My best online "duel" took place in the skies of Lybia, on UK_dedicated_3 server (no external views). Sadly, I can't remember my opponent's name.
That day there were few people on the server, so I was patrolling the coast alone, in my Bf-109F4.
When i reached the delta of the river I headed south, at about 3000m, hoping to jump some unaware low-flying fighterbombers. Instead I spotted a lonely fighter approaching from my 1 o'clock, at about the same altitude; as we got closer, the silouhette revealed it as a Spitfire.
I took a quick glance all around, and didn't see anybody else nearby. This was going to be a dear old one-on-one. The way I like it! 8)
We flew past each other at high speed, none of us scoring hits in the first pass, the Spit banking immediately to turn after me. And I started turning after him, too, performing a moderate high yo-yo: my fuel level was only 40%, and I wanted him to lose airspeed while trying to catch my tail, then I would have taken advantage of superior climb rate.
Instead, to my surprise, we completed the turn simultaneously, meeting head-on again. Then again. We kept on turning tight, taking the chance for a snap shot every time we passed by, but none of us had caused significant damages so far.
At the 4th or 5th pass, luck turned to my side. I managed to pull enough lead before shooting, and saw impacts on the nose of the Spit. Thick black smoke started pouring from its exhausts, but he refused to go down, and continued playing our turning game. We made a few more passes without further results.
Then his engine begun to feel my shots, as he was no longer able to keep following my high yo-yos, and started spiraling down slightly. So I looped and dove after him, already tasting the kill. This is where I made my mistake.
As I was coming in fast, he still had enough power to try and evade my attack. I expected him to stall so, instead of boom'n'zooming, I foolishly attempted to follow his maneuver. But he wasn't done yet. Just when I was about to fire, he thightened his turn so hard that he went over my head, then inverted and came down on me with all guns blazing. I was hit from spinner to rudder! :OO My canopy became swiss cheese, crosshair and gauges exploded, sight tinted red with blood, and dark oil filled my windshield. Now I was trailing dense smoke too.
My engine squeaked and sputtered, crying its pain, but it wasn't dead yet. I still had control, but my wounded pilot was now unable to fight. Could I make it back over friendly territory? I looked back: no way... the smoking Spit was there, completing the turn to come back and finish me off. As I stared at it coming from my 4 o'clock, aligning for the shot, I knew I was doomed.
But, hey... his propeller! It was slowing down, his engine had just stopped running! I still had a chance!
In a desperate last struggle I opened full throttle, asking for every remaining HP from my agonizing Daimler-Benz, while hanging to the stick to break as tight as my wounds would allow. Come on, PULL ME OUT! At the same time the Spit opened fire. He emptied his guns after me, trying to follow my turn as long as possible before stalling. A torrent of tracers zipped past my tail, frighteningly close. Had my plane been 1 meter longer, I would have been torn apart.
But it worked. Finally the bullets stream ended, and the Spit stalled. I saw him entering a spin, recovering, and then gliding back towards his base. It was over.
I had no intention to follow him. My plane had already given me everything it could. In fact, I barely managed to reach Axis lines before my engine died. While I was gliding down, shortly before belly landing, I was credited the kill. But I knew that only meant I had remained in the air one minute longer than my opponent.
Actually, I consider that a draw. And, man, I wish every draw was so thrilling!
hock: Me and my crew manage to shoot down 5 of the Bf 110s and heavily damaged another 2, but not with casualties of our own... My rear machine gunner lay dead, as did both my dorcel gunners, my top machine gunner was heavily wounded and out of ammo, co-pilot dead, ball turret gunner dead. front machine gunner wounded, navigator heavily wounded. Pilot heavily wounded.
:wink: 
