RAF:The Battle of Britain 1940 - EAGLE AAR

JudgeDredd · December 01, 2013, 02:04:29 PM

Prelude to Eagle Day
Setting Up For Play
Card Preparation
Set the Target Deck, Raid Event Deck and Day Event Deck into accessible piles (German Strategy Deck are not required for this scenario)
Remove Target Cards 35-60 and Raid Event Cards 132-134 from the piles.
Shuffle each deck and place face down

Unit Placement
Place all 27 Hurricane and Spitfire counters full strength up in their respective sectors (but not Blenheim Sqns)
Place all 77 Gruppen counters full strength up in their assigned air bases

Target Priorities
Place the Priority Markers on the Target Priority Track as follows

Low Priority - Cities and Industry
Medium Priority - Airfields
High Priority - Ports and Radar

Other Marker Placement
Put the Clock marker in the 0600 space in the Clock
Place the 7 time markers on the Raid Planning Track
Detection Marker on the Detection Track
Day marker on August 11 box
Victory Point marker on the 0 box, British Side (+) up

All set up.

The might of the German Luftwaffe is poised and ready to launch the first of many days which will see raids all over southern England. The brave but few RAF pilots await the onslaught.

Sequence of Play

Daily Planning Phase - Occurs once each day at the start of the day
Raid Phase - Perform several times a day for the number of raids you have
Airfield Operations Phase - Performed several times each day as the clock marker moves around the clock
Calendar Update Phase - Performed once per day after the last raid

Daily Planning Phase
Night Raid Planning
Optional and not being used here

German Strategy Draw
Draw German Strategy cards based on the Victory Point total - Strategy cards are not used in the one day scenario Prelude to Eagle Day

Raid Target Selection
Draw 10 Target Cards (8 if Morning Haze is in effect because you cannot plan a raid for 0600 or 0800 with Morning Haze active)

I draw 10 - and these are the 10

I now have to determine which ones are valid targets.
Looking at the German Raid Priority Table I can see a matrix. So...
Industry & Cities - These are Low Priority and therefore for any with Strategy Value 1 or 2, I cannot attack, but for Strategy Value 3 I can perform a Minor Raid
Airfields - These are Medium Priority and therefore for any with Strategy Value 1 I cannot attack, for Strategy Value 2 I can perform a Minor Raid and for Strategy Value 3 I can perform a Major Raid
Ports & Radar - These are High Priority and therefore for any with Strategy Value 1 I can perform a Minor Raid and for Strategy Value 2 & 3 I can perform a Major Raid

So, having looked at these, I remove
Farnborough (city)
Southampton (city)
North Weald (airfield)
Rochester (industry)

NB - If you do not select at least 3 targets which allow for Major Raids, draw Target Cards one at a time until you have 3 Major Raids
This has happened to me - I only have 2 Major Raid targets - so I pull another card and get Rye - Radar Site

And I can perform the following raids
Minor Raid
Minor Raids allow for 1-3 Gruppen to take part in the raid
Southend (city)
Hornchurch (airfield)
Biggin Hill (airfield)
Worth (radar)

Major Raid
Major Raids allow for 1-16 Gruppen to take part in the raid
Biggin Hill (airfield)
Kenley (airfield)
Rye (radar)

And I assign them to the following times by placing them on the Raid Planning Track and putting the time counter next to them.

NB - you can have up to 3 raids performed per time segment
NB - the time slots are important in that each time segment the clock is moved, RAF fighters move in varying stages of readiness

Bomber Assignment
I now assign bomber Gruppen. I need to stay within the Raid Size limits and (though it's not specifically mentioned) I believe the Raid Size Limits include fighters.

The limits are 1-3 Gruppen for Minor Raids and for Major Raids the max number of Gruppen depends on the number of raids being performed in a day. For me I have 7 raids happening so I am allowed a maximum of 11 Gruppen.

I move the bombers taking part to their target cards making sure Luftflotte 2 and 3 aircraft are assigned to the correct cards
NB - something that isn't clear in the rules for me is some of the cards say Luftflotte 2 South and Luftflotte 2 East - but I don't know how to determine those. The map board only has Luftflotte 2 slots - no South and East segments.

NB There's very possibly importance on which aircraft to assign to your raids. I expect that is quite important due to Bombing Strength and Combat Rating. I didn't take account of this - I just threw aircraft into the mix - but I expect (GJK) that this is one of the important decisions you will have to make and I hope my lack of doing so is displayed to you in all it's glorious failure ;D

Fighter Assignment
After assigning bomber Gruppen, I assign fighter Gruppen for the first 3 Time Slots (not targets) only.

These are my raids with my bombers and fighter escorts.

NB Point to note about the target WORTH - it is in 4/10 (Sector 4 Group 10 - Middle Wallop) and that sector is outside Me109 range. However, the rules state you can still assign Me109 escorts but they will be placed in the Channel Patrol Box...I don't know about the significance of this yet (presumably they can be intercepted quicker possibly?) - but it will become apparent when I get to that stage. It sounds like a potential "penalty" for the German player though.

Night Patrol Assignment
Optional and not being performed in this game

Repair
Skipped on first day for obvious reasons ;D

Time of Day and Weather Forecast
Put the Time counter on the clock relating to the time of your first raid (for me that's 0600)
For weather roll one die for each Luftflotte and consult the Weather Table. I roll a 1 for Luftflotte 3 which gives me clear weather in that area (no counter placed) and I roll a 6 for Luftflotte 2 which gives me Broken Clouds...I'm sure that won't be good.

Here you can see I've put a Broken Clouds counter on the map in Luftflotte 2 and left Luftflotte 3 empty showing Clear Skies

I have no Luftflotte 2 bombers left. Six of my seven raids were in Luftflotte 2! I didn't have enough bombers and filled each of the raids up to their maximum 11 Gruppen with fighters.

Raid Phase
This is performed for each raid in the day with the Airfield Operations phase happening when the time counter moves
So in this instance, at 0600, I will perform 3 Raid Phases and then perform an Airfield Operations phase before continuing with other raids

0600 Raid Phase - Raid 1
Raid Force Deployment
I select a target card and place all Gruppen in their respective sections in the Raid Display on the map board

I select BIGGIN HILL (major raid) in Sector 7 Group 11 and place my bomber Gruppen in the BB (Bomber Box).

I place my Me110's in the CE box and I then consult the Channel Patrol (CP) box to determine if I have to put any Me109's in the CP box. With 6 bomber Gruppen, I have to assign both Me109 units to CP

British Detection
I roll the die and apply modifiers to determine the level of detection of the raid and consult the Detection Track
The modifiers are

+2 for each undamaged Radar Network stated on the card (+4)
the observer Corps Value for the weather conditions (Broken Cloud) (+3)
modifier for number of Gruppen in the raid (+4)

For Biggin Hill the modifier is 11 (4 for the 2 radar networks, 3 for the Observer Corps in Broken Cloud and 4 for the number of Gruppen in the attack)
A roll of 5 giving a modified value of 16 which is listed in the Raid Detection chart as Warning - Very Early and Intelligence - Limited.

Raid Rendezvous Check
Roll a die and refer to the Raid Rendezvous Check Table.
A roll of 6 is FAILURE IF - 15 or more Gruppen are in the raid - which is not the case - so the rendezvous goes fine.

British Raid Response
The Eligible Sectors Chart shows the following valid Sectors and available Sqns (for Early warning)

7/11 - 3 Sqns
2/11 and 6/11 - 2 Sqns each
1/11, 3/11 and 5/11 - 2 Sqns each
4/11 - 1 Sqn

All the above Sqns go into the Raid Response Pool (a cup)

I now remove Sqns from the Raid Response Pool by rolling the die, applying modifiers and referring to the Raid Response Priority Chart. I roll a 6 (dice loaded?) and consult the chart.
Target Sector is in 11 Group (+1)
Primary Target is Airfield (+2)
Target is Deep (+1)
Warning is Very Early (+1)
Intelligence is limited and Raid has 9-11 Gruppen (+2)
Target Cards yet to be resolved in same Time Segment (-2) (-1 per target card)

Total Modifiers = +5. With a roll of 6 and a +5 modifier for a total of 11 and 14 Sqns in the pool, the Raid Response Priority Chart says 7 Sqns are to be removed from the pool. I remove (randomly) 7 Sqns and return them to their Sectors.

The next stage is to determine, out of the available Raid Response Pool, which units actually take part in the raid based on the Intelligence Level (Limited) and the Response Tactics Chart.
Given the Intelligence Level was Limited, I check the LIMITED INTEL table. There are 5 aircraft in the Raid Response Pool and given that information level and the fact there are 9 Gruppen in the Raid (excluding CP aircraft) I can see that I can use ALL aircraft from the Force Response Pool to intercept the raid.

There are 5 Sqns taking part in the response

65 Sqn Spitfires
74 Sqn Spitfires
85 Sqn Hurricanes
111 Sqn Hurricanes
615 Sqn Hurricanes

I take 3xHurricane and 2xSpitfire sqns and place them in the Hunt Box (HB) on the Raid Display on the map board

Hunter Interception
Here you determine if any Gruppen in HB can intercept Sqns. I have no Gruppen in the HB. My bombers are sitting ducks.

Raid Approach Event
I pull a Raid Event card and carry out the Approach Event listed on the card. Bugger!
Clouds Scatter Raid - if the region has patchy or broken cloud, reduce all [A] Gruppen so I flip the one (A) unit of my He111 bomber units (IIKG4) to it's reduced side

Hunter Attack
Perform attacks on Sqns by Gruppen in the HB. When complete, move the HB gruppen to the CE box depending on combat results. All remaining Sqns move to the BB.

I have no Gruppen in the HB and I move all 3 Sqns to the BB.

Raid Target Event
I pull a Raid Event card and carry out the Target Event instructions.

Raid Warning level was VERY EARLY so the instructions are not performed.

Squadron Interception
Determine which Gruppen in the BB and CE box are intercepted by the Sqns in the BB.
I have fewer Sqns than Gruppen in the BB and CE box. Looking at the instructions for this I select Gruppen based on full strength before reduced strength and then by a type...I have 5 full strength Gruppen so those are the bombers to be attacked.
The reduced bomber is set apart from the other 5 Gruppen - it is not being intercepted.
For the CE box, I pick (my choice) the same number of CE fighters as the number of bomber Gruppen not attacked and move them aside in the CE box - they will not be intercepted
So as one bomber Gruppen was not intercepted, so too 1 Me110 is not intercepted. The other 2 Me110 units will be intercepted.

Squadron Attack
During this phase all Sqns attack all eligible (determined in the previous step) Gruppen in the BB and CE. When complete, all Sqns and fighter Gruppen leave the raid. All bombers and strafers stay, depending on combat results.

Add all Sqn Combat Ratings (17) and all Gruppen in the BB and intercepted Gruppen in the CE box (33) which gives a total of 50
Count # of Gruppen participating in the combat (7) to determine the column to use in the Combat Results Table
I can see I need to use ROW G (Column 10 and 50 for Total Combat Value)

Rolling the dice I get 5. I look across at the Combat Results - and it's not good. With a roll of 5, for all A & C Gruppen, they suffer Light Losses and B Gruppen are Disrupted.
Checking the German Aircraft Combat Results
For the intercepted Units in the Close Escort Box

A units - I have one Me110 and it results in a LIGHT LOSS. I move the unit to the LIGHT LOSS box...it will take no further part in the raid and I move and I award the RAF +1VPs
B units - I have no B units
C units - I have one and it results in a LIGHT LOSS. I move the unit to the LIGHT LOSS box...it will take no further part in the raid and I move and I award the RAF +1VPs

For the Units in the Bomber Box

A units - I have none
B units - I have 3 B units. Full Gruppe disrupted means they are reduced but stay in the BB. That's not bad news. Also no further VPs are given to the British for this result.
C units - I have two and it results in a LIGHT LOSS. I move the units to the LIGHT LOSS box...they will take no further part in the raid and I move and I award the RAF 2 VPs

So far the RAF have +4VPs

Checking the RAF Aircraft Combat Results
For the Units in the Bomber Box

A units - the RAF have 3 A class units. These suffer disruption. Looking in the Units in Bomber Box Combat Damage Chart this results in them being reduced and going to the In Flight (IF) box
B units - the RAF have 2 B units and they suffer no damage and are moved to the IF box
C units - the RAF has no C class units

The RAF leave this engagement with 4 VPs - but the Germans still have bombers on the way.

As you can see, I have 4 reduced Bomber Gruppen to use in my bombing run, 2xMe110 Gruppen are in the Light Loss Box as are 2xHe111 (these aircraft will take no further part in the raid) and all RAF aircraft are in the IF box, with 3 of them in reduced state.
The Me110 which was in the CE box and the 2 Me109s in the CE box are moved to the Inflight Box - taking no further part in the raid.

Bombardment
My 4 reduced bomber Gruppen head towards the target.
My total bombing strength is 12.
Checking the column on the Bombing Table I am on column 8. Due to Broken Clouds, I have to shift 2 columns to the left. I roll a 4 and looking down my column (6) and along row 4, I see the result is 2 damage points meaning I subtract 2 VPs from the VP track.
In addition, because the target was an airfield, Sqns present in the sector are liable to Dispersal. The number of Sqns suffering dispersal is based on the damage inflicted (in this case 2). It just so happens there are 2 units in Sector 7. They are moved to the LAND BOX on the TOTE BOARD
The German bombers Gruppen are moved to the In Flight box

German Recovery
German bomber Gruppe can only be assigned to one raid per day. Fighter Gruppe can partake in 3 raids. Therefore...
...all bomber units in the In Flight box are moved to their respective airfields, full side up.
...all German fighters are moved from the In Flight box to a clock space 3 spaces on from the current marker (so 1200).

Clock Check
I flip the target card face down to show it has been completed. If there any other targets in the same time frame, then they should go through the Raid Phase before moving the clock forward.

This is the board at the end of the first Raid Phase at 0600.
As you can see I have left the fighters and bomber Gruppen that suffered light losses in the Light Loss box. In a full game those are returned to their airfields when spending replacement points.
The fighter Gruppen that were in the In Flight box are moved to 1200 and the bomber Gruppen that were in the In Flight box are returned to full strength and returned to their respective airfields
Also notice that the RAF fighters in the In Flight box stay there. They move to the RAF Tote board when the clock advances.

Second and third Raid Phases for this time segment are in the following post (limit of 20,000 characters per post)

JudgeDredd · December 01, 2013, 02:17:44 PM

0600 Raid Phase - Raid 2
Raid Force Deployment
I select a target card and place all Gruppen in their respective sections in the Raid Display on the map board

I select Hornchruch (minor raid) in Sector 6 Group 11 and place my bomber Gruppen in the BB (Bomber Box).

I place my Me109 in the Channel Patrol (CP) box. With 2 bomber Gruppen, I have to assign my sole Me109 unit to CP - the bombers are unescorted.

British Detection
I roll the die and apply modifiers to determine the level of detection of the raid and consult the Detection Track
The modifiers are

the observer Corps Value for the weather conditions (Broken Cloud) (+3)
+2 for each undamaged Radar Network stated on the card (+4)
modifier for number of Gruppen in the raid (+1)

For Hornchurch the modifier is 8 (4 for the 2 radar networks, 3 for the Observer Corps in Broken Cloud and 1 for the number of Gruppen in the attack)
A roll of 4 giving a modified value of 12 which is listed in the Raid Detection chart as Warning - Sufficient and Intelligence - Limited.

Raid Rendezvous Check
Roll a die and refer to the Raid Rendezvous Check Table.
A roll of 3 is FAILURE IF - Broken Cloud and 8 or more Gruppen are in the raid - which is not the case - so the rendezvous goes fine.

British Raid Response
The Eligible Sectors Chart shows the following valid Sectors and available Sqns (for Sufficient warning)

6/11 - 4 Sqns
5/11 and 7/11 - 2 Sqns each
2/11, 3/11 - None
4/11 - None

All the above Sqns go into the Raid Response Pool (a cup). I actually only have 3 Sqns available out of the above potential 8!

I now remove Sqns from the Raid Response Pool by rolling the die, applying modifiers and referring to the Raid Response Priority Chart. I roll a 1 and consult the chart.
Target Sector is in 11 Group (+1)
Primary Target is Airfield (+2)
Target is Deep (+1)
Target Cards yet to be resolved in same Time Segment (-1) (-1 per target card)

Total Modifiers = +3. With a roll of 1 and a +3 modifier for a total of 4 and 3 Sqns in the pool, the Raid Response Priority Chart says 1 Sqn is to be removed from the pool. I remove (randomly) 1 Sqn and return it to it's Sector.

The next stage is to determine, out of the available Raid Response Pool, which units actually take part in the raid based on the Intelligence Level (Limited) and the Response Tactics Chart.
Given the Intelligence Level was Limited, I check the LIMITED INTEL table.
There are 2 aircraft in the Raid Response Pool and given the information level and the fact there are 2 Gruppen in the Raid (excluding CP aircraft) I can see that I can use ALL aircraft from the Force Response Pool to intercept the raid.

There are 2 Sqns taking part in the response

52 Sqn Spitfires
56 Sqn Hurricanes

I take 1xHurricane and 1xSpitfire Sqns and place them in the Hunt Box (HB) on the Raid Display on the map board

Hunter Interception
Here you determine if any Gruppen in HB can intercept Sqns. I have no Gruppen in the HB. My bombers are sitting ducks.

Raid Approach Event
I pull a Raid Event card and carry out the Approach Event listed on the card.
Nothing to do here as raid was not Early Warning and the raid is not after September 11

Hunter Attack
Perform attacks on Sqns by Gruppen in the HB. When complete, move the HB gruppen to the CE box depending on combat results. All remaining Sqns move to the BB.

I have no Gruppen in the HB and I move both Sqns to the BB.

Raid Target Event
I pull a Raid Event card and carry out the Target Event instructions.
Bugger! So I have to reduce a number of bomber Gruppen in the BB box equal to the number of full Sqns in the BB - which is two. So both my Gruppen are reduced

Squadron Interception
Determine which Gruppen in the BB and CE box are intercepted by the Sqns in the BB.
I have the same number of Gruppen as Sqns in the BB so they are all intercepted.

Squadron Attack
During this phase all Sqns attack all eligible (determined in the previous step) Gruppen in the BB and CE. When complete, all Sqns and fighter Gruppen leave the raid. All bombers and strafers stay, depending on combat results.

Add all Sqn Combat Ratings (7) and all Gruppen in the BB and intercepted Gruppen in the CE box (12) which gives a total of 19
Count # of Gruppen participating in the combat (2) to determine the column to use in the Combat Results Table
I can see I need to use ROW H (Column 4 and 19 for Total Combat Value)

Rolling the dice I get 3. I look across at the Combat Results. With a roll of 3 all A Gruppen suffer Heavy Losses and C Gruppen are Disrupted.
Checking the German Aircraft Combat Results
For the Units in the Bomber Box

A units - I have one unit - a Ju88. This suffers HEAVY LOSSES and costs +2VPs for the RAF and is moved to the Heavy Loss box
B units - I have none
C units - I have one unit suffering Disruption. I move this unit to the In Flight box

So far the RAF have +2VPs

Checking the RAF Aircraft Combat Results
For the Units in the Bomber Box

A units - None
B units - None
C units - the RAF has 2 C class units here. They are Disrupted and the Combat Damage Chart suggests they move to the In Flight box reduced

The RAF leave this engagement with 2 VPs and the raid is over.

Bombardment
No bomber Gruppen remaining

German Recovery
My bomber Gruppen in the In Flight box are moved to their respective airfields, full side up.
My German fighter Gruppen are moved from the In Flight box to a clock space 3 spaces on from the current marker (so 1200).

Clock Check
I flip the target card face down to show it has been completed. If there any other targets in the same time frame, then they should go through the Raid Phase before moving the clock forward.

This is the board at the end of the second Raid Phase at 0600.
As you can see I have left the bomber Gruppen that suffered heavy losses in the Heavy Loss box.
The fighter Gruppen that were in the In Flight box are moved to 1200 and the bomber Gruppen that were in the In Flight box are returned to full strength and returned to their respective airfields
Also notice that the RAF fighters in the In Flight box stay there. They move to the RAF Tote board when the clock advances.

0600 Raid Phase - Raid 3
Raid Force Deployment
I select a target card and place all Gruppen in their respective sections in the Raid Display on the map board

I select BIGGIN HILL (minor raid) in Sector 7 Group 11 and place my bomber Gruppen in the BB (Bomber Box).

I then consult the Channel Patrol (CP) box to determine if I have to put any Me109's in the CP box. With 2 bomber Gruppen, I have to assign my sole Me109 unit to CP

British Detection
I roll the die and apply modifiers to determine the level of detection of the raid and consult the Detection Track
The modifiers are

+2 for each undamaged Radar Network stated on the card (+4)
the observer Corps Value for the weather conditions (Broken Cloud) (+3)
modifier for number of Gruppen in the raid (+1)

For Biggin Hill the modifier is 8 (4 for the 2 radar networks, 3 for the Observer Corps in Broken Cloud and 1 for the number of Gruppen in the attack)
A roll of 4 giving a modified value of 12 which is listed in the Raid Detection chart as Warning - Sufficient and Intelligence - Limited.

Raid Rendezvous Check
Roll a die and refer to the Raid Rendezvous Check Table.
A roll of 6 is FAILURE IF - 15 or more Gruppen are in the raid - which is not the case - so the rendezvous goes fine.

British Raid Response
The Eligible Sectors Chart shows the following valid Sectors and available Sqns (for Sufficient warning)

7/11 - 4 Sqns
2/11, 3/11 and 6/11 - 2 Sqns each
1/11 and 5/11 - None
4/11 - None

All the above Sqns go into the Raid Response Pool (a cup). I actually only have 2 Sqns available.

I now remove Sqns from the Raid Response Pool by rolling the die, applying modifiers and referring to the Raid Response Priority Chart.
Target Sector is in 11 Group (+1)
Primary Target is Airfield (+2)
Target is Deep (+1)

Total Modifiers = +4. With a roll of 6 and a +4 modifier for a total of 10 and 2 Sqns in the pool, the Raid Response Priority Chart says 0 Sqns are to be removed from the pool.

The next stage is to determine, out of the available Raid Response Pool, which units actually take part in the raid based on the Intelligence Level (Limited) and the Response Tactics Chart.
Given the Intelligence Level was Limited, I check the LIMITED INTEL table. There are 2 aircraft in the Raid Response Pool and given that information level and the fact there are 2 Gruppen in the Raid (excluding CP aircraft) I can see that I can use ALL aircraft from the Force Response Pool to intercept the raid.

There are 2 Sqns taking part in the response

64 Sqn Spitfires
1 Sqn Hurricanes

I take 1xHurricane and 1xSpitfire Sqns and place them in the Hunt Box (HB) on the Raid Display on the map board

Hunter Interception
Here you determine if any Gruppen in HB can intercept Sqns. I have no Gruppen in the HB.
*note to self - must remember to include more Me109's than bombers so they have a fighter escort!

Raid Approach Event
I pull a Raid Event card and carry out the Approach Event listed on the card. Good news...weather improves and goes from Broken Cloud to Patchy Cloud

Hunter Attack
Perform attacks on Sqns by Gruppen in the HB. When complete, move the HB gruppen to the CE box depending on combat results. All remaining Sqns move to the BB.

I have no Gruppen in the HB and I move both Sqns to the BB.

Raid Target Event
I pull a Raid Event card and carry out the Target Event instructions. Seems there's been a navigational error

*NB
I've performed the multipliers wrong during the British Raid Response for all 3 raids. I've been taking the targets as "deep" and applying a +1 modifier when in fact the targets have been inland
As all my targets said Inland or Coast, I thought Inland was classed as deep. Apparently, looking at this card, they're not. It's too late to change the above raids now...but the raid modifiers will be correct going forward.

Squadron Interception
Determine which Gruppen in the BB and CE box are intercepted by the Sqns in the BB.
I have the same number of Sqns as Gruppen in the BB box all Gruppen are to be intercepted

Squadron Attack
During this phase all Sqns attack all eligible (determined in the previous step) Gruppen in the BB and CE. When complete, all Sqns and fighter Gruppen leave the raid. All bombers and strafers stay, depending on combat results.

Add all Sqn Combat Ratings (7) and all Gruppen in the BB and intercepted Gruppen in the CE box (14) which gives a total of 21
Count # of Gruppen participating in the combat (2) to determine the column to use in the Combat Results Table
I can see I need to use ROW I (Column 4 and 21 for Total Combat Value)

Rolling the dice I get 5. I look across at the Combat Results
For the Units in the Bomber Box

A units - One Ju-87 suffers Heavy Losses for +2VPs
B units - One Ju-87 suffers Heavy Losses for +2VPs
C units - None

So far the RAF have +4VPs

Checking the RAF Aircraft Combat Results
For the Units in the Bomber Box

A units - None
B units - 1xHurricane but no effect
C units - 1xSpitfire but no effect

The RAF leave this engagement with 4 VPs and the raid is over

Both German Ju87 bomber Gruppen being moved to the HL box and the Me109 fighter Gruppen is moved to the In Flight box

Bombardment
I have no bombers to continue the raid

German Recovery
Both bomber units are in the HL box
My Me109 in the In Flight box is moved to the clock space 3 spaces on from the current marker (so 1200).

Clock Check
I flip the target card face down to show it has been completed. As there are no more raids in this time segment, I advance the Clock Counter and perform the Airfield Operations phase

Airfield Operations Phase
Squadron Turnaround
So because I moved the Clock Counter one space, I perform the following Sqn Turnaround
I move the 7/11 fighters (the ones that were scrambled away from the airfield due to the first raid) on the Tote Board from Land to Rearm
Each FULL Sqn in the In Flight box is moved to it's sector Rearm box
Each REDUCED Sqn in the In Flight box is moved to it's sector Land box

German Fighter Turnaround
Any fighter Gruppen in the current and earlier time sections can be moved to their airfields, full side up. There are none this section.

German Fighter Assignment
Assign all fighter Gruppen to raids planned for the current time segment and the next time segment.
Both my next two raids have fighters assigned - so I do nothing here.

This is the board at the end of the third Raid Phase and 0600 time segment.
It wasn't a good raid phase for the Germans. Partly to blame is my initial lack of understanding on fighters. I under-estimated the number of fighter units required. Also the "small" screw up with the +1 Deep Target modifier wrongly assigned for Inland targets

2 of my next four raids are minor raids - which I'm not expecting much from given how they massively failed previously. However I do hope to claw back some VPs in the two bigger raids.

As it stands, the Brits are +8 VPs.

GJK · December 01, 2013, 04:32:52 PM

Wow, simply WOW. Great AAR - I just quickly browsed through it but I'm going to back and read it in depth. I can tell that you put in a lot of effort so can't wait to enjoy that read. Thanks for sharing!

JudgeDredd · December 01, 2013, 04:36:40 PM

Thanks very much for the kind words.

The mechanics are simply superb. There aren't a huge amount of decisions you have to make (I know you mentioned that as an aspect you look for) but the gameplay is simple and clever and yet quite tense. Waiting to see what the event card says, looking up the values on the tables hoping they aren't too bad, watching the turnaround of the fighters and the Brits on the Tote Board.

I've said it before - but the rules are fantastic. The best rules I've ever had the pleasure to read. They are well written and well laid out.

I really, really can't wait to do a campaign in this bad boy.

JudgeDredd · December 01, 2013, 04:36:52 PM

0800 Raid Phase - Raid 1
Raid Force Deployment
I have one target this time segment - Worth. It's a minor raid in Sector 4 Group 10 and place my bomber Gruppen in the BB (Bomber Box).

Again - as I only have 1 Me109 and 2 bomber Gruppen, my Me109 finds itself in CP

British Detection
I roll the die and apply modifiers to determine the level of detection of the raid and consult the Detection Track
The modifiers are

+2 for each undamaged Radar Network stated on the card (+6)
the observer Corps Value for the weather conditions (Patchy Cloud) (+1)
modifier for number of Gruppen in the raid (+1)

For Worth the modifier is 8 (6 for the 3 radar networks, 1 for the Observer Corps in Patchy Cloud and 1 for the number of Gruppen in the attack)
A roll of 3 giving a modified value of 11 which is listed in the Raid Detection chart as Warning - Sufficient and Intelligence - Limited.

Raid Rendezvous Check
Roll a die and refer to the Raid Rendezvous Check Table.
A roll of 5 is FAILURE IF - 13 or more Gruppen are in the raid - which is not the case - so the rendezvous goes fine.

British Raid Response
The Eligible Sectors Chart shows the following valid Sectors and available Sqns (for Sufficient warning)

4/10 - 3 Sqns
3/10 and 1/11 - 1 Sqn each
1/10 - None

All the above Sqns go into the Raid Response Pool (a cup).

I now remove Sqns from the Raid Response Pool by rolling the die, applying modifiers and referring to the Raid Response Priority Chart.
Primary Target is Radar Net (+2)

Total Modifiers = +2. With a roll of 4 and a +2 modifier for a total of 6 and 5 Sqns in the pool, the Raid Response Priority Chart says 2 Sqns are to be removed from the pool.

The next stage is to determine, out of the available Raid Response Pool, which units actually take part in the raid based on the Intelligence Level (Limited) and the Response Tactics Chart.
Given the Intelligence Level was Limited, I check the LIMITED INTEL table. There are 3 aircraft in the Raid Response Pool and given that information level and the fact there are 2 Gruppen in the Raid (excluding CP aircraft) I can see that I can use ALL aircraft from the Force Response Pool to intercept the raid.

There are 3 Sqns taking part in the response

609 Sqn Spitfires
234 Sqn Spitfires
87 Sqn Hurricanes

I take 1xHurricane and 2xSpitfire Sqns and place them in the Hunt Box (HB) on the Raid Display on the map board

Hunter Interception
Here you determine if any Gruppen in HB can intercept Sqns. I have no Gruppen in the HB.

Raid Approach Event
I pull a Raid Event card and carry out the Approach Event listed on the card. At least I don't have any A grade units in the raid

Hunter Attack
I have no Gruppen in the HB and I move all 3 Sqns to the BB.

Raid Target Event
I could do with some good news here!
No such luck.

Squadron Interception
Determine which Gruppen in the BB and CE box are intercepted by the Sqns in the BB.
I have more Sqns than Gruppen in the BB box so all Gruppen are to be intercepted

Squadron Attack
During this phase all Sqns attack all eligible (determined in the previous step) Gruppen in the BB and CE. When complete, all Sqns and fighter Gruppen leave the raid. All bombers and strafers stay, depending on combat results.

Add all Sqn Combat Ratings (11) and all Gruppen in the BB and intercepted Gruppen in the CE box (14) which gives a total of 25
Count # of Gruppen participating in the combat (2) to determine the column to use in the Combat Results Table
I can see I need to use ROW I (Column 4 and 25 for Total Combat Value)

Rolling the dice I get 4. I look across at the Combat Results
For the Units in the Bomber Box

A units - None
B units - Two Ju-87 suffer Light Loss for +2VPs
C units - None

So far the RAF have +2VPs

Checking the RAF Aircraft Combat Results
For the Units in the Bomber Box

A units - 1xSpitfire and 1xHurricane but no effect
B units - 1xSpitfire To In Flight reduced
C units - None

The RAF leave this engagement with 5 VPs and the raid is over

Both German Ju87 bomber Gruppen being moved to the HL box and the Me109 fighter Gruppen is moved to the In Flight box

Bombardment
I have no bombers to continue the raid

German Recovery
Both bomber units are in the HL box
My Me109 in the In Flight box is moved to the clock space 3 spaces on from the current marker (so 1400).

Clock Check
I flip the target card face down to show it has been completed. As there are no more raids in this time segment, I advance the Clock Counter and perform the Airfield Operations phase

Airfield Operations Phase
Squadron Turnaround
So because I moved the Clock Counter one space, I perform the following Sqn Turnaround
I move all Sqns on the Tote Board from Rearm to their respective sectors
I move all Sqns on the Tote Board from Land to Rearm
Each FULL Sqn in the In Flight box is moved to it's sector Rearm box
Each REDUCED Sqn in the In Flight box is moved to it's sector Land box full side up

German Fighter Turnaround
Any fighter Gruppen in the current and earlier time sections can be moved to their airfields, full side up. There are none this section.

German Fighter Assignment
Assign all fighter Gruppen to raids planned for the current time segment and the next time segment.
I have 5 bomber Gruppen planned for the 1200 Raid - so I assign 6 fighter Gruppen (Me109) - I've learned my lesson regarding fighters!

This is the board at the end of the raid phase for the 0800 time segment.
Again - not good with a loss of 2VPs. Also - if this was a campaign, I'm losing alot of bombers!

Brits now have 10VPs!

JudgeDredd · December 01, 2013, 06:24:28 PM

1000 Raid Phase - Raid 1
Raid Force Deployment
I really need to do some damage here!
I have a single target again - this time it's Rye and a major raid in Sector 7 Group 11 and place my bomber Gruppen in the BB (Bomber Box).
I have 5 bomber Gruppen, 3 Me110 Gruppen and 3 Me109 Gruppen this raid.

I consult the CP box and with 5 bomber Gruppen I have to allocate 2xMe109 to the CP Channel Patrol
My bombers are assigned to the BB Bomber Box
My Me110's are assigned CE Close Escort
My remaining 1 Me109 is assigned to the HB Hunt Box

British Detection
I roll the die and apply modifiers to determine the level of detection of the raid and consult the Detection Track
The modifiers are

+2 for each undamaged Radar Network stated on the card (+6)
the observer Corps Value for the weather conditions (Patchy Cloud) (+1)
modifier for number of Gruppen in the raid (+4)

For Rye the modifier is 11 (6 for the 3 radar networks, 1 for the Observer Corps in Patchy Cloud and 4 for the number of Gruppen in the attack)
A roll of 4 giving a modified value of 15 which is listed in the Raid Detection chart as Warning - Early and Intelligence - Limited.

Raid Rendezvous Check
Roll a die and refer to the Raid Rendezvous Check Table.
A roll of 6 is FAILURE IF - 15 or more Gruppen are in the raid - which is not the case - so the rendezvous goes fine.

British Raid Response
The Eligible Sectors Chart shows the following valid Sectors and available Sqns (for Early warning)

7/11 - 3 Sqns
2/11 and 6/11 - 2 Sqn each
1/11 and 5/11 - 1 Sqn each

All the above Sqns go into the Raid Response Pool (a cup).

I now remove Sqns from the Raid Response Pool by rolling the die, applying modifiers and referring to the Raid Response Priority Chart.
Target is in 11 Group (+1)
Primary Target is Radar Net (+2)
Intelligence is Limited and Raid is 9-11 Gruppen (+2)

Total Modifiers = +5. With a roll of 5 and a +5 modifier for a total of 10 and 6 Sqns in the pool, the Raid Response Priority Chart says 1 Sqn is to be removed from the pool.

The next stage is to determine, out of the available Raid Response Pool, which units actually take part in the raid based on the Intelligence Level (Limited) and the Response Tactics Chart.
I check the LIMITED INTEL table. There are 5 aircraft in the Raid Response Pool and given that information level and the fact there are 9 Gruppen in the Raid (excluding CP aircraft) I can see that I can use ALL aircraft from the Force Response Pool to intercept the raid.

There are 5 Sqns taking part in the response

74 Sqn Spitfires
151 Sqn Hurricanes
501 Sqn Hurricanes
615 Sqn Hurricanes
145 Sqn Hurricanes

I take 4xHurricane and 1xSpitfire Sqns and place them in the Hunt Box (HB) on the Raid Display on the map board

Hunter Interception
Here you determine if any Gruppen in HB Hunter Box can intercept Sqns. At LAST I have a Gruppe in the HB.
Because there are fewer Gruppen than Sqns - I roll the die.
Roll of 4
Because the die roll is less than or equal to the number of excess Sqns (4), all Sqns stay in the HB
*NB I have to say, that seems a bit backward to me. I would've thought the more Sqns there are, the more likely the excess Sqns would break away

Raid Approach Event
I can't seem to catch a break with these event cards!

Hunter Attack
I add all the Combat Values of all aircraft for a total CV of 7
I look at Column 2 Row G of the Combat Results Table
My die roll is 1
Checking the German Aircraft Combat Results
For Hunter Box

A units - None
B units - None
C units - I have one and it results in a LIGHT LOSS. I move the unit to the LIGHT LOSS box and give the RAF +1VPs

So far the RAF have +1VPs

Checking the RAF Aircraft Combat Results
For Hunter Box

A units - None
B units - the RAF have 2 B units and they suffer LIGHT LOSS and are moved to the Light Loss box on the Tote Board for their relevant Sector
C units - None[/i]

The RAF leave this engagement with -1VPs this round but with a total VP of +9

Raid Target Event
Still no luck! There are no B Sqns in the BB!

Squadron Interception
Determine which Gruppen in the BB and CE box are intercepted by the Sqns in the BB.
I have fewer Sqns than Gruppen in the BB box so I select Gruppen to attack based on the type in this order
He111
Ju88
Do17
Ju87
Me110
Elite Me110
Me109

Also because 2 bomber Gruppen will not be attacked, so too 2xMe110's in the CE will not be attacked.

So the Gruppen being attacked are 2xHe111 and 1xDo17 in the BB and 1xMe110 in the CE

Squadron Attack
During this phase all Sqns attack all eligible (determined in the previous step) Gruppen in the BB and CE. When complete, all Sqns and fighter Gruppen leave the raid. All bombers and strafers stay, depending on combat results.

Add all Sqn Combat Ratings (9) and all Gruppen in the BB and intercepted Gruppen in the CE box (19) which gives a total of 27
Count # of Gruppen participating in the combat (4) to determine the column to use in the Combat Results Table
I can see I need to use ROW G (Column 7 and 27 for Total Combat Value)

Rolling the dice I get 1. I look across at the Combat Results
For the Units in the Close Escort

A units - 1xMe110 is Disrupted - In Flight reduced
B units - None
C units - None

For the Units in the Bomber Box

A units - 1xHe111 is Disrupted - Stay in BB reduced
B units - 1xDo17 is Aborted - Move to In Flight reduced
C units - 1xHe111 is Light Loss - Move to Light Loss and give RAF +1VP

So far the RAF have +1VPs

Checking the RAF Aircraft Combat Results
For the Units in the Bomber Box

A units - 3xHurricane - Light Loss - Move to Light Loss on Tote Board and give Germany +3VPs
B units - None
C units - None

The RAF gained 1VP to the Luftwaffe's 3VPs leaving the RAF with a total VP count of 7VPs

Bombardment
My 1 reduced bomber Gruppe and 2 full bomber Gruppen head towards the target.
My total bombing strength is 11.
Checking the column on the Bombing Table I am on column 7. Due to Patchy Clouds, I have to shift 1 columns to the left. I roll a 2 and looking down my column (6) and along row 2, I see the result is 1 damage points meaning I subtract 1 VPs from the VP track.

I also place a Light Damage marker on the radar site. This remains damaged for the current raid day and is repaired the following day

The German bombers Gruppen are moved to the In Flight box

German Recovery
All bomber units in the In Flight box are moved to their respective airfields, full side up.
All full German fighters are moved from the In Flight box to a clock space 3 spaces on from the current marker (so 1600)
All reduced German fighters are moved from the In Flight box to a clock space 4 spaces on from the current marker (so 1800) and full side up

Clock Check
I flip the target card face down to show it has been completed. As there are no more raids in this time segment, I advance the Clock Counter and perform the Airfield Operations phase

Airfield Operations Phase
Squadron Turnaround
So because I moved the Clock Counter one space, I perform the following Sqn Turnaround
I move all Sqns on the Tote Board from Rearm to their respective sectors
I move all Sqns on the Tote Board from Land to Rearm

German Fighter Turnaround
I move all German fighter Gruppen in the 1200 time segment to their respective Luftflotte

German Fighter Assignment
I assign 2xMe109 fighter Gruppen to the last raid for the day at 1400

This is the board at the end of the raid phase for the 1000 time segment.
A better result...the Germans pulled back 4VPs. My next raid is also a major raid - so I hope for more.

Brits now have 6VPs!

MengJiao · December 02, 2013, 09:47:28 AM

Wow! Very good AAR and the game looks like a lot of fun. I have a comment about one of the simplifications on one of the cards:

Why, after Sept 11, does the RAF get an altitude advantage? I was looking at 109 ranges over the battle area using the Burning Blue system and I noticed that 109s can get very high over the southernmost areas given fuel and climbing times -- BUT, if the 109s go deeper -- for example to London, they don't have the fuel to climb over about 20,000 feet.

So the actual variable is how deep the 109s are going (if deeper than they can't go as high). As it happens the deeper raids tended to be later in the battle and so "after Sept 11" is a variable that stands in for "depth of raid", I think. If 109s went deep early in the battle, they would have the same altitude problem.

JudgeDredd · December 02, 2013, 10:08:57 AM

Thanks MengJiao

I have no idea in relation to your question I'm afraid. It wouldn't have occurred to me to wonder why either to be honest!

You seem to know much more about it than I do and your reasoning makes sense though...perhaps later in the campaign they were striking deeper

MengJiao · December 02, 2013, 11:39:19 AM

Quote from: JudgeDredd on December 02, 2013, 10:08:57 AM
Thanks MengJiao

I have no idea in relation to your question I'm afraid. It wouldn't have occurred to me to wonder why either to be honest!

You seem to know much more about it than I do and your reasoning makes sense though...perhaps later in the campaign they were striking deeper

Well, the RAF game looks great as does your presentation. The Battle of Britain is simple in many ways (for example, it is largely governed by being the first case of an integrated, radar-based defense vs the first attempt to deal with such a defense using an air force focused on close air support), but there are plenty of shifting factors that changed for various reasons as the battle went on. The best source for most of this is Steven Bungay's The Most Dangerous Enemy, though there is plenty of primary source research in The Burning Blue game as well.

JudgeDredd · December 02, 2013, 12:11:24 PM

I was thinking about the game last night in bed (sad as I am) and the one thing I thought that didn't seem right to me was the target selection.

As commander of the Luftwaffe I would want to select my targets. For example in the Battle of Britain game from Talonsoft/Matrix, I would attempt to punch a hole in the radar sites and when there was a hole, go after the airfields...though I'd be dragged back to the radar sites when they repaired (rather quickly).

As the board game stands, I pick from the cards I am dealt - with the added complication of minor and major raids.

I guess this is likely a requirement because the game is solitaire though.

MengJiao · December 02, 2013, 12:52:18 PM

Quote from: JudgeDredd on December 02, 2013, 12:11:24 PM
I was thinking about the game last night in bed (sad as I am) and the one thing I thought that didn't seem right to me was the target selection.

As commander of the Luftwaffe I would want to select my targets. For example in the Battle of Britain game from Talonsoft/Matrix, I would attempt to punch a hole in the radar sites and when there was a hole, go after the airfields...though I'd be dragged back to the radar sites when they repaired (rather quickly).

As the board game stands, I pick from the cards I am dealt - with the added complication of minor and major raids.

I guess this is likely a requirement because the game is solitaire though.

As Bungay's book says over and over: The Luftwafe had very bad intelligence about targets. So, to give the Luftwafe a free-hand with targetting is to assume they had a significantly better idea of what they were really facing. Just to take radars as an example: there are a lot more of them than show up in the RAF game plus there were mobile radar units (not the full system, but the parts that would need to be used temporarily). But to take a step further back, to target the radars means (really) targetting the defense system -- which is precisely what was not part of the nature of war up til then. To target the defense system you would have to have a Luftwafe that understood such things in some way and that means they would have to understand what the point of such a system was which was to selectively intercept raids with minimal forces with the aim not of damaging the enemy, but of denying him his objectives.

But this would be to assume that the Luftwafe had some objectives, which again would be to assume a totally different Luftwafe. As Bungay points out over and over: the Luftwafe plan was to force the RAF to come up and fight and the assumption was that if that happened the RAF would be wiped out. So there was no systematic targetting in the usual sense. From the Luftwafe point of view, targets were any things that the RAF would fight to protect. Notice how different that is from what Fighter Command was doing: fighter command was defending an area -- the targets were part of the defense but the raids themselves were the "targets" from Fighter Command's point of view.

So if games let the LW do some kind of selective targetting, this generates an entirely different situation -- one that is based on something like the Allied bomber offensive against Germany rather than on the Battle of Britain -- which in the minds of the LW was a matter of shooting down about 500 fighters (which they did) and in the minds of Fighter Command, about denying free access to airspace.

So games have to balance this (since in reality in a sense the LW won since they did shoot down what they thought they should and the RAf won since it was not destroyed and it did inflict twice the loss on the LW that it suffered). The best way to balance this is to set the targetting or raid parameters and let the battle be fought as it was.

JudgeDredd · December 02, 2013, 02:21:35 PM

All excellent points. Hindsight, eh?! ;D

Cheers for that - because it was nipping me a bit that I couldn't use my tactics. Again, I was putting it in line with it being a solitaire game and for balance, but the historically stuff mentioned makes a lot of sense. Especially from the mindset pov of both Fighter Command and the Luftwaffe.

MengJiao · December 02, 2013, 03:00:01 PM

Quote from: JudgeDredd on December 02, 2013, 02:21:35 PM
All excellent points. Hindsight, eh?! ;D

Cheers for that - because it was nipping me a bit that I couldn't use my tactics. Again, I was putting it in line with it being a solitaire game and for balance, but the historically stuff mentioned makes a lot of sense. Especially from the mindset pov of both Fighter Command and the Luftwaffe.

As Bungay pretty elaborately argues, the whole point of the LW onslaught was to keep up primarily diplomatic pressure on Britain, though the LW worked out what it thought was a reasonable way of at least neutralizing Fighter Command, ie shooting down all its planes. The problem there was that the LW figured it needed to shoot down about 500 planes -- which they did over the course of the whole battle -- but Fighter Command was replacing its losses overall significantly faster than the LW was shooting down Fighter Command planes and of course when the supposed date of Sea Lion came around, Fighter Command was stronger than it had been earlier in the summer.
Bungay also points out some things that seem to have eluded most game designers:
1) the fast one-squadron attacks that Park used in Group 11 were very effective and the Duxford Wing stuff was pure fantasy
2) when the RAF attacked the LW in France later and tried the Big Wings, the LW used Group 11 tactics to inflict very heavy losses on the RAF.
3) the aim of Fighter Command was not to inflict loses but to contest raids. Bungay's analysis here is a bit twisted, but seems to be correct

So again, the LW and Fighter Command were conducting very different battles and again, sticking to a raid-oriented representation rather than a target-focused representation gives a more accurate view of the dynamics of the battle (and both RAF and the Burning Blue stick to a raid-oriented representation).

JudgeDredd · December 04, 2013, 05:40:56 PM

1200 Raid Phase - Raid 1
Raid Force Deployment
Ok - I need another good strike here. My last mission of the day is a minor raid

The target is Kenley Airfield in Sector 2 Group 11 and it's a major raid. I place my bomber Gruppen in the BB (Bomber Box).
I have 5xDo17 bomber Gruppen 6xMe109 Gruppen this raid.

Consulting the CP box and with 5 bomber Gruppen I have to allocate 2xMe109 to the CP Channel Patrol
My bombers are assigned to the BB Bomber Box
I assign 2xMe109's to the HB Hunt Box and the other 2 Me109's to BB Bomber Box

British Detection
I roll the die and apply modifiers to determine the level of detection of the raid and consult the Detection Track
The modifiers are

+2 for each undamaged Radar Network stated on the card (+2)

*NB The Radar Nets here are 2 and 5 and 5 (Rye) was lightly damaged last phase

the observer Corps Value for the weather conditions (Patchy Cloud) (+4)
modifier for number of Gruppen in the raid (+4)

For Rye the modifier is 10 (2 for the 1 radar network, 4 for the Observer Corps in Patchy Cloud and 4 for the number of Gruppen in the attack)
A roll of 3 giving a modified value of 13 which is listed in the Raid Detection chart as Warning - Early and Intelligence - Poor.

Raid Rendezvous Check
Roll a die and refer to the Raid Rendezvous Check Table.
A roll of 4 is FAILURE IF - 11 or more Gruppen are in the raid and Luftwaffe are not depleted (No failure if Luftwaffe depleted to level 1 or 2) - so there's a possibility of failure to rendezvous.
I roll again to check the failure result...a roll of 6 means all C Gruppen leave the raid. That's 1xMe109 from CP and 2xDo17 from BB. These Gruppen are moved to the IF (In Flight) box

British Raid Response
The Eligible Sectors Chart shows the following valid Sectors and available Sqns (for Early warning)

2/11 - 3 Sqns
7/11 - 2 Sqns
1/11 - 2 Sqns
3/11 and 6/11 - 2 Sqns each
5/11 and 4/10 - 1 Sqn each

All the above Sqns go into the Raid Response Pool (a cup).

I now remove Sqns from the Raid Response Pool by rolling the die, applying modifiers and referring to the Raid Response Priority Chart.
Target is in 11 Group (+1)
Primary Target is Airfield (+2)
Intelligence is Poor and Raid is Major (+2)

Total Modifiers = +5. With a roll of 4 and a +5 modifier for a total of 9 and 9 Sqns in the pool, the Raid Response Priority Chart says 3 Sqn is to be removed from the pool.

The next stage is to determine, out of the available Raid Response Pool, which units actually take part in the raid based on the Intelligence Level (Poor) and the Response Tactics Chart.
I check the POOR INTEL table. There are 7 aircraft in the Raid Response Pool and given that information level and the fact there are 7 Gruppen in the Raid (excluding CP aircraft) I can see that I can use no more than 6 Sqns. So I remove 1 Sqn

There are 6 Sqns taking part in the response

65 Sqn Spitfires
54 Sqn Spitfires
32 Sqn Hurricanes
601 Sqn Hurricanes
56 Sqn Hurricanes
1 Sqn Hurricanes

I take 4xHurricane and 2xSpitfire Sqns and place them in the Hunt Box (HB) on the Raid Display on the map board

Hunter Interception
Here you determine if any Gruppen in HB Hunter Box can intercept Sqns.
Because there are fewer Gruppen than Sqns - I roll the die.
Roll of 1
Because the die roll is less than or equal to the number of excess Sqns (4), all Sqns stay in the HB
*NB that still seems a bit backward to me
**NB This now does not seem backward...all non damaged Sqns move to the BB - and so they all stay in the Hunt Box so they can dispatch the fighter Gruppen and move onto the bombers

Raid Approach Event
At last - a break. I have no C Gruppen in the Hunt Box

Hunter Attack
I add all the Combat Values of all aircraft for a total CV of 20
I look at Column 4 Row I of the Combat Results Table
My die roll is 6
Checking the German Aircraft Combat Results
For Hunter Box

A units - Heavy Losses. I move the unit to the Heavy Loss box and suffer a loss of +2VPs
B units - Heavy Losses. I move the unit to the Heavy Loss box and suffer a loss of +2VPs
C units - None

So far the RAF have +4VPs

Checking the RAF Aircraft Combat Results
For Hunter Box

A units - Moved to Bomber Box
B units - Moved to Bomber Box
C units - the RAF have 4 C units and they are Disrupted. These units are moved to the Bomber Box reduced side up[/i]

This doesn't look good!

The RAF leave this engagement with +4VPs this round and with a total VP of +10

Raid Target Event
Damn. Reduce Bomb damage by 1 and damage doesn't affect airfields (I presume meaning I don't roll again to determine Sqn on airfield scramble status)

Squadron Interception
Determine which Gruppen in the BB and CE box are intercepted by the Sqns in the BB.
I have more Sqns than Gruppen in the BB box so all Gruppen are attacked

Squadron Attack
During this phase all Sqns attack all eligible (determined in the previous step) Gruppen in the BB and CE. When complete, all Sqns and fighter Gruppen leave the raid. All bombers and strafers stay, depending on combat results.

Add all Sqn Combat Ratings (15) and all Gruppen in the BB and intercepted Gruppen in the CE box (15) which gives a total of 30
Count # of Gruppen participating in the combat (5) to determine the column to use in the Combat Results Table
I can see I need to use ROW G (Column 8 and 30 for Total Combat Value)

Rolling the dice I get 2. I look across at the Combat Results
For the Units in the Bomber Box

A units - 2xDo17 and 1Me109 are Disrupted - Stay in BB reduced
B units - 1xDo17 and 1xMe109 suffer Heavy Losses and are moved to the Heavy Loss box at a cost of +4VPs for the RAF
C units - none

So far the RAF have +4VPs

Checking the RAF Aircraft Combat Results
For the Units in the Bomber Box

A units - Move to In Flight
B units - Light Loss - move to the Light Loss on the Tote Board and lose -1VP
C units - Disrupted - move to In Flight reduced (*NB They were reduced anyway - but I can't see anything that says any further action should be taken on the counters...so they stay reduced and move to the In Flight box)

The RAF gained 4VP to the Luftwaffe's 1VPs leaving the RAF with a total VP this phase or +3 and a total VP count of 13VPs! Not Great!

Bombardment
My 2 reduced bomber Gruppen and 1 Me109 Gruppe head towards the target.
My total bombing strength is 4. The reduced Me109 has a strafing/bombing value of 0.
Checking the column on the Bombing Table I am on column 4. Due to Patchy Clouds, I have to shift 1 columns to the left. I roll a 6 and looking down my column (3) and along row 6, I see the result is 2 damage points meaning I subtract 2 VPs from the VP track.
However - because of the Target Event card, I have to remove 1 from the Bomb Damage Result. Does that mean I lose 1VP? I don't think so as the Target Event card says Reduce bomb damage... andVPs count

Normally I would scramble the number of Sqns equal to my roll from the airfield...but not this time because of the Target Event
The German bombers Gruppen and fighter Gruppe are moved to the In Flight box

German Recovery
All bomber units in the In Flight box are moved to their respective airfields, full side up.
All full German fighters are moved from the In Flight box to a clock space 3 spaces on from the current marker (so 1600)
All reduced German fighters are moved from the In Flight box to a clock space 4 spaces on from the current marker (so 1800) and full side up

Clock Check
I flip the target card face down to show it has been completed. As there are no more raids in this time segment, I advance the Clock Counter and perform the Airfield Operations phase

Airfield Operations Phase
Squadron Turnaround
So because I moved the Clock Counter one space, I perform the following Sqn Turnaround
I move all Sqns on the Tote Board from Rearm to their respective sectors
Move all full Sqns in the In Flight box to the Re-arm box on the Tote Board
Move all reduced Sqns in the In Flight box to the Land box on the Tote Board flipped to their full side

German Fighter Turnaround
I move all German fighter Gruppen in the 1400 time segment to their respective Luftflotte

German Fighter Assignment
I have no more raids planned after 1400

This is the board at the end of the raid phase for the 1400 time segment.
It's going bad!

The Brits now have 11VPs[/list]

MengJiao · December 05, 2013, 10:02:00 AM

Inspiring. I'm going to work on something I can AAR from the Burning Blue. I think I'll do Group 10s afternoon of the 15th of August.

The weather was clear by afternoon. The LW attacked primary targets 2/3 of the time. Not too many Fighter command squadrons involved. The raids were shot up so badly for so little loss to the RAF that at least one RAF fighter pilot decided he was going to survive the war and he was right.

So there was a lot of fighting and it didn't have to turn out quite so badly for the LW.