The second scenario in the Lard Mag line up is one that I mentioned in an earlier post - The Sportsman - which involves a dogfight between three AFC aircraft on a patrol near Gaza and two aircraft of FA300. Here's a report of the action from the German records:
"Monday, 9.July 1917. To the Sinai Front at the 8.July two hostile airplanes were shot down in aerial combat and both crashed. Details are missing still"
The BE2e of Lieutenant T. Taylor and Lieutenant F.W.F Lukis was on an operation escorted by the Martinsyde of Captain Charles A. Brookes an RFC officer attached to the AFC and a BE12a aircraft flown by Claude H.Vautin.
The three aircraft were attacked by the Rumpler C.I aircraft of Offstv. Kern and Oberleutnant Kurt Jancke, and the Albatros DIII of Oberleutnant Gerhard Felmy.
Kern and Jancke attacked the Martinsyde of Brookes and in the ensuing engagement Brookes was shot down out of control, his Martinsyde's wings collapsing in a spin before crashing.
Vautin was chased to Beit Hanun before being forced to land. Vautin was the third confirmed victory for Felmy (although other sources suggest it may actually have been his fifth).
This is a cracking little dogfight and should make for a relatively straightforward but challenging scenario, especially for the Australian pilots in their assorted obsolescent aircraft. The Germans will definitely have the edge but I can balance things out with some careful design, especially in the objectives and special rules I can build in to the write up.
Talky Ho!
I've been tinkering with the army lists in the Ravenfeast rules to put together a variant for the mid-Saxon period, specifically for the West Second and Mercians. This is actually pretty straightforward, the old Warhammer Historical Age of Arthur contains a lot of useful and relevant information. I've had a go at a crossover based on both the Viking list and the late Saxon list but will probably mash them together to make up the variant, with some additional rules tweaks to cover period specifics e.g. no shield wall rule. I should have something workable later this week.
I needed a couple of C Type observation aircraft for the Algy Flies Down Under project, but Tumbling Dice only make an Albatross C.II, so I've had to have a go at some model bashing instead. Here's my attempt at an AEG C.IV using the fuselage of a Hannover CL.III with top wing and tail from the aforementioned Albatross. It's not exactly accurate to say the least, but it's also not too far off to be ridiculous, so I'm happy with the end result.
I'm thinking of picking up my mid-Saxon Ravenfeast project next month, as a little painting project on the side, using the Wiglaf Miniatures 18mm range of figures. I was planning on doing this at the start of the year but was side tracked on to other things. One obstacle I bumped into that slowed it down was the lack of wire spears and javelins to glue on to the figures but I've found some on the Eureka Miniatures UK web shop, so have ordered a couple of packs of 40mm spears to cut down to size. These things are like hens teeth these days, so you may want to check them out, as they're comparatively good value at £4.95 for 50.
The first historical scenario for the Algy Flies Down Under project is set in early November 1916. A bombing raid by five BE2c and a single Martinsyde G100 on the airfield and military targets at Beersheba has just taken place and the Australian aircraft are making their getaway.
Two Fokker Eindeckers of Flieger Abteilung 300 take off to chase the retreating raiders, only to be taken on by one of the BE2c's which has been field modified with a Lewis mounting for the observer to act as an escort. The 'Tinsyde' joins in to give the Eindeckers a nasty surprise, forcing both of the German pilots to abandon the pursuit.
As such, it's a simple dogfight scenario but made more interesting by the unusual armament of the Australian aircraft and by the relatively limited performance of the BE2c and the Fokker EIII. The pilots were all experienced flyers and so skill ratings will be veteran, making it a fairly even match in terms of ability.
...more details to follow!
An addition to the research material I've accumulated for the Algy Flies Down Under project, after finding a reference to it in another source. I'm hoping the book will help fill in some details on the early phase of the Palestine campaign, during which the AFC deployed a variety of obsolete or obsolescent aircraft, primarily for photography, observation, bombing and escort duties. I'm particularly interested in field adaptations to the BE2c in an attempt to turn it into an effective escort machine...not without some success, as well as retro fitting rearwards firing Lewis guns to Martynside G100 scouts. You've got to admire their enthusiasm!
 |
| Be2 / Be12a |
 |
| Be2c |
 |
| RE8 |
 |
| Martynside G100 |
 |
| HP O/400 |
For the Algy Flies Down Under scenario play testing I'm using the tried and tested option of 1/600th scale models from Tumbling Dice. I did think about using some very nice Oddzial Osmy 3mm models that I have in the lead pile but the earlier aircraft are missing, so Tumbling Dice it is again. There are most of the types that I need in the range but I'm going to have to do some adaptation and conversion work to cover the line up required, especially for the Germans.
Here we have the two seater observation machines, with the single seater escorts and a single but very big bomber. The Be2e and Be12a models use the top wing from the RE8 on the fuselage of the Be2c, otherwise being interchangable as they looked very similar. The Be2c is straight out of the pack but on its own as there were only four of them in the squadron line up. The RE8 is also a standard model but the two Martynside G100 single seaters were adapted from an Airco DH4 model by the simple addition of a wing mounted Lewis gun.
I added rear guns to the RE8 and exhaust stacks to all of the BE2 type aircraft, which was a fiddle but worth it for aesthetic reasons, even if they are a bit too tall. I tried shorter brass wire stacks but they weren't very visible, so the longer ones are visually better. The HP O/400 is a bit over the top but may actually feature in one ahistorical scenario that I'm thinking of including, just for kicks.
Next up will be the Brisfits...
