LONDON BOMBING 1918
Recall of the troops in the middle of the week for a game around a giant bomber.
Betadouglas could not get rid of his professional obligations, so they are 4 to meet in the skies of London for the scenario Bombing London in 3 rounds (booklet WOW Flight of the Giants page 23 or booklet of Zeppelin Staaken WOG).
Waxfrance orders the Staaken Zeppelin (Schilling model) and a yellow Halberstadt CL.II two-seater (Niemman/Kolodjic model), escorted by Taybo the Wasp in a yellow and black Fokker E.V monoplane and single-seater (Osterkamp model), determined to sting the unwary who would dare to approach the Staaken Queen.
The English welcoming committee made a point of honoring its legendary reputation for hospitality by making it rain bullets like the London drizzle : Het and his inseparable Sopwith Triplane (Little model) adopted since the previous mission (Bomb the bridge AAR), accompanied by Monse on the agile two-seater Bristol F.2b Fighter (Arkell/Stagg model).
1st round
1- The alert is given, the English crews rush to meet the intruders inviting themselves at tea time.
But what does this blue and red arrow at the top of the photo indicate ?
Could it be the direction of the wind ?
2- No, it's the Bristol which is recklessly offering itself to the front machine gun of the Halberstadt (blue ruler) while the 2 arcs of the English two-seater remain desperately in search of a target (red ruler).
(the reflections of the lighting above the table give a nice effect of flaming buildings on the London agglomeration).
3- The following movements allow a riposte of the English two-seater but the consecutive shots of Halberstadt associated with the front gunner of Staaken involve a beginning of fire. The interception mission seemed to be compromised.
4- These dire predictions are confirmed on the next turn, as the draw of A damage cards related to the flames allows the Bristol to put on a pitiful display of agility to the ground. This is especially the opportunity to try out the Pyrkoll destroyed aircraft markers.
The Triplane is the only surviving defender of the English capital and its first shot on the Staaken is sanctioned by the jamming of its machine guns. A great moment of solitude: alone and unarmed, facing 3 opponents.
5- The German escort honors its first victim on the scene of the crash but forgets to pursue the Triplane whose armament has regained its effectiveness against the structure of the Staaken.
6- The rear machine guns of the Zeppelin are unleashed on the English but are unlucky because they are mute for the next phase of the game. The Triplane continues to harass the bomber until the end of the 1st round, marked by the exit of the Zeppelin still in flying condition.
2nd round
As foreseen by the scenario, the Zeppelin (commanded by Taybo) is without escort but with its damage points accumulated previously, facing 2 new fighters: the usual Sopwith Triplane (Dallas model) for Hetfighter and a stray Belgian Hanriot HD1 (Coppens model) for Monse. Waxfrance stands as a vigilant observer and impartial referee.
7- A miscalculated Split-S keeps the Hanriot out of range and the Triplane finds itself straddling the bomber preventing the shot.
Despite a few inconsequential shots from the fighters located at the higher altitude level, Taybo managed to bring the Staaken as close as possible to the target to trigger the bombing after a stall: the target is destroyed with the same precision as at the Gotha's command during the previous bombing mission (last AAR above).
8- The two fighters, feeling responsible for not having been able to prevent the bombing, try to shoot down the Staaken before it leaves the mat on the side where it has entered (which would lead to a third round).
The beginning of a fire will accelerate the fatal outcome for the giant bomber.
9- A promise is a promise.
Barbecue party at Picadily Circus around the wreck of the Zeppelin.
Four fighters (one of which was quickly put out of action) and 4 widths of playing carpet were still necessary to overcome the 34 points of the Zeppelin, which successfully launched bombs.
Remarks on rules unintentionally forgotten during the game:
- the forced dive could have been used to limit the effects of fire on the Bristol at the beginning of the game (WOG Rules & Accessories booklet p16).
- multi-engine planes are not affected by the interruption of fire and keep their aiming bonus even if they have been hit (WOG R&A p19).
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Originally Posted by flash
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