Dogfight over the Tagrus River part1

With Operation Scimitar ongoing Imperial high command decided to keep air pressure up all along the front to prevent Stygian forces from sending additional air support where Operation Scimitar was unfolding.  Combat air patrols were stepped up and along the Tagrus River Imperial Thunderbolts of the 11 night interceptor squadron engaged a force of Stygian aircraft.

Strike leader Krell powered his hellblade up and raced along the Tagrus river his wingman matched him and a glance told him the other two fighters were moving at speed below him to his left.  The Helltalons would be trailing them as the fighters swept forward.  it was a routine air patrol and intelligence had Imperial forces fording the Tagrus in places.  Krell and his fighters would race up the river first spotting any crossing and then the bombers would come in and unload on any imperials found to be crossing.  Suddenly his lidar squealed as four contacts emerged from the north.  The vox suddenly burst to life as krell increased to full combat speed and suddenly imperial thunderbolt fighters appeared.

Krell flicked a switch putting his guns to live and watched a single thunderbolt break ahead of the others heading straight towards him and his wingman.  krell sneered in his cockpit.  Obviously he was up against a rookie to overeager and full of himself to stay in formation and come in hard as a group.  he brought the hud sights into line then fired a long burst, far longer than normal eating through half his ammo.  Thunderbolts were frightfully resilient to damage and took a lot of killing.  he watched as his rounds tore apart the cockpit of the imperial fighter and ruptured the fuel tanks.  The thunderbolt went down in flames before slamming into the ground as a burning wreck.  There was no chute.

Krell flipped his fighter around trying to get on the tail of a second thunderbolt as it whipped by only to find his prey avoid the target lock by diving low.  The sky was filled with maneuvering aircraft as a full blown furball erupted over the Tagrus river.  Krell hear Davorik the commander of the two hell talons curse over the vox as he barely avoided a midair collision.

An Imperial thunderbolt swung around opened up on serpent three.  A hail of fire slammed into the hellblade blowing it apart and sending it's burning wreckage down along the river bank.

Serpent Four at once opened fire to avenge his wingman's death.  Reaper autocannon shots reached out towards the thunderbolt which rolled once avoiding the fire before resuming it's intercept course.

In mere seconds two aircraft were down burning along the banks of the Tagrus river as both sides began to maneuver into what was quickly turning into a confused bloody dogfight.
Special thanks goes out to Jake Holte for all his help with this battle report  The thunderbolts are his and he can be seen below.