Magasin de Presse

We're about to head back home so, as usual, I've been to the local newsagent to pick up some French military magazines. This time there was only one that I thought worth buying, the current edition of Los!, which has some good articles on the Kanalkampf phase of the Battle of Britain and French pre-dreadnought armoured cruisers, amongst other things. The latter has got me thinking about the French pre-dreadnought fleet I have ready for painting but also the WW1 French models from Tumbling Dice for the Get the Goeben! project, which I didn't get round to assembling during the holidays. I'm definitely doing something naval next and either of these would be good fun to focus on next month.

Summer Naval Project Options

I've now wrapped up the Jasta 18 Algernon Pulls It Off! project, apart from play testing and some background blurb, so will be moving on to something new when I get back home at the weekend. I haven't decided what this will be but it will either be naval or land based as a change from aerial wargaming. At the moment, it's possibly going to be my Napoleonic Spanish fleet in 1/2400th scale, which I have wanted to assemble and paint this year, or possibly something naval for the First World War, for which I have several options.

Jasta 18 Scenario Play Test Wrap Up

I finished playtesting 'Run the Gauntlet' this afternoon. This lasted another two turns, which was a bit of a surprise. One DH9 got away early, escaping on the MOVE card as it was out of formation, the tailing Fokker DVII deciding to break off.

The rest of the DH9 formation was hammered by successive close range attacks as it tried to fly the last few hexes off the table. One DH9 crew were forced out of formation then pounced upon by two Jasta 18 fighters. 

The observer was killed and pilot wounded, then the bomber suffered a total loss of control and went into a spin. Luckily recovering at the first attempt, the unfortunate pilot was then shot dead by one of the Jasta 18 stragglers, who just happened to arrive at the right time to take the bomber head on. 

Meanwhile, the formation left the table with four DH9 bombers largely unscathed, with only minor or light structural damage. The Jasta 18 Kette headed for home to some unhappy ground crew, who had to do quite a lot of patching and rigging, thanks to the damage caused by the RAF rear gunners.

No.104 Squadron - 4 VP 

Jasta 18 - 2 VP

Good game...I won't be making any changes but will have another play test using the optional deployment rules, which allow the Germans to enter on a blind or as individual aircraft from randomly generated directions.

Incidentally, in the historical action the outcome was exactly the same, although the crew that was shot down was different.

That's it for play testing at the moment, as I only have a couple of days of holiday time left before we head back home. I have five more scenarios to test run for the Jasta 18 - Raben's Ravens - project but those will have to wait a few weeks until half term, when I'm going to give them a go. 

Run the Gauntlet Scenario Play Test

I play tested the 'Run the Gauntlet' scenario yesterday but didn't quite finish it, as the table was needed for dinner. It ran pretty much to the end and there's probably only one more turn to complete the game. So far, it's gone really well and close to the historical outcome, with one DH9 separated from the formation and being tailed, while the rest of the bomber flight are being chased by the Jasta 18 scouts. There have been a lot of gun jams, a spin and some critical damage, but it's looking like No.104 Squadron will make a getaway. Good fun and I'll aim to play out the last turn or two later today.

As I don't have any DH9 models I've used DH4's instead. I haven't been able to find any DH9's in either 1/600th or 1/300th scale, so I may have a crack at converting the Tumbling Dice DH4 into something that looks not too far off. In the meantime, I'm waiting for Paul to add the additional models to the WW1 range...might be a while?

Flaming Sausages Scenario Play Test

 

I play tested the 'Flaming Sausages' scenario today and it all went very well. The balloon was blown up after two attacks, the first causing the gas bag to puncture and the second resulting in an explosion, so fairly decisive after only four turns. The 'Archie' turned out to be pretty ineffective, so I've changed the set up to allow it to fire right up to the balloon itself, rather than having a three hex 'no fire zone'. Apart from that it's good to go. 

Flaming Sausages Scenario Tweaks

I was setting up the 'Flaming Sausages' scenario yesterday, after a very busy weekend that prevented any play testing, when I realised that it needed a couple of tweaks. I've now changed the 'Archie' zone to a twelve hex square measured from the central balloon hex, to avoid any sneaking round the edges by the attackers. The three hex defensive zone around the balloon itself remains as it was originally placed, as that's they way that the balloon defences reacts when under attack. I'll see how it works later today.

Magnetic Magic

I popped into the local supermarket yesterday and was browsing the seasonal display section when I spotted these. I've been looking for magnetic tape for ages, having run out of my stash bought from Poundland years ago, so I'm dead chuffed to find these at only three euros a roll. I use this stuff for magnet basing my 1/2400th and 1/3000th scale ships but it's also great for basing other things, each strip being 19mm wide. Excellent!

Lieutenant Hanning Saves The Day

No.59 Squadron RE8 crew

Hans Muller and his damaged Pfalz DIIIa

I did a bit more online research about the action of 27th March 1918, in which Ltn.d.R.Hans Müller shot down at RE8 and, in return, was shot down himself. I was hoping that he was flying one of Jasta 18's few remaining Pfalz DIIIa scouts, but it turns out he was in an Albatros DVa. This is a bit of a bugger but the story is really interesting nonetheless.

The RE8 (B7722) was from No.59 Squadron and crewed by pilot 2nd Lt.Christian and observer Lt.Hanning, RFC. They were on a low level flight near Graincourt at around 6.15am, when they were intercepted by Müller and forced down. Müller ended up crashing in No Man's Land but all three airmen survived, with the future Jasta 18 ace making it back to the German front lines.

Lt.Hanning received the Military Cross for this action, his citation providing some valuable detail, even though the date is incorrect:

On 28th March 1918, while on patrol with 2nd Lieutenant Christian as pilot, he endeavoured to shoot down a hostile balloon over Miraumont. His machine was at once attacked by a hostile scout, and after firing 90 rounds his gun jammed. 

Although wounded in the leg by an explosive bullet, he rectified the trouble, and was about to fit a new drum on the gun when a bullet hit it and destroyed it.

The enemy aircraft then dived underneath the tail, did a climbing turn, and again attacked. Lieutenant Hanning again repaired his gun and fired a long burst into the enemy scout. The enemy pilot collapsed in his seat and his machine spun to the ground. 

The controls of Lieutenant Hanning's machine were, by this time, so damaged that his pilot could not fly it. He, however, fitted the dual control and succeeded in bringing the machine back to our lines and landing it. 

By his courage and determination, though wounded, Lieutenant Hanning undoubtedly saved the life of his pilot.

There's still some scope for a scenario here but I'll have to devise a new twist to keep it interesting and different from my existing RE8 based scenario.

Jasta 18 Pfalz DIIIa Scenario?

 

One scenario that I wanted to write for the Jasta 18 - 'Raben's Ravens' - project was a game involving the Pfalz DIIIa scout, with which the unit was equipped between February and May / June 1918. before being reequipped with the Fokker DVII. These operated alongside the Alabtros DVa but only in small numbers with at least one painted in the Red and White scheme adopted after March 1918, when Jasta 18 swapped over with Jasta 15 and came under command of Ltn.d.R.August Raben.

Unfortunately, I was unable to narrow down a specific dogfight involving a Pfalz, although the ace Ltn.D.R.Hans Müller definitely flew one in action as late as April 1918 alternating with an Albatros DVa. He shot down an RE8 probably of No.59 Squadron on 27th March, but was then shot down himself, not scoring again until May 4th, when flying an Albatros he shot down a Sopwith Camel - the 'Digger Dogfight' scenario that I play tested this week. The last potential action, a dogfight on 22nd May 1918 over Estaires in which he shot down a SPAD XIII, is another of my scenarios - Baer's Really Bad Day - when he definitely flew an Albatros.

This leaves just his third victory over the RE8 on 27th March as one in which he would have flown the Pfalz DIIIa, assuming he also flew sorties in April when he returned to active duty after being shot down. I have already written a similar scenario - 'Cat and Mouse' - which means that I really need to invent a counter factual but realistic alternative, unless I make it fundamentally different in some way. However, the timeframe of late March to early May does have potential for further investigation, especially if I can find out who shot him down on the 27th March, so I'm going to see what I can come up with.

Flaming Sausages Play Test

The next play test game for the Jasta 18 scenario project - Raben's Ravens - is the solo balloon busting scenario set in August 1918. This only has a six card deck, so turns will be fast and the action hopefully seat of your pants. The scenario allows for several attempts at shooting down the observation balloon but until I try it out I have no idea if it will work? Either way, it will be fun to find out if Offz.Str.Kuhne can pull it off this time round? Raben's Raus!

I Ain't Been Shot Mum

The other set of rules I'm thinking of using with the Plastic Soldier Company figures and vehicles is I Ain't Been Shot Mum. This was my top option for the Breakout into Brittany project but I'm now also considering it for the 5th DCLI in Normandy and beyond. 

The box sets of British infantry and heavy weapons I've just acquired are enough for a full company in IABSM, unlike my Peter Pig figures, so it makes a lot of sense, especially if I speed paint the hundred or so figures required. I can then add the support units as I go along. 

The only issue is the need to paint up the opposition, but I have enough plastic Battlefront German figures, guns and vehicles to make this feasible. I'll take a look at the rule book and do some number crunching but this could be a nice summer project this year, if I get myself organized?

Digger Dogfight Play Test Part Two

 

I played the last four turns of the Digger Dogfight scenario today and it went really well, in fact with a bit of a bang. To cut a long story short, here's the roll call at the end of Turn Ten.

Jasta 18

Ltn.d.R. Muller - engine problems resulted in him leaving the fight and crash landing on the German side of the lines (I screwed up his spin...so decided this was a feasible alternative).

Vfzw.Kuhne - down in flames

Ltn.Mendel - exploded in mid air.

Ltn.Baier - minor structural damage but got back to the Jasta 18's airstrip.

Ltn d.R. Schultz - also got back with structural damage but it was a close run thing.

No.4 Squadron

Lt.Weingarth - spins in and crashes.

Lt.Nowland - exploded in mid air.

Lt.Rintoul - new underwear but makes it back (his Camel is now U/S due to over stressed wings).

Lt.Wright - claims one E/A shot down.

Major McCloughry - claimed one E/A shot down. Top bloke!

This resulted in a well deserved victory for the Diggers! 

The only thing I'll change is the suggested time, which I'll bump up to two hours, assuming there are two or more players. It took me longer to play as I was running it solo and making notes along the way. I am also going to amend the Fire Factors on the aircraft record sheets in line with the original rules but with twin observer guns rated as FF 4 not FF 3. which seems more realistic.

Good fun!

Fire Factors in Algernon Pulls It Off!

One thing I noticed in my play test game yesterday, at least compared to Bag the Hun, is the feeble fire power which makes it difficult to score any significant damage. Using the revised fire factors in the expanded lists, I started out with only three dice, adding a handful for range and positioning, so few that an opposing saving roll often wiped out any potential hits. This made it extremely tough for the attacker, even when tailing at close range, although my terrible dice rolling also had an impact. 

To remedy this, at least in part, I'm going to go back to using the fire factors in the original aircraft lists from the rules. These give a fire factor of two for each gun, so that a Sopwith Camel has a factor of four instead of three, for example. It's not much of an increment but enough to make a difference. I'm also going to give rear gunners with twin mounts a fire factor of four, instead of three, as I don't see the logic in a reduced rate of fire even though the number of guns is effectively doubled.

This minor tweak should give attackers a slightly better starting point when rolling for hits, countering the defensive dice roll of the target, which can be quite high if the target aircraft is very manoeuvrable. A more radical approach would be to double the fire factors in the supplemental aircraft lists, to give a fire factor of between four and six dice in most cases, but I'll leave that as a last resort if switching to the original fire factors doesn't cut the mustard.

Digger Dogfight Play Test Part One

I played the first six turns of the Digger Dogfight scenario this afternoon, with four more turns to go tomorrow. It was a bit slow to start with, as I was running it solo and making notes as I went along, but it picked up pace as the card deck was whittled down. I also had some terrible dice rolls so swapped out red dice for blue ones half way through, which weirdly made all the difference.

As it stands, Jasta 18 have lost two pilots and No 4 Squadron have lost one, but there's still plenty to play for and it's far from game over. I'm going to up the fire factors in future games, using the original aircraft stats in the rules, as I think the ones I'm using are too weak, but other than that, the scenario is working out to be spot on. 

I'll wrap it up tomorrow.

Rapid Fire 5th Battalion DCLI Reboot

I've been thinking about rebooting my very old Rapid Fire project from fifteen or more years ago, a late war British force representing the 5th Battalion Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. This was originally a 20mm or 1/72nd scale project using Valiant Miniatures and Ready to Roll vehicles, but it fizzled out and the stuff I had painted went to eBay. I've dug out my old notes and this was what I had sorted back in the day:

This requires the following:

1 x HQ (7 figures)

4 x Infantry Companies (32 figures)

1 x Support Company (9 figures)

1 x FO team (2 figures)

There are four carriers plus a six pounder and mortar to equip the battalion as well, but I've decided to leave the attached 8th Middlesex Vickers platoon out of the painting schedule for the moment.

Finally, for armour support I will add a squadron of the Sherwood Foresters or the 4/7th Dragoon Guards, both of which will be equipped with a Firefly and two Shermans. 

This time round I'll be using Rapid Fire Reloaded and the Plastic Soldier Company 15mm figures and vehicles, some of which I already have, but with the infantry and heavy weapons being a new outlay. I do have some Peter Pig figures I could use but I'm saving those for other things. 

The other option will be to build opposing US 29th Infantry Division and Fallschirmjager battalions for the campaign in Brittany. This is a really interesting campaign and I have the Plastic Soldier Company Fallschirmjager figures already, as well as plenty of armour for the Americans. I'll just need to add the US infantry figures, for which the Flames of War range is the best option, the PSC figures being a bit rubbish. 

This is all a long way off but no harm in planning and preparing the ground for a later time.

Betrand du Guesclin

We stopped off in Dinan the other day for a coffee and had a quick walk around the town, which is very nice indeed. In the central square there's a rather imposing statue of Betrand du Guesclin, commemorating a duel that he fought and won during the siege of Rennes in 1356-57, when his forces were based in Dinan. We didn't have time to take a look at the town's fourteenth century defences, which are largely intact and quite impressive, so we'll definitely be going back. 

Digger Dogfight Play Test

I've been getting the stuff ready for play testing the first 'Raben's Ravens' scenario - Digger Dogfight - which is set in May 1918 and involves a clash between Sopwith Camels of 'A' Flight, No.4 Squadron AFC and a kette of Albatros DVa scouts of Jasta 18. This is a fairly straightforward dogfight lasting ten turns, evenly matched and with no complicated rules to juggle with, so I'm not expecting to have too many issues, although you never know!

Holiday Reading

I read this book years ago but have brought it with me for the holidays to brush up on aerial warfare in the First World War. As with most of the books by Norman Franks, it's an easy read but very well written and packed full of useful, well researched and accurate details. I'm really going to enjoy reading this over the next few days. I'm also going to play test some of the Jasta 18 scenarios for Algernon Pulls It Off!, using my 1/600th scale models, card decks and draft scenario briefings. 

Rapid Fire Reloaded Revisited

An old wargaming friend of mine has been doing some rather splendid things for Rapid Fire Reloaded lately, building opposing late war British and German forces in 20mm, the conventional scale for the rules. I already have a copy of the rulebook, together with previous editions, and a long time ago even had most of a British company almost completed. That went to eBay years ago but I'm now thinking of a reboot in either 15mm or 12mm, so have ordered some of the new rules supplements to see if I can work out options for a future project, once again focussed on the 5th Battalion of the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry in Normandy, or the Breakout into Brittany project which was originally for ISBSM back in the day.

Holiday WW1 Naval Project

I'm off on holiday for two weeks and have packed some 1/2400th WW1 warships to assemble and base. These include the models for Coronel and the Falklands, together with the French warships for Get the Goeben!. I'm not sure if I'll get them all sorted but it will be an enjoyable way to spend the time in the evenings. 

Moorland Scale Model Decals

 

I've discovered a range of superb decals for First and Second World War aircraft in 1/285th - 1/300th scale, from a company called Moorland Scale Model Decals here in the UK. These are resized from individual decal sets in larger scales, so have excellent detail and accuracy. The only downside is that the sheets are not based around specific RFC Squadrons or Jagdstaffel but are for individual pilots, with an emphasis on well-known aces like Billy Bishop or Carl Degelow, for example. I'm thinking of asking Geoff to design some for Jasta 18 but will hang on for the moment and see if Dan Arute at Flight Deck Decals can design a whole sheet of insignia, as he is my 'go to' for decals. They do look fabulous though, and I'm sorely tempted to order the SE5a sheet just for kicks!

https://moorlandscalemodeldecals.co.uk/285th-300th-scale-sets/

Books for the 'Black Flight' Scenario Project

One of the great things about wargaming is that it gives you an excuse to collect and read books. I already have a good collection of reference material for the Algernon Pulls It Off! 'Black Flight' scenario project, but there were some specific gaps, so I've filled them with a couple of new books to supplement the existing ones. I was lucky to get a copy of the No.10 Squadron book, which is otherwise really expensive, for a bargain price on eBay, so this will form the core of my reading and note making, with the ubiquitous but very good Sorry titles to flesh out more of the details. I may take this lot on holiday for some leisurely reading but will start on the scenario writing later on after the break.