The South Pacific is warm and sunny, and the pilots of VF-2 are working hard preparing for their next combat mission: the support of the Operation Watchtower landings at Guadalcanal. On a clear day near Fiji the USS Lake Erie prepares to take on four new aircraft as a flight of F4F-4 Wildcats arrive as reinforcements for VF-2. As the four planes touch down on the deck and shut down the new pilots clamber down to meet their new squadron mates who wait nearby.

A very short interlude today to cover the four new pilots VF-2 will be receiving before we embark on the next combat segment of the campaign. Without further ado:

Ens. Archie Marsh
Average Pilot
‘Obnoxious’ Personality
‘Wealth’ Motivation
‘Average Joe’ Background
Archie Marsh is going to make it big. How you ask? He’ll tell you, and he wont stop telling you. Archie always has an angle and he’s out to make big money and fast. However his singular obsession makes him a bit of an annoyance around the ready room…

Ens. Anthony Stewart
Average Pilot
‘Cheery’ Personality
‘Engineering’ Motivation
‘Privileged’ Background
Anthony Stewart is here for the machines. He comes from an engineering family and his father is a professor at M.I.T. The Bostonian took to the skies because he was fascinated with the engineering and technical side of flying. His cheery demeanor makes him easy to work with. Charge and Anthony quickly hit it off as friends with their good attitudes and shared interests.

Ens. Owen Murphy
Average Pilot
‘Haughty’ Personality
‘Position’ Motivation
‘Average Joe’ Background
Owen Murphy is a Naval Academy graduate with a chip on his shoulder. In a class full of privileged and multi-generational peers Murphy perceived a lot of slights against him because of his background as a Nebraskan farmer. He’s out to make his name known and be a “somebody”, and he knows he can achieve it because he knows he is clearly superior to those around him.

Ens. Gunnar Shaw
Rookie Pilot
‘Speed Demon’ Skill
‘Mercurial’ Personality
‘Hedonism’ Motivation
‘Average Joe’ Background
Another Texan for the squadron, Gunnar Shaw grew up assisting his father in bootlegging during prohibition. He got a taste for fast cars and a hedonistic lifestyle over the years. Seeing planes fly overhead he knew he wanted to go faster, and was keen to add fighting to his love of speed. With that Shaw found his way into Naval Aviation where he was a natural fit for the cockpit of a fighter plane.

These new members mean an organizational mix up is in order within VF-2. The experienced pilots need to get spread around between the now three flights. Dan took it upon himself to take his new hedonistic friend Gunnar, along with Priest and Bastard to make his own little flight of some of the more, er, independent and hard charging pilots. He christened it Dan’s Devils and they are becoming a rowdy bunch of hard drinkers when off duty…

Flight One
Leader-Evan Richards- Veteran
Casey Palmer- Average
Mike Charge- Average
Anthony Stewart- Average

Flight Two
Leader- Ben Wilson- Junior Ace
Owen Murphy- Average
Calvin Digty- Average
Archie Marsh- Average

Flight Three: Dan’s Devils
Leader- Dan Fletcher- Junior Ace
Dick “Bastard” Blanchard- Average (Flies as Veteran)
Vincent Priest
Gunnar Shaw

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