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.