It is 17 March 1942, except it isn't. This is the first year of a counterfactual Second World War, which broke out in 1941 after the accord previously signed by British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and German Führer und Reichskanzler Adolf Hitler finally broke down. German troops have flooded into Western Europe and war has broken out in North Africa as well.The delay in the beginning of war has not halted the forward march of technology. Far from it. The 'industry' of war continued to produce more potent planes, tanks and armament, the Germans especially developing potential 'super weapons' for the conflagration that seemed all to likely to erupt. Of course, none of it has yet been tested in combat: while troops have no doubt been trained in using the new weapons and 'kit', they have had no experience in action. Nor have their leaders nor command systems. Pilots are far from expert too - even those who served in the Spanish Civil War are already finding that their experience is ill-suited to the new generation of planes.
But now, with a British fleet amassed in Alexandria, exerting control over the Mediterranean, Oberkommando der Wehrmacht has developed an audacious plan to cripple it, in place, with an attack using the newly developed Fritz X guided bomb. A Staffel of six He-177 bombers, each armed with three of the potentially deadly Fritz X, took off from Comiso (Vincenzo Magliocco), Sicily at 0230 hours. Two of them developed engine over-heating early on, so returned to base. The remaining four bombers were joined, en route, by their fighter escort, two flights each of three Reggiane Re.2001 Falco II, launched from the carrier Aquila, operating riskily quite close to the North African coast.
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| A Fritz X, fresh off the production line (Source: Wikimedia commons) |
Meanwhile, in Alexandria, at 0555 radar operators identified suspicious contacts, 129 km to the north-north-west. Two minutes later the plotters and controller confirmed the contact and six fighters were ordered to scramble.
In another three minutes, they were in “cockpit readiness” (“readiness 5”). They took off rapidly, the last becoming airborne after a few minutes had elapsed. It was now 0603.
The Spitfires then climbed and vectored onto course for interception. We pick up the action at 0606.
[Note: at this early stage of the war, aerial photography is still very much in its infancy 😀]
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| (Above and below) Forty-nine kilometres to target: the four He-177s with their close escort of three Re.2001s flying at 15 000 ft, and top-cover slightly behind and above at 16 000 ft. |
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| The intercepting Spitfires were some 3 km (3 000 yards) to the south, cruising at 17 000 ft. |
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| Closing to 500 yards, the Spitfires dove to 16 000 feet. |
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| Green section, lead by Flight Lt Battler Britton turned 180º to port, decreasing altitude to 15 000 ft, while red section, lead by Capt Oliver Biggs, flew ahead at 16 000 ft. For their part, the bombers and escorts flew straight ahead to the target, while top-cover increased speed, Sottotenente Figus and Malvezzi banking slightly to port and starboard respectively, Capitano Robetto flying straight ahead. |
However, things did not go completely as planned. Pilot Officer Wallace Wood, did not control his hard turn, losing more altitude than planned and only effecting a turn of 30º.
Responding to red section, Capitano Giuseppe Robetto ordered his top-cover wingmen, Sottotenente Giovanni Figus and Nero Malvezzi to make 180º turns to starboard and port respectively, while he reduced altitude to 15 000 ft and airspeed to fall in behind the bombers and escorts.
The tight turns proved too much for the Regia Aeronautica pilots too, as, like Wood, they lost altitude during the manoeuvre and only effected a 30º turn.
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| Having flown 'as if at a show', Flight Lt Britton came within range of the starboard escorting Re.2001 of Sottotenente Alessandro Veronesi, causing five points of damage. |
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| The He-177s and their escorts increased speed to maximum, but were unable to outrun the Spitfire's of green section. Flight Lt Britton and Flying Officer Arthur Rogers each scoring six points of damage on bomber vier and bomber zwei respectively. Shrapnel from the fire of the former temporarily dazing bombardier Hans Grasser. |
Meanwhile, red section turned 180º trying to return to the fray, but Pilot Officers Alfred Lacey and Barrington Ainsworth did not complete the manoeuvre effectively, 'falling' well below the altitude intended and heading off away from the bombers.
The action had now split into three parts. Britton and Rogers locking onto the bombers, but wary of their close escorts, Biggs and Robetto trying to speed back to the fray, while Lacey & Ainsworth, Figus & Malvezzi, some 2 1/2 km north of the current location of the bombers, were looking to engage one another.
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| Tailing the bombers, Britton and Rogers closed to point blank range and fired, long and hard. Bullets from the bombers' tail and dorsal machine guns flying past, within millimetres of their machines. |
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| Each inflicted another six points of damage on their respective targets (bomber vier and zwei once more). Battler Britton caused two critical hits, damaging bomber vier's rudder and elevators and wounding rear gunner Dietrich Schmidt. |
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| Seeing the Italian fighter escorts closing in and with Britton's plane out of ammunition, the British pilots turned to port and sped away from the action, but not before Tenente Mario Baron fired on Britton's spit., narrowly missing his target. |
A couple of kilometres to the north, glancing right and left respectively, Capt. Biggs and Capitano Robetto turned towards one another. Yet the sky before each was suddenly empty. Losing control, or perhaps deliberately, Biggs had descended rapidly, heading away from the Italian capitano and effectively out of the fight. Taking stock, Robetto turned to starboard and increased speed to maximum, attempting to return to his position behind and above the four Heinkels.
It was now 0607.
The four He-177s were 43.4 km from Alexandria. A mere five and a half minutes to release of their ordnance.
That was an absolutely fabulous game of aerial warfare with plenty of drama. It's a challenge just to 'fly' the darned planes, let alone when the other fella is moving as well AND trying to shoot at you!
Taking the Heinkels and Reggianes I thought that we were going to get away scot-free then, all of a sudden, I had two Spitfires on the tail of the bombers! At point blank, hits from the fighters were definite, but the all important critical hits are more difficult to obtain (a 1 in 6 on a D6). Then, if successful, a separate D10 for location, with only a 1 in 10 of the 'dreaded' explosion.
That was only our second use of Scramble (with our adjustments) and they are definitely the ducks nuts for us.
Game details
Rules
Scramble! by Alan Butler and Andrew Finch, but with simultaneous movement, firing (once per turn) anytime in the move and with modification (reduction) to the effect of a hit (to the damage per weapon factor) and the probability of a critical hit, as described above.
Planes
All 1/700 Skywave He-177s, 3D-printed Spitfires and scratch-built Re.2100s (scaled on computer, printed and then assembled by moi)
