Dogfight over the Channel: 100 Octane and Supercharged

Over the weekend the Rejects gathered in the Shed-o-War for something different to our normal fayre. Richard has been writing again and has come up with a cracking set of rules for aerial warfare in WWII. The rules could work for other periods (within reason), but the test games, particularly this game, are set firmly in WWII. I donned my lucky lederhosen and flying goggles to join the Luftwaffe in a linked pair of games somewhere over the channel, with the white cliffs as our backdrop. 

The first game was a simple dogfight with two flights of aircraft battling for supremacy. The Germans were flying Messerschmitt Bf 109E and the British were flying Spitfires. For this introductory game, there was no spotting required and no cloud cover to complicate matters. This was to be a straight-up fight with both sets of pilots finding their wings and learning the rules. 

The second game was more interesting because each pilot started the game with two Blinds which had to be 'spotted' to either identify an enemy aircraft or eliminate it as just a speck on the windshield or a bird. There would also be clouds at various altitudes and as the game progressed these played a very important role in enabling pursued pilots to escape tails or jump enemy aircraft.

I found the clouds to be a welcome respite from being shot at when I was tailed by a Spitfire. Bullets were whizzing past my plane and it was only complete luck (or the lack of it) that saved me from Dan's relentless pursuit. Desperate to share the tail I dived for the clouds and safety. 

When I exited the clouds I was able to get behind my erstwhile pursuer and pump his aircraft full of holes. The pilot managed to bail out moments before his Spitfire exploded in a rather spectacular fireball. 

Unfortunately, I didn't have long to enjoy my win because Sprog Pilot, Stuart (shot down earlier in the game and respawned as a lower-level pilot) was able to put several bullet holes through my own fuel tank. Unfortunately, my pilot wasn't as lucky as Dan earlier and was lost in the resulting explosion. 

Richard has posted more photos on his blog My Wargaming Habit and I recommend you read that for a fuller review of the game/s. I'm sure this won't be the last time we play this game, and everyone seemed to have a good time, even when we were being 'bounced' by the enemy!