OtT: The Bitter End, Mission 02 – 10 November 1917 (fast.git)
“Rain in the Forecast; Fire from the Sky”
Diary Entry from 10th November, 1917“It rained heavily all day. In the morning I went down to the canal bank to see the staff captain of the first division about our RE material, as they were shouting for it from the guns. This way of getting material proved almost as fruitless as putting in through brigade as they simply made a note of the stuff we want and that was all that was done about it. The first division had attacked early in the morning, trying to push obliquely along the ridge towards Rosebeeke and although they were successful in gaining their objectives they eventually had to retire to their old line as the mud was impossible. All their Lewis guns and rifles got jammed with mud and the Hun put down a very heavy barrage too. Our big guns 12’ and 9’ were blazing away hard as I went down to the canal and making a great noise.”
-- Lt. Edward Walford Manifold MC, 48 Bty, 36 Brigade, RFA
Background:
The Battle of Passchendaele (31 July – 10 November 1917) – officially known as the Third Battle of Ypres and destined to become infamous not only for the scale of casualties (more than 500,000), but also for the mud – is mercifully coming to an end.
Mud and Misery of the Passchendaele Battlefield
"Canadian Gunners in the Mud" by Alfred Bastien
The heaviest rains in 30 years had stalled the attacks of July and August in a quagmire of rifle-clogging and tank-immobilizing thick mud…eventually becoming so deep that it drowned men and horses. Improving weather, however, prompted a series of attacks in late September and early October, establishing British possession of the ridge east of Ypres by 4 October.
Further attacks in October failed to make much progress, with British and Canadian forces eventually capturing what little remained of Passchendaele village by the evening of 6 November. Having weathered fierce enemy counterattacks for the last four days, this last phase of the battle will see the Canadian Corps attack and clear the Germans from the eastern edge of Passchendaele Ridge on the morning of 10 November.
Mission:
Allied: Early morning contact patrols have identified a number of targets threatening the Canadians’ assault along the ridge line east of Passchendaele. Storm clouds are massing and, as many of the RFA’s heavy guns are on the move and unavailable for action, it has fallen to the RFC to clear the way before the weather closes in and shuts down flight operations. Intel is spotty, however, and you are certain of neither the precise location, nor the nature of the targets.
Crossing the lines over the advancing Canadians, your mission is to locate, engage, and destroy two targets (primary and secondary) identified by the dawn contact patrols.
"Battle of Menin Road" by H. Septimus Power
Central Powers: Allied aircraft have been active all along the front since shortly after dawn, interdicting supply and reinforcement columns, targeting defensive strongpoints, and harassing troops in the trenches defending the high ground to the east of Passchendaele. The weather is closing in, threatening to shut down flight operations and leave the defenders on the ground to fend for themselves…but you’ve just sighted a group of Allied two-seaters flying low over the battlefield.
Drive off or destroy the Allied two-seaters before they can engage and destroy their targets.
Forces Engaged:
- Allied: a flight of 3 aircraft; must include at least a single two-seater
- Central Powers: a kette of 3 scouts
- Both Allied and Central Powers players will fly any single aircraft (it may be a two-seater), leaving the remainder to be controlled by the AI.
- Any two-seaters will be B/B armed.
- Allied aircraft may enter at Altitudes 2, 3, or 4. Central Powers aircraft will enter the map 1 altitude level higher than the highest Allied aircraft.
- As the weather is rapidly worsening, neither side will receive any reinforcements.
Special Rules (Weather):
- The weather is closing in, and the opening showers of what will eventually be more than 10 cm (4”) of rain has begun to fall as the Allied aircraft cross the lines. As a result, ceiling begins at Altitude 6, and will drop as the weather rolls in…making this as much a race against time as it is against HA.
- Ceiling will begin dropping at a rate of one level a turn (every 3 cards) beginning on the 7th card, plus a number of cards equal to the player’s “result” from the previous mission (ex. 14th card (7+7) for fast.git).
- Engaging targets will no longer be possible once the ceiling drops to 2.
- Should an aircraft climb through the clouds, they exit the battlefield and leave the scenario.
- If not playing with altitude, visibility will be reduced to zero 3 turns (9 cards) after the ceiling begins to drop.
Special Rules (Targets & Bombs):
- Select three target cards (identified on the chart below as primary and secondary, plus a “dummy”) and place them face down on the eastern half of the board, no closer than a single range stick to any edge and no closer than two range sticks between them. Additionally, stagger the target cards so that they’re not all in a single line.
- It is recommended (but not necessary) that any AI two-seaters use Richard Brantley’s advanced charts for H & K decks (specifically the columns regarding “Target” and “Home”).
- AI bombers will move to the closest target and engage it at least once, unless it is positively identified as a "dummy" target. After the first attack, the AI two-seater may move on to another target, regardless of result.
- Targets may be flipped over and identified once an Allied aircraft moves within two range sticks.
|
#1 |
#2 |
#3 |
#4 |
#5 |
#6 |
Total
Mod |
Ceiling Drops |
Primary & Secondary Targets |
teaticket |
+1 |
-1 |
+1 |
|
|
|
3 (+1) |
11th card |
Troop Concentration
Artillery Battery |
Carl-Brisgamer |
+1 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
3 (+1) |
11th card |
New Trenches
Ammo Dump |
Roland19 |
-1 |
-1 |
-1 |
0 |
+1 |
|
5 (-2) |
10th card |
Supply Column
New Trenches |
Flash |
|
|
|
|
|
|
n/a |
7th card |
Troop Concentration
Artillery Battery |
Mikeemagnus |
+1 |
+2 |
+2 |
+1 |
-1 |
|
5 (+5) |
17th card |
Supply Column
Artillery Battery |
Stumptonian |
0 |
0 |
0 |
-1 |
0 |
0 |
5 (-1) |
11th card |
New Trenches
Ammo Dump |
Gullyraker |
+2 |
+2 |
-1 |
+1 |
|
|
4 (+4) |
15th card |
Troop Concentration
Artillery Battery |
Setarius |
+1 |
0 |
-1 |
+1 |
-1 |
+1 |
6 (+1) |
14th card |
Troop Concentration
New Trenches |
Tikkifriend |
+1 |
-1 |
+1 |
0 |
+2 |
+1 |
6 (+4) |
17th card |
Artillery Battery
Troop Concentration |
fast.git |
0 |
+2 |
0 |
+1 |
|
|
4 (+3) |
14th card |
Troop Concentration
New Trenches |
FO Kyte |
+2 |
+2 |
+2 |
|
|
|
3 (+6) |
16th card |
Artillery Battery
Supply Column |
- To simplify matters somewhat, bomb loads will be abstracted. Rather than tracking individual bombs, each Allied two-seater will be loaded with enough bombs to drop on two targets (or double-up on a single target), with scouts able to drop once.
- When carrying bombs, aircraft may not perform a reversal.
- If a dropped bomb card covers the target’s red dot, the target will be destroyed by a single bomb. Otherwise, the target will be damaged/disrupted/suppressed by the near miss. Two such near misses will destroy the target.
Setup:
- 2 mats, or an area approximately 54”x40” (138cm x 102cm)
- Allied two-seaters and their escort (if any) will enter from the western edge, within 1.5 range sticks of mat edge center point. At mission’s end, surviving Allied aircraft may exit at any point along the map’s western edge, or upwards through the clouds.
- Defending scouts will enter from the opposite side, within 1.5 range sticks of mat edge center point.
Optional Rules:
- Treat landing at your home aerodrome as a “crash landing” per the OtT:BE rules, modifying the roll only for wounds (-1 each), engine damage (-1), rudder damage (-1), and pilot ability (Ace = +2).
Victory Conditions:
- Allied players receive 3 points for destroying their primary target, 2 points for destroying their secondary target, and/or 1 point for each damaged target.
- CP players receive 2 points for each destroyed two-seater and 1 point for each destroyed scout.
Road Sign used by the Imperial German Army
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