Dastardly Dogfight Challenge

DOGFIGHT CHALLENGE

Here's the challenge for the Algernon Pulls It Off! group for  next month which I'm hoping will get a few games underway.

THE MISSION - Play a game of Algy using the dastardly dogfight mission generator system (TM) set out here:

1. Choose your aircraft models - any will do as long as they are a historical match. Single seater scouts are ideal but you can also deploy two seaters if you wish e.g. Brisfits.

2. Roll 1D6+1  for each side to generate the number of aircraft for each flight or Kette.

The Squadron, Escadrille or Jasta is up to you. If you want to randomly generate a number, just roll a D6 and a D4 and use the result to assign a number to your unit e.g. D6 = 2, D4 = 3, Squadron = 23 or 32 or 3+2 = 5.

3. Roll 1D10+1  on the pilot generation table (4.2)  for a pilot for each aircraft (11 = 0)

Roll once on the Captain or Hauptmann table, up to twice on the Lieutenant or Oberleutnant table and assign any remaining pilots using the Second Lieutenant or Leutnant table.

A maximum of one Ace is permitted per side (re-roll if necessary). Assign pilots to aircraft and select a Flight leader (highest ranking pilot).

Pilot names are up to you!

4. Roll 1D10  to determine starting Altitude for each Flight or Kette  (for early aircraft roll 1D6). If the result exceeds aircraft performance, set starting Altitude at the aircraft's maximum ceiling.

5. Roll 1D6 to determine entry point:

German 1-2 N.E. / 3-4 E. / 5-6 S.E.

Allied 1-2 N.W. / 3-4 W. / 5-6 S.W.

6. Roll 1D6 to determine sun position:

1 = E / 2 = S.E. / 3-4 = S. / 5 = S.W. /  6 = W.

7. Victory Conditions - the objective is to shoot down or force off half of the enemy aircraft (rounding up) after which the defeated flight or Kette must evade via their own long table edge, East for the Germans, West for the Allies.

If you wish, you may decide to continue the action until one side has been entirely eliminated...it's up to you.

8. The game will end when one side has either been eliminated or has left the table.

9. An after action report and/or photos or videos of your dogfight must be posted on the FB group.

10. Although designed for the Western Front there's no reason why this couldn't be adapted for the Italian or Eastern Front, simply by changing the the ranks and by modifying the entry point system.

Chocks Away!

Republican Fighters and Bombers

A bit of a frustrating day for various reasons but I have made a good start on assembling some 1/600th scale fighters and bombers for the Republicans. I have some more to do but at least count I have twelve I-16 Moscas, six I-15 Chatos and three Bloch MB.200 bombers, the last being all I had in the box but soon to be joined by six more. I'm focussing on 1938-39, so haven't included any of the earlier aircraft just yet. 

The Barons' War Birthday

 

It was my birthday yesterday and I was lucky enough to get the starter set The Barons' War, which now gives me a bit of a conundrum. The models and rules look really good and it's a favourite period of mine, being a post-graduate medieval history and archaeology student back in the day, so I am enthusiastic about doing this as a solo project. It does mean some of my other plans would have to go by the wayside, however, which is a bit of a bugger but probably worth it in the end. 

Air War Over Spain

I used to have a tatty hard back copy of this book but it literally fell apart after the loft leaked and it got soaked. I've now found a new copy in much better condition and I'm hoping that it will give me some really good material for a set of scenarios, as well as a better grip on the course of the war in the air. The research for scenario projects is something I really enjoy and I'm looking forward to getting started in a couple of weeks when I have done holiday reading time.

McCudden's Cut and Run Play Test Prep

I printed and cut out the cards and aircraft record sheets for a play test game of the scenario I wrote for Algernon Pulls It Off! last week. This is designed as a two player plus game but I'll be playing testing it solo at some point this week, which isn't difficult once you get going, even with a large card deck and lots of aircraft. I haven't played a game of Algy, or anything else for that matter yet this year, so I'm looking forward to it. Tally Ho!

The Red Baron's Albatros DII, Jasta 2, late 1916

After a bit of a delay due to work and family stuff, I wrapped up the 1/600th scale Albatros D.II of Ltn.Manfred Von Richthofen today, applying the decals and then a wash over of diluted Warpaints Pure Red. The upper wing crosses should really have white squares underneath but my I-94 decals were badly off register, so I just used the later ones instead. I will use this model for the McCudden's Cut and Run scenario, which I'm hoping to play over the next couple of days. Tally Ho!

Bag the Hun Spanish Civil War Scenario Project

I've been looking for a focus for a Bag the Hun Lard Magazine article for 2026 for a while. Although I do have an existing theme under research, the Arctic Eagles project, its not really ready for development into a full article. As a result, I've been trying to pin down a more manageable alternative. I've decided that this is going to be the Spanish Civil War, a conflict that hasn't been covered in any depth before fir Bag the Hun, apart from some aircraft data tables in one of the old Specials. 

A key factor in this is that I already have the 1/600th scale Tumbling Dice models that I need and some decals from Flightdeck, so any expense will be minimal. I also really love the interwar aircraft involved, especially the Soviet fighters like the Rata and Chato, for example. I'm going to do some preliminary reading and research then plan to get painting as soon as I know what's needed. Tally Ho!

Spanish Civil War Bag the Hun Wargaming

Two new titles from Helion Publishing for my birthday at the weekend, both focussed on the Spanish Civil War, a long time interest of mine but something I haven't yet tried to do. The initial interest is in the potential for a Bag the Hun scenario project, once again focussed on the interwar / early war era. I do like the idea of some linked scenarios focussing on the Republican Air Force, both before and after it was re-equipped with Soviet fighters and bombers. Excellente!

TFL Painting Challenge

This sounds like a good way to shift things on my painting backlog and log jams this year. I've asked to be added to the list and will, hopefully, be submitting some entries on a reasonably regular basis over the next few months. The first will be the Albatros D.III of Von Brumovski that I painted up a week or so ago, as it would be a good way to kick off the challenge. After that I will aim to focus on stuff for Toofatlardies rules... sounds like a plan?!

Through the Mud and Blood

A while back I bought some really nice custom laser cut platoon rosters for Through the Mud and Blood from Alex Sotheran, the Storm of Steel YouTube authority on the rules. I put them away for future use, as I was up to my neck in Algernon Pulls It Off! projects, with the intention of starting a TTMAB project in 2026. 

So, here we are. I'm going to do some reading up on the rules and watch some of the game reports on the Storm of Steel YouTube channel, then work out if it's a feasible job to take on. If it is, I will aim to paint a couple of platoons in 15mm. Fortunately, Alex has set out exactly what's required in a previous online post, so I'm going to go with this:

"It depends on the year, but let's say you are playing in 1917, for arguments sake. For the British, a full paper strength platoon would be:

HQ: Leiutenant (1st or 2nd), armed with a rifle, or less likely a pistol, Sergeant armed with a rifle, two scouts/runners armed with rifles.

Rifle section: 1 Corporal armed with rifle, eight riflemen.

Bomber Section: 1 Corporal armed with rifle, six riflemen, two bombers.

Rifle Grenadier section: 1 Corporal armed with rifle, four 2 man rifle grenadier teams.

LMG section: 1 Corporal armed with rifle, 2 man Lewis gun team, six riflemen.

For a typical German platoon:

HQ, Leutnant (or similar junior officer) armed with pistol or rifle.

Zug 1 & 3: Gefrieter armed with rifle, eight riflemen, two bombers.

Zug 2 & 4: Gefrieter armed with rifle, eight riflemen, 2 man LMG team (either captured Lewis or MG 08/15).

The Big Men are the Leiutenant, Sargent, Leutnent, Corporals and Gefrieters, given appropriate command initiative levels."

I have a good stash of Peter Pig figures already set aside for this, but it's a big project to take on, so I may have to rethink it if it turns out to be too much of a hill to climb. 

Fifteen Seconds of Fame

The next issue of Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy is available for order now and it includes my article and scenarios for Algernon Pulls It Off! Don't worry, as there's lots of other stuff as well if you are a First World War wargaming enthusiast! It's good to see some air wargaming in the magazine and, if I get the chance, I'm definitely up for another fifteen seconds of wargaming fame 

Von Richthofen's Red Albatros DII

It's the last couple of days of a painting challenge on the Algernon Pulls It Off! Facebook group, in which you have to paint a single Albatros scout in any scale or scheme, as long as it is historically accurate. I thought I'd have a go at Manfred Von Richthofen's red Albatros D.II from December 1916, which I can use for the McCudden scenario. I've only got one 1/600th scale  model left in the box, so I have no room for error and not a lot of time either. I've started with a base coat of Army Painter Pure Red...what could possibly go wrong?!

McCudden's Cut and Run Resources

It's been chucking down today so time was well spent indoors for some of it, working up the card deck and aircraft sheets for the McCudden's Cut and Run scenario, which is now ready for a run through. I have some jobs to do tomorrow but, once they are sorted, I'm planning to set up the dining room table for a play test session. All of these resources and the scenario can be found to download for free from the Algernon Pulls It Off! Facebook group. 

Bag The Hun 2 Aircraft Record Sheet

Blank Template

Completed Sheet

A member of the Bag the Hun Facebook group asked if anyone had a template for an aircraft record sheet today, so I had a dig about on the hard drive and have uploaded a .doc and .pdf of my one. This was designed by me for the first Lard Day game that I ran back in 2018 but was developed from many years of experience playing the game, so is pretty much the mutt's nuts. It's been used by other people to design their own 'flashy' colour versions, but I like it in its basic format as you can easily edit it for whatever scenarios you have planned. You can grab a copy from the Files on the Facebook group for free. Tally Ho!

Winter Hammer

This time last year I fiddled around with a Winter War solo project using Nordic Weasel's Winter Hammer fast play rules. This didn't go beyond the planning stage but I'm thinking about picking it up again to have a go at basing and painting some 6mm units for both the Soviets and Finns. I did intend to paint some Bag the Hun 1/600th aircraft for the Continuation War, but I need a break from air wargaming, so this is a fitting alternative project. I may even have a go at some terrain making but it's freezing in the garage, so it may be a bit of a struggle!

Wargames Soldiers and Strategy Algy Article

I had a chance to look over the Algernon Pulls It Off! article that I have written for the next edition of Wargames, Solders and Strategy magazine yesterday. It looks great and the photos of Steve Dean's superbly painted models really set it off very well. I'm looking forward to getting a copy of the issue when it comes out in a few weeks time. Who knows, I might even write another one at some point? Chocks Away!

April Fools

Another charity shop hard back, this time something relevant to my First World War air wargaming. It's quite a brief overview of the controversies surrounding creation of the Royal Air Force in April 1918, but also covers the early interwar period when the RAF struggled to maintain a role beyond colonial policing, which my grandfather played a small part in on the North West Frontier. A fascinating subject and I'm sure it will be a good source of ideas.

McCudden's Cut and Run Algy Scenario

A few weeks ago I set out a plan to write an historical scenario for Algernon Pulls It Off! as a Xmas stocking filler for the Facebook group. As always, the plan didn't survive contact with the family festivities, but I picked it up again and have finished it off, apart from the card deck which will be along shortly. 

It's a dogfight game featuring some famous names but with an interesting twist, as most were relatively unknown at the time, with the exception of Manfred Von Richthofen and Erwin Böhme. 

It's available to download from the group files but there's a handy preview here. You'll need three Airco DH.2 pushers and five Albatros DII scouts, so quite a busy game. I'll aim to play it through and post an after action report as soon as I have time.

Albatros D.III (Oeffag) Godwin Von Brumovski

I repainted the skull insignia on the 1/600tg scale Albatros D.III today, having originally painted it facing the wrong way, then added some decals to finish off Godwin Von Brumovski's aircraft, or one of them at least. I'm quite pleased with how it turned out in the end and quite fancy converting and painting some more Austro Hungarian Albatros scouts to go alongside this one. Tally Ho! or whatever the Austrian equivalent is?

1/600th Finnish Continuation War Aircraft

It's chilly at the moment here in the UK, so I've decided to pick up a project for Bag the Hun and 'finnish' it off this month (see what I did there?) I've completed the 1/600th scale Soviet aircraft for the Continuation War and so now have the Finnish models to paint, starting with the Curtiss Hawks and some prepared Blenheims, Fokker DXXI's, Hurricanes and a single Fokker C.V, then moving onto some more fighters later on. This will enable me to solo play some of the scenarios I wrote in the 2024 Lard Mag and some new ones that I hope to devise this year, focussed on 1943 onwards. Tally Ho!

La-5 Early Version 1/285th

One of my projects for 2026 is to continue the Arctic Eagles Bag the Hun scenario article, which will require some play testing once I've done the research and writing. I also want to get some solo Bag the Hun Russian Front and Continuation War games played and have already started painting models, both on 1/300th and 1/600th scale. One thing I don't have are any early La-5 fighters in 6mm, so I was pleased to find some GHQ 1/285th packs on eBay for a good price. I will add these to my painting 'to do' box!

La-5 Description — Planes in Profile https://share.google/rnQdQ4VBYGMdZXOSi

Von Brumovski Fubar

A bit of a balls up today when, after painting the tiny death's head insignia on the 1/600th scale Albatros D.III of Godwin Von Brumovski, I realised I'd got it the wrong way round. The skull should be facing forwards, not backwards as I have painted it, so I will have to go back and redo the whole thing. I don't think this will be a major issue but it does take quite a bit of focus to get it looking right. Bugger!

AK47 Militia Tanks Update

Now that I'm back home from France I can get cracking on the AK47 militia T34/85 tanks that I assembled before the holidays. The first thing I've done is to give them a good undercoat in Halfords Matt black primer, which I will touch up with some Vallejo black to avoid any unsightly metal showing through once it is fully dry. Next will be an overall dry brush in rusty shades, starting with Foundry Dusky Fresh Shade.