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.

My next project and adding to a past project

I currently have a few Gaul units as part of my Carthaginian army, and I have decided that my next project will be to add to them so that I can field a full Gaul army. I am continuing with the four-base unit style (48 miniatures per unit) as I like how they look on the tabletop. So ordered some more HaT Gauls, which arrived a couple of weeks ago. I also have Gaul cavalry due in this week. The infantry figures have all been washed, and I will soon be giving them their first coat of PVA glue as part of the priming process before painting.

I am continuing to use 4 bases for my heavy infantry and cavalry in my Punic War armies. Skirmishers are 2 bases.

Some of the recent arrivals.

Before finishing the Gauls, I will have to make some MDF storage trays so I can store them properly. I currently use plastic office containers, but there is not enough free space in them and they do not make the best use of the shelf space. 

Current storage approach for my Punic War armies.

With the custom made containers I am planning to make this weekend, I am hoping to get more figures stored in the same area. My collection is beginning to outgrow the room, and I am reluctant to store any of the models elsewhere. They will just end up getting forgotten!

First off the painting table this week, though, were some Star Wars Legion models. An early Christmas present from my son, who is away over the Christmas holidays. They join my steadily growing Star Wars collection. I thought this project was done, but it will soon grow even further. Yesterday I purchased another core set, which will double my Stormtroopers and add a couple much needed speeder bikes, while the Rebels gain another AT-ST walker and more troops.

Not a great photograph of the recently complete Imperial Dark Troopers for my Star Wars Legion collection.

On the tabletop at the moment is a WWII scenario I am trying out. If it works out, I will hopefully post about it.

B&W view of a WW2 game.

New game, models, and book purchases

This week, a few purchases arrived. Some were planned, while others were more spontaneous and others opportune. One of the planned purchases came about from a call with my son, who suggested we should both start collecting the Star Wars Legion game and play some wargames. Since he’s not interested in historical gaming, I figured, why not give it a try? The game is new to me, but after watching some YouTube tutorial videos, it seemed like an interesting game. I decided on the original core starter set, as it has miniatures from the Star Wars films the I remember, while my son opted for a Clone Wars starter set.

A planned purchase.

So far, I have painted a couple of test figures. I’m aiming for a clean and crisp look without using washes or dry brushing. A final gloss finish helps to conceal any of my painting mistakes.

A few test miniatures painted.

My impulse purchase was from the local hobby shop. A M7 Priest to add to my WWII collection. The kit includes two models with the option to build one as a Kangaroo. I’ve already assembled and painted one as Priest and hope to get them on the tabletop soon.  

An impulse buy.

One completed Priest

For now, I need to finish a French and Indian War game that is underway as part of a tree campaign I have started. I plan to write it up once things are less busy on the home front.

Early stages of the FIW game.

I finally get to use the Sloop for a landing in the game.

Finally, I picked up two second-hand books from a retailer here in New Zealand, saving on international shipping which seem to add so much to the cost nowadays. I had been searching for a reasonably priced copy of “Renaissance Armies” by George Gush for a while, so when it popped up, I quickly grabbed it (well clicked and added it to the cart). I saw they also had “Featherstone’s Complete Wargaming” at a good price too and decided to get it after reading a review on the Lone Warrior site (here). The book feels like one big magazine, filled with various articles and perfect for picking up, reading a bit, and putting back down.

Latest books to add to the collection.

A new book and playing around with rules

Currently, I have my 20mm WWII collection set up on the tabletop as I am testing out some rule changes for combat and activation mechanics. A few photos from one of the test games below.

On the subject of rules, I recently picked up “The Fundamentals of Tabletop Miniatures Game Design - A Designer’s Handbook” by Glenn Ford and Mike Hutchinson. The book arrived the day before Christmas and I am treating it as a present to myself.

A recent purchase

Rather than reading it cover-to-cover I am dipping into different chapters to read about specific design aspects that catch my interest or areas where I’m seeking ideas. The book has 235 pages and is organised into three main sections:

• Miniatures as Medium
• Raw Materials
• Miniature Rule Systems

Each section contains multiple chapters that discuss various elements of game design along with their advantages and disadvantages. Examples of games using the discussed mechanics are often provided. At the end of each chapter, there’s a helpful summary along with suggested experiments to try out with the rules. The chapters are listed below and give an idea of what is covered:

Section 1 Miniatures as Medium.

• What Are Tabletop Miniatures Games?
• A Brief History of Miniatures Games.
• The Spatial Relationship.
• When Should Something Be a Miniatures Game?
• The Hobby Games Loop.
• Players of Tabletop Miniatures Games.
• Sources of Fun.
• The Victory Imperative.
• Fantasy and Narrative.
• Dramatic Focus. 

Section 2 The Raw Materials.

• Miniatures and Measures.
• Scale and Scope.
• Uncertainty.
• Dice Mechanics.
• Card Mechanics.
• Genre, Theme and Setting.
• Resources.

Section 3 Miniatures Rules Systems.

• Setup and Deployment.
• Activation and Initiative.
• Movement.
• Close Resolution.
• Line of Sight and Ranged Actions.
• Terrain.
• Control Removal.
• Damage.
• Victory Conditions.
• Special Abilities.
• Scenarios.
• Campaigns.
• Forces and List Building.
• Conclusion.

I have probably dipped into a third of the chapters so far. I have found them all easy to read and clearly written, averaging 8-10 pagers per chapter.

The authors of the book also have a YouTube channel where they have quite a list of videos where they discuss many of the topics covered above (https://www.youtube.com/@RuleofCarnage). I find I generally listen to them while painting.

WW2 Battle Report Using an Operation Warboard Scenario

This World War II game report is inspired by the scenario Pont-de-la-Croix from Gavin Lyall's "Operation Warboard" book. There have been some modifications to the forces compared to the book's scenario. 

The rules used in this game are a set of draft rules I've been experimenting and tinkering with for the past few weeks. They are briefly covered here, but there have been recent changes to include scatter dice for artillery and armour can be immobilised, which all sounds a bit old school.

Allied infantry approaching the bridge come under artillery fire.

In this game scenario, a reduced German force defends the village Pont-de-la-Croix against the advancing Allies. The Allies' objective is to secure both the bridge and the town if feasible. While the Germans, if unable to halt the Allied progress, aim to inflict sufficient damage to the advancing Allied force to delay their march forward.

One of my favourite book covers

A photo from the book of the scenario in progress.

There are a few wooded areas on the tabletop and have used green wool to show the wood boundaries, a method I am trying instead of using green felt to mark the area (see post here). 

A view of the tabletop.

The German setup on the tabletop features artillery support placed behind the town’s church. They've deployed two companies: one company defends the southern town area and nearby hedges, supported by an assigned AT gun, the second infantry company holds the right side of the town and a small wooded area. West of the river, a pillbox stands as the sole German presence. Positioned on the north road from the town are a platoon of Panzer IVs.

The German positions.

The Allied force is on the move from the western side of the river, advancing towards the town. The river, which is fordable, requires a full move to cross from one bank to the other. Flanking the advance are two tank platoons, each accompanied by infantry companies. Simultaneously, a mechanised infantry company progresses along the road, while mortars are positioned behind the woods as support.

Allies preparing to advance.

The battle begins slowly as the Allies push forward, their tank platoons flanking each side accompanied by infantry support. The mechanised infantry in carriers cautiously move down the road towards the bridge, when they get a rude welcome from a defending pillbox. Swiftly dismounting, they look for cover amidst hedges and nearby woods. 

With the pillbox's position exposed, the southern tank platoon swiftly swing to their left and targeted it. Momentum is halted as the mechanised company and tanks focus their fire on the pillbox. Things quickly heat up with the arrival of a German anti-tank gun which immobilises one of the Sherman tanks. The tanks divert their fire, dealing with the new threat. After some intense exchanges, the German gun falls silent, but both Shermans are immobilised from the damage they sustained. Despite this setback, they continue their bombarding the pillbox to aid the infantry.

The Allied left flank moves into positions in the woods.

The pillbox is engaged while a German AT gun prepares to open fire.

As the assault on the pillbox rages, on the opposite side of the road, the Allies have advanced into the woods and their tanks have reached the river's edge. As they move cautiously out of the woods to cross the river, gunfire erupts from the small woods, this is quickly followed by artillery barrages. Realising the urgency, the tanks forge across the river while infantry return German fire, successfully suppressing and then eliminating the German infantry in the woods.

With the tanks now on the far side of the river, two Panzer IVs emerge and engaged the Shermans. The tank duel commences on equal footing, initially favouring the Germans as one Sherman sustained severe damage but persists in returning fire.

The Allies advance to ford the river.

German tanks appear.

Amidst the ongoing tank battle where both sides have knocked out tanks. A crucial turning point emerges as the pillbox was finally knocked out, enabling the infantry to push forward toward the bridge and village. As the momentum of the battle shifts unfavourably, and with two advancing Allied infantry companies closing in on the town, the Germans choose to retreat.

An evenly matched battle.

Finally the pillbox is knocked out.

Infantry advance to secure the bridge.

Both forces met their victory conditions: the Germans successfully causing significant damage to the attack while the Allies secured both the bridge and the village. The pillbox posed a considerable challenge for a while, yet once knocked out, the Germans found their options restricted. They chose to withdraw, understanding that the Allies would halt their advance, awaiting the arrival of fresh tanks before resuming it.

Immobilised tank markers (update)

While writing and testing some simple WW2 rules inspired by Featherstone, Grant, and other sources over the past few weeks (see recent posts). I have decided to include immobilised tanks in the rules. To indicate a tank is in an immobilised state, I opted for a visual marker using a thrown track as a suitable representation. 

The tank in the foreground is immobilised - marked by a thrown tank.

I found the easiest and fastest way to create a thrown track marker was using felt and add some drawn lines with a permanent marker. I might look at some other materials for this purpose in the future.

The plain cut felt on the left and marked up on the right with a permanent marker.

UPDATE

I have tried some brown corduroy material which seems to work better for the tracks.

Brown corduroy material seems to work better.

I will probably dry brush some sand colour paint onto the corduroy.

Buttons replace playing cards

In my recent WW2 games I have been using playing cards to determine the sequence of units shooting. they are first placed face down during the movement phase, then flipped over later in the shooting phase. While effective, they do add a level of clutter to the tabletop and spoil the general appearance. I was considering buying some smaller playing cards, but then I recalled reading in John Sandars' book "An Introduction to Wargaming," where he used buttons with numbers for his wargame activations.

My original approach of using playing cards to determine the order units shoot.

Buttons, featuring a raised edge, allow for identification by touch when drawing them unseen from a bag, ensuring they are placed with the numbered side facedown. After sifting through my wife's button collection, I found sufficient identical and suitably coloured buttons, onto which I glued bits of circular cut paper on the raised side before numbering them.

I was able to find 12 identical grey-green buttons to be used as counters.

All the buttons have a raised edge, allowed for identification by touch when pulling them from the bag, ensuring they are placed with the numbered side facedown.

A piece of paper is cut and stuck to the side of the button with the raised edge. Once dry these are numbered.

The buttons are significantly smaller than the playing cards and are far less obvious when placed on the tabletop. Their grey-green colour is unobtrusive until they're flipped over to indicate the shooting order of units.

Buttons placed by units that are able to shoot.

The buttons are revealed to show the order of unit shooting.

As an alternative to using a bag from which to draw buttons, I place the buttons facedown and gently swirl them on a flat surface to shuffle and randomise their order. Then, I pick them as needed during the game.

A hasty defence - a WW2 battle report

This battle report is of a game to test some WW2 rules (see the previous post for full details). In summary, combat possibilities are categorised as poor, average, or good. A D6 to hit roll of 6+ is required for poor odds, 5+ for average, and 4+ for good opportunities. The advantages and disadvantages are tallied up. If there are more advantages than disadvantages, it's a good combat opportunity. If it's the reverse, it's poor. When they balance each other out, it's considered an average opportunity. 

During the movement phase, any unit that stays still or moves less than half of its designated movement allowance can engage in combat. Units permitted to shoot are assigned a face-down playing card beside them during the movement phase. In the combat phase the card's are revealed and determine the shooting order of units.

Scenario - A Hasty Defence

Background

In the autumn of 1944, amidst the sweeping retreat of German forces through Northern France. A small rear guard was hastily assembled, their mission to defend the crucial bridges and impede the advancing Allies relentlessly chasing them.

Order of Battle 

German forces:

• 105mm artillery and Forward Observation Officer (FOO)
• Company of two platoons with 75mm AT gun
• Company of two platoons
• Stug III

British forces:

• Mortar and FOO
• Tank troop (Sherman and Firefly)
• Tank troop (two Shermans)
• Company of three platoons
• Company of three platoons with 6 Pdr. AT gun
• Mechanised company of three platoons

Battle Report

Two British companies advanced along the roads with both tank troops in the centre, while a mechanised company manoeuvres behind a wooded hill in the southern flank. Their progress, however, is faced with an immediate disruption when one of the Shermans comes to an abrupt stop, struck by an anti-tank round from the northern farm. Simultaneously, the German Forward Observation Officer (FOO) stationed in the central wood directed artillery fire, inflicting casualties on the advancing infantry. The southern flank fares no better, the lead platoon of the mechanised infantry company encounters heavy fire from the farm, resulting in it being put out of action and its vehicles ablaze amidst the chaos.

An overview of the tabletop in the opening turns of the game. The units and their bases are circled.

An early setback for the flanking mechanised infantry company.

The British continue to press forward, focusing their advance on the centre and targeting the Stug III, which erupts, and begins to billow oily smoke. Yet, their initial triumph was swiftly dampened as another of their tanks was disabled, accompanied by heavy losses to the northernmost platoon. The German Forward Observation Officer is seen hastily withdrawing as the British infantry advanced toward their position in the central wood.

The British press forward with their attack towards the northern farm and bridge.

The loss of the Stug III was a set back for the defending Germans, but they were inflicting casualties of the attacking British infantry and tanks.

A veteran crew manning the German AT gun target the two remaining Sherman tanks which become engulfed in flames, and the infantry company make a hasty retreat from the scene. The northern assault which had looked promising, falters and fails. However, the southern advance proves to be more fruitful. The mechanised company pushes on with mortar support guided by their FOO and successfully seizes control of the southern farm and secures a river crossing.

The advance on the north bridge and nearby farm are called off with heavy losses.

Success for the flanking mechanised infantry who capture the southern bridge. Support from their mortars was critical to their success.

With one bridge now in British hands, the remaining German units withdrew. However, the success of gaining a crossing point came at a steep cost for the advancing British forces, necessitating a pause as they await reinforcements before resuming their march forward.

Rule Amendments

The draft rules provided a quick and enjoyable game. Potential enhancements for the next game I am thinking about are to give an advantage when the shooter is within close range (4 inches) of the target.

Additionally, other additions I aim to incorporate are rules for smoke deployment and minefields.