAAF directly as an officer.

*Also the WAAF's ranks were a bit different.

Aircraftwoman = Aircraftman, lowest enlisted rank and equal to a private in the army.
Leading Aircraftwoman = Leading Aircraftman, next rank up.
Corporal, same as the RAF and the army.
Sergeant, again same as the RAF and army.
Flight Sergeant, same as the normal RAF rank.
Warrant Officer, once again the same as the normal RAF rank.
Assistant Section Officer = Pilot Officer.
Section Officer = Flying Officer.
Flight Officer = Flight Lieutenant.

But I Don't Wanna be A Pilot/Part Of The RAF!

Then I suggest dropping The Tiger Kingdom a TG.

FAQ

Application:

Code: Select all

Name:
Age:
Rank:
Physical Description/Picture:
Country of Origin:
Flight/Flight Combat Experience (MANDATORY):
Ground Combat Experience:
Specialties (air or ground - communications, demolitions, disguises, languages, etc.):
Weapons of Choice:
RP Experience:
Personal History/Bio (more than one line please):

(I reserve the right to reject all applications based on reasons that may only be apparent to me. All rights reserved.)

Non-combat character app:

Code: Select all

Name:
Age:
Occupation:
Physical Description/Picture:
Country of Origin:
RP Experience:
Personal History/Bio (more than one line please):

Decoration request form:

Code: Select all

- Name of Nominator:
- Rank of Nominator:
- Name of Nominee
- Rank of Nominee:
- Decoration Deserved:
- Actions Meriting Said Decoration:

Promotion request form:

Code: Select all

Name of Promotion Nominee:
Current Rank of Nominee:
Rank to be Promoted to:
Justification for Promotion:


Excalibur Theme
(All credit to P. Hewson, D. Evans, A. Clayton, and L. Mullen Jr.)
Excalibur Alternate Theme
(All credit to J. Horner)

Excalibur Squadron Listings:

Red Flight:
Sword Leader/Sword 1: Flight Lieutenant Alexandra Noble - The American Tiger Kingdom - British
Sword 2: Flight Sergeant Park Jin Young - Yalos - Japanese/Russian/Korean
Sword 3: Flight Sergeant Hans Eriksfjord - Jamessonia - Norwegian
Sword 4: Flight Sergeant Jonah Mackenzie - Kassaran - South African
White Flight:
Sword 5: Flight Lieutenant Matthew Polanski - United Kingdom of Poland - Polish
Sword 6: Flying Officer Douglas Stanford - GOram - British
Sword 7: Staff Sergeant Aircrew Sebastian Smithington-Smythe - Kouralia - British
Sword 8: Flying Officer Joshua Zilorski - the balkens - Polish
Blue Flight:
Sword 9: Flight Lieutenant Benjamin Silva - "Nighthawk" - Len Hyet - American
Sword 10: Flying Officer Charles Fodder - Morrdh - British
Sword 11: Flight Sergeant Jimmy Thibodeaux - Grenartia - American
Sword 12: Flight Lieutenant Samantha Melody - Monfrox - American
Gold Flight
Sword 13:
Sword 14: Flying Officer James Abram - Kerblaekistan - American
Sword 15: Sergeant Adolf von Vegesack - Le Quebec - Swedish
Sword 16: Flying Officer Andrew Carter- Gibberan - American


Code for RAF Personnel File, courtesy of Two Jerseys

Squadron Allies
Corporal(WAAF) Kaya Waddock - Morrdh - Australian
Valérie Adèle Marchand - Two Jerseys - French
Captain Albert Higgins - Morrdh - British

2nd Lieutenant Jack Fisher - "Tex"- Shadyrya
Lieutenant Robin van Greevin - Felkland - Dutch
Lieutenant Byron Thivierge - Wolfmanne
Lieutenant Adrian Carrie - Nua Corda
Flying Officer Henry Tatouer - Makaivellia - American
Flying Officer H.J. Morgan - Boriem - Australian
Lieutenant Jack Stockholm - Wolfmanne - British
Flying Officer Tom Clayton - "Raven" - Tiltjuice - American
Lieutenant João Carlos Madeira - East Ormania - Brazilian
Flight Lieutenant Conor Byrne - Alversia - Irish
Lieutenant Oliver Vinter - Liriena - Argentine
Flight Sergeant Thomas Steele - Pragia - Australian
Flight Lieutenant Monroe Bray - "Rattler" - Lancearc - Irish
Flying Officer Matthias Hirsch - Britcan - German
Lieutenant Simon Keating - French Indochine - British
Major Johnathan Birch - French Indochine - British

Captain/Squadron Leader Robert Page - The American Tiger Kingdom - British
Flying Officer Geoffrey Talbot - Two Jerseys - British
Flight Lieutenant Pat Arnold- "Phoenix" - Calizorinstan - American
Flight Lieutenant Michael Zilorski - The Balkens - Polish
Lieutenant Adam Albert - Zeinbrad - Polish
2nd Lieutenant Jimmy Blanc - Kerblaekistan - American
Flight Lieutenant Aaron Cooper - Kerblaekistan - British

Lieutenant James McArvon - "Rampant" - Cosgravia
Isabelle Seigner - The American Tiger Kingdom - French

Konrad von Sporrenburg - The American Tiger Kingdom - German
Dietrich Zimmermann - The Balkens - German
Joshua Charles Benson - The Two Jerseys - British

Operations/Battles:

- Operation Lancer - September-October 1939: Success

- Operation Falkland - November 1939: Partial Success - Mission success due in part to German plans

- Operation Guillotine - June 1940: Ultimately a draw - mission was accomplished at the cost of one pilot dead and one captured, ultimately, target was not fully neutralized

- Operation Mordred - July-August 1940: Actual raid made moot due to enemy attack, enemies successfully turned back and SS raid neutralized

- Operation Cambyses - September-October 1940: Success

- Operation Taurus - November 12th-17th, 1940: Mission a complete failure - suspect enemy misinformation as main cause. Over 40% casualties sustained.

Affiliated Threads:

RAF Tempsford (IC RP): viewtopic.php?ns=1&f=31&t=216303

Backstories

- Forging the Sword, Part I - Vagabond Of The Western World - A young Lieutenant Robert Page arrives in a tramp steamer to join the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War.
- Forging the Sword, Part II - The Fly - Page opts to take a chance on a dangerous aircraft.
- Forging the Sword, Part III - Hammer to Fall - Page draws first blood against a Nationalist bomber group, and proves himself to the squadron.
- Forging the Sword, Part IV - Chain Lightning - A stormy battle over Jarama Valley claims the life of Page's wingman.
- Forging the Sword, Part V - Fireball - A milk-run mission turns into a slaughter Page only survives by the skin of his teeth.
- Forging the Sword, Part VI - Back in the Saddle - Page survives his crash, is rescued by a local band of Republican partisans, and is determined to continue the mission, even with his injuries paining him at every step.
- Forging the Sword, Part VII - No Prayer for the Dying - Embarking on a recon mission in a last-ditch attempt to find a way to destroy the Fascist forward headquarters, Page is confronted firsthand with the horror of war.
- Forging the Sword Part VIII - Cold As Ice - Page falls rather badly.
- Forging the Sword Part IX - Come Together - The plan to attack the Fascist headquarters is revealed.
- Forging the Sword Part X - Heading Out to the Highway - Page and Izzy hit the road.
- Forging the Sword, Part XI - Lady Double Dealer - The ambush is laid and sprung, with the Nationalists not seeing their fate until it's far, far too late.
- Forging the Sword, Part XII - Undercover of the Night - With the Fascist uniforms, the raid can finally begin.
- Forging the Sword, Part XIII - Shot In The Dark - The assault on the Fascist HQ kicks off swimmingly.
- Forging the Sword, Part XIV - Movin' On - The bandits get out of dodge, the Condor Legion asserts themselves, and Page thinks about his future.
- The Prisoner, Part I - Into the Void - Page's descent into hell begins.
- The Prisoner, Part II - Complete Control - Konrad chats with a friendly SS doktor about Page's future.
- The Prisoner, Part III - Fade to Black - The mind can only last so long under hellish conditions without breaking somewhere.
- The Prisoner, Part IV - Architecture of Aggression - Page gets a shock.
- The Prisoner, Part V - The Evil That Men Do - Konrad makes Page an offer.
- The Prisoner, Part VI - Born to Lose... - The situation's quickly slipping out of Konrad's fingers.
- The Prisoner, Part VII - ...Live to Win - Page reaches the end of the line.
- Hurts So Good - Knuckles get bloodied on the Illustrious.

- Over the Hills and Far Away - Alix gets sick of hanging around.

- War Machine Part I - Lightning Strikes - The beginning of the war is a bit of an anticlimax.
- War Machine Part II - Killing Ground - Konrad meets some like-minded fellows after taking the town of Sieradz.

- Bloodstained memories: the tale of Michael Zilorski part 1 - The bombing of Warsaw hits home for Michael.
- Bloodstained memories: the tale of Michael Zilorski part 2 - Michael embarks on a risky odyssey to escape his homeland.
- Bloodstained memories: the tale of Michael Zilorski part 3 - The odyssey continues - until a U-Boat sights down on Michael's boat.
- Bloodstained memories: the tale of Michael Zilorski part 4 - Michael washes up on the English shore.
- bloodstained memories part 5 - Michael is questioned as to his strange arrival on English shores.
- bloodstained memories part 6 - Michael makes a risky decision to re-enlist - this time with the RAF.
- Bloodstained memories part 7 - Michael departs once again for the war.
- Bloodstained memories part 8 - Michael's training commences.
- Bloodstained memories part 9 - Over Dunkirk, Michael cuts his teeth in combat with the RAF.

- Dietrichs deleted affair: part 1 - A dogfight doesn't go quite as planned for a German squadron.
- Dietrichs deleted affair: part 2 - Dietrich gets his feet held over the fire.
- Dietrichs deleted affair: part 3 - A train rendezvous goes pretty well for Dietrich.
- Dietrichs deleted affair: part 4 - Dietrich gets a reassigment.
- Dietrichs deleted affair: Twilight of the Gods - A bomber intercept over Mannheim gets emotional for Dietrich.
- dietrichs deleted affair part 3 - Dietrich gets offered a job.
- Vacation days: part 1 of 2 - Dietrich and Michael strike an unholy alliance.
- vacation days: part 2 of 2 - The raid goes on, and runs into some unwelcome competition from the East.
- Warriors and demons: interview 1 - Post-war, Michael gives an interview about his experiences with Excalibur.
- Warriors and demons: interview 2 - The interview continues.
- Warriors and demons: interview 4 - Dietrich is interviewed.
- A brighter future for a better life: part 1 of 3 - Michael has a rather severe difference of opinion with an SS veteran.
- a brighter future for a better life: part 2 of 3 - Michael enjoys domestic life.
- A brighter future for a better life: FINALE - Michael chafes a bit under SIS orders.
- a brighter future and a better life: part 3 of 3 - Micheal takes a bit of time to reflect, at the end of the day.
- Lightning strikes: part 1 -Michael meets a very nice girl...
- Lightning Strikes: part 2...and promptly gets rather close to her.
- Michael's Journal: 14-11-40 - Written before departing on Operation Taurus.
- Zilorski's Interrogation: part 1 - Michael gets the third degree.
- Zilorskis interogation 2/ dietrichs deleted affair: part 5 - Dietrich hits a sore spot.
- Revelations: a brother in arms - Michael visits family.

- To the end of all things: part 1 of 2 - Fate punches Joshua in the balls.

- Aerial Combat in Brazil - Pat's luck nearly runs out in a dogfight over the jungle.
- Welcome To the Jungle - Pat embarks on a dangerous night parachute raid in Brazil.
- Call of the Wild - Pat survives a deadly ambush.
- This Is Not A Drill - The most famous surprise attack in history lights a fire under Pat like nothing else.
- Hard Day's Work - Many years after WW2, Pat's squadron gives the NVA hell.
- Nostalgia Long after the war, Pat reminisces with his son.
- Storming the Gates of Hell: Part 1 - Pat joins the Raiders at Makin.
- Storming the Gates of Hell Part 2 - The caves of Saipan make for perfect ambush material for the Japanese, costing Pat's squad dearly.

- The Talbot Files, Part I: Somewhere in France with You - Talbot's recon flight over France goes badly wrong.
- The Talbot Files, Part II: Wish Me Luck as You Wave Me Goodbye - Talbot tells his side of the story in the aftermath of Part 1, and deals with the repercussions.
- The Talbot Files, Part III: The General's Fast Asleep - Talbot has a meeting with the ACM, and is extended a rather special offer.
- The Talbot Files, Part IV: Is That the Way to Treat a Sweetheart? - Talbot gets the news of his transfer, and deals with an unappreciated competitor.
- The Talbot Files, Part V: Who's Taking You Home Tonight? - Talbot takes the opportunity to unwind with some friends while off-duty.
- The Talbot Files, Part VI: The First Quarrel - Even recovering from his injuries in the aftermath of battle, Talbot manages to stir up some trouble in the infirmary.
- The Talbot Files, Part VII: Two Sleepy People - Talbot makes a friend while convalescing.
- The Talbot Files, Part VIII: Just a Few Angry Words - Talbot leaves the hospital in style.
- The Talbot Files, Part IX: It’s Home - Talbot has a bit of an unconventional homecoming.
- The Talbot Files, Part X: Wishing (Will Make It So) - Talbot has a night on the town, and gets to meet a rather famous singer.
- The Talbot Files, Part XI: Heart to Heart - Talbot and Vera realize that Ellie's paramour is an unforgivable cad.
- The Talbot Files, Part XII: It’s a Sin to Tell a Lie - After some investigation, Talbot suspects said cad may be quite a bit shadier than originally thought.
- The Talbot Files, Part XIII: Alone - Talbot's interrogation begins in earnest.
- The Talbot Files, Part XIV: We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, and Me) - The watery torture continues.
- The Enemy Within, Part I - Conspiracies are afoot in the heart of the city.
- The Enemy Within, Part II - The plot thickens in the Dorchester bar.

- Fleeting Memories of a Madman: Part One 'FIX SWORDS!' - Smythe is forced to make a change in management to hold the trench-line.

- Sabres In The Night, Part I - Charlie begins his training in the deadly art of night-fighting.
- Sabres In The Night, Part II - Charlie's first day of NF training commences, and he meets his new gunner.
- Sabres In The Night, Part III - Even before their first flight begins, Charlie and his observer Rankin are nearly at each others' throats.
- Sabres In The Night, Part IV - Charlie has his first midnight dogfight over Bromley.
- Sabres In The Night, Part V - A night ambush goes over like a lead balloon for Charlie.
- Sabres In The Night, Part VI - Charlie's safe after his crash...but for how long?
- Sabres In The Night, Part VII - Charlie enjoys the hospitality of the French Resistance.
- Sabres In The Night, Part VIII - The French Resistance creates an opening for Charlie to escape back to England.
- Setting Of The Sun, Part I - The creation of the state of Israel isn't exactly a calm process for Charlie.
- Setting Of The Sun, Part II- The Egyptians do a real number on Charlie's airfield.
- On A Wing And A Prayer, Part I - Charlie gets shanghai'd into a mysterious new mission.
- On A Wing And A Prayer, Part II - The mysterious new mission becomes slightly less mysterious.
- On A Wing And A Prayer, Part III - Charlie gets his briefing for the recon flight.
- On A Wing And A Prayer, Part IV - Charlie sets off on a very long flight.
- On A Wing And A Prayer, Part V - The Germans greet Charlie upon arrival.
- On A Wing And A Prayer, Part VI - Charlie has a bumpy landing.

- My Cold Dead Hands - Silva makes a daring escape.
- My Cold Dead Hands Part Two: In Shining Armor - Silva cleans house, and manages to save a fair senorita in the process.
- My Cold Dead Hands Part Three: Let Slip the Dogs of War - Silva turns out the lights on the Italians.
- My Cold Dead Hands Part Four: Though I walk in the Shadow of the Valley - Silva visits some old friends.

- Stanford's Story Part I - A hot air battle over Dunkirk serves as Stanford's baptism of fire.
- Stanford's Story Part II - Stanford receives grim news.
- Stanford's Story Part III - Stanford plays with a kill over Dunkirk.
- Stanford's Story Part IV - An attempt to get clearance for a solo Kraut hunt doesn't go as Stanford plans.
- Stanford's Story Part V - Adlertag is a bitter time for Stanford as well, as his home airfield is hit by a German bombing raid.
- Stanford's Story Part VI - Stanford gets the privilege of dogfighting with the current German Ace of Aces, Major Werner Molders, over London.
- Stanford's Story Part VII - Another massive air battle over England draws Stanford's 41 Squadron into the fight.
- Stanford's Story Part VIII - Stanford joins the "Big Wings" to fight the Luftwaffe's last main push to establish air superiority over England, and gets a transfer order in the aftermath.
- Stanford's Story: Reaping the Whirlwind: Part I - Doug has a change of scenery with the bomber boys at RAF Bywater, with a big raid in the works.
- Stanford's Story: Reaping the Whirlwind: Part II - Doug meets the Group Captain of his new squadron.
- Stanford's Story: Reaping the Whirlwind: Part III - The target gets picked for Doug's bomber team.
- Stanford's Story: Reaping the Whirlwind: Part IV - The checklist is checked.
- Stanford's Story: Reaping the Whirlwind: Part V - The night raid gets going.

- ...A Whole Different Story Part 1 - Gavin gets quite a family shock.

- Desert Thunder: Part 1 - Decades after the conclusion of WW2, Samantha's granddaughter Lucy gets ready for her own war in Iraq.

- Origins - Young Monroe and his cousin take things a little too far with a crop-duster.
- Unnamed Monroe Bray Story #002 - In 2005, Monroe reminisces with his grandson.

- Sortie to Hell, Part I - Bad Timing - James arrives in Spain.
- Sortie to Hell: Part II; Shadows of the Night - James is taken an unwilling guest of the OVRA.

- TVTropes Page

[The Tiger Kingdom]

Name: Robert John Page
Age: 25 at war's start, 27 as of January 1941
Rank: Captain in the Army, Squadron Leader in the RAF. Page gets dual commission because of the dual nature of the squadron, and that's the reason I'm sticking to as to why he has two ranks.
Physical Description/Picture:

Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Flight/Flight Combat Experience: Joined the RAF in 1933. Served in various fighter squadrons in England and at the RAF outpost in Shaibah, Iraq, participating in several peacekeeping actions with the forces stationed there. Temporarily resigned from RAF service in 1936, and then flew for the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War, with several confirmed kills against Nationalist air forces. At least one of these was confirmed to be a German Condor Legion ME-109. Returned to the RAF in late 1938.
Ground Combat Experience: Pre-service shooting experience. Some experience gained in peacekeeping operations in Iraq, with real experience gained during the Spanish Civil War, where, after being shot down in a bombing raid gone wrong over the Basque country, was rescued and promptly joined a local partisan group for several weeks before returning to his aerodrome. Interestingly, according to the scanty documentation available, upon learning that there were no replacement aircraft available, Page actually went AWOL from the unit and rejoined the partisan unit for several months. As a result of his service with them, Page is adept in numerous useful facets of ground combat, including survival skills, hand-to-hand combat expertise, urban combat experience, guerrilla-style combat experience, and small-scale leadership expertise.
Specialties: Group leader. Capable of speaking passable German, French, and Spanish.
Personal History/Bio (more than one line please):

Born in 1915 to a middle-class family in Dover, Robert's father was a British Army "foot-slogger" who, after a harrowing few months in the trenches of Northwestern France, managed to do the nearly-impossible - transfer to the new branch of the military, the Royal Flying Corps. He quickly learned, however, that flying wasn't all comfy beds, smart uniforms, and hell-bent-for-leather heroics: it was a bloody business, with a tremendous casualty rate for new pilots. He managed, however, to beat the odds once again, and return alive at the end of the war. He hadn't many kills to his name, but he was proud of the role he'd played. As Robert grew up, his father would occasionally regale him with stories from his flying days - sanitized and a bit whitewashed - and he was utterly absorbed. Pulp novels about the exploits of valiant RFC pilots only inflamed his interests further, and by his 18th birthday, he'd decided that he would aim to follow in his father's footsteps and join the Royal Air Force. This was a decision, admittedly, taken also for economic reasons - at least the military was a solid job in early '30s Britain, with the Depression hitting most industrial jobs hard.

He was commissioned in 1933, and found the RAF of the interwar years to be a sleepy institution, preoccupied mostly with fighting the other branches of the military for funding than for strategizing methods of aerial warfare. Even worse, most of the attention the RAF was giving to strategy seemed to be focused on the slow, heavy, much less dramatic Bomber Command, who insisted that war could be won in a day, if the enemy was subjected to a good hard bombing right out of the gate. Fighter pilots seemed to be a bit neglected. This wasn't helped by the fact that after writing several letters to high RAF generals and pro-defense Members of Parliament emphasizing the importance of Fighter Command, he was sent on a long tour of duty to RAF Shaibah - in the dusty and scalding deserts of Iraq.

Page made the best of things, regardless. Even if it was boring as hell in terms of amenities out in the hundreds of miles of bare desert, it gave him plenty of time to fly. For hours on end, day after day, Page took the rickety old fighters, abandoned by the rest of the RAF in this desert purgatory, and flew them as dangerously as he could for as long as he could. Sometimes, he'd be joined by a few of his outcast compatriots, but most of the time he was up there alone - learning the ropes by sheer practice and single-minded focus. He experimented with various types of aircraft (the Shaibah facility being something of a dumping ground), becoming proficient, and then superb. His diligence and rising skill did not go unnoticed. He saw little actual action, but he did participate in several peacekeeping operations in the area to discourage any Bedouin tribal warlords from making trouble for the populace, and took part in a raid to free ransom prisoners held by one of these warlords.

Upon his return to Britain in early 1936, Page was desperate for a way, any way, to get into some kind of action. The RAF seemed to be just as sleepy as it was when he left for Iraq a year prior, despite the fact that Hitler had torn up the Treaty of Versailles and Germany was openly rearming on a gigantic scale. In July of that year, war broke out in Spain, between the Republican government (backed by the Soviet Union) and the Nationalist rebels (backed by Italy and Germany). The Republican government was desperate for foreign aid and volunteers, and Flight Lieutenant Page jumped at the chance. He didn't re-enlist that year, and instead headed to Valencia, to join the aerial contingent of the International Brigades, fighting the fascists.

Page got the action he wanted and more in Spain - the International Brigades were in constant demand, as the Republican leadership thought them a more useful asset than their local militias. The equipment was Soviet-made, including the Republican fighter aircraft - a revolutionary new monoplane called the I-16. And with it, the Lieutenant finally got to go up in combat, battling Fascist bombers and occasionally fighters in the skies above Spain. He saw ground combat too - on a mission to destroy a Nationalist field headquarters in anticipation of a Republican offensive, Page's plane was shot down by heavy ground fire, and he had to bail out. He linked up with some Republican partisans who came to his rescue after seeing him shot down, and they continued the mission on foot, eventually succeeding in demolishing the headquarters. Upon his eventual return to Republican lines, Page was informed that there were no I-16s left to replace his crashed one - supplies were very thin. He continued fighting on with his new partisan friends for some time afterwards, eventually returning to Britain once the International Brigades were disbanded in mid-1938. The war ended with a Nationalist victory some months later.

Upon his return to the RAF, Page continued his campaigning for more attention to the fighter forces, and continued to excel to the point where in early 1939, the RAF Command agreed to promote him to the rank of Squadron Leader, despite his continued agitation. With war now on the horizon, it seemed now that more people were paying attention to him - and maybe soon, he'd have a fighter squadron of his own to command. When the war broke out, he was called up for a squadron command, but of quite a different nature than he had figured on...

Captain/Squadron Leader Robert Page is an excellent fighter pilot and an experienced commando. He will be a formidable foe for the Axis as leader of Excalibur Squadron.

[Cosgravia]

Name: James McArvon
Age: 28
Rank: Luitenant
Physical Description: dark brown hair, steel grey eyes, 5ft 10.
Country of Origin: Scotland, United Kingdom
Flight/Flight Combat Experience (good sources for experience could be the Spanish Civil War, maybe stunt pilot training, or simply previous Air Force experience): Joined RAF in 1932, left in 1937 at the behest of his family. Flew for the Natioanlists during the Spanish Civil War for 6 months before leaving for Britain. Scored 7 confirmed kills during time. Flew as a stunt pilot for a travelling circus for 8 months until rejoining the RAF in late 1938.
Ground Combat Experience (Highly recommended, but not entirely necessary - this can be trained): Led a guerilla mission to capture several Republican aircraft in 1937.
Specialties (air or ground - communications, demolitions, disguises, languages, etc.): Fully trained fighter and bomber pilot, with guerilla tactical knowledge. Speaks English, Spanish and German.
RP Experience (not necessary, but helpful) several war-type RPs, some sporting RP experience (unable to attach links)
Personal History/Bio (more than one line please):
James MacArvon was born in Edinburgh in 1911. From a very early age, he became very interested in airplanes, particularly war planes. His father was killed at the Second Battle of The Somme, causing him to fashion a sheer hatred of all things Germanic. After starting an engineering course at Glasgow University, James quickly left to join his heroes, the RAF. However, his mother was appaled at the course of his life, and demanded that he left. After doing so, James quickly ran away to Spain and joined the Nationalist air-force. He quickly felt at ease amongst these people, who appealed to his own feelings of Scottish Nationalism. However, after encountering the more extreme facist elements of the nationalists, James deserted and made it back to Britain. He joined his uncle's circus as a stunt pilot. In August 1938, James rejoined the RAF in anticipation of a chance to finlly taken on his sworn enemies: The Germans...

[The Tiger Kingdom]

Cosgravia is accepted.

[Tiltjuice]

Name: Tom Clayton
Age: 32
Rank: Flight Officer
Physical Description: 5'10", average build. Gray eyes, brown hair.
Country of Origin: United States
Flight/Flight Combat Experience: Barnstormer/crop duster from 1925 to 1936.
Ground Combat Experience (Highly recommended, but not entirely necessary - this can be trained): Experience with house-to-house urban combat in the Spanish Civil War, as part of an International Brigade.
Specialties (air or ground - communications, demolitions, disguises, languages, etc.): Speaks English and Spanish. No systematic, formal medical education, but crop dusting taught him the practical knowledge of various pesticides. Trained in demolitions during Spanish Civil War.
RP Experience (not necessary, but helpful): viewtopic.php?f=31&t=190236
Personal History/Bio (more than one line please):
Tom Clayton was born in Rock Hill, South Carolina, in 1907 and was educated through high school. In the midst of the Great Depression he found work where he could, training and working as a crop duster and barnstormer until the start of the Spanish Civil War. Seeing an opportunity to earn a real living, he fought on the side of the Republicans, and plans to continue the trend in the RAF. Friendly but reserved in social settings, and completely focused in combat situations.

Also, are there going to be German characters RPed, or just made up and encountered?

[The Tiger Kingdom]

Tiltjuice is accepted. As soon as we get a few more people, I'll start the Squadron roles and assign callsigns and such. Or we could do that IC, either way works.
As to the German characters thing... I think it would be cool to do, having actual people RP them, but I have no real idea how it would work with the rest of the plot. Maybe we can try it a bit later on when we've all got this ball rolling, but for right now, I think we'll just be encountering. Any sggestions for how it could work would be welcome, though.

[Tiltjuice]

Just noticed that Cosgravia's character and mine look similar. It was purely by coincidence, too. Maybe that could be used IC.

[Lancearc]

Name: Monroe Bray
Age: 23
Rank: Second Lieutenant
Physical Description: Caucasian with light orange hair, deep blue eyes, standing at 5' 7", with above-average muscle build.
Country of Origin: Ireland
Flight/Flight Combat Experience (good sources for experience could be the Spanish Civil War, maybe stunt pilot training, or simply previous Air Force experience): Trained with the RAF for a few years, picked up flying whilst growing up as his uncle was an airborne mail carrier
Ground Combat Experience (Highly recommended, but not entirely necessary - this can be trained): Has little experience dealing with the defense of an objective and was trained more extensively in proceeding through enemy territory and field tactics, going through a course dealing with procedures should a pilot be downed behind enemy lines.
Specialties (air or ground - communications, demolitions, disguises, languages, etc.): Well trained pilot with the RAF. Mostly trained in the Hurricane and Spitfire, though he can also pilot the Lancaster. On the ground, he was given advanced marksmanship and hand-to-hand courses
RP Experience: Here you are.
Personal History/Bio (more than one line please): Born in Dublin Ireland, Monroe was the son of a farmer. As such, the need for crop dusting got him interested in airplanes at a very young age. His uncle being an aerial courier also got him involved in the field of aviation, and by the time he was sixteen he'd made up his mind in deciding that he wanted to join the air force. He was picked on a bit during basic due to his nationality, though it was all in jest. He picked up the nickname "Mick" rather quickly due to this, and has come to accept it as something of a middle name almost.

[Kyska]

Name: John Hudson
Age: 22
Rank: Warrant Officer
Physical Description: Normal build, 6' 0", brown hair, green eyes, clean shaven
Country of Origin: England, UK
Flight/Flight Combat Experience (good sources for experience could be the Spanish Civil War, maybe stunt pilot training, or simply previous Air Force experience): Enlisted in 1935, flew for Republicans in Spain with a confirmed kill and three confirmed ground kills. Has been in the Air Force ever since.
Ground Combat Experience (Highly recommended, but not entirely necessary - this can be trained): Shot down, he and his wingman had to use stealth to find their way back to Republican lines.
Specialties (air or ground - communications, demolitions, disguises, languages, etc.): Speaks fluent German (along with English) and Italian, good at stealth and disguise. Trained in advanced fighter training.
RP Experience (not necessary, but helpful)

http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=188412 http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=188253

Personal History/Bio (more than one line please): Born in 1917 to a WWI soldier and his wife, John Daniel Hudson was the fourth of five children. He had three older brothers, one older sister, and one younger sister. John attended his local high school. When deciding whether or not to try to pursue a college education, John looked up to his brothers. Gerald, the oldest, had joined the Army. Henry, the second oldest, had joined the navy. And Robert, the third oldest, had joined the Marines. John had always kept a fascination with aeroplanes, so he joined the Air Corps. His service in the Spanish Civil War earned him a commendation and a promotion to flight Sergeant. His experience with the Corps led to his promotion to Warrant Officer. When receiving an offer to take part in the training of a new unit, he happily accepted.

[The Tiger Kingdom]

Monroe and John are in. We already got us a little UN going on: Scottish, English, American, Irish... Looking good so far.

[Carathon]

Since you have a entire Squadron of allied pilots, will Axis pilots be allowed?

[The Tiger Kingdom]

Since you have a entire Squadron of allied pilots, will Axis pilots be allowed?

If you mean pilots from Axis countries IN the squadron, they'll be allowed. If you mean RP'd pilots flying on the Axis side, I'm not sure. Like I said above, I just don't know how well it could be coordinated with the rest of the RP. If you've got ideas for how it could work, they'd be welcome.

[Carathon]

Since you have a entire Squadron of allied pilots, will Axis pilots be allowed?

If you mean pilots from Axis countries IN the squadron, they'll be allowed. If you mean RP'd pilots flying on the Axis side, I'm not sure. Like I said above, I just don't know how well it could be coordinated with the rest of the RP. If you've got ideas for how it could work, they'd be welcome.

I don't exactly see how it would be difficult having Axis Players simply dogfight the allied players. Surely NPCs would be a tad dull if you used them exclusively.

Though iif you really think it's a bad idea I won't inquire any further.

[Altito Asmoro]

Name: Abdullah Harakish
Age: 29
Rank: Major, recomissioned in the RAF as Lieutenant.
Physical Description: Tall, black hair, black eyes, scar on his left and right cheek.
Country of Origin: Saudi Arabia.
Flight/Flight Combat Experience (good sources for experience could be the Spanish Civil War, maybe stunt pilot training, or simply previous Air Force experience): Stunt pilot training in England, from 1925 to 1930
Ground Combat Experience (Highly recommended, but not entirely necessary - this can be trained): Joined the Iron Guard at Spanish Civil War, experienced at infiltrate enemy's defense and assassinate the enemy officers.
Specialties (air or ground - communications, demolitions, disguises, languages, etc.): Speak English, Arabs, Spanish, and a little Japanese, expert at sabotage, demolition, disguises, and marksmanship- trained by the NKVD and Iron Guard.
RP Experience (not necessary, but helpful): viewtopic.php?f=31&t=187618
Personal History/Bio (more than one line please): Born on 1910 and from the royal family, Abdullah ran way from home, refused to become the leader of Saudi Arabia. On January 1939, he signed a deal with the Saudi Arabia Kingdom, in exchange for his freedom as a non-royal famiy member, he must joined RAF as a foreign volunteer and defeat the Germans.

[The Tiger Kingdom]

If you mean pilots from Axis countries IN the squadron, they'll be allowed. If you mean RP'd pilots flying on the Axis side, I'm not sure. Like I said above, I just don't know how well it could be coordinated with the rest of the RP. If you've got ideas for how it could work, they'd be welcome.

I don't exactly see how it would be difficult having Axis Players simply dogfight the allied players. Surely NPCs would be a tad dull if you used them exclusively.

Though iif you really think it's a bad idea I won't inquire any further.

Do you mean they'd be RP'd as continuous characters with as much RP time as the Allied squadron, or just as recurring dudes that show up and mess with our plans? I was more envisioning the former as something that might not work, but if people are more comfy with the latter, that would work fine. You could even have an Allied and an Axis character, if they wanted. I'm fine with it.
Also guys, I've already got plans ready for our first mission, codenamed Operation Lancer! Hopefully we'll get 8-12 signups for the squadron before the IC thread goes up.

[Lancearc]

I don't exactly see how it would be difficult having Axis Players simply dogfight the allied players. Surely NPCs would be a tad dull if you used them exclusively.

Though iif you really think it's a bad idea I won't inquire any further.

Do you mean they'd be RP'd as continuous characters with as much RP time as the Allied squadron, or just as recurring dudes that show up and mess with our plans? I was more envisioning the former as something that might not work, but if people are more comfy with the latter, that would work fine. You could even have an Allied and an Axis character, if they wanted. I'm fine with it.
Also guys, I've already got plans ready for our first mission, codenamed Operation Lancer! Hopefully we'll get 8-12 signups for the squadron before the IC thread goes up.

So, what aircraft will the squadron be using? Whatever they're comfortable with? Or will there be a uniform plane?

[Carathon]

I don't exactly see how it would be difficult having Axis Players simply dogfight the allied players. Surely NPCs would be a tad dull if you used them exclusively.

Though iif you really think it's a bad idea I won't inquire any further.

Do you mean they'd be RP'd as continuous characters with as much RP time as the Allied squadron, or just as recurring dudes that show up and mess with our plans? I was more envisioning the former as something that might not work, but if people are more comfy with the latter, that would work fine. You could even have an Allied and an Axis character, if they wanted. I'm fine with it.
Also guys, I've already got plans ready for our first mission, codenamed Operation Lancer! Hopefully we'll get 8-12 signups for the squadron before the IC thread goes up.

I would prefer the former, this being a roleplay. But I wouldn't mind rping a faceless mook for the latter.

[Ouearotion]

Name: Gregorias Hensin
Age: 28
Rank: Sergeant
Physical Description: He is a tan man towering at 6'2 and weighing about 163 lbs. He has some peach fuzz and his hair is buzzed.
Country of Origin: Greece
Flight/Flight Combat Experience (good sources for experience could be the Spanish Civil War, maybe stunt pilot training, or simply previous Air Force experience): Was once apart of the Greek Airforce meaning that he had already went to flight school.
Ground Combat Experience (Highly recommended, but not entirely necessary - this can be trained): Basic gun and hand to hand combat skills.
Specialties (air or ground - communications, demolitions, disguises, languages, etc.): Air, and languages.
RP Experience: Dawn of Man
Personal History/Bio (more than one line please): Gregorias was born to a middle class family in the country of Greece. When he had turned 18 he had gone to flight school and trained in the art of the aircraft for about five years. At 23 he was assigned as a co-pilot for the Greek army causing him to have flown into many different countries. Now at 28, Gregorias hopes to join Excalibur and continues his days in the sky.

[The Tiger Kingdom]

Do you mean they'd be RP'd as continuous characters with as much RP time as the Allied squadron, or just as recurring dudes that show up and mess with our plans? I was more envisioning the former as something that might not work, but if people are more comfy with the latter, that would work fine. You could even have an Allied and an Axis character, if they wanted. I'm fine with it.
Also guys, I've already got plans ready for our first mission, codenamed Operation Lancer! Hopefully we'll get 8-12 signups for the squadron before the IC thread goes up.

I would prefer the former, this being a roleplay. But I wouldn't mind rping a faceless mook for the latter.

Well, I suppose we can give the former a try, at least for a while, and see how it works. Upon reflection, I think it could be pretty cool if it did work, so I'm willing to give it a shot. Go ahead and submit a German app, if you want.

[The Tiger Kingdom]

Sergeant Gregorias Hensin and Abdullah Harakish are both in, however, Abdullah can't be a Major, as that means he would outrank the squadron leader. Maybe it could be a situation where he was a Major in the Royal Saudi Air Force, and could be recommissioned as a Lieutenant in the RAF?

[Ouearotion]

How many more members do we need in the squad

[The Tiger Kingdom]

How many more members do we need in the squad

Ideally, I'd like 12, as that's the traditional squadron size. We could get started with the operation with around 10 or so, however.

[Lancearc]

Heh. Excalibur squadron. Sword as the callsign.

How very clevah.

[The Tiger Kingdom]

Heh. Excalibur squadron. Sword as the callsign.

How very clevah.

Seemed a logical fit.

[Carathon]

Name: Heinz Müller
Age: Twenty Seven
Rank: Oberleutnant ( 1st Lt )
Physical Description: charming boyish face. Slicked raven black hair and emerald irises. Slightly above average build and an height of 5'12.
Country of Origin: Germany
Flight/Flight Combat Experience (good sources for experience could be the Spanish Civil War, maybe stunt pilot training, or simply previous Air Force experience): Served in the Condor Legion late 1937-1938, during the spanish civil war. Four confirmed aerial victories with his early model Bf 109. Two confirmed victories during the september campaign.
Ground Combat Experience (Highly recommended, but not entirely necessary - this can be trained): Heinz was trained in basic survival techniques should he ever be shot down. He also practices gun slingling when ever he is on leave. He isn't nearly as good at it as a regular trooper is or someone specially trained to fight on the ground.
Specialties (air or ground - communications, demolitions, disguises, languages, etc.): Heinz is rather fluent in English. He is also experienced in flying fighters and occasionally dive bombers.
RP Experience: None revelant.

Biography: Born in Berlin 1917. His father was a Aeroengineer, having a slight role in designing and improving warplanes. He passed a loving of planes on to his son. After the war Germany fell into a sorry state. Rampant inflation and a weak government. During the often bouts of joblessness and boredom his father and mother began to teach him English. His father had English language books from the days of when he was ordered to dismantle and study captuired Entente planes. Of course the entire family had a malice for the British commonwealths and Americans as they percived the Entente forced this on them with the treaty of Versailles. Simply put there was nothing better to do.

Then Hitler appeared. He echanted the German peoples with his frenized speeches and Charisma. Heinz's father believed Hitler was playing up a anti jew positon to gain favor with the numerous anti semtics and nothing would could come of it. Soon Hitler became Chancellor. He quicky deposed of poor President Hindenburg and declared himself Fuhrer. Hitler expanded the Wehrmacht and began to restore the German people's " pride ." With the prospect of having a stable job doing what he liked, he joined the Luftwaffe and volunteered for service in Spain. Hitler anexed Austria and Czech. By that point most German people, Heinz included would follow their " Glorious Fuhrer " into hell and back. Atleast in the beginning...