A Sting in the Tail

I have now drafted the third scenario for the Algy Flies Down Under project, aptly titled 'A Sting in the Tail' as it features the first successful claim by the No.1 Squadron Bristol Fighter in January 1918. In this dogfight an RE8 under escort by an F2B was bounced by a pair of Albatros scouts of Jasta 1F but both of the German pilots got the worst of it, with one shot down and the other forced to break off the attack. A key feature of the action was the defense fire from the observers, who both put fifty round bursts into their targets at close range. 

At the time, the Australians were up-gunning the Brisfits and RE8 two seaters with twin Scarff ring mounted Lewis guns, giving them a real sting in the tail and the opposition a nasty surprise. I've factored this into the scenario by including a bonus card for the observers, which allows one or other of them and extra chance to fire, in addition to their Fire card, which I've allocated for each observer. I've done something similar before and it does make for a more dynamic game. 

Broadside and Salvo Solo Rules

That splendid chap Mr.David Manley sent me an advanced draft of some solo rules for use with Broadside and Salvo yesterday, which was a very pleasant surprise. These allow you to play against an opponent whose fleet is deployed, manoeuvres and engaged in gunnery controlled by means of an ingenious reaction system, with varying levels of response determined by the 'stance' of the commanding admiral. 

It's a very neat system and I think will make it easier for solo players to set up fleet actions with a degree of uncertainty and an element of autonomy for the opposing side. I only made one slight suggestion for a tweak to the rules as they are clearly written and well thought through in their current iteration. Hopefully, these will appear relatively soon as a result and I'm looking forward to trying then out with my Chilean and Argentinian fleets, which haven't seen much action for quite a while.

Watuta on the Workbench

The task this weekend, aided by the absence of the other half who's in Paris and the spring whose gone off scuba diving in Bali, is to get the last unit of my Nyamwezi army based up. These are the fantastic Ngoni figures sculpted by Mark Copplestone, which are absolutely brilliant but need quite a lot of filing, sanding, sticking and sorting before they are ready to undercoat. I've cut down the number of bases to six, or three if two units, so that I can get them assembled over the next day or so. 

As bog standard warriors each base in worth a measly six points, so a grand total of only thirty six points in total, but better than nothing and I can always add more bases to fill up the quota. The only other thing I need to do is undercoat two or three bases of baggage and then I'm ready to start painting, which I'm actually quite excited about for a change....blimey!

Darkest Africa Naval Landing Party Recruits

                  

I've been planning ahead for the opposition in my Death in the Dark Continent project and have a number of interesting options including an explorer expedition, German Colonial column, a Zanzibari force or a Naval Landing Party,  I have figures set aside for all of these but quite fancy the last one, especially as I could have a gunboat, which would be a cracking force multiplier and would look pretty nifty too.

To fill out the ranks I spotted this lot of Wargames Foundry naval ratings in Sennet hats, which were a good price and would be sufficient for three bases of elite soldiers. I do have some British sailors in naval chaos already but these look much more appropriate for the climate and geography. I can also add a command base of officers and NCO's to make a four base unit, which would give me a good core for a naval landing party army. 

Hoorah!

The Sportsman

Oblt.Gerhardt Felmy (pilot)

Lt.Vautin (left) Oblt.Felmy (right)

The second scenario in the Algy Flies Down Under submission has now been written up and just needs some proof reading to be ready for a play test. This scenario is set in July 1917 over the front lines near Gaza, where an Australian patrol is bounced by two aircraft of Flieger Abteilung 300. It's an unusual set up as all three of the No.1 Squadron machines are different, not to mention obsolescent, while the Germans turn up with an Albatros D.III and a two seater Rumpler C.I, both of which outclass or out gun the opposition. The title is derived from the pilot of the Albatros and CO of FA300, Oblt.Gerhardt Felmy, who was referred to as 'The Sportsman' by the Australians due to his reputation for fair play, including the hospitable treatment of POW Lt.Claude Vautin who was shot down in the action. 

Wackett's Sticky Wicket

I've made a start on writing up the scenarios for the Algy Flies Down Under Lard Mag project, with the first one now drafted and ready for play testing. This is titled Wackett's Sticky Wicket after the pilot of a BE2c that he flew in the action, which took place over Beersheba in November 1916. The unusual thing about this dogfight is the field modification he made to his aircraft to install a 'turret' for the observer, Lt.Turner, which enabled him to fire a Lewis gun in a 360 degree arc. 

The game also features a Martinsyde G.100 fitted with a rearwards firing Lewis gun, although it's practicality is dubious to say the least. As a footnote, Lt Wackett went on to be a celebrated aircraft designer post war, while one of the FA300 Pascha pilots, Offstvr.Morzik, ended up as an ace on the Western Front and subsequently a Luftwaffe general in World War Two.  Crikey!

Jasta 7 1918 (1/600th Scale)

I painted these 1/600th scale Jasta 7 Fokker D.VII's and Dr.I's over the weekend, adding the decals this morning despite the damp weather playing havoc with the setting solution. I've cut a few corners with the personal insignia, most notably on Josef Jacob's triplane, but the majority are accurate. I've had these hanging about for awhile, so good to get them finished even if I have no idea when I'll get to use them though! 

Swahili Wangwana and Arab Nobles for DITDC

The two additional units that I'm allowed for the Generic Villagers army list are now based and undercoated. The first consists of four bases of untrained Swahili Wangwana skirmishers with muskets (20 points) and the second of four bases of untrained, elite Arab Noble skirmishers with breechloaders (48 points). These are all Wargames Foundry figures, either from the Arab Slavery group or Ruga Ruga packs. As before, the supposedly matt black undercoat has come out looking glossy, but I'll give all of the figures a matt black wash before painting anyway, so it's not a problem.

Tuta Warrior Allied Test Base

After a bit of feedback on the Death in the Dark Continent FB group, I've gone back to the idea of having two units each of four bases of Tuta warriors as the back up for my skirmisher heavy Nyamwezi army. I was originally going to use a mix of Black Tree Designs Zulu and Copplestone Ngoni for these units but have opted for the Copplestone Ngoni in headdress instead, as they're much more like the actual thing. I have a Watuta army load of these so I'm killing two birds with one stone, so to speak, by putting together a couple of units that can be used with both army lists. Unfortunately, a new can of Wickes Matt Black spray paint has come out looking more like gloss, but it should fade over time and can always get a cost of ultra matt varnish if it stays shiny. 

Funny Firing Arcs

I'm going to start writing up the first scenario for Algy Flies Down Under which features a Martinsyde G100 Elephant. This was an interesting if unspectacular reconnaissance and scout single seater, with a very unusual armament layout. An upper wing mounted Lewis gun was fitted on a tilting rack, which enabled it to be reloaded in flight, although it was notoriously hard to pull the gun into a vertical position, fit a drum then repisition it to the horizontal.

The other weapon fitted was a second Lewis gun positioned on a pintle mount to the right rear of the cockpit. This could be fired with considerable difficulty into the rear right hand arc but the chances of hitting anything were minimal. One Australian pilot put a chit in to the squadron armourer for 'arms, on pair, extra' after attending to load and fire the contraption. It was often dismounted and left behind for obvious reasons.

The firing arc for the Martinsyde G100 is described in general terms in the aircraft lists in the rules but, to clarify the way they work, I've drawn up a diagram which I will include with the scenario. I'm also thinking of adding a penalty to the dice modifiers when firing the second Lewis gun, as it was not easy, to say the least. It might put off a Fokker or two, though, so it's good to include it in the game.