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Thread: The Battle of Pantelleria

  1. #1

    Default The Battle of Pantelleria

    Lockdown from Covid-19. All my friends are at FirenzeGioca playing, I am alone in my room. What can I do? Maybe some playtesting for a solo scenario for Wings of Glory! So here I am piloting Aichner’s S.79 against HMS Bedouin out of Pantelleria. Our plan is to give a little kit in the torpedo-bomber version of the S.79 as we did for the dam attack in the Dambusters version of the Lancaster, and this is one of the three scenarios included.
    (by the way, I'm fine - vaccines work perfectly)

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Historical background: On the morning of June 15th, 1942, the ships of the Italian VII Divisione attacked the British convoy called Operation Harpoon, headed to Malta, in sight of Pantelleria. Hit 12 times, mostly by 8” shells, the Tribal-class destroyer HMS Bedouin stopped in open sea while Italians disengaged and the convoy headed on. Only HMS Partridge stayed behind and started towing HMS Bedouin toward Tunisia, but the tow cable was dropped when some Stukas and then a few Italian ships appeared, so that HMS Partridge could maneuver. The two ships emitted a smoke curtain, HMS Partridge sailed away and HMS Bedouin prepared to fight: All her artillery was still efficient. Then at 14.15, just a few minutes after the ship managed to switch on again her engines and move on her own, a S.79 appeared. A problem with an engine before take-off caused it to be alone and with no escort of C.202 fighters but the commander, Sottotenente Martino Aichner, decided to pursue his mission anyway. With him there were second pilot Sergente Oreste del Bianco, Aviere Scelto Marconista Mario Picerno, Aviere Scelto Fotografo Carmine Pragliola, Aviere Scelto Armiere Fausto de Santis, Aviere Scelto Motorista Massimiliano Fantuzzi. They spotted the destroyer in the smoke, but their main targets were cargos. They went on with their search, but the only cargo in sight was already sinking. So they went back to HMS Bedouin and attacked her.




    At the first turn, the HMS Bedouin is still unaware of the S.79 approaching behind the smoke courtain. The plane flies on at top speed while the ship starts veering to right. On the second turn they go on along the same routes. At the third one, the plane turns to left toward the ship and starts appaearing across the smoke curtain, but the ship’s AA guns do not manage to aim at it.



    On the fourth turn, the ship veers even more north. The plane straightens its route and prepares to drop the torpedo. The AA adjusts its aim, but even if close to the fuselage the explosion does not deliver any relevant damage to the plane.
    The plane slows down and drops the torpedo, entering the range of the AA machineguns that starts piercing the wing of the plane. Worse still, the Pom-pom anti-aircraft guns score a big hit on the plane. HMS Bedouin veers more and the plane turns in front of it, entering the blind spot between the machineguns on the sides. There is some tension when the torpedo seems to pass ahead the bow, but for a matter of a few meters actually the ship is hit.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Before it sinks, the ship manages to shot a few more lucky hits with the Pom-pom and the plane goes down on the water. Exactly as in the...

    Historical outcome: Two of the S.79’s engine were hit but the plane completed the attack. It dropped the torpedo at 500 meters of distance, then flew over the destroyer. AA fire from the ship hit the fuel tanks and the plane engines stopped. While the S.79 made an emergency landing in water, the torpedo hit the ship that sank in 5 minutes. Within the evening, Italians saved the ship’s crew by a seaplane and a hospital ship. The S.79 crew was saved by another seaplane at sunset. Aichner received a Silver Medal for his daring attack, but for many years the official reports attributed the sinking to the Italian Navy. Only in 1989, thanks to British documents, the victory has been acknowledged to him and the medal converted into a Golden one.

    If anybody knows how to rotate images, please help!
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    Last edited by Angiolillo; 09-27-2021 at 08:18.

  2. #2

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    Thank you Andrea for presenting this exclusive historical scenario.
    Rep worthy.

  3. #3

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    Grazie Andrea for this fascinating historical scenario with these beautiful birds that are the Sparviero S.79 !

  4. #4

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    Nice single plane scenario. Looking forward to the release of the S.79.

  5. #5

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    Might wanna double check with David Manley about AA "blind spots," but an interesting scenario and a nice writeup.

    Book reco if you can find a copy: MJ Whitley's Destroyers of WWII, and I'd add his Cruisers of WWII. Those and Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922-1946 (mostly Conway's) were the "bibles" for WOTC Axis & Allies War at Sea, so should be useful for both Mediterranean and Solomon Islands research.
    Historical Consultant/Researcher, Wings and Sails lines - Unless stated otherwise, all comments are personal opinion only and NOT official Ares policy.
    Wings Checklists: WWI (down Navarre Nieuport, Ares Drachens) | WWII (complete)

  6. #6

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    Thanks for posting the scenario, Andrea.

    The SM.79 looks great!
    Coming soon, I hope...?
    I laugh in the face of danger - then I hide until it goes away!

  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by Teaticket View Post
    Nice single plane scenario. Looking forward to the release of the S.79.
    Ditto on both counts.

  8. #8

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    I managed to turn the first two Andrea, but your third picture vanished. You will need to edit the post and re add that one. If you can't just send me the picture and I will put it back in for you.

    Rob.
    "Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you're scared to death."

  9. #9

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    Nice scenario.

    Hope we see the miniatures, soon.
    Voilŕ le soleil d'Austerlitz!

  10. #10

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    Thanks for the demonstration; soon the sparrohawk on our WoG maps!!!

  11. #11

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    Hi Andrea, thanks for the scenario idea, are the torpedo rules already in existence or are they still being worked on. I would very much like to have sight of them.
    Cheers

  12. #12

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    They are being edited by Ares Games. In this situation, I am not able to share them before publication.

  13. #13

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    Quote Originally Posted by Angiolillo View Post
    They are being edited by Ares Games. In this situation, I am not able to share them before publication.
    I understand, thanks for letting me know. I played a fun game torpedoing and bombing a German Battle Ship but the torpedo rules I used might have been better, or maybe it was my poor interpretation of them that was at fault.

    Look forward to seeing these in the future.



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