Battle of Britain Campaign - Game 3 a solo game

This week has provided more hobby time, allowing me to play the third game in my Battle of Britain campaign, covering the period from 22 July to 28 July 1940.

The games are being played using the Blood Red Skies rules from the Airfix Battle of Britain Boxed Set, with some additional rules for bomber operations. Details of the campaign system can be found here.

Lots of twisting and turning as the RAF fighters try and avoid the fighter escort and target the bomber.

The dice determined that this week’s Luftwaffe mission would be a raid against RAF airfields. For the mission the Germans were fielding:

• 1 × Dornier 17
• 1 × Messerschmitt 110
• 3 × Messerschmitt 109s (Note: I made an error and only pulled out 2 Messerschmitt 109s and did not realise until the end of the game. I guess one had engine trouble and had to turn back early.)

Under the original campaign rules this scenario called for four 109s, but I decided to mix things up by replacing one of the Messerschmitt 109's with a 110. It is still early in the campaign and the Luftwaffe were continuing to employ the twin-engined fighters in support of their bombers.

The mission selected was to bomb the airfields.

Normally the RAF would be able to deploy two barrage balloons in defence of their airfields. However, following the successful bombing raid on London in the previous campaign week, one balloon and associated flak had been diverted to strengthen the capital’s defences.

The weather was improving, with clearing skies leaving only a single cloud over the battlefield. Moving to intercept the incoming raid the RAF force consisted of:

• 2 x Hurricanes
• 2 x Spitfires

All fighters begin the game at a medium altitude, while the Dornier 17 was approaching at a lower altitude.

The Luftwaffe formation was led by an Ace pilot, with all the remaining German pilots rated with a regular skill levels. During the early stages of the campaign, the Luftwaffe are receiving a plus 1 to their pilot skill rolls. This reflects their greater combat experience at this point in the campaign. The RAF force was more of a mixed group. Having lost a Sortie mission in the previous two weeks, the RAF subtract 1 from all their pilot skill rolls. The RAF force was led by a veteran pilot supported by two regulars and one novice pilot.

The start of the game.

Battle Report

The RAF intercepting force sighted the incoming Luftwaffe formation as it was crossing the coast, the Dornier 17 pressing steadily onwards beneath its fighter escort. Almost immediately the Spitfires clashed with the escorting Messerschmitt 109s in a fast-moving aerial melee. The Spitfire pilots twisting clear of the attacks and escaped without serious damage. They then headed towards the bomber.

The Messerschmitt 109s attack the Spitfires.

Meanwhile, the Hurricanes used the cloud to slip by the Messerschmitt 110, emerging to get a bead on the Dornier. Tracer flashed across the bomber’s path, but the attack caused no visible damage. The Spitfires soon joined the attack. Sweeping in behind the bomber, they found their range. A burst struck home and moments later a thin trail of smoke could be seen streaming from one of the Dornier’s engines. It seemed like the bomber might be finished, but the damage was minor and it continued on with its mission.

The Hurricanes emerge from the cloud.

The Messerschmitts 109's having swung around, returned at precisely the right moment. Attacking fighters before another pass could be made. The novice Spitfire pilot was caught in their sights and was sent spiralling down out of the fight.

A Spitfire is shot down.

The Hurricanes now found themselves hard-pressed, dodging both the pursuing Messerschmitt 110 and the returning Messerschmitt 109s and they struggled to line up the bomber for another attack. The Dornier continued to fly on towards its target.

Just as it appeared the German bomber might escape, the ground defences struck. As the bomber flew past the barrage balloons protecting the airfield, the flak gunners found their mark. Bursts exploded around the Dornier and, within moments, the aircraft was hit and began an increasingly steep dive towards the ground.

The Dornier 17 is shot down.

With their bomber destroyed, the Luftwaffe fighters broke off the engagement and turned for home.

It had been a close-run affair, but in the end a useful victory for the RAF.

Summary

With one RAF fighter already shot down, it looked as though the Dornier might successfully slip through  and reach its target. The remaining RAF aircraft would have managed another one or two attack runs, but   further engagement with the escorting Messerschmitts could easily have resulted in additional losses and forced them to break off entirely.

The successful flak hit proved to be a dramatic and unexpected turn of events. In fact, I almost forgot to roll the solitary flak die at all. Thinking I had better make the roll anyway, I did so with little expectation of any result.

The campaign map and tracker is updated.

So, at Turn 3 of the 17 turn campaign, the Luftwaffe remain on a single victory point, earned from their successful bombing raid on London. Looking ahead to the next turn, the situation is improving for the RAF, as they will no longer suffer the minus 1 penalty for pilot skill dice rolls. Given how important pilot skill is to aircraft activation and combat effectiveness, this could prove a significant boost to their fortunes.

Finishing a few left over English Civil War miniatures

A rather delayed and short post this week, Things have been rather busy around the home the last week or two, leaving limited time for painting and wargaming activities. With the time that was available, I decided to paint up a small unit of commanded shot and an officer for my English Civil War forces. These figures had been lying around for quite a while and, for one reason or another, always seemed to get pushed to the back of the painting queue.

Commanded Shot and Officer. The figures are a combination of Hinchliffe and Minifigs.

Additionally, I painted up some barrels that I had spotted at the local model shop last year, intending to use them as out-of-ammunition markers to replace the cardboard ones I currently use. Although having now painted them I find I still quite like the old cardboard markers. I guess I can now choose the type of marker that is to my liking at the time.

Cardboard barrel counters showing out-of-ammunition.

Wooden Barrels Kit.

All the barrels painted up. Not all the barrels are suitable as some are just too big, but I painted them up anyway as they will get used as smaller terrain in and around buildings.

The new out-of-ammunition barrel.

All being well this coming week, I will be able to return to painting my Zulu forces and also get a couple of games played for my Battle of Britain campaign using the Blood Red Skies rules.

Battle of Britain Campaign - Turn 2 and a remote game

The dice were rolled for Turn Two (15 July to 21 July) of my Battle of Britain campaign to determine the Luftwaffe’s next mission. (For details of the campaign system, click Planning an Air Campaign.) A roll of 3 resulted in a Bombing Raid on London scenario. This game would be played remotely against Jon from Palouse Wargaming Journal.

The campaign missions for the Luftwaffe.

The forces Involved:

Luftwaffe

• 1 × Heinkel 111
• 1 × Dornier 17
• 3 × Messerschmitt 109s

RAF

• 2 × Hurricanes
• 2 × Spitfires

In addition, the RAF would deploy two Barrage Balloons with Flak.

The game used the Blood Red Skies (BRS) rules from Airfix's Battle of Britain Boxed Set. The major difference is I have added the rules for bombers and the game does not use trait cards as per Warlord Games' rules. I have additionally adapted the rules for play on a hex grid. For remote gaming, I find a grid so much easier as it simplifies movement and positioning during play.

Jon would command the Luftwaffe, while I would take the role of the RAF defenders.

Scenario Setup

The scenario was prepared at the start of the remote session.

Weather - A dice roll of 2 produced Overcast conditions, resulting in three clouds being placed on the tabletop. Clouds were deployed alternately by the players, beginning with the Luftwaffe.

Defences - The RAF player then positioned two barrage balloons and Flak defences to protect the target area.

Pilot Skill - Pilot experience was then determined. The Luftwaffe continued to benefit from their early-campaign veteran advantage. Jon’s force consisted of:

• 1 Ace
• 2 Veterans
• 1 Regular pilot

The RAF, meanwhile, suffered a penalty to skill rolls following their defeat in the opening Sortie mission. Despite this setback, my RAF roster included:

• 1 Ace
• 2 Regular pilots
• 1 Novice

Deployment -  The Luftwaffe deployed first, entering along the table edge opposite the target zone, which was located in the centre of the far table edge. The RAF then deployed anywhere within their half of the table in preparation to intercept the bombers.

Altitude - Finally, each aircraft’s starting altitude state was determined as:

• Advantaged
• Neutral
• Disadvantaged

Under the rules, bomber aircraft could never begin or gain an advantaged altitude. They just plod along in a straight line to the target.

With all preparations complete, the scenario began.

Game Report

The RAF patrol sighted the approaching Luftwaffe formation well before it reached the coast. Even as the bombers were identified, the British pilots were searching the skies above for the escort fighters that were certain to accompany them. Sure enough, the Messerschmitts were spotted higher up, ready to protect their bombers.

The RAF fighters opened their throttles and climbed hard to intercept. In response, the German fighters surged forward while the bombers, a Dornier 17 and Heinkel 111 laden with bombs for London and the docks pressed steadily onward towards their target.

RAF fighters climb to intercept and the escort fighters surge forward.

The Messerschmitts swept in fast and aggressively, machine-guns blazing, and the RAF pilots were forced to weave and turn sharply to avoid the incoming fire. They used the cloud cover and the tighter turning circle of their fighters to evade the worst of the attack.

The Messerschmitts engage the RAF fighters.

The British pilots broke through towards the bombers. As they swung in behind them, the Hurricanes and Spitfires began making attack runs against the enemy bombers, knowing time was short before the escort fighters returned. Short bursts of fire stitched across the bombers’ fuselages. Some damage was inflicted, and both German bombers were forced to lose altitude under the attack. Yet neither bomber was seriously damaged. The RAF pilots began glancing nervously over their shoulders for the inevitable return of the Messerschmitts.

Spitfires and Hurricanes make attack runs against the bombers.

The Luftwaffe fighters were soon diving back into the fray, forcing the British aircraft into evasive twists and turns. Even so, the RAF pilots did their best to press home their attacks on the bombers whenever the chance presented itself.

The bombers were proving to be difficult targets, and before critical damage could be inflicted, the Messerschmitt pilots struck decisively. Two RAF fighters were shot down in rapid succession, their aircraft falling away from the battle. Now outnumbered and with little prospect of stopping the raid, the surviving RAF fighters were forced to break off the engagement and turn for home.

German fighters are able to down two RAF fighters.

With the skies cleared of opposition, the German bombers continued towards London, now facing only the London's barrage balloons and flak batteries defending the capital.

Summary

Pilot skill is an important factor in the BRS game rules, influencing initiative, shooting accuracy, and ability to dodge hits. While Jon may have had better skilled pilots, the turning ability of the Spitfires and Hurricanes evened things up. Allowing my fighters to avoid the initial rush of the Messerschmitts with only minimal damage.

The RAF pilots were able to work their way onto the tails of the German bombers. Unfortunately, their shooting failed to make the most of the opportunity. Jon’s Messerschmitts regrouped from their first attack run and returned to the fight. This combined with the defensive fire from the bombers, disrupted my attack and inflicted sufficient damage to drive the RAF fighters off.

Bombers in formation.

The game took about an hour to complete. This included scenario setup such as determining pilot skill, altitude states, and weather conditions.

As the rules are still new to both of us, particularly for Jon, and with me having only played a handful of games, we occasionally had to stop to confirm certain rules which did slow the pace of the game at the start. 

Compared to our previous remote game, which began with only a single aircraft per side before later introducing an extra aircraft each, the larger forces in this scenario made for a far more challenging game. The activation system which is based on altitude and pilot skill creates some interesting tactical decision-making.

After the game, our discussion turned to whether the rules might also work for First World War air combat. As it happens, Jon has some WWI aircraft, along with a sizeable collection of kits still waiting to be built. I had previously come across a fan-made WWI adaptation in the "Blood Red Skies Ready Room" Facebook Group, so I downloaded a copy and sent it through to Jon the following day. No pressure, of course.

Updated campaign map and tracker.

A change of painting subject

I have been painting Zulus for a few weeks now, 240 completed so far, and felt it was time for a change of subject. 

The 1:72 scale plastic Zulus completed so far.

The perfect excuse arrived with a postal delivery of some Star Wars Legion models I had spotted on sale. Some Wookiees and B2 Battle Droids were quickly painted up and added to my growing Star Wars collection, adding a bit more variety of units in my skirmish games.

Battle droids.

Wookiees.

While I had my Star Wars figures out, I decided to upgrade the Emperor model. It is a nice enough model, but it looks like an old man rather than a truly menacing figure, even when accompanied by his bodyguard. To give him a bit more menace, I decided to try and add some bolts of crackling energy coming from his raised hand.

My current model of the Emperor lacks menace.

Adding his body guard helps increase the level of menace.

This was done by bending some wire into shape, coating it with glue, and sprinkling sand over it for texture. Once dry, I sealed it with a second layer of glue before painting it in successive layers of mid-blue, light blue, and white to try and create an energy effect. A small hole was drilled into the Emperor’s raised hand, allowing the wire to slot neatly in place. This means the energy effect can be added or removed as needed.

"Luke, turn to the dark side!"

It can be removed when not needed.

Later this week I have a remote Blood Red Skies game scheduled which will be part of my Battle of Britain campaign.