Late War Canvas Eagles WWI Aerial Combat

These are very old wargaming pictures from back in 2018 (pre Covid, remember those times?) from the Stockton Battleground Show where I took my old WWI favourite Canvas Eagles out to play. Watch out for the "Hun in the Sun". I have posted some other photographs from the game already but i found some more. I was delighted to find an enthused group of players who pitched in to the game. Here is an example of my combat with a much more experienced Canvas Eagles player (see below, I was flying the SE5a, the "Stable Gun Bus" of the RFC, facing a tricky Fokker DVII, gulp): 

After a quick exchange of greetings and pleasantries proceeding began in earnest. We doged and dived and then he shot at me, hit-me and shot me down. Well that didn't last long did it? I don't think I even got membership card to the "twenty minutes club" (see below, my opponent graciously commiserated with me on "how truly unlucky" I had been as the "red chits" blew my engine up and I spiraled earthbound (see below, scratch one SE5a and another German Imperial Air Service pilot well on the way to becoming an "ace") :   

I then challenged the budding Baron to a multi-plane combat and I jumped into a BrisFit (the affectionate name for a two seater Bristol Fighter). In particular I had a liking for the rear-facing observer machine gun as my last line of defense protection. I figured that someone was bound to sit on my tail at some point during the game and at least this way I was prepared for it (see below, a more courteous exchange of pleasantries):

The Baron seemed to fade harmlessly away seeking out other prey (see below, I relaxed my guard momentarily): 

Oops, he seemed to be coming back. I'd best prepare to defend myself (see below, now where did I place that rear facing machine gun?):  

Meanwhile a young chap in a SE5a had a spot of luck with a German in a Pfalz going down flames (see below, chalk up first blood to the RFC):

Meanwhile a strange "chain of tailing" had emerged. Unsurprisingly I was being tailed by the young Baron, but a daring young chap in a SE5a was eyeing the Baron up in turn .. who could shoot who down first (see below, I seem to be running out of board to play in): 

Bits start flying off the BrisFit whereas the Baron's plane started smoking, both bad signs (see below, time seems to be running out for both pilots): 

Simultaneously both planes explode and flame end their existence like meteors (see below, a thought provoking end to the day, that nothing is ever certain and the pilots were braver than you could ever imagine doing what we "played" for real): 

Great fun, the imagination can see the canvas flutter, I do really like Canvas Eagles for its "Victorian Theatre", which reminds me I have a couple of Sopwith Pups to make and paint up for some "early-mid war" fun. RNAS I think would be most appropriate. 

WWI Balloon Busting with Canvas Eagles

In tribute to the classic scene from Aces High .. a cut scene from last years (2018) Stockton Battleground ..

The "Defenders" were three SE5a's that provided top cover for the attackers (see below, an SE5a has caught a Fokker DVIIa unawares and dispatched it, no mean feat in itself):

A mixed bag of Huns patrol the skies above the observation balloon (see below, an Albatross V, a DVIIa and an Austro-Hungarian Avaitik - I think):

The "Hunters" tasked with destroying the Balloon are an old flight of Neiuports armed with tracer rounds and dangerous looking anti-zeppelin rockets - that look as dangerous to the operators as the enemy (see below, the balloon looks a long, long, long way away):

Not to worry the "Defenders" have your back (see below, always dangerous flying in close formation though as a rookie error could lead to a mid-air collision):

The Imperial German Air Service pounce (see below, with the advantage of height the Germans swoop low but themselves are exposed to deflections shots from the "Defenders"):

A maddened battle scene unfolds as the Aviatik explodes in smoke and flames, an Albatross claims an unlucky Neiuport and plenty of holes appear in SE5a's (see below, all plans of mice and men go astray after first contact):

A close up of the dead Neiuport (see below, the artistic cloud of smoke is caught well on camera):

An alternative angle of the doomed Neiuport (see below, the war reporter and his photographer were having a field day out of this one):

An SE5a goes down in flames (see below, the "Defenders" are paying a heavy price for protecting their charges and a Fokker DVIIa in the hands of a veteran flyer is a merciless killing machine): 

The observation balloon has been exposed to an attack run (see below, the two surviving Neiuports ready their monstrous anti-Zeppelin flares):

Another "Defender" pays the price as a SE5a starts to tumble earthward (see below, it means however that the Neiuports have their chance though):

Again a different angle of the Albatross' "kill" (see below, three Entente planes have fallen to only one of the Triple Alliance - although the Italians no showed on a technicality): 

The first French pilot is unsuccessful (see below, for some reason the tracer and rockets do not work, oh fickle fate):

The second Frenchmen is a sure shot and takes delight taking down teh observation ballon (see below, "game-set-and-match"): 

Success (see below, scratch up another kill for this brave Frenchman):

The Entente triumph for today and the offensive continues, but it has been a costly battle.

Christmas Pup (Sopwith) Addition

A new "Pup" (assembled) for Xmas but not one to get the wife excited about ;) Something to help the RFC fight off the dreaded Imperial German Air Service Albatross II's, the Sopwith Pup fighter (see below): oot

Even better the Pup comes with a few RFC friends (another Pup, a Sopwith One-and-a-Half Strutter and a DH4) but some dastardly enemies (an Albatross II and a Rumpler CIV) to boot. Something to keep me busy on the 'slow but carefully does it' assembly line. This "kind-of" covers the early to mid-war section of WWI .. with the possible of the German ground straffing Roland and another Spad VII.

Chocks away!
 

Fighter Duel Part II

A second try out with the Fighter Duel rules by Phil Sabin and I discovered that you will need 'quite a large board' area if you are going to use 1/144 model planes and get into a weaving and circling dogfight! Something the author admittedly had pointed out to me as he used small board game counters on a small-hexed large-gameboard-sheet rather than models. For me I needed the models [which I like making] for "a better sense of visualisation". I scripted a scenario where a veteran Me 109 tried to "bounce" two RAF "old hands" from behind (which should be a hard thing to do). The Me 109 managed to get one "poor chance shot off" but the Spitfires having survived the initial attack 'out-turned' the diving Me 109 and spun away. This seemed quite reasonable. Novice Spitfire pilots perhaps might have got themselves into a bit of bother. The game holds a lot of promise and I will continue experimenting (see below, the Me 109 curses the nimble Spits):

This is the scenario I am working up to an "early war" RAF Vic three formation and a Luftwaffe "Finger Four" head-to-head combat (see below):

Watch this space for more play-testing as I put two game mats together! Note, the blue below obviously implies they are fighting over "The Channel" ;)

Still the BEST Free Set of Rules on the Web? Canvas Eagles!

Check out this link (and wander round the site):
http://www.maxeagles.com/eagles_downloads.html

With characters like this stalking the skies do you feel safe? (see below, 1/72 Fokker Eindecker EIII)

Still a great game after all these years! Myself and some friends shall be taking it for a whirl at the local Stockton Wargames Show Battleground 2018 this weekend!

Early World War I: Canvas Eagles Dawn Patrol (1/144)

Dawn over the Western Front. A photo reconnaissance Be2 is escorted by an early war Bristol Fighter  [not to be confused with a later war BrisFit]. The sky is a clear blue but the RFC flyers will have to contend with the rising sun, so "Beware the Hun from the sun!"(see below, please also note the early war "dirty dope" [Yellow] paint scheme):

A lone fighter from the Imperial German Air Service is prowling the skies in his Fokker Eindecker EIII (see below, the Kallista scenery is a natural fit for the Canvas Eagles rules, the trench-line/no-man's land being a bespoke additions. The "white poker markers" represent "Archie" positions and the "blue poker markers" represent 'areas of interest' that the High Command want to be photographed (see below):

The forces converge. Spoiler alert the planes fly past each other without any damage to each other. The German plane did let off a medium burst [Note: Wisely the pilot did not want to risk his guns jamming with a long burst] of machine gun fire to no effect. Then there was a knock at the door! As we were playing a "rolling game" this meant another German plane was about to enter the fray (see below, the German plane has a slight advantage in that it has the sun behind it):

There was a gasp as a sleek state of the German art killing machine appeared, the Albatross II. This was a nasty shock to the Entente! Immediately it dived into a head on attack with the Bristol Scout (see below, just in sight s the base of the EIII about to Immelman back into the combat zone):

Despite taking many valuable pictures the Be2 lingered far too long over the German lines and the slow lumbering "photo recon bus" paid a heavy price by mixing it with the deadly Albatross (see below, two "red hits" caused an unsustainable eight engine hits and the Be2 disintegrated):

The "rolling battle" meant that the player simply picked up a new plane and returned to the fray. This time a green painted RFC DH2. As the Entente were getting a bit of a pasting I also decided to step down from being an umpire and join the fray in a Nieuport (see below):

Rather than being a Nieuport 11 as per the model, I had picked up the stats for a Nieuport 10 which is a two-seater observation plane. No matter that seemed to be fairer so we just played on (see below, I was desperately angling myself away from the Albatross II, leading it rather unkindly onto the RFC fighter pair who were knocking pieces out of the German EIII):

The game ended with a tactical German win. The smoking EIII made it off table (just), although I had taken a photograph of an interesting trench-line, albeit from a very high altitude. What swung it to the Germans was the still burning wreck of the Be2 deep inside their lines.

Good fun was had by all and the plan is to take this game to the local Stockton Battleground Wargames Show on Saturday 24th November as a participation game. If you are there please feel free to stop by and say hello.

Fighter Duel - Rules Walk Through

Sometimes it takes to tango and get your head round a set of rules, something about more than one person reading the same paragraph makes more sense out of it. "Fighter Duel" is a set of rules from Phil Sabin, a 'time and motion' study of fighter combat (each game segment is 3 seconds) and the game plays around three minutes of actual combat. He ran this at the Connections 2018 Games Fair this year. Using his original research it was combined from several separate board game components [Mustangs, Spitfire, Angels One High] but I was interested in translating it to 1/144 model aircraft for a demonstration game at a local show. To aid us in our understanding we are going through a "slow walk" of the rules. First we lined up a few combat sequences and performed them over a coffee and fire side chat (see below, lining up a killing shot as a Vet RAF pilot in a Spitfire comes out of the sun to bounce a Me 109E distracted in the process of shooting another plane):

Given that this was the "best ever" position the combat odds could be in, it is "anything but a 1" to hit and my compatriot rolled a 10, a spectacular hit. For every 2 over the required score an additional hit is accrued which means a massive "four hits" - the Me 109E only has four points of damage so he goes down in quick fashion (see below, nice shooting Sailor Malan):

A dramatic explosion is deemed necessary (see below). Working through the sequence, replacing the Vet RAF pilot with a rookie (two weeks of training "special"), this time shooting from two hexes (200 yards) away, and the Luftwaffe pilot was not distracted would reduce the hit chance from 90% to 10%. If a ten had still been rolled this time only one hit would have been inflicted and the Me 109E would still be "in the fight" (slightly damaged but to no obvious effect). This seems quite historical (see below, I far prefer the model visuals of the model to counters):

The beauty of the combat system is a magic grid that converts the historic gun factors of the plane adjusted by the circumstance factors to give the hit probability. The next stage is to master the flying dynamics. Interesting as the key elements of "energy" and "turn capability" are modelled. Nothing is a given, a turn may be attempted but not necessarily made. Given the three second tome span you get another go soon, provided you are not in the sights of an enemy. Being hex based it does have the advantage of keeping the planes locked into a specific place (that can be reconstructed or remembered), so an accidental knock does not subtly overwrite the "billimeter" positioning. 

Dawn Patrol with the Canvas Eagles (Part 2) Finale

No sooner had the RFC flyers confidence been boosted by riddling two German planes with bullets they experienced an event that literally brought them "down to earth". Or rather one of their comrades. A huge fireball explosion stunned the flyers of both sides as a "lucky shot" exploded a SE5a's fuel tank. Instant KIA (see below):

The RFC retaliation was brutally swift as an Albatross's wings folded back and canvas splayed against the wind. The plane plunging wildly out of control. Both sides planes now drew back to take stock as a fourth SE5a entered the fray and a second Pfalz (the dead players neatly took up a new plane each).  The final contest was about to begin with each sides pilots checking their fuel gauges (see below):

The RFC possessed a killer pilot whose innate cunning took the fight to the Germans; finding himself in a target rich environment he pressed on, lining up a 'tail' on the damaged Yellow Pfalz. The Pfalz was caught in the cross-hairs of the SE5a and a nicely aimed burst hit its engine. The engine spluttered to a stop and the plane started to glide. More bullets then tore into its already damaged tail. Suffering critical damaged an air-frame integrity check was required. Simply put, the tail then 'fell off' and the Pfalz hurtled to oblivion (see below):

Seeing this carnage unfold the remaining Blue Pfalz "bugged out" and disappeared into the clouds. The final Albatross was almost caught but mistimed moves by the RFC meant that it had a close brush with death, taking a pilot wound as it disappeared into a cloud bank. It could have been much worse if the RFC had been just that bit sharper (see below):

The RFC had won the day and could claim "air superiority",  2-1 kills and two shot-up Germans chalked-up for the brave pilots of  Dawn Patrol (see below):

Meanwhile in aerodromes East and West of the trenches young pilots were mounting their machines for "Noon Patrol". To be continued ...

As usual 'acres' of fun had by all. I much prefer the visual appeal of miniatures and actually prefer Canvas Eagles to Wings of War.

Dawn Patrol with the Canvas Eagles (Part 1) Opening Rounds

The Imperial German Air Service sends forth a "Dawn Patrol" of two Albatrosses (DVa, bottom right)  and a lone Pfalz (DIII, see below, bottom left) over the German lines, sometime in early 1918 (see below, note that the "hex terrain" is an ancient Battle Masters battle mat):

The Germans flyers spy in the distance a flight of three SE5a RFC aircraft and race towards them seeking combat (see below):

An errant mistake sees a novice pilot (not the stats, just me putting myself under the guns) lined up in the sights of a SE5a's Vickers which riddles his poor  Pfalz and send it into a "luckless spin". Luckily (?) the pilot has a lot of altitude to play with (to pull out of said spin) before he hits the ground hard (see below):

The planes intermingle chaotically. One Albatross in dire peril with a SE5a on its tail, meanwhile the other Albatross claims a tricky deflection shot on another fast moving SE5a (see below):

The dice are rolled and another Hun gets riddled with Vickers and Lewis machine gun rounds but just somehow manages to keep flying. This battle seems to be going the RFC's way (see below):

But there is a lot of fighting left to be done. Find out why they call it the "Twenty Minute Club!" in the RFC.

Blood Red Skies: Battle of Britain Skirmish (1940)

A German Flight Leader (Skill 3) with his Wingman (Skill 2) somewhere over Kent (see below):

The enemy, a pair of Spitfires, are spotted in the distance. The German Wingman is hot off the mark (gaining altitude and claiming 'advantageous position', despite being the lower skill level, while the Flight Leader (dice, argh) is a step behind 'neutral - no advantage' (see below):

The formations close and the Spitfires are both in 'advantageous positions'. The RAF have a Leader (Skill 3) and his Wingman (Skill 2) pilots (see below):

The British Wingman who was slightly better placed after the British angled in for the attack, "burns his advantage" to perform a 180 degree turn and the sleepy German Flight Leader suddenly has a Spitfire on his tail and goes to "disadvantaged".

Note: A "converted" single hit on the Me 109 in this position would kill it!

The British attack is accurate but the German pilot dodges it with a skill roll, nevertheless this close miss causes a morale (boom chit) to be acquired. The German Force morale is only "two", one more would mean the Luftwaffe would have to break off (see the "Pathe Newsreel" action shot below):

The Germans decide to scatter, the Me 109's run for cover and regroup "behind" the British Leader. He is not worried as he is in an "advantageous" position and 'out of reach' of the German guns (see below, positioning is always relative to the state of the plane:advantage - neutral - disadvantaged. Generally you need to be in the same or better state to conduct an attack):

The German force splits putting them at a seriously tactical handicap as the Leader no longer has a Wingman to cover his tail. In fact the earlier positioning of the German Wingman was at fault because the Spitfire managed to get on the German Flight Leaders tail (ooops, sorry boss my bad!). The Spitfires roar off in pursuit knowing one more "boom chit" is all they need to secure a good victory (see below, it's not looking too good for the German Luftwaffe):

The Spitfires queue up for the killing shot, out of range for a deflection shot this turn,with the British leader hoping to get a 'tail' and killing shot next turn. The British Wingman climbs for an "advantageous position" just in case his boss misses (see below):

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" 20mm canon strikes the around the British Leader's plane. "Where the hell did that come from? Where the hell is my Wingman?" Did anyone notice the retreating German Wingman had quietly climbed to an "advantageous position"? Planes in advantage go fist, but the British Wingman didn't cover the Leaders tail from behind but moved in after the German Leader. That left the German Wingman an opportunity to burn his advantage, flip his plane and perform a turn grater than 90 degrees (in fact anything up to 180 degrees) and with full throttle he is on the Spitfire's "six". As the Spitfire was in a neutral position the Me 109 on his tail puts him to disadvantaged. One "boom chit" straight away but a very important pilot skill/plane manoeuvrability roll to make or the British Leader will be going down (see below):

Six dice (pilot skill 3 + Spitfire manoeuvre rating) are rolled and a single six will save the Spitfire, odds on, but the day goes to the Luftwaffe as flames envelope the Spitfire. That awards a second "boom chit". It is all too much for the British Wingman and he heads for home, discretion being the better part of valour now,  after all he a relative "rookie" and is seriously out numbered two to one (see below):

Wow I never expected that! Intense is not the word for it. Go download the free rules and play it is my advice ;) Meanwhile after rummaging in the attic I find that my hoarding talent for "something that might come in useful one day" has paid off in the 1/144 aircraft department (see below, I seem to have stocked up with cheap Revell 1/144 and interesting Zevezda 1/144 planes):

Wartime "Battle of Britain" (model) aircraft production is now commencing!