The Fokker Scourge

A few weeks ago I hosted the Thursday game, namely  the WWI air combat game, Wings of Glory (formerly Wings of War). Awhile ago, Ares Games finally released some new, early-war model planes for Wings of Glory. Among the pile of planes I bought were three Fokker E.III's. They were the first warplanes that had interrupter gear, allowing machine gun fire forward through the propeller. The exploits of the infamous "Eindecker" resulted in the titular Fokker Scourge, when the Germans gained air superiority over the Allies in the 1915-1916 time period.

This was an interesting period in the air war. The combatants flew a lot of pre-war aircraft designs, and were trying to figure things out for the first time. Artillery spotting and aerial photography had become important uses of this new technology. Aircrew started to carry rifles and pistols to pot shot each other. The impact of the Fokker E.III was maybe out of proportion to its relatively few numbers.

I wanted some suitable Fokker Fodder, so obvious period opponents for the German monoplanes would be some Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2c's. This was a very stable airplane, great for observation and photography, but not optimal for aerial combat. However, I did not have the appropriate models or stats. I pressed into service a couple of Wings of War R.E.8's, using stats from the Wings of Glory Aerodrome site, namely:

• Maneuver Deck: P
• Damage Type: optional single rear-facing B gun
• Damage Points: 11

The bases of the British planes in this scenario were after-market items purchased from Keith at Aerodrome Accessories. He provides great customer service - there had been a slight error in one item in my order, and Keith immediately rectified it.

Game One: Bombing Raid, 1915

The first game we played was a plausible 1915 scenario: a single-seat B.E.2c, unarmed except for its bomb load, escorted to its target by a two-seater variant, armed with a single rear-facing Lewis gun (the British had not yet developed interrupter gear).

Below, Conscripts Bill and Brian flew the British aircraft.
(Note: Click on the photos for larger images.)



Meanwhile, Conscripts Frederick and Kevin flew the Germans.



Below, looking north, the British aircraft nearest the camera is the bomber, run by Bill. His escort, run by Brian, lies a little ways to the north. To the east are the two Eindeckers run, respectively, by Frederick and Kevin.



The initial stages of the game saw Bill angle northeast to line up on the target to the east, while Kevin flew in a wide circle to the south, hoping to eventually get on Bill's 6 o'clock.



Brian, in a brilliant bit of compensatory flying against superior aircraft, maneouvered to get his tail gun to bear on Frederick's green plane.



Bill slipped between the Germans...



...much to Brian's amusement



Bill lined up his bomb run, managing to drop his stick of primitive aerial bombs right on target.



As Bill circled wide northwards and headed home, Brian mixed it up with the Germans.



Kevin and Frederick went after Bill's plane to try and  exact some revenge.



But Frederick's single machine gun jammed as he tried a deflection shot.



Again, the British were much amused by this.



Brian bird-dogged back to protect the unarmed bomber.





Brian took some hits after Frederick unjammed his gun.



Kevin also got in some licks against Brian's plane.



The British planes reached their own lines, whereupon the Germans broke off their pursuit. Brian revealed that his aircraft had only one damage point left. Heroic, indeed!



Game Two: Dogfight, 1916

Wings of Glory plays very quickly, so we decided to have another game, a three-on-three dogfight between scout planes. The Airco D.H.2 was a pusher plane, with the engine and propeller behind the pilot, so its single gun could fire forward unimpeded.

To the west are three British D.H.2s, run, respectively, by myself, Bill, and Brian. To the east are a flight of three Eindeckers, two run by Frederick, and one by Kevin.



In a head-on pass Bill set Frederick's green Fokker on fire.



The two flights flew past each other, and maneuvered to try and bring their weapons to bear.





The flames proved too much for the green German machine, which crashed in No-Man's Land.



Frederick's other plane immediately thereafter exacted some revenge, shooting down Bill's plane after a few  long bursts.



Kevin managed to set Brian's plane on fire with a long-range shot.



Brian scored hits on Frederick's plane, causing it to belch forth smoke.



After some maneuvering, Frederick got Brian in his sights again...



...and shot him down in No-Man's land.



I managed to Immelmann around and get a burst into Frederick's Fokker, which proved too much for his damaged airframe, and he went down.



Kevin and I then got into a turning fight near the western table edge.





I managed to survive a close-range burst from Kevin's gun.



Kevin, out of room to maneuver,  flew off the western (Allied!) table edge into captivity!



3D models: The wave of the future?

Soon after game night, I ordered a pair of B.E.2c models, 3D prints, from Shapeways. They were shipped out and arrived on my doorstep very quickly.

They are neat little one-piece models, as can be seen in the photos below.



I am glad I do not have to fiddle with and maintain the required forward-swept angle of all those struts.

The propeller was rendered as part of the wing. Some minor cleanup and assembly, and they will be ready for paint.



I am thinking 1915-era schemes, with a buff coloured canvas dope and early-war roundels. Check out a video of a couple of flying B.E.2s, here.

I would also like to run a scenario re-enacting Lanoe Hawker's single-handed 1915 raid on a Zeppelin base, flying a B.E.2c armed only with bombs and hand grenades.

Bloody April - 1916 style!

Wings of War Campaign, Part 4

Scenario: Spring 1916. After weeks of fighting in this sector, the Aéronautique Militaire is caught in a bloody stalemate against the men and machines of Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches. Which side can gain the advantage - the French or the Germans?

Last Wednesday night I ran another Wings of War game in our ongoing 1916 campaign. From the last game, the Germans and the French tied the scenario, so we had to refight the mission again...

Mission 1: Battle Over The Trenches

Looking east, at the bottom of the photo below a pair of French Nieuport 17's can be seen. In the distance, a pair of German Albatross D-III's can be made out. Conscript Frederick, running the German planes, looks on.

The French planes eased south a bit, to try and double team the German flight leader's plane (painted in the colours of Hermann Göring!). The German wingman angled in, to support his superior.

Flying head on at each other, the two lead ships fired at point blank range. The German flight leader's twin Spandaus were surely aimed better, since the silver Nieuport was heavily damaged and set on fire. (Actually, the Germans were really hot with respect to the draw of damage cards for the entire evening.)

As the two flight leaders passed each other, it was the turn of their respective wingmen to try conclusions. Again, Spandaus trumped Vickers, as the camouflaged Nieuport started to emit smoke.

In a tricky move, the lead German plane pulled up just short of a stall, and applied full rudder to yaw his aircraft around. This put his aircraft facing down at the French wingman. The wingman was shot out of the air, crash landing into No-Man's Land.

The remaining French plane prepared to perform a similar manouver, placing the appropriate cards for an Immelmann. However, the flames proved too much for his airframe. At the start of the turn I drew a "5" for damage from the fire, and the last French pilot was also forced down into No-Man's Land, wounding him in the process.

This was a decisive win for the Germans, who gained priority and choice of the next scenario.

The night was young, so we decided to play another game. As the victor, Frederick elected to play another scout vs. scout scenario.

Mission 2b: Dawn Patrol

Drawing randomly, both sides had a ground target, whose identity was kept secret from their opponent (for example, were they anti-aircraft gunbs?).

Looking west this time, the Germans flew with the flight leader slightly trailing the junior man. To the west and north, the two Fremch planes can be seen.

In a banking turn, the German flight leader ended up following the other pilot's plane.



The French also adopted a line astern formation, and the two lead ships closed the  range.

The German wingman overshot the French leader's plane. However, the German flight leader poured on a deadly fire. Unbeknownst to Frederick, I drew 9 points of damage cards; added to the bonus for range, that was 11 of 12 damage points gone in one phase of shooting! Plus, the French leader was spewing smoke.

The French wingman squeezed off a burst at the leading German plane, but his guns jammed.

Choosing the better part of valour, the silver Nieuport banked south and dived back west to the French lines. The other Frenchman, with both guns jammed, Immelmenned out of the fight and dived west.



As the game closed, the victorious German planes decided to break off their pursuit . They couldn't catch the Frenchman and, since he was flying towards the ground target chosen at the beginning, he might be drawing them into an amubush from ground fire.

"Cheese eating surrender monkey!"

Scoring:

• Frederick's German Flight Leader: 2 (two sorties flown) + 8 (two planes shot down) + 2 (drove off enemy aircraft) = 12 campaign points
• Frederick's German Wingman: 2 (two sorties flown) + 2 (drove off enemy aircraft) = 4 campaign points
• Dave's French Flight Leader:  2 (two sorties flown) -4 (being shot down) = -2 campaign points
• Dave's Fench Wingman: 2 (two sorties flown) -4 (being shot down) = -2 campaign points

This was another decisive victory for the Germans. For the next game, the Germans will get to choose between three scenarios:

• Mission 3a: Hold The Line
• Mission 3b: Balloon Busting
• Mission 3c: Supply Search

Wings of War: Battle over the Trenches

Last night I ran Wings of War for some fast WWI air combat action. We first played a quick dogfight to get everyone up to speed on the rules. Afterward, we played the first mission in the Knights of the Air campaign system.

Mission 1: Battle Over The Trenches: Each side reveals the newest weapon in their arsenal – the airplane – and attempts to seize the initiative. The side that wins goes on the offensive.

Type: Dogfight

Sorties: 2+

Victory Conditions: Mission Points. At the end of each sortie, calculate each side’s Mission Points. The side with the most points wins that sortie. After all sorties have been flown, the side that has the most victories wins the mission.

Fallback: Replay

Setup: Mission should be played length wise on a 4’x6’ table. Each side has a 24 inch deployment zone. The trenches begin 24 inches in from both ends of the table. This leaves 24 inches of No-man’s Land in the center of the table.

Below, MikeA and BillC played Die Fliegertruppen, setting up two Albatross DIIIs in the nearer (eastern) section of the table.



Brian and Indo flew a pair of Aéronautique Militaire Nieuport 17s, seen in the farther (western) zone.



Mike and Bill flew in a loose formation westwards, looking to scrap with their French counterparts.



Mike and Bill turned south, Brian turned north to meet them, and Indo flew on east toward the German lines.



Indo Immelmanned and flew back west to help out Brian, who was locked in a turning fight with Bill's red Albatross. Mike performed a large, slow turn, nursing damage from the first pass.



Brian decided to concentrate on Bill, and Indo sunk his teeth into Mike, breaking up the fur ball into two distinct dogfights.



Below, Indo moves his plane into a deflection shot on Mike.



Like mounted knights of old, Bill and Brian headed straight for each other, all guns blazing. Brian's deadly marksmanship set Bill's plane on fire...



...then another burst at point-blank range sent Bill's Albatross spinning down into No-Man's Land.



Meanwhile, Mike decided to head for his own lines. He had suffered considerable damage, and was now outnumbered 2-1. However, Indo had other ideas...



At the extreme range of his guns, Indo managed a final burst that forced Mike to crash land just within the German front line trenches.



Mission Results: The French were able to pull off a decisive win.

Campaign Results:

• Bill: shot down in No Man's Land; suffered 2 wounds, but managed to evade capture and return to his squadron
• Brian: one victory (Bill's Albatross DIII)
• Indo: one victory (Mike's Albatross DIII)
• Mike: shot down over own lines; unwounded

Since they won, next game the French will be able to choose to play one of the following missions:

1. Mission 2a: Enemy Troop Movement: Providing intelligence for the ground war is of the highest priority, HQ has tasked the air service to locate vital ground targets along the front lines.
2. Mission 2b: Dawn Patrol: Maintaining air superiority is critical for the ground war, HQ has tasked the air service to fly routine patrols along the front lines.

Wings of War is a very fast and clean system. There are better simulations out there (for example, Aces High), but WoW is easier to grasp and allows new players to get involved right away.

Thanks to everyone who played.