Chocks Away

No I'm not talking about the last of the Christmas confectionery, it's WW1 dogfight time.

As a play test of the rules I'm going to try an early war balloon busting scenario.  The runners and riders being a German Observation Balloon defended by two Fokker Eindecker EIIIs and ground AA machine guns v a Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter and an Airco DH2:

Gentlemen, here is your target Boche Sausage

The Scenario
I will be using a standard folding banquest table measuring 180cm x 75cm (roughly 5' 10" x 2' 5").  The aircraft will enter from the narrow ends of the table.

The Balloon is at 4,000 feet with two MG positions along side, in the centre of the table The British may enter at any height they wish up to 10.000 feet.  They may enter together and at the same height or from two different points on their side of the table and at any height or heights.  Once any British aircraft appear on table the two Eindeckers may enter on their next turn.  They arrive as a pair at the same height and flying together once on table they may separate.  Dice for entry height using 2D6 x 1,000 feet to set the entry height.

For the defence two Fokker EIIIs

Special rules
The Balloon can be lowered at a rate of 500' per minute this occurs in the German turn.  The German player will start to lower the baloon as soon as British Aircraft enter the table.  The balloon has a defence factor the same as an Eindecker.  Once that is exceeded it is in flames.

The Germans have two ground based machine gun batteries these fire as aircraft mounted twin belt fed machine guns.  They can reach up to 1,000 feet altitude and have a range (as a ground distance) of  600 feet.

The attackers a Sopwith Strutter and a DH2

The game is set in April 1916 when the Eindecker was no longer the cause of the Fokker Scourge having been outclassed by newer allied aircraft such as the DH2 and Nieuport 11.  For the British the Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter has just come into service with the RNAS (the RFC didn't receive the type until July 1916).  The DH2 has been in service since February 1916. So the two British aircraft would in reality have been RNAS and RFC types and unlikely to have flown together.

Last but not lease a close up shot of the lozenge camouflage on a Halberstadt CL class.  I'm really very pleased with how the transfers (decals if in the US) I made came out.   

Not involved but worth a look 

AAR in the next post.  So chocks away chaps, do try not to come down sausage side and remember it's a mans life in the Twenty Minuter's.  Woof Woof (tm Lord Flasheart)!