Summer Naval Project WW1

After thinking through the problems caused by Navwar probably shutting down, I've decided that the South American interwar naval project is not really feasible, at least until Navwar finds a new owner. So, to cut a long story short, my Summer focus will be the 'Get the Goeben' project from last year, or at least the Ottoman Black Sea fleet which I have already assembled, based and undercoated, ready for painting. I will also be assembling some opposing naval forces, with some Royal Navy battle cruisers top of the list but potentially also some of the Russian Black Sea fleet as well. 

Hande Hoch! - A scenario for Algernon Pulls It Off!

 

I completed another 'learning' scenario for Algernon Pulls It Off! today, based on an actual event in June 1918 when a German two seater ground attack aircraft surrendered in mid-air to an Australian crew in an R.E.8, who just happened to be passing by on an artillery reconnaissance sortie. I've written about this before so won't go over all the details but it's a slightly different scenario in that the Australians have to try to make the crew of the Halberstadt CL.II surrender, rather than just shooting it down. I think I've worked this into the victory conditions and created a nifty dice roll mechanism called the 'Hande Hoch! test to cater for this, but I'll need to play test it before I know if it actually works?

Interwar Argentinian Fleet c1937

This is what I've sorted out for an interwar Argentinian Fleet c1937, using the old Navwar models. There are the two dreadnought battleships Moreno and Rivadavia, two Vienticinco de Mayo class heavy cruisers, five Cervantes / Mendoza class destroyers and three Sante Fe class submarines. Not a lot but better than the Brazilians, who are in need of some modern reinforcements which I'll have to order from the old Davco range. The stern of one of the cruisers was miscast, so I'll have to mend it with plastic card, but otherwise I'm ready to start cleaning up and painting the fleet for a mini solo campaign with Find, Fix and Strike.

Jasta 11 Painting Progress

Much to my surprise I actually had a spare hour today to finish blocking in the base colours on the Jasta 11 triplanes. These will be entered in the Algernon Pulls It Off! Facebook group competition this month, which involves painting something in primary colours, which is pretty much spot on for the 'Flying Circus'. I've washed the models now and will crack on with adding the highlights over the next few days, even though I'm back at work and have a very busy week ahead.

Summer South American Project?

The half term holiday is almost over and, due to DIY and gardening duties, I've barely scratched the surface of what I hoped to cover in wargaming terms. At the moment, I'm painting the Jasta 11 triplanes and I'm going to continue with those over the next week or two, but I'm now switching from an air to a naval project, as planned for the summer.

In a change of focus, the Napoleonic naval project is going to be left for the summer holidays in about six weeks time, both for INWarD 2025 and as to assemble the Spanish fleet, so the decks are clear for something else. I did think of painting the 1/2400th scale Turkish WW1 fleet that I've prepared, so that's a definite option but I also fancy something a bit different. 

About a year ago before Navwar went off line, I bought two opposing 1/3000th scale fleet packs, one Argentinian and one Brazilian for the Second World War. I was planning to use them for another South American 'What If'? solo campaign, this time set in the 1920's or early 1930's but didn't get further than a few sketchy ideas 

I quite like the idea of getting this going again, although I'll need to add some WW1 'E' class destroyers for Brazil, which were not included in the packs. I do have all of the principal battleships and cruisers though, which makes this a very feasible, quick painting project for this month, if I get on with it. I'll have to take another look at my notes first though, as it's all a bit 'back of a fag packet' at the moment!

Jasta 11 Blocking In

After a week of gardening, DIY and digging holes, I've found some time today to make a little headway with the four Jasta 11 Fokker Dr.1 models. These are being blocked in with the correct colours for four specific pilots, which takes a bit of time but does look good when finished. I'm not sure if I'll have any time tomorrow but it's all going in the right direction for a change!

Sixty Squadron Somme Scenario

A potential 1916 scenario I may well write up at some point, with a few tweaks to make it manageable for Algernon Pulls It Off! 

'Commanding officers of squadrons were instructed not to fly, but this order was often ignored. Major 'Ferdy' Waldron commanded 60 Squadron, flying from Vert-Galant and took off with a patrol on 3 July.

Both Armstrong and Simpson fell out, through engine trouble, before we reached Arras.... Waldron led the remaining two along the Arras-Cambrai road. 

We crossed at about 8,000 feet, and just before reaching Cambrai we were about 9,000, when I suddenly saw a large formation of machines about our height coming from the sun towards us. 

There must have been at least twelve. They were two-seaters led by one Fokker (monoplane) and followed by two others. I am sure they were not contemplating 'war' at all, but Ferdy pointed us towards them and led us straight in. 

My next impressions were rather mixed. I seemed to be surrounded by Huns in two-seaters. I remember diving on one, pulling out of the dive, and then swerving as another came for me. I can recollect also looking down and seeing a Morane about 800 feet below me going down in a slow spiral, with a Fokker hovering above it following every turn.

I dived on the Fokker, who swallowed the bait and came after me, but unsuccessfully, as I had taken care to pull out of my dive while still above him. 

The Morane I watched gliding down under control, doing perfect turns, to about 2,000 feet, when I lost sight of it. I thought he must have been hit in the engine. After an indecisive combat with the Fokker I turned home, the two-seaters having disappeared.

I landed at Vert Galant and reported that Ferdy had 'gone down under control.' We all thought he was a prisoner, but heard soon afterwards that he had landed safely but died of wounds that night, having been hit during the scrap'

A.J.L. Scott  - The History of 60 Squadron

Sandbox Skirmish Source Material

This was a bargain in a National Trust second hand bookshop yesterday at only three quid, especially as it's a hardback and in 'as new' condition. Not that I'm really interested in the Royal Leicestershire regiment to be fair, but it does have extensive detail on Aden so a bit of a gold mine for my Sandbox Skirmish 15mm post-colonial, semi-historical 'imaginations' project, which I've sadly neglected for months, if not years now? Anyway, too good to miss, so I snapped it up!

Jasta 18 Scenario Play Test - Cat and Mouse

I put a request out for play testers on the Algernon Pulls It Off! group last week and was pleasantly surprised that two teams of wargamers volunteered. I've sent off the 'Black Thursday' scenario and cards to them, one in Australia and one in the UK, so that they can organise their play test games. This means that I won't need to rush a solo play test of the scenario, just yet anyway, but can leave it until the summer holidays, when I will have plenty of time. 

I owe a big thank you to Andy and Gary for stepping up and they'll definitely get a mention in the Lard Mag article too.

As this has let me off the hook this half term holiday, I am going to have a crack at play testing the "Cat and Mouse' scenario instead, which is far more manageable as a solo game. The card deck is much smaller for starters and it only includes two aircraft, one RE8 and one Albatros DVa, so I will be able to manage a couple of run throughs, assuming I don't get interrupted. I just need to print the record sheets and cards, then bodge up some blinds and clouds to be good to go!

Knights of the Sky Club Game

A rare night out at the local club this evening to play in a Knights of the Sky game, the house set of rules for First World War dogfighting. The Roland C.II was deployed in a fighter bomber role, scoring eight victory points for bombing a fuel depot, with some effective damage to enemy Sopwith Strutters by both the observer and pilot. The game was good fun but fizzled out a bit towards the end, which was a shame as I'm rarely around on club nights these days due to other commitments.