The Journal of Air Combat Gaming

Issue #47 Fleet Air Arm Al Cfor Fighting Wings SEP/OCT 1996

decisive. At the end of the war, the P- 47 was matching the P-

Conversations on the Web 51 in range, which is astonishing, but it had been relegated
11 11 largely to a ground-support role because of its eight wing guns
and higher chance of survivability from ground fire (a function
Those of us who are owners of computers and hooked into of its radial engine).
the web have available more sources of information on various
subjects than we can probably use in our lifetime. Of course, Lots of P-47 and P-51 pilots did not like the P-38, but the fact
some of the sources are very bogus but some are quite excellent. was that only three or four groups ever deployed to England
A few years back, when I was on the Genie service, I pulled and (two until mid 1944 ), and both converted to P-51 s before the
archived the following electronic bulletin board (BB) messages end of the war. The P-38 output was sent mostly to the Pacific,
regarding discussions of World War Two aircraft. What caught where the range the later models had counted for most. They
my attention was that one of the participants was Mr. Eric were successful in the Mediterranean Theater for some time
Hammel, a noted author of several World War Two books (from North Africa invasion to nearly the end of the war), but
including "Aces against Germany" and "Aces against Japan". these groups were converted, too, to provide more for the 5th
He also has published three books on the Air-Land-Sea battles Air Force (in the Pacific), which was built around them.
around Guadalcanal. Another thing that caught my attention
was the conversational tone of the BB exchanges and the By late 1943, neither the Bf-109 nor the FW-190 were
insights presented. These messages all appeared before the world-class competitors, even with the upgrades, and not even
present era of flashy web pages and silly flame wars and so I when they were flying over home ground (which featured
present them to you, more or less, just as I archived them. countless auxiliary strips for refueling and ammo replenish-
ment for quick turnaround multi-sortie missions). The Luft-
Background: A question was posed on which were the waffe never mastered auxiliary tanks, either.
decisive fighters on WW-II. Eric makes his stand.
Agreed that the Me-262 was not a contendor. Fast as hell,
AUTHOR: ERIC HAMMEL but not able to do much damage, not long-legged enough, and
too prone to mechanical failures to be called reliable.
I was surprised to find, in my work on ACES AGAINST
GERMANY, that the P-47 was the decisive fighter in the ETO. PTO? The F4F was the decisive fighter because it was there
Originally a failure, it was the one that was there when the tide when/where the tide was turned. The F6F was a better fighter,
needed to be turned; the P-51 wasn't ready yet. Once important of course, but it was not there at the decisive stage, which was
upgrades were made and auxiliary tanks were introduced (very all of 1942 to early 1943. The F4U was an easy second to the
late -in late July 1943!), the P-47 drove the forward German F4F because it figured so prominently in the Kahili and Rabaul
fighter groups back from Holland, into Germany, and that was attritional aerial offensives. And, of course, the P-38 saved the
AIR POWER Issue #47
AAF from being blown out of the skies over New Guinea, but Guadalcanal, the Marine and Navy pilots based at Henderson
the decisive air campaigns were elsewhere, though New Guinea and Fighter-I were not getting draws - they were knocking
was an attritional nightmare for the Japanese. Japanese planes and airmen down faster than the Japanese
could effectively replace them. Several times, they bled the
First rule of war: When you go, you go with what you have. 11th Air Fleet dry, winning long respites to rest and rebuild.
In the ETO, theAAFhad the P-47 when it mattered most. In the (You mentioned in another topic tonight that Lunga was hit by
PTO, the Navy had the F4F when it mattered most. In the MTO air or sea every day. Not by a long shot. Weather alone resulted
and SouWesPac, it was the P-38 (plus USAAF Spits in the in long respites, and U.S. air superiority over Guadalcanal
MTO!), but these were not decisive air campaigns. resulted in other respites.) Part of the American victory resulted
from the home-court advantage: Japanese pilots in severly
JOHN.LANSFORD damaged planes didn't usually get home, but U.S. pilots who
had to bail out or ditch over or near Lunga did. But, hands down,
Rick, I would say it was the PILOTS of those F4F's in the the Japanese pilots of 1942 were better airmen than their
PTO that made the difference. The F4F in the hands of an American adversaries, who often had fewer than 50 hours in
experienced pilot was not the equal of a Zero in the hands of an fighters when committed (vice 200+ hours in fighters near the
equally experienced pilot, but the US pilot could usually escape end of the war - before going into combat).
or get a draw. By the late' 42, however, the US pilots were better
trained and more were coming in to action every day. The IJN JOHN.LANSFORD
never managed to increase its pool of trained pilots quickly.
Rick, I have read your books on the subject at hand, and
The P-51 had the advantage to the P-47 in everything but while I agree with your statement in general, there are some
diving speed, I would think the Mustang would be considered points I would like to bring up. If the P-47 had the same range
the plane Baron used as an example of a 'decisive' plane. as the late model P-51 's, why was the USAAF losing so many
planes in 1943 to the Germans? The bombers kept getting left
AUTHOR: ERIC HAMMEL by the escorts due to their inability to cover them the entire
length of the mission, and they got shot up as a result. While the
John, I've written several books on the subject, but I'll P-47's could escort the bombers for a medium length raid, the
haggle if you want. Of course the pilots were a factor, but truly deep raids were unescorted, and the Germans knew it.
Baron's concern was (is and always will be)theplanes, so that's
the part I addressed. My point was that which the better plane I always felt it was the decision to begin attacking fighter
was is not the issue since they appeared at different times. The production facilities and oil refineries that finally began making
P-5 lD was a better airplane than most P-47 models, but, until a difference against the German Luftwaffe. Before that, the
the two were tasked for essentially different missions after the bombers were met by swarms of fighters of all kinds; after the
invasion, the P-47 was the one that carried the burden. There production and oil facilities were hit, the Germans were shack-
was only one P-51 group (354th) in action over Europe (B led close to the fields or grounded. Many US pilots picked up
models at that), on escort duty, before March 1944, by which increased kill numbers by strafing planes stuck on the ground.
time the Luftwaffe had been decisively defeated over Germany.
(The second P-51 group, the 357th, went into action over At this time at Guadalcanal, the IJN was bringing troops into
Germany at the beginning of March 1944. Note: A-36s, P- the island on an almost nightly basis. Using fast destroyers, the
51As, and the British Mustang ground-cooperation aircraft ships would fire shells into Henderson field before they left.
appeared earlier, but they were not a factor and were debatably Adding this bombardment to the air attacks made the situation
inferior to the P-47 in any case because they were underpow- on Guadalcanal very tenuous, especially since most of the
ered.) The decisive defeat of the Luftwaffe came about, not reinforcements that arrived earlier didn't bring many supplies.
because of the quality of the fighters, but because the fighters I would count a draw between the opposing sides as when both
were unshackled from close- escort duty with the bombers and sides lose a roughly equal number of planes. The Marines never
thus allowed to go after the German fighters as they were had a lot of planes, putting the ones they had together from parts
forming along and to the side of the bomber path. That is, the of those that couldn't fly anymore. The Zeros couldn't stay over
result of a vital change in tactics was the decisive event, not the Guadalcanal long because of the long flight home and the gas
introduction of a new type or upgrading an older type. situation.

If you want to go best for best, then the Grumman F8F WILLIAM BROUSSARD
Bearcat was the best U.S. fighter of WWII, but it was not yet
deployed in the conbat zone when the war ended. It had Let me throw a firecracker into the fire. While the air
everything all the other "best" U.S. fighters had, and then some. campaign over Europe in the west was important, we should not
But that's moot, right? forget that it was on the Eastern Front that Germany bled to
death, Jost most of her planes and ultimately the war. Had it not
John, the point of the F4F' s "being there" was that, over been for that I'm afraid there still may have been swastikas
2
The Journal of Air Combat Gaming New Fighting Wings Data Cards Issue ..#47
hanging from the Eifel tower. At least it would have been a lot disabuse you of serious misinformation. No offense intended,
later than 1945 ... or else perhaps lots of mushroom clouds over but it took me months to research my subject. This is my work,
Germany!?? We have a tendency to overlook the Eastern Front and I do GEnie during my off hours.
when actually most things were decided there.
I will say this, and hope you can find sources to expand on
GARY DICKSON it: In the months leading up to the invasion, Twining's 15th Air
Force had to use subterfuge to go after the Ploesti oil facilities,
I agree in general with Will's main point about the Eastern which were placed off limits by Eisenhower himself so the
Front, although I suspect that more of the Luftwaffe was various AFs could go after transportation targets. This followed
destroyed in the West than the East, the Luftwaffe being much an intense debate among air generals and air generals and
more evenly balanced between east and west than the army was. ground generals. The entire Spring '44 campaign aga inst
Westerners often forget that the Soviets shouldered most of the Ploesti was ostensibly aimed at crippling the railroad yards in
burden of defeating Germany. the facilities, and the fuel plants happened to be hit by shorts and
overs (wink, wink).
Getting back to planes, it still surprises me to read that
whereas the 8th AF suffered it's most debilitating casualties As to Guadalcanal, more of the same. I have three books out
in' 43 due to a lack of long range escorts, Bomber Command on various aspects of the campaign. The first goes into consid-
was brought to its knees toward the END of the war due to the erable detail about when the Japanese sent ships with reinforce-
rising effectiveness of the German night fighter force and a ments, when there was air action, when there were bombard-
general lack of night escorts. In general, I think that the British ments. It ebbed and flowed, and blanket statements just won't
bomber effort was a total waste of material, effort, and lives. do. It's pleasing to the eye, but incorrect.
The American bombing campaign wasn't so hot either, but at
least it cleaned the skies of the German day fighters. That Gary, actually, after Kepner and Anderson took over VIII
wasn't its stated goal, but it was probably its major contribution Fighter Command and VIII Bomber Command, respectively,
to the war effort. the stated goal of the day-bombing campaign =was= the Ger-
man fighter force. It's subtle, but the focus was clearing the
JOHN LANSFORD skies over Western Europe before the invasion. By forcing the
Germans to replace fighters (which could be shot down because
The Soviets didn't have good planes at all in the early part of they challenged the bombers and bomber escorts) =and= by
the war, but by the end had planes capable of competing with the going after the aircraft industry in general, 8th Air Force
best of the Germans. They made up for it with overwhelming degraded the overall German tactical air force, including tacti-
numbers of planes. Adolf Galland said it wasn't unusual for cal bombers, of which the Germans could not build as many as
German flights to be overwhelmed by hundreds of Soviet they needed (for use in the East) because they needed to build
fighters. There were so many it was like swatting gnats; no so many day fighters to make good losses against the UK-based
matter how good you were there was always one more. The and Italy-based air forces. The aim was to prevent German
better Soviet fighters were the La-5, Yak-9 and Yak-3. The tactical bombers from surging toward the invasion beaches, and
Yak-9 was capable of escorting bombers on 1500 mile raids, the best way our air generals knew how to do that was to make
and the Yak-3 and La-5 were the equals of the Me-109 by 1943. sure there was no German tactical air force to speak of in the
West. Only two German fighters arrived over the beaches on D-
AUTHOR: ERIC HAMMEL Day. It's really quite an elegant solution. I was also amazed to
find out how few German bombers the USAAF destroyed over
John, you overlook the important fact that all types ( of Europe. Of over 11,000 Axis aircraft destroyed by USAAF
aircraft) were upgraded. In fact, the upgrading system that fighters in the ETO and MTO, I doubt if 300 were bombers of
evolved for airplanes is one of the great untold stories of the war. every type, plus maybe 300 Ju-52s. Hey, call it a thousand non-
A civilian factory tech rep lived with each fighter group and fighters altogether.
could send info and upgrade requests to the factory engineers
via his own line of communication. Anyway, the final P-47 TOM HOLSINGER
version (M, I think) wasn't remotely like the P-4 7Cs that
reached the ETO in 1943, engineering-wise. The leading cause of death of Luftwaffe fighter pilots and
loss of fighter aircraft was 8th AF Fighter Command. The
As to the rest of your question, you'll have to wait until June second leading cause was operational and training accidents.
to buy the book, which explains exactly what you want to know. The two were related.
I'm struggling to get the amount of info I have on that very
subject down to a 5,000-word article. The rest of it-range and JOHN LANSFORD
picking up kills by strafing planes on the ground (which counted
for zilch) ... I hate to sound stuffy, but I respectfully decline to Wouldn't the Germans have most of their tactical bombers
get into a discussion that will require hours and hours to on the Eastern Front, where they were needed the most? Before

3
AIR POWER Issue -#47
June, 1944, after all, that was the only place where their ground Force (VVS) did not treat the Luftwaffe as THE major target
forces were involved to any major degree. like the Western AFs did. The VVS operated under the control
of the ground commanders, who, naturally, gave it missions 'that
So, by attacking high priority targets the Germans couldn't concerned them the most, i.e. ground support, battlefield in.ter-
ignore, the USAAF hoped to degrade the Luftwaffe to the point diction, etc. Had the VVS been run as a Western AF, I don't
that it couldn't challenge any future invasion plans. Interesting. doubt that the Luftwaffe wouldn't have lasted as long as it did
And here I thought the reason only two German planes flew in the East.
over the Normandy beaches on D-Day was because of the
fighter and bomber attacks on the airfields within range of the The tactic of "drawing fighters onto the bombers to shoot
beach. them down to reduce the German Air Force ... " DOES make
sense. Note, it's not the BOMBERS that are doing most of the
The tactic of drawing fighters onto the bombers to shoot shooting down, it's the escort fighters. What kills an enemy air
them down to reduce the German Air Force makes no sense. For force is steady attrition higher than you suffer. The 8th AF
every fighter you shoot down, the pilot bails out over friendly couldn't bomb airplane factories every day, but they could and
(to him) soil. Every bomber shot down costs us 10 airmen and did inflict high attrition through air to air combat. The USAAF
an expensive plane. All they have to do is replace the plane. If generals explicitly understood that this was a MAJOR effect of
they wanted to shoot down planes, all they had to do would be U.S. bombing raids as shown by the Spaatz example above. By
send small numbers of bombers somewhere with huge numbers the way, if you think that shooting down German fighters over
of fighters, and I don't recall a lot of that done. I think the aim Germany where they can bail out and return to the battle is
was strategic bombing, and it just happened they shot down inefficient, think about bombing factories where you get NO
plenty of the Luftwaffe. Afterwards, people said that's what pilots.
they wanted to do all along.
TO COMMAND THE SKY, THE BATTLE FOR AIR
TOM HOLSINGER SUPERIORITY OVER GERMANY 1942-1944, by Stephen
L. McFarland and Wesley Phillips Newton, Smithsonian Insti-
General Kemp of 8th AF Fighter Command did use the tution Press, Washington, 1991, is an excellent book on the
bombers as bait. Attrition was a planned strategy. John, it is subject.
possible, and happened here, that there were multiple reasons
for a given act or acts. Strategic bombing was one strategy. TRENT TELENKO
Attritting the Luftwaffe fighters was another.: It is _not_ all one
or all the other. Life is not that simple. The curious thing about both the Japanese and the Germans
is the fact that both had no real program to create pilots at the rate
To Eric Hammel: Again, I don't agree with you for the they lost them. Japan ignored the issue entirely. It fought it's
reasons above that it was the 'air war directly over the German pilots to death. None were returned to create the next generation
production facilities ... that decided the war.' The Red Army of flyers. The German's knew the problem, but consistantly
decided the war. ignored it for short term operations, often at Hitler's whim. The
German transport fleet was all but annihilated at Stalingrad and
Also, I'm quite aware that the 8th AF specifically targeted North Africa.
the Luftwaffe - what else were Argument and Big Week for?
Not only did they do that, but the AF generals understood that The German's were surprisingly narrow in there vision of
one of the heavy bombers' MAJOR effects was in the air war. They thought in terms of campaigns and limited theaters,
serving as magnets for the Luftwaffe day fighter force so that like Western Europe. The British, American's, and Russians all
the U.S. fighters could shoot them down. One of the reasons for were much more expansive in there vision of war. All were
going to Berlin in the first· place was that it was such a prepared for Total War's ofnational annihilation. This showed
prestigeous target that the Germans would be forced to defend up in nearly every operation mounted by the Japanese and
it. In fact, Spaatz even suggested that on days when all of German's. Not just the air wars.
Germany was overcast the heavy bombers be sent to bomb
Berlin by the clock through the clouds. The bombers may not hit AUTHOR: ERIC HAMMEL
anything useful, but the threat to Berlin would bring out the
German fighters, thus subjecting them to high attrition from But, John, the German fields in range of the beach were not
having to take off and land in the poor weather. occupied because (a) eyes were on the Pas de Calais and (b) the
German fighters needed to escort the German tac aircraft had
To John Lansford: Yes, most of the German bomber force been for the most part pulled back into Germany months earlier
was in the east from June '41 on. There were some efforts to (the last but two pulled back on June 5, 1944), and (c) the
renew bombing against Britain (like the Baedecker raids), but shrinking German tac air force was hard-pressed keeping it's
they were disasters. By the way, the reason the Luftwaffe strength up in the East - thanks to the success of the strategic
survived as long as it did in the East was that the Soviet Air bombing offensive (i.e, the need to emphasize fighter produc-

4
The Journal of Air Combat Gaming New Fighting Wings Data Cards Issue #47
tion). Many of the fighter pilots (fighter aces) I spoke with this P-51 'sand long range P-47' s could escort them, but 1943 would
past year were and are convinced that the bombers were bait as have been too early. The USAAF already knew their B-1 Ts
well as seriuously undertaking the strategic bombing offensive. and B-24's could not protect themselves before Big Week, so
Bomber crews were damn sure they were bait once the fighters the main objective had to have been strategic bombing of fighter
were freed from close support and allowed to range ahead and production centers. If the bombers themselves shot down a few
to the sides of the bomber stream. There was much bitterness fighters, even better. But the losses forced the USAAF into
at the time. development of the long range escorts, with decisive results.

Just an observation, John, I don't think you're actually GARY DICKSON

reading my answers. The main question in your post last night
had already been answered in my post of the previous evening, I would call the Red Army THE decisive element in this
which you clearly did not take the time to read. sense: If the Western Allies had reached a separate peace with
the Germans in January, 1944, I can imagine the Soviets still
Does anyone here understand the difference between a defeating Germany. I cannot say the same if the Soviets reached
"cumulative" victory and a "sequential" victory? If you don't, a separate peace. In that respect, the West needed the Soviets
you' re going to miss the essence of the air war in the West. much more than vice versa, in my opinion, and therefore the
"Attritional" doesn't quite describe it. The Allies were aiming Red Army was 'decisive'.
at a cumulative victory, and that is what they won. The best
book on the subject - actually the seminal work - is RAdm To John: Bombers weren't used ONLY as bait, it was just
J.C. Wylie's MILITARY STRATEGY, which is still used at one aspect. I suppose that it was considered that to defeat
the Naval War College (and probably Annapolis). It's available GERMANY it was her factories that had to be destroyed. To
from Naval Institute Press. It is 162 pages of easy reading and defeat the LUFTWAFFE it had to be subjected to the kind of
applies to all forms of warfare. attrition that only a constant DAY bomber offensive with it's
attendant air to air combat and losses, could provide.
Gary, again: In a broader sense, far beyond the realm of this
topic, the Red Army had =a= decisive impact upon winning the JOHN LANSFORD
war. But so did U.S. military goals set forth on November 14,
1938. Again, I refer you to the notion of"cumulative" warfare. I (also) doubt a few understrength and/or refitting divisions
What won the war, as Tom correctly points out, was everything, in the West pulling guard duty on the Atlantic Wall would have
taken together. . made much difference in stopping the Red Army at the end. The
coastal battalions were manned with retired men, young re-
BTW, you skipped Operation POINTBLANK, which was cruits, and conscripts for the most part, with only a few first-rate
the strategic portion of the fighter plan, and of which Big Week units present. Back on topic: has any study ever determined just
was a phase. (Or do I have POINTBLANK and ARGUMENT how many German fighters were shot down by bomber defen-
in the wrong order?) I'm not looking at my sources (that book sive fire? Were the gunners really doing a good job, or was all
is done, so they're in storage), but my recollection is that the first the ammo being used as· morale boosters for the pilots and
U.S. day bombers over Berlin (only a few dozen arrived overthe bombardiers?
target due to a weather- related recall) bombed through the
cloud 10/10 cloud cover using radar - execrably - and got AUTHOR: ERIC HAMMEL
NO fighter response because the fighters had been faked off the
target. Next day, 3/6/44, was another story (and actually started John - You' re sti II not reading posts all the way through.
the quick decline of the night-fighter force). Gary, you and I are The bait discussion was in re the long-range fighters. It's the
in overall agreement with respect to the role of the strategic- way things worked out, not the way they were planned. Seren-
bombing/fighter-escort goals. And TO COMMAND THE dipity is one of the key outcomes of planning. Also, until drop
SKY is =the= source on the topic. Thanks for bringing it up. tanks were provided and the fighters gained useful escort ranges
in late July 1943, the claims by bomber gunners were unbeliev-
JOHN LANSFORD ably high. This was because every gunner who even thought he
hit a German fighter was credited with a kill - no matter how
Rick, I was expressing a surprised disbelief that the bombers many gunners claimed hits on any given fighter. Unless the
would be used as bait when the escorts couldn't cover them generals were stupid and believed the daily claims, the objec-
continuously, like they couldn't in 1943. I seem to recall the tive was clearly to keep morale from falling through the floor as
USAAF losing around 10% planes each day during Big Week, chances of living through a tour declined, and because it was
and the USAAF scaling back attacks shortly after that, a tacit well known or at least believed that 90% of bombs were missing
admission that the plan did not work. their targets. =Something= had to be conjured to make the
effort worthwhile in the eyes of heavy-bomber crews.
If the bombers were bait, why were they sent to targets the
fighters couldn't cover? I can see the bombers being bait after (To be continued in a future issue.)

5
AIR POWER Issue #47

From the Cockpit

playtest group promises to be a number of things, all new and
different. First of all, Tony, who is a Professor of Physics, has
firmly grounded his design within the laws of physics and
aerodynamics. There is not a single fudge or abstraction
Many of you are asking of late: "What's happened
involved with regards to replicating performance of aircraft.
to Air Superiority II, the next generation?" Every
Tony's game also is designed to include multiple levels of play
now and then we publish some Standing Guard
and different scales. Most likely, gamers will be able to fight
module rules and some data cards in association
entire battles at the tactical scale which uses I mile he:xes.
with tournaments which preview changes aimed at
Dogfights can be taken down to the ACM scale which uses 250'
Air Superiority II but, as many have noticed, I
hexes and 5/3 second game turns.
haven't been saying much about the proposed next
game in the Speed ofHeat/ Air Power series. There I have had the opportunity to fool around a bit with the rules
is a reason for that. Air Superiority II is a dead at the ACM scale and they are most impressive. The accuracy
project and will not be done. This may come as a is unbelievable. At this microscopic level of measure, and with
shock to some of you, given my original plans for the game. Tony's design formulae, it is possible to show performance
Unfortunately, a number of factors influence this decision, not differences between identical aircraft at different fuel weights,
the list of which are my own limitations in time and my current and to show differences even between aircraft with only minor
disatisfaction with the game system as a whole. differences in stores configurations. We have explored aero-
batics in jets and compared them to my experience in both the
When I did Air Superiority ten years ago (yes, it's been that
A- 7 and F-16 wi tht he result that the game predicts actual flight
long!), it was a tremendous improvement over previous jet air
path and speed losses to within 10% or even better accuracy. All
combat games. New ground was broken, innovations intro-
of this is quite exciting for the grognard who cares about such
duced and, most importantly, the game was fun. Along the way,
issues. The only down side at the moment, is the tedium of
dozens ofnew rules and changes were added, culminating in the
running through several math routines during the game turn to
Speed of Heat I Air Power rules set. My original intention was
keep track of changes in your aircraft's energy state. Owning a
to revamp Air Superiority to TSOH standards, but in the mean
calculator is a must for play.
time, I tackled WW-II, and learned a lot more about designing
games. The WW-II games have been more popular and have Back on the WW-II side of the house, Whistling Death is
out-sold TSOH by a 2-1 margin. As I worked on the AS2 rules making steady progress. It is about a year behind schedule but
it became more and more apparent to me, just how limited the the reason is good. I have developed a new way of modeling the
game system was due to early design decisions made years ago. vertical plane of flight using a more refined pitch measure. The
In fact, our continuous quest for improved reality and accuracy vertical is now broken down into 30 degree wedges just as for
has often been stymied by these limitations. As a result, I have the horizontal. Flight types are now as follows: level; shallow
come to believe that it is time for a whole new game system to climbs and dives; steep climbs and dives; and vertical climbs
be created. One that is fresh and without the limitations and dives. Expect a preview of this in the near future.
imposed by bad design decisions made in the past when I didn't
know better. Since 1987, I've learned a lot about designing JDW
game systems and about aerodynamics. Unfortunately, my
time is so limited, that I don't believe I'll ever get around to doing
a new jet system. Currently I'm happily involved and totally OFFICIAL NOTICE!
immersed in researching and promoting the WW-II stuff and
Re: AIR POWER - Under current ownership this journal
monitoring developments on the WW-I game, Canvas Falcons.
will end with issue number 60. Please plan your subscrip-
Now all of this does not mean that new jet stuff is dead. Far tion renewals accordingly and do not order beyond issue
from it. First of all, Mark Bovankovich and I are proceeding 60. For partial subscriptions of less than six issues, the rate
along with the Standing Guard module which will include 24 per issue is as follows: U.S.= $2.35, Canada/Mexico=
new aircraft data cards and a number of AS2 rules revisions. $2.85, Foreign Surface= $3.20, Foreign Air Mail= $4.85.
These will push the TSOH game system up into the late 1970s.
AIRPOWER IS FOR SALE!
There is also plenty of room for additional aircraft sets to
include those that would have appeared in AS2. I'm also Can you be the next leader in air combat gaming journal-
working on the Air Power second edition rules which will clean ism? If you think so, write to me for details. I would like to
up most of the clutter and errata present in TSOH and incorpo- see this publication go beyond issue 60 and I don't have the
rate most of the changes aimed at AS2. These rules will be time to keep it going, though I'd still write and contribute
available separately from either myself or COA. to it and develop new ADCs. A sale will include mailing
lists, software, back issue inventory, back issue masters,
As for a brand new jet game system, there is good news in article inventory, AS/Str. game parts inventory, Etc. Seri-
the form ofTony Valle's efforts on AS2000 which has now been ous inquiries only! $5,000 gets you everything.
officially renamed Birds of Prey. BoP, as it is called by the

6
The Journal of Air Combat Gaming New Fighting Wings Data Cards Issue -i/47

Fleet Air Arm A/C

• Fairy Swordfish Mk. II: As recently described in issue
46 of Air Power, the Swordfish was a slow but utilitarian
aircraft that served on far longer than it ever deserved to. The
The Royal Navy gets launched into fighting wings! Mk.II model illustrated here was a refinement of the earlier
model presented last issue, having a slightly more powerful
Again, taking advantage of the fact that there are quite nice engine and given metalized lower wing section to allow the
counters available from COA from the Supermarina I Naval carriage of rocket weapons which made it a useful anti-torpedo
Miniatures game for the following aircraft, I have taken the boat and anti- U-boat aircraft.
liberty of making some more Fighting Wings aircraft data cards
to use with them. Unfortunately, time and personal constraints • Martlet IV: The Martlet IV was essentially the export
prevent me from coming up with scenarios for these cards at the model of the famous American F4F-4 Wildcat but using a
moment. 1200HP Wright-Cyclone engine which was of slightly less
efficient at higher altitudes than the regular Pratt & Whitney
• Fairy Fulmar: The Fulmar fighter owes most of its powered Wildcats. Except for a slightly slower top speed and
design roots to the Fairy Battle light bomber, however, it was reduced ceilings, this Wildcat was nearly identical to the
not a derivative of the Battle, but its own design. The Fulmar standard F4F-4 Wildcat in performance. 220 of these were
was conceived in 1938 to provide the Fleet Air Arm, a modern, provided to the Royal Navy, the first equipping No. 892
monoplane patrol fighter, able to deliver bomber killing fire- Squadron in April of 1942. Martlets participated in the invasion
power while having the range and endurance to effectively of North Africa with Nos. 881 and 882 Squadrons, and No. 805
scout and protect the fleet. It was originally assumed that over Squadron was even land based in North Africa for a short time
the sea, enemy fighters would not be a major concern, so agility with these aircraft. Martlet IVs operated primarily from the
and maneuverability were not in its design criteria. However, Carriers Illustrious and Victorious and from the escort Carriers
this often proved not to be the case during the FAA's use of the Archer and Battler in 1942.
Fulmar, as it was called upon on many occasions to engage first
line Italian and German fighters during the course of its opera- • FM-2 Wildcat (Wildcat VI): The FM-2 was one of the
tions in the Meditteranean and it suffered many losses in these most widely build and produced versions of the Wildcat, over
circumstances. Slow and ungainly, it was amptly armed with an 4,000 of this model being delivered to the US Navy, alone, for
eight gun battery of .303 machine guns,just like that fitted to the use on its small escort carriers in the latter half of the war. The
Hurricanes and Spitfires of the RAF. The Fulmar proved fairly FM-2 combined a more powerful l 350HP Cyclone engine with
effective against Stukas and the slower Italian and German reduced weight for improved performance. A four gun arma-
bombers and patrol planes but was often at a disadvantage ment, drop tanks, and later, even water injected emergency
against Ju-88s and other fast aircraft. Beached Fulmars from power and provision for wing mounted rockets was standard fit
the HMS Illustrious aided in the defense of Malta for a few for the FM-2. 340 FM-2s were delivered to the Royal Navy,
weeks in 1941. Better than nothing, and more effective than the seeing service under the name Wildcat VI. No. 881 Squadron
Sea Gladiator, the Fulmar's short career was neither �glorious ' was the first FAA unit to receive the FM-2 starting in July of
nor ignominous. By 1942, it was being replaced by Sea 1944 and operating off the Carrier HMS Pursuer.
Hurricanes and Sea Fires.
• Supermarine Walrus: This unusual, ugly and awkward
• Fairy Albacore: The Albacore was designed as a replace- looking amphibious aircraft actually saw quite extensive ser-
ment torpedo bomber for the Swordfish. Ironically, it was out- vice with both the Royal Navy, and the RAF. The Royal Navy
lived and out-served by the very aircraft that it was intended to used it as a battleship and cruiser launched seaplane for scouting
replace. Though slightly bigger, longer ranged, and able to and gunnery duties. Among its major missions were anti-
carry a better war load, the Albacore was simply an insignificant submarine patrols, and the locating of enemy commerce raid-
advance over the Swordfish in terms of technology and perfor- ers. The RAF adopted it for air-sea rescue missions for which
mance. While its enclosed cockpit made it a more comfortable it is most often remembered. Slow and vulnerable, this aircraft
machine to fly, it was a truck compared to the nimble Swordfish could not operate in hostile territory without fighter escort but
and subsequently more vulnerable in combat as evidenced by it was utilized in all theaters of the war for various utility,
one incident on 8 November 1942 when an entire formation of communications and scouting missions. One Walrus was even
nine Albacores was destroyed, along with three escorting engaged in an offensive bombing mission in 1940 against
Seafires by Vichy French fighters during Operation Torch, the Italian Somaliland. The Walrus, for all its antique design and
invasion of North Africa. 800 Albacores were produced in all appearance, remained in production until 1944, with some 744
and the first Albacore squadron was formed in March of 1940 examples being built. It established itself with a reputation for
and by 1942 some fifteen squadrons were in action with the unequaled reliability and the ability to operate in all climatic
fleet, however, by the end of 1943, all would be re-equipped extremes from the North Sea to the African coast.
with more modern aircraft types such as the Barracuda or
Avenger while the Swordfish would live on. JDW

7
 Fairy Fulmar Mk.II Country: United Kingdom Service Entry Date: March 1 941

A/C Type: Long Range Carrier Based Fighter

Engine(s): One Rolls Royce Merlin 30, No F.1.
Eng. Pwr: 1010-1080 HP, Liquid Cooled
A/C Crew: Pilot, radioman (gunner)
Maximum Speed: 272 MPH at 7,300
Maximum Ceiling: 27,200 I 22,800 I 17,400 Feet
Defense Factor: 5 Size Modifier: + O
Damage Factor:11 I 16 Endurance: 285
Cockpit View: Good Blind Area: 6:00 Line

Protection: Cockpit +O Fuel +O Engine +O

Climb Decel I Dive Accel: 3.0 I 1.0
Weight and Load Limit: 1050 I 2 - 5
Wpn. Stations Weight Allowed Loads
1, 3 250 Bombs
2 550 Fuel Tank
Class: LO Victory Points: 3 - 7

AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE CHART

Altitude Minimum Maximum Maximum Min. Min. Min. Min. Altitude Average
Levels Band Speed Speed Dive Spd. TI (2) HT (3) BT (4) ET (5) Band Levels Rate Of Climb
UH UH 43+
EH EH • 42
31 - 36 VH VH 31 - 36
25 - 30 HI 2.5 (4.0} 4.5 10.0 3.5 5.0 5.5 6.5 HI 25 - 30 400
19- 24 MH 2.0 (4.5) 5.0 10.5 3.0 4.5 5.0 6.0 MH 19 - 24 700
13 • 18 ML 2.0 5.0 10.5 2.5 4.0 4.5 6.0 ML 13 - 18 900
7 - 12 LO 1.5 5.0) 5.5 9.5 2.5 3.5 4.0 5.5 LO 7 - 12 1,100
1 - 6 VL 1.5 5.0 8.5 2.0 3.0 3.5 5.0 VL 1 - 6 1,300

FIRE POWER CHART (ammo Mk.I/ II) POWER VERSUS SPEED CHART
w, Two .303 Calibre Br. 13 I 20 4 Levels Band 1.0 - 4.5 5.0 - 7.5 8.0 - 9.5 10.0 + Band
W2 Two .303 Calibre Br. 13 / 20 4 43+ UH UH
W3 Two .303 Calibre Br. 13 / 20 4 37 - 42 EH EH
W4 Two .303 Calibre Br. 13 / 20 4 31 - 36 VH VH
(DG)* One .303 Vickers K. 18 (6x3) 4 25 - 30 HI 1 I2 HI
19 - 24 MH 3/4 1 I2 MH
*If available, see Chap. 1 O for gun reloading
rules. 13 - 18 ML 4/5 2/3 ML
GUN ATTACK FACTORS 7 - 12 LO 5/6 3/4 LO
Range W1 W2 W3 W4 (DG) (Total) 1 -6 VL 5/6 3/4 VL

0 13 13 13 13 4 52 Banking FPs: 3 4 5 7
1 10 10 10 10 3 40 Side Slip FPs: 3 4 6 8
2 6 6 6 6 2 24
3 4 4 4 4 1 16 DEFENSIVE GUN COVERAGE: NOTES AND VARIANTS:
4 3 3 3 3 12
(If available, see note at right) • Dorsal Gun: A few Fulmars had a
5 2 2 2 2 8
DG: Right rear or left rear, high to Vickers K gun mounted in rear cockpit
6
low, (select either per game turn). for defense (Die roll s 2 to have).
7
• Loads: Stations 1 & 3: One bomb of up to 2501b., or a rack of four light
Note: Ring and bead backup gunsight available.
bombs of up to 401b. each. Station 2: one 60G non-jettisonable ventral fuel
WEAPON STATIONS DIAGRAM tank (Weight= 550, load= 3.0 / 2.0, +45 Endurance).
• Fulmar Mk.I: July 1940 model with Merlin VIII engine. As Mk.II except:
Reduce all power nos. by 1 (but not <1 ), reduce all avg. ROC nos. by 200
FPM. Ceilings =22,400/ 19,600/ 14,600. Use max speeds in ().Stations
1 & 3 limited to just a rack of four light bombs of up to 401b. each
1 2 3
 Supermarine Walrus II Country: Great Britain Service Entry Date: August 1936

A/C Type: Amphibious Flying Boat

Engine(s): One Bristol Pegasus VI, No F.I.
Eng. Pwr: 735-775 HP Radial, Air Cooled
A/C Crew: Pilot, radioman (copilot), two gunners
Maximum Speed: 135 MPH at 4,700
Maximum Ceiling: 18,500 I 15,300 I 11,500 Feet

Defense Factor: 5 Size Modifier: + 0

Damage Factor: 5 I 8 Endurance: 375
Cockpit View: Good Blind Area: 6:00 line low
Protection: Cockpit +O Fuel +O Engine +O
Climb Decel I Dive Accel: 3.0 I 1.0
Weight and Load Limit: 1,000 I 2 - 5

Wpn. Stations Weight Allowed Loads

1, 4 250 Bombs
2, 3 250 Bombs
Class: L Victory Points: 2 - 5

AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE CHART

Altitude Minimum Maximum Maximum Min. Min. Min. Min. Altitude Average
Levels Band Speed Speed Dive Spd. TI(1) HT(1) BT(2) ET(2) Band Levels Rate Of Climb
43+ UH UH 43+
3 -42 EH EH 37-42
31 - 36 VH VH 31 - 36
25 - 30 HI HI 25 - 30
19 - 24 MH MH 19 - 24
13 - 18 ML 1.5 2.0 4.5 2.0 3.0 3.5 ML 13 - 18 300
7 - 12 LO 1.5 2.5 4.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 LO 7 - 12 600
1 -6 VL 1.0 2.5 4.0 1.5 2.5 3.0 VL 1 - 6 900

FIRE POWER CHART POWER VERSUS SPEED CHART

Guns Type Weapons Ammo Criticals Levels Band 1.0 - 4.5 5.0 - 7.5 8.0 - 9.5 10.0 + Band
NG One .303 Vickers K. 18 (6x3) 4 43+ UH UH
DG One .303 Vickers K. 18 (6x3) 4 37 - 42 EH EH
31 - 36 VH VH
* See Chapter 10 for gun reloading rules.
25 - 30 HI HI
GUN ATTACK FACTORS 19 - 24 MH MH
13 - 18 ML 1.5 ML
Range NG DG (Total) 7 - 12 LO 2.0 LO
1 - 6 VL 2.5 VL
0 4 4 4
1 3 3 3 Banking FPs: 2 3 NA NA
2 2 2 2 Side Slip FPs: 2 4 NA NA
3 1
4 DEFENSIVE GUN COVERAGE: NOTES AND VARIANTS:
5
6 NG: All front arcs, plus 3:00 and 9:00 • Performance: The A/C's max
7 lines, high to low. level speed-0.5 is its combat cruise
speed regardless of loads. If

: f#I$!:
WEAPON STATIONS DIAGRAM DG: All rear arcs, plus 3:00 and 9:00 loaded, reduce all power nos. by
lines, high to low, except 6:00 0.5 and all average ROC nos. by
line = high+ only. 100 FPM; no other effects apply. If
over-loaded, treat Walrus as if
• Service: Walrus used for anti-sub- loaded by the normal rules.
marine patrols, search & rescue, gun-
fire spotting, and long range search. • Loads: Stations 2 and 3 may be
1 2 3 4 Capable of being catapulted off ships. over-loaded to 5001b. each.
 Country: Great Britain Service Entry Date: March 1943
Fairy Swordfish Mk.II
A/C Type: Carrier Based Torpedo Bomber
Engine(s): One Bristol Pegasus 30, No F.I.
Eng. Pwr: 750-775 HP Radial, Air Cooled
A/C Crew: Pilot, gunner, observer (recon only)
Maximum Speed: 144 MPH at 5,000 Feet
Maximum Ceiling: 12,400 I 10, 700 I 8,500 Feet
Defense Factor: 5 Size Modifier: + O
Damage Factor: 6 I 8 Endurance: 250
Cockpit View: Fair Blind Area: 6:00 line low
Protection: Cockpit +O Fuel +O Engine +O
Climb Decel I Dive Accel: 3.0/1.0
Weight and Load Limit: 2, 100 / 3 - 7

Wpn. Stations Weight Allowed Loads

1-4, 12-15 100 Bombs.Flares
5- 7, 9-11 250 Bombs, Rockets
8 1650 Torpedo, Bombs, Fuel Tnk. Class: LT Victory Points: 4 - 6

AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE CHART

Altitude Minimum Maximum Maximum Min. Min. Min. Min. Altitude Average
Levels Band Speed Speed Dive Spd. TT (1) HT (1) BT (2) ET (2) Band Levels Rate Of Climb
43+ UH UH 43+
37-42 EH EH 37-42
31 - 36 VH VH 31 - 36
25 - 30 HI HI 25 - 30
19-24 MH MH 19 - 24
13 - 18 ML ML 13 - 18
7 - 12 LO 1.5 2.5 5.0 2.0 3.0 3.5 4.0 LO 7 - 12 400
1 -6 VL 1.0 3.0 4.5 1.5 2.5 3.0 3.5 VL 1 -6 800

FIRE POWER CHART POWER VERSUS SPEED CHART

Guns Type Weapons Ammo Criticals Levels Band 1.0-4.5 5.0 - 7.5 8.0 - 9.5 10.0 + Band
N1 One .303 Cal. Vickers 11 4 43+ UH UH
DG One .303 Vickers K. 18 (6x3)* 4 37 - 42 EH EH
* See Chapter 10 for gun reloading rules.
31 - 36 VH VH
25 - 30 HI HI
GUN ATTACK FACTORS 19 - 24 MH MH
13 - 18 ML ML
Range N1 DG (Total) 7 - 12 LO 2.0 LO
0 4 4 4 1 - 6 VL 2.5 VL
1 3 3 3 Banking FPs: 2 NA NA
2 2 2 2 Side Slip FPs: 3 NA NA
3 1 1 1
4 1 1
DEFENSIVE GUN COVERAGE: • Loads: Sta. 8 may carry a 69g
5 1 1
DG: All rear arcs, +3:00 & 9:00 lines, fuel tank (wt.=550, load=3.5/2.5,
6
high to low, except 6:00L= high+ only. + 110 end.), two 5001b. bombs, or
7
one bomb/torpedo of up to 1,650lb.
Note: Ring and Bead gunsight only. Each wing may support only 7501b.
NOTES AND VARIANTS:
Stations 6 and 10 may each be
WEAPON STATIONS DIAGRAM
• Performance: The Swordfish's max over-loaded to 5001b. An internal

:�:·
attainable level speed is also its com- 60g fuel tank may be added if
bat cruise speed. If loaded, reduce observer not used (wt.=450,
power by 0.5 and avg. ROC by 100 load=1.0/0.0, +100 end.). A Mk.I

���"'
FPM; no other effects apply. If over- 4-rail launcher with four 3" rockets
loaded, treat as if loaded by the nor- may be used under each wing in
/
1-4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12-15 mal rules. A/C has slatted wings. place of stations 5- 7 & 9-11.
 Country: Great Britain Service Entry Date: March 1940
Fairy Albacore
A/C Type: Carrier Based Torpedo Bomber
Engine(s): One Bristol Taurus XII
Eng. Pwr: 980-1130HP Radial, Air Cooled, No F.I
A/C Crew: Pilot, gunner, observer (recon only)
Maximum Speed: 161 MPH at 4,000
Maximum Ceiling: 26,200 I 20,700 I 14,500 Feet
Defense Factor: 5 Size Modifier: + 0
Damage Factor: 9 I 14 Endurance: 440
Cockpit View: Fair Blind Area: 6:00 line low
Protection: Cockpit +O Fuel +O Engine +O
Climb Decel I Dive Accel: 3.0 I 1.0
Weight and Load Limit: 3,000 I 3 - 1 O

Wpn. Stations Weight Allowed Loads

1, 9 40 Bombs, Flares
2-4. 6-8 500 Bombs
5 1650 Torpedo, Bomb, Fuel Tnk. Class: LT Victory Points: 4 - 7

AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE CHART

Altitude Minimum Maximum Maximum Min. Min. Min. Min. Altitude Average
Levels Band Speed Speed Dive Spd. TT (1) HT (2) BT (2) ET (3) Band Levels Rate Of Climb
43+ UH UH 43+
37 - 42 EH EH 37 • 42
31 - 36 VH VH 31 - 36
25 - 30 HI 2.5 2.5 6.5 3.5 5.0 6.0 6.5 HI 25 • 30 100
19 • 24 MH 2.0 2.5 6.5 3.0 4.5 5.0 6.0 MH 19 - 24 300
13 • 18 ML 2,0 2.5 6.0 3.0 4.0 4.5 5.5 ML 13 • 18 500
7 - 12 LO 2.0 3.0 5.5 2.5 3.5 4.5 5.0 LO 7 - 12 700
1 -6 VL 1.5 3.0 5.0 2.5 3.5 4.0 5.0 VL 1 - 6 800

FIRE POWER CHART POWER VERSUS SPEED CHART

Guns Type Weapons Ammo Criticals Levels Band 1.0 - 4.5 5.0 - 7.5 8.0 - 9.5 10.0 + Band
N1 One .303 Calibre Br. 14 4 43+ UH UH
DG Twin .303 Vickers K. 12 (4x3)* 4 37 - 42 EH EH
31 - 36 VH VH
* See Chapter 10 for gun reloading rules.
25 - 30 HI 0.5 HI
GUN ATTACK FACTORS 19 - 24 MH 1.0 MH
13 - 18 ML 2.0 ML
Range N1 DG (Total) 7 - 12 LO 2.5 LO
0 6 7/4 6
1 - 6 VL 3.0 VL
1 5 5/3 5 Banking FPs: 2 3 NA NA
2 3 4/2 3 Side Slip FPs: 2 4 NA NA
3 2 2I 1 2
4 1 2I 1 DEFENSIVE GUN COVERAGE: NOTES AND VARIANTS:
5 1 I 1
DG: All rear arcs, +3:00 & 9:00 lines, • Performance: A/C's max attain-
6
high to low, except 6:00L = high+ only. able level speed is also its combat
7
cruise speed. If loaded, reduce
• Vickers Twin .303: One or both guns
Note: Ring and Bead gunsight only. pwr. by 0.5 and avg. ROC by 100
may be fired at a time. Use firepower
FPM; no other effects apply. If

/;;;;;;:�
WEAPON STATIONS DIAGRAM after slash if one fired. Eight drums are
over-loaded, treat as loaded per
carried, four per gun. Each gun must

: l�I:
normal rules. Flaps may be used
be reloaded separately.
at any speed, and as dive brakes.
• Loads: Sta. 5 may carry a 120g drop tank (wt.= 1,000, load= 5.0/3.0, +270
end.), or one bomb or torpedo of up to 1,650lb. Each wing may support only
1 234 5 678 9 1,0401b. Stations 1 and 9 are tor two 201b. light bombs or flares each.
 Grumman Martlet Mk.IV Country: United Kingdom Service Entry Date: July 1942

A/C Type: Carrier Based Fighter

Engine(s): One Wright R-1820-408, No F.I.
Eng. Pwr: 1000 - 1200 HP, Radial Air Cooled
A/C Crew: Pilot

Maximum Speed: 298 MPH at 14,000 Feet

Maximum Ceiling: 30, 100 I 25,300 I 18,200 Feet

Defense Factor: 5 Size Modifier: +0

Damage Factor: 9 I 13 Endurance: 340
Cockpit View: Fair Blind Area: Rear
Protection: Cockpit +2 Fuel +2 Engine +O
Climb Decel I Dive Accel: 3.0 I 1.0
Weight and Load Limit: 1,050 I 2 - 5

Wpn. Stations Weight Allowed Loads

1, 4 100 Bomb
2,3 425 Fuel Tank Class: F Victory Points: 4 - 9

AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE CHART

Altitude Minimum Maximum Maximum Min. Min. Min. Min. Altitude Average
Levels Band Speed Speed Dive Spd. TT (2) HT (3) BT (4) ET (5) Band Levels Rate Of Climb
43+ UH UH 43+
37 - EH 37 • 42
31 - 36 VH (3.0) (4.5) (9.5) (4.0) (5.5) (7.0) (8.0) VH 31 - 36 (100)
25 - 30 HI 2.5 5.0 10.0 3.5 5.0 6.0 7.0 HI 25 - 30 500
19 - 24 MH 2.5 5.0 10.0 3.0 4.5 5.5 6.5 MH 19 - 24 1,100
13 -18 ML 2.0 5.5 10.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 ML 13 - 18 1,500
7 - 12 LO 2.0 5.5 9.5 2.5 4.0 4.5 5.5 LO 7 - 12 1,700
1 - 6 VL 1.5 5.5 9.0 2.5 3.5 4.0 5.0 VL 1 - 6 1,800

FIRE POWER CHART POWER VERSUS SPEED CHART

Guns Type Weapons Ammo Criticals Levels Band 1.0 - 4.5 5.0 - 7.5 8.0 - 9.5 10.0 + Band

W1 One .50 Calibre M2 9 3 43+ UH UH

W2 Two .50 Calibre M2 9 3 37 - 42 EH EH
W3 Two .50 Calibre M2 9 3 31 - 36 VH (1) (1) VH
W4 One .50 Calibre M2 9 3 25 - 30 HI 2 1 HI
19 - 24 MH 4 2 MH
GUN ATTACK FACTORS 13 - 18 ML 6 3 ML
7 - 12 LO 7 4 LO
Range W1 W2 W3 W4 (Total) 1 - 6 VL 7 4 VL

0 9 18 18 9 54 Banking FPs: 2 2 3 5
1 7 13 13 7 40 Side Slip FPs: 2 3 5 6
2 4 9 9 4 26
3 3 6 6 3 18 NOTES AND VARIANTS:
4 2 4 4 2 12
5 1 3 3 1 8 • Martie! Mk.IV: Martlets were F4F-4s produced with lower performance
6 2 2 6 Wright-Cyclone engines specifically for export to England. Drop tanks on
stations 2 and 3 available from January 1943 onwards. Gun units may be

•
7
selectively fired as seperate units. Flaps may be lowered at speeds s min.

·�
+ 1.0. Above that speed they retract automatically due to air pressure. They
WEAPON STATIONS DIAGRAM
cannot be damaged by over-speeds .
• Martlet Mk.II: Earlier August 1941 Martie! (100 delivered) having Pratt
ex:: ·i .. ,(.. J' & Whitney S3C4-G 1200 HP engine (no F. I.). As Marti et Mk. IV except
delete stations 2 and 3. Ceiling= 31,000 I 26,000 I NA. Allow performance
I I I \ and power data in ( ) in VH band. Weight and Load limit = 200 I 2 - NA.
2 3 4 Fuel Prot.e + 1.
 Country: U.S.A. Service Entry Date: October 1943
Gen. Motors FM-2 "Wildcat"
A/C Type: Carrier Based Fighter
Engine(s): One Wright Cyclone R-1820-56W
Eng. Pwr: 1, 000 - 1350 HP, Radial Air Cooled
A/C Crew: Pilot

Maximum Speed: 320 MPH at 16,800 Feet

Maximum Ceiling: 34.700 I 28,500 I 20,500 Feet
Defense Factor: 5 Size Modifier: + 0
Damage Factor: 9 I 13 Endurance: 285
Cockpit View: Fair Blind Area: Rear

Protection: Cockpit +2 Fuel +2 Engine +O

Climb Decel I Dive Accel: 3.0 I 1.0
Weight and Load Limit: 1.700 I 2 - 7

Wpn. Stations Weight Allowed Loads

1-3&8-10 140 5" Rockets
4, 7 250 Bomb
5, 6 425 Fuel Tank Class: F Victory Points: 5 - 10

AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE CHART

Altitude Minimum Maximum Maximum Min. Min. Min. Min. Altitude Average
Levels Band Speed Speed Dive Spd. TT (2) HT (3) BT (4) ET (5) Band Levels Rate Of Climb
43+ UH UH 43+
37-42 EH EH 37 - 42
31 - 36 VH 2.5 5.5 9.5 4.0 5.5 6.5 7.5 VH 31 - 36 500
25 - 30 HI 2.5 6.0 10.0 3.5 5.0 5.5 6.5 HI 25 - 30 900
19 - 24 MH 2.0 6.0 10.0 3.0 4.5 5.0 6.0 MH 19 - 24 1,600
13 - 18 ML 2.0 6.0 10.0 3.0 4.0 4.5 5.5 ML 13 • 18 1,900
7 - 12 LO 2.0 6.0 9.5 2.5 3.5 4.5 5.0 LO 7 - 12 2.400
1 - 6 VL 1.5 6.0 9.0 2.5 3.5 4.0 4.5 VL 1 -6 2,800

FIRE POWER CHART POWER VERSUS SPEED CHART

Guns Type Weapons Ammo Criticals Levels Band 1.0 - 4.5 5.0 - 7.5 8.0 - 9.5 10.0 + Band
W1 Two .50 Calibre M2 16 3 43+ UH UH
W2 Two .50 Calibre M2 16 3 37 - 42 EH EH
31 - 36 VH 2/3 1 I2 VH
25 - 30 HI 4/5 2/3 HI
19 - 24 MH 6/7 314 MH
GUN ATTACK FACTORS 13 - 18 ML 7/8 4/5 ML
Range W1 W2 (Total) 7 - 12 LO 8/9 5/6 LO
1 - 6 VL 8/9 5/6 VL
0 18 18 36 Banking FPs: 2 2 3 5
1 13 13 26 Side Slip FPs: 2 3 5 6
2 9 9 18
3 6 6 12
4 4 4 8 NOTES AND VARIANTS:
5 3 3 6 • All FM-2s: Gun units may be selectively fired as seperate units. Flaps
6 2 2 4 may be lowered at speeds ::; min. + 1.0. Above that speed they will retract
7 automatically due to air pressure. They cannot be damaged by over-
speeds. Stations 4 and 7 may not be used if any of stations 1 to 3 and 8 to
WEAPON STATIONS DIAGRAM 10 used. Emergency power available only after Spring 1944.

'� • Fuel: First 50% of production had slightly smaller fuel tanks (end.= 275).
• 5" Rockets: Rocket stations ( 1-3 and 8-10) provided only on last 70% of
= production run (die rolls 7 to have).
• Mart let VI: This was the export version of the FM-2 of which over 350 were
I I I I I \ supplied to British Fleet Air Arm in 1944. Exactly as FM-2. Used in the
1-3 4 5 6 7 8-10 Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Pacific from escort carriers.
AIR POWER Issue #47
much, so they had another written which was more balanced),
Thirty seconds over Sargodha the 1982 history, as well as various articles by Fricker and

Revisited! "Battle for Pakistan."

Naturally, they tend to be contradictory, so I've been trying

Squadron Leader Alam, Pakistani
to correlate things and do my own analysis. Since the incident
Hero or Propaganda Toy? in the subject is the most famous single incident to air buffs from
the lndo/Pak wars, and since "Battle for Pakistan" and "Fiza'ya"
• The following information about the Inda-Pakistan air war devote considerable space to it, I'd like to get right to it. I
of 1965 was presented to readers of the Air Power internet assume everyone here is familiar with it; if not, it's been
discussion group headed up by John Caraher. (see computer published twice in AP (Issues 18 & 20) by Bob Gross. Since I
connections later this issue). It concerns one of the most know the suspense is killing you, may I have a drum roll, please.
famous jet air combat engagements in history. That of Pakistani
fighter ace, Squadron Leader Alam who allegedly shot down "I Contend That... ":
five Indian Hunters in a single low altitude air combat lasting
less than one minute. I am most impressed with the author's SIL Muhammed Mahmood Alam did not shoot down 5
efforts to separate fact from fiction. Anyway, enough of this Hunters, four in the space of 30 seconds, on Sept. 7th, 1965, in
lead in. Read on. the vicinity of Sargodha field, West Pakistan. He shot down
two, appears to have damaged a third, and possibly damaged a
By Guy Alcala fourth.

Hey kids, while the snowflakes have been flying I've gotten So much for the headline, now for the story behind it.
a stack of books in via interlibrary loan on the Indian and
Pakistan Air Forces. The ones I have are: Alam's citation for the bar to his "Sitara-i-Jurat" (roughly
equivalent to a British DFC. He was awarded the first one for
I. John Fricker's "Battle for Pakistan" (semi-official Paki- his claimed two kills on Sept. 6th) credits him with 4 kills, not
stani history of the 1965 war), 1979. 5. This was the contemporary view, and although medal
citations are often wrong, it would seem unlikely in this case.
2. Singh, Rikhye, and Steinemann's "Fiza'ya: Psyche of the Fricker talked to him in 1968, Jong after the fact, when the P AF
Pakistan Air Force," (attempt to honestly and accurately analyse propaganda machine had apparently decided to make a super-
PAF, history of the wars, and forces by a couple oflndians, with hero out of him (this is the view taken in Fiza'ya, which I
varying success), 1991. partially agree with). Battle for Pakistan says that the Pakistanis
themselves say that they only had physical evidence (i.e. the
3. The late IAF CAS (in the 1971 war) Air Chief Marshal crashed ale and the pilot's bodies) for two kills; the rest was gun
(ret.) P.C. Lal's posthumous memoirs "My Years with in the camera footage and wingmen's reports.
IAF," useful for cross-checking other sources, although it's not
"history" as such, 1986. Actually, I'll have to repeat the story a bit, just to show the
perceptions and what most likely happened. The Pakistanis
4. Hussain and Qureshi's "History of the Pakistan Air Force said that a formation of Mysteres had come over Sargodha
1947-1982," (official history written by serving officers, propa- shortly before 6.00 AM, and an F-104 on CAP had shot one
gandist), 1982. down while flak got another (Fricker says one flak and two by
F-104. The '82 official history says two and two, but the '88
5. Air Marshal (ret.) M.S. Chaturvedi's "History of the history reduces this to one each). Lal mentions two Indian pilots
Indian Air Force," (IMO poor propaganda and useless for by name who were killed in their Mysteres, so we can take that
anything from '62 on), 1978. as confirmed.

6. Wing Com. S.M.A. Hussaini's "Air Warriors of Paki- One l 04 pilot was forced to bailout either because either: he
stan," a book of aviation paintings by the author, in the style of Fod'ed his engine with debris from his second victim; debris
and presumably with the same depth ofresearch as Keith Ferris, from his second victim damaged his horizontal stabilizer caus-
Mark Waki, etc., 1989. ing a loss of control; he was shot down by one of the Mysteres
(In 1988 the Indian Air Force officially awarded a posthumous
In addition I have many articles which appeared in Air medal to one of the pilots who was lost on this mission, saying
Enthusiast or Air International by Fricker, Pushpinder Chopra that after much analysis they had concluded that he shot down
Singh (same author as above), Lindsey Peacock and others. the F-104 while himself being shot down. Given that the 104
Fiza'ya quotes liberally from (and appears to take liberties with) was making passes from the rear, this is a bit hard to understand,
"The Story of the Pakistan Air Force," 1988, another official or believe. I suppose that the 104 could have mortally wounded
history (apparently the P AF realized that the first one was a bit the second Mystere, overshot, and been nailed by his erstwhile

10
The Journal of Air Combat Gaming New Fighting Wings Data Cards Issue h47
target just before it crashed. Who knows). This formation was led by the Sq. CO, Wg. Cdr. Zachariah,
Sq. Ldr. Bhagwat, Flt. Lts. Lamba and Sinha (both later Air
Anyway, shortly after the Mysteres left, Alam and 3 other Marshals), and F/0 Brar. The following account is taken from
Sabres, plus a I 04 got airborne. The Paks said that a formation Lal's book, and is recounted by Sinha, then a Group Captain.
of six Hunters, four in the front, two flying cover to the rear,
came in on the field and were spotted by Alam, who broke after In 1969, India and Pakistan both had officers attending the
one of the trailers and got him with his second AIM-9 (the first Joint Services Staff College at Latimer in England. One
went for the ground). Alam said that he didn't see the missile evening at the bar, Sinha overheard a couple of PAF officers
hit, but saw the pilot eject. More on this later. Losing sight of talking about the good old days of '65, and they mentioned the
the others, he started heading east looking for them, and spotted events of Sept. 7th, and Alam's five kills. Sinha overheard this:
four of them after several minutes of flying. They all proceeded
to break in the same direction, and he shot them down one after "It was not so," he said, " you got only two."
another in the course of thirty seconds.
"Nonsense," retorted the Pakistani officer, "how do you
In one of his articles, Fricker apparently gave the names of know what exactly happened?"
the pilots who were supposedly shot down by Alam; while they
were definitely shot down over or near Sargodha that day, three "I _should_ know" said Sinha, "I took part in that raid. We
were in Mysteres and one Hunter pilot probably wasn't hit by lost only two - Fg Offr Brar and Sqn Ldr Bhagwat. Sqn Ldr
him. Kackar had to eject because his engine developed some trouble
and it flamed out due to fuel starvation. He became a POW."
That was the Pakistani perception. Here's the story from the
Indian side. There were two formations of Hunters, each There was an awkward silence [I'll bet!]. "The other mem-
consisting of 5 ale. the first formation was from 27 Sq. IAF, and bers of that raid, or rather two raids, are all still alive. I can give
consisted of Wg. Cdr. Jog (Sq. CO), Sq. Ldr. Kackar, F/0 you their addresses if you want to check. One of them, W g Cdr
Parihar, and Flt. Lt. Choudhuri. Two Hunters were supposed A.T.RH Zachariah, the former CO of7 Sqn has an English wife
to fly cover, but one couldn't start his engine, so there was a and is right here in England."
single escort piloted by Flt. Lt. Rathor.
O.k., what do we know so far? Sq. Ldr. Jasbir (Jasbeer)
Sargodha is actually a complex of four bases, Sargodha main Singh and Sq. Ldr. Daveyya (Devayya) were in the two Mysteres
in the middle, Chota Sargodha to the west, Wegowal to the shot down by the 104 and/or flak, and were both KIA. Flt. Lt.
North, and Bhagatanwala to the east. 27 Sq. was assigned to B. Guha, also in a Mystere, was shot down and killed with an
attack Chota Sargodha. In Lal's book there is an account by AIM-9B late in the day by Flt. Lt. Malik in a Sabre.
either Jog or Rathor of the mission, from which I take this.
Everyone agrees that Alam got Bhagwat and Brar (both
They arrived over a field, but didn't see any ale, so started KIA), and that Kackar was a POW. Now things get mighty
their return. While returning, they came upon another airfield confused.
with ale on it, and made what sounds like a rather half-hearted
attack on it. Visibility wasn't that great, and after the mission the By Alam's account, he was sent to patrol east of the base to
pilots felt that they might have gone to the wrong field (the first try and spot an incoming raid, but was recalled after he had gone
one). They felt that they'd flown over Wegowal instead of 10/15 miles because Hunters were over the field. This implies
Chota Sargodha, and gun camera footage tended to confirm that he was flying back west.
this.
There was an F-104 on CAP over Sargodha, flown by Flt. Lt.
Things get more confusing here. Shortly after attacking the (Probably. Later Sq. Ldr and Sq. CO as Wg. Cdr. in '71) Arif
second field, and what appeared to be a factory along the same Iqbal, who first spotted the Hunters over the field. He says that
path, they were attacked by a Sabre. The Sabre appeared to be they were headed Southwest (Fricker), which seems rather odd,
going after Choudhuri, so Rathor broke into him, and they and that Alam was orbiting roughly 12-15 miles SSW of the
started to scissors, while the formation continued to head base, which also seems strange and definitely contradicts Alam.
roughly towards home. Suddenly, Rathor noticed Kackar in If the 27 Sq. formation was heading out from their attack they
front losing speed. Jog reduced speed to keep the formation should have been heading east or southeast.
together, but Kackar called that he had a fuel feed problem, his
bingo lights came on, and then he flamed out and ejected. Alam says that as he was vectored back towards the field, he
Somewhere in here, Choudhuri's drop tanks had been punctured saw the Hunters diving to attack it. This would appear to be the
by bullets. Along about then, the second formation of five 27 Sq. formation. Alam says that as he started to make a pass
Hunters, this group from 7 Sq., passed the first group, presum- on the front four, he spotted two to the rear, and broke into them.
ably on the way in. The first four broke off their attack, and the rear two turned into
him. We know that there was only one Hunter to the rear

11
AIR POWER Issue #47
(Rathor) rather than two, although it's possible that the forma- They feel that it was unnecessary given the PAF's real accom-
tion may have been somewhat ragged. plishments, including the actual Indian losses over Sargodha
that day, which they believe to be five (Fricker says 11, the 1982
Alam says that the Hunters started back towards India, he history gives 10, the 1988 history 9). I make the total six,
went after the last man and dived behind him, going very low. including Sq. Ldr. Singh who is ignored in Fiza'ya but con-
His target was out of gun range, so he fired an AIM-9, which firmed to my mind by Lal.
went for the ground. The rear two Hunters had to pull up to clear
some power lines, and he got one with his other missile then. He One of the reasons that they feel this is so is the problems
didn't see it hit, but then found himself overshooting one of the with Alam's account of his first kill, and the account of Kackar's
Hunters and noticed that the canopy was missing and the pilot loss by his squadron mates. They feel that the times and places
was gone. At first glance, this would appear to be Kackar, but don't work, and I admit that things are very confused. Second,
there are problems with this. First, Rathor says that he was they point out the discrepancies in the 1988 history. It says,
already dogfighting with a Sabre near or over the field, and fairly as they point out, that physical evidence for only two of
Kackar appears to have punched out considerably to the east, Alarn's kills could be found. It then quotes his account, but
near the border. Kackar appears to have had a fuel feed says that some of his kills may have crashed in India.
problem, although he might have taken damage over the field
from flak or even been proxed by the missile; this last seems Unfortunately, they say, this directly contradicts Alarn's
unlikely, given the timing. own account, which states that he set them on fire and they
crashed. I have read Pricker's account in "Battle for Pakistan,"
As far as I can tell, Alam is the only pilot up at that time who and that is the sense of it. In fact, Alam specifically says that
fired his guns or missiles. Someone had to hit Choudhuri in the "none of these four pilots ejected, and all of them were killed."
drop tanks; it might have been flak, it might have been Alam.
Just when Alam had a chance to hit him is problematical, since In addition, in earlier PR work by the P AF to reinforce
Kackar would have just punched out, and Alam says that he'd Alam's account, they named the names of his victims. Unfor-
lost sight of the other Hunters and chased on east hoping to spot tunately, several of the names were of pilots that he had not shot
them. Somehow, this inbound formation from 7 Sq. managed down, specifically Devayya (Mystere shot down by F-104
to pass the outbound formation from 27 Sq., break off their piloted by Flt. Lt. Amjad Hussain), Guha (Mystere shot down
attack early (because they were intercepted, so they said), and a Sabre piloted by Flt. Lt. A.H Malik), and Kackar (very
have two of their number shot down while they were heading questionable).
outbound, after Alam overhauled them from the rear (and he
said that he spotted "the five [remaining, as he thought] Hunters. Finally, the authors say, somewhat snidely, that Alam's two
kills on the preceding day are also somewhat questionable, and
Personally, I can't make heads or tails of this; the times and that he himself "is exceptionally circumspect about the inci-
directions don't make sense, and given the fallibility of human dent. He fired on one Hunter and saw him go into the ground
memory I doubt that it can ever be straightened out. in flames (pg. 365) [of the 1988 history] but says' ... I am not
certain whether I hit him or not,' indicating that one of his other
OK, while all this combat is going on, the 7 Sq. formation two pilots might be responsible. While exiting he took a long
passes them, by inference going the other way (inbound). Their shot at a Hunter. .. 'I think I registered hits - I only saw smoke
attack is apparently aborted because they spot Sabres, are coming out, but no flames.' Here he is not even claiming certain
warned off by their controllers, or just funked it (they weren't damage, leave alone the aircraft.
warned by the 27 Sq. formation. Either Jog or Rathor says that
they couldn't warn them as they weren't on the same frequency), "Clearly, given the modesty of his claims for September 6
<ind Alam gets two of them as they egress, perhaps 30-50 miles and the extravagance of his claims for the following day, Alam
to the east of Sargodha. is a complex personality. We look forward to meeting him one
day." They also mention that he has apparently become a
My best personal assessment: Alam gets two confirmed, devout muslim, "being often described as a mullah who spends
probably one damaged if flak didn't do it (Chaudhry), and one his time praying and forecasting condemnation to hell for the
that's so tenuous that I can't say (Kackar). PAF officers who are Jess devout."

So much for the bare impressions, now for some of the I can't speak about his religious fervor, but I certainly can
undertones. speak to the evidence re his first two kills. As to Alam being
circumspect and modest, it's more a case of Singh and company
It's the opinion of Singh and his co-authors that the whole being at best sloppy, at worst deliberately disingenuous. They
"Thirty Seconds over Sargodha" story was a propaganda job quote the 1988 history, and it appears that they have made valid
pure and simple, done for morale purposes. They feel that Alam points. I don't have that, so will have to take it on faith that they
was a manufactured super-hero, designed to show the superior- are accurately quoting from it. However, they had access to
ity of the Pakistani Air force, outnumbered though they were. Pricker's account in "Battle for Pakistan" and his previous

12
The Journal of Air Combat Gaming New Fighting Wings Data Cards Issue 1'147
magazine articles, and all the subsequent accounts including the If this was in fact the basis for Alarn's claim for his second
one in the history appear to be based directly on them. So let's kill, they'd be right. It is not, and here's where either sloppiness
look at what it says. or duplicity comes in. Here's Alam's account of his second kill:

They say that Alam implied that his first kill might have been "We continued tail-chasing and I soon shot down my second
by another one of the pilots in his formation (it was a threesome) quarry. We had started off by pulling about five g during the
because he says "I am not sure whether I hit him or not." turns, but as the speed fell off, we got down to perhaps less
than two G."
Here's Alam in BfP: "The fight didn't last Jong. I got my
sights on the Number 4 Hunter, and after a brief burst, he flicked Doesn't seem very circumspect or modest to me. But wait,
and went into the ground in a great ball of flame, although I'm where does this other quote that purports to be the basis for his
not certain whether I hit him or not." I'll just mention that this second kill come from? Why, from Alam himself. Here it is:
combat commenced at about 500 ft. el. at fairly low speed, and
got down to 200 kts. or less. O.k., is Alam saying here that one "My flight was exiting individually at very low level [after
of his wingmen might have hit the Hunter, as Singh et al states? the combats just described] when I came across a couple of
these Hunters [returning to their base]. [He squeezes the trigger
No, he's not, as I interpret it. What he's saying is that the to see if he's out of ammo. He's not]." .. .I turned into the enemy
Hunter flicked out of its turn, either because he'd hit it or aircraft and took a shot at the last man at long range. He turned
because it had used to much aileron, it then stalled, hit the into me, then took off his bank."
ground, and blew up. Here's Alam talking about the relative
slow speed performance of the Sabre with extended and slatted "_I think I registered hits - I only saw smoke coming out, and
wings (his personal favorite ale was an F-86F-35 which had no flames._ "
been rebuilt to -40 standard) and the Hunter (which he'd flown
in England): "As a wise man, I thought I should not turn back after him,
as I was low on fuel. .. "
"Actually, the Sabre has a fantastic turning performance.
Although the normal stalling speed with flaps is around 92 Reads a little differently now, doesn't it?
knots, you can fly it round in a steep turn down to as little as 80
knots or less in a descending scissors maneuver. Between 100 guy alcala
and 120 knots is quite a normal speed range to rack the Sabre
round in combat. If you applied aileron at that speed in a Hunter
you would flick out the other way."
GIFT SALE! SALE! SALE!
Maybe it's just a case of Alam as senior man hogging all the
credit for himself, refusing to admit that either of the other two AIRPOWER MAY BE UP FOR SALE
pilots might have been the ones to get hits, right? From another
part of the same narrative:
BUT WE STILL HAVE 13 MORE FUN
FILLED ISSUES COMING WITH LOTS OF
"During the scrap, I had all of the other five ale [2 Sabres, 3 USEFUL DATA CARDS, PLAY AIDS, AND
Hunters after the first kill] in sight, and watched one of my THE LIKE TO BE PUBLISHED.
Wingmen, Sqn Ldr 'Butch' Ahmed [CO of 18 Sq. Killed on the
11th when a train he was rocketing blew up. He bailed out but
INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TO PAR-
was probably killed in his chute] score strikes on one of the
Hunters in front of him. I think it was hit in the wings as white TICIPATE AT THE FOLLOWING SPECIAL
vapour was streaming from the fuel tanks." Actually, both of GIFT RATES, AVAILABLE ONLY FOR
his wingmen claimed a Hunter damaged, although they were CURRENT SUBSCRIBERS!!!
both having gunsight problems which required that they had to
used fixed [i.e. TT +I, HT +2, BT +3] instead of in lead-
1 YEAR GIFT SUBSCRIPTION:
computing mode.
$10.00 *
O.K., this first point may just have been a case of misinter- 2 YEAR GIFT SUBSCRIPTION
pretation. As to the second kill, either the 1988 history is $20.00 *
seriously flawed by bad editing, or these guys are deliberately
trying to pad their case by leaving material out. In the case of
the second kill, they say Alam doesn't even "claim certain
* please add the usual tariffs for overseas and
damage, let alone the aircraft." air mail rates.

13
AIR POWER Issue #47

I HUMOR IN AIR COMBAT GAMING!

11
ISSUE No. 44, Air Power Tourney Q&A?
As designer of the Origins 96 Tourney, MarkBovankovich
answers some questions from the tourney scenarios and air-
A JOKE: craft which was published in Issue 44 of Air Power.
Pierre, a brave French fighter pilot, takes his girlfriend,
Marie, out for pleasant little picnic by the River Seine. It's a Horrido! Recently, over the internet, Ethan McKinney
asked me two real questions and one, well, speculative ques-
beautiful day and love is in the air. Marie leans over to Pierre
and says: "Pierre, kiss me! tion about the tournament in Issue 44. They were:
1) In scenario 4 do the F-4Fs have any decoys?
Our hero grabs a bottle of Merlot and splashes it on Marie's
lips. "What are you doing, Pierre?", says the startled Marie. Oops, Yup, they have 8 chaff and 8 flare bundles. I didn't
want to confuse things during Origins, so I didn't use their
"I am Pierre, the fighter pilot! When I have red meat, I like
actual load, just a standard DDS-B load. F-4Fs actually have
to have red wine! She smiles and they start kissing. When
unique dispensor rigs, and normally fly with 30 flares and 60
things began to heat up a little, Marie says, "Pierre, kiss me
chaff cartridges, which is equivalent to 10 flare and 20 chaff
lower.
bundles, in game terms.
Our hero tears her blouse open, grabs a bottle of Chardonnay
2) The missile chart includes the R.530RE. It doesn't
and starts pouring it all over her chest. "Pierre! What are you
appear in any scenario loadouts. Oversight or bonus?
doing?", asks the bewildered Marie.
Oversight. When I was scheming scenarios, I thought the
"I am Pierre, the fighter pilot! When I have white meat, I like
to have white wine! They resume their passionate interlude and Mirage Ills might need an RHM. This turned-out not to be the
case, but I forgot to delete the missile from the chart.
things really steam up. Marie leans close to his ear and
whispers, "Pierre, kiss me lower! 3) Finally Mark, what would the R-23T be like? M
seeker, acquisition ranges like the R-98MT, direct hit
Our hero rips off her underwear, grabs a bottle of Cognac and
number of 6? Slavable to radar?
pours it in her lap. He strikes a match and lights it on fire. Marie
shrieks and dives into the river. According to Janes Intelligence Review, the 23T3 seeker in
the R-23T was supercooled and operated in the mid-wave (3-
Standing waist deep, Marie throws her arms upwards and
5 micorn) region. Jane's also states that new technological
screams furiously, "PIERRE, WHATINTHEHELLDOYOU
solutions made it possible to extend the acquisition range and
THINK YOU'RE DOING?
aquisition angles to +-90 degrees (angle-off the target's tail), as
Our hero stands up defiantly and says, "I am Pierre, the well as weaken natural clutter. The article goes on to say that
fighter pilot! And when I go down, I go down in flames!" the 23T3 seeker was not affected by IRjammers, and was later
modified to ignore flares. Based on this article, I think an "M"
rating would probably not be too far off for the R-23T seeker.
A direct hit number of 6 sounds about right. IR missiles are
E-mail & Internet Connections: inherently more accurate than RH missiles, and a rating of 6
puts the R-23T in line with other missiles I've rated. As for the
J .D. Webster: jdwpilot@ix.netcom.com slaveability to radar and actual acquisition ranges, sorry, but
the Jane's article doesn't mention this, and therefore I can't
Air Power Discussion Group - Ask John Caraher discuss it. This form of disclaimer is going to become familiar
to add you to mailing list: air.power@umich.edu fare for my future posts about technical details:
Play by e-mail air games - FW GMs; The above statements about the R-23T do not represent my
• Dan Foxman: danfoxman@aol.com assessment of its actual characterisitcs. I merely quoted an
• Terry Simo: t-b-simo@worldnet.att.net article and made a few general game-system comments rela-
tive to that article's contents--and _only_ relative to the contents
• Randy Nonay: www.worldgate.com of. that article. The reader should not take the above as my
/-ransack/fwcamp.htm confirmation of the article's accuracy. (That should keep the
Air Sup. GMs; security guys happy)
• John Coley: johnc@pavilion.co.uk 4) You know, the Viggen really is a nice fighter ...
Computer Over the Reich Support Site: Yup, but given the results of the tourney, I think most of the
• Big Time Software: pl ayers would have preferred the Su- l 5TM. Top Wop out.
www .bigtimesoftware.com
Mark Bovankovich, topwop@magicnet.net

14
The Journal of Air Combat Gaming New Fighting Wings Data Cards Issue i/47
attack modifier apply?
FIGHTING WINGS RULES
• No, See Rule 10.5, case 7 of the Achtung-Spitfire Rules
Questions & Answers which clearly states that the only modifiers to apply to defensive
fire are the combained speed modifiers and deflection fact ors.
1. RULE 12.6- BAIL OUTS: What should the bail-out Questions from Mark Palmer, Burwood, Australia
modifiers be for an H Class bomber that is inverted? The
normal inverted bail-out modifier is -1 (which makes it easier 7. RULE 5.1-ANGLE OF BANK, Banking, Turning,
to get out). I can see this for a fighter, but it would seem that And Vertical Climbs And Dives: Is it really easier to roll a
being inverted in a bomber would make things a lot harder. plane when it is vertical than when it is horizontal? The reason
How about the following: For M and H class bombers, the I ask is because I noticed that it would take 6 roll actions to
inverted modifier is +3 and the benefit of having the bomb bay complete an aileron roll around a horizontal axis (Level-> LB
doors open (allowing more crew to exit) doesn't apply. -> ILB, etc.) but each roll while in a vertical dive or cl:imb
• The rules do not address inverted M and H class aircraft allows a facing change of up to 90 degrees. That means a
specifically. Your suggestion makes excellent sense and complete 360 circle (or full roll) in only 4 roll actions. Is this
should be adopted as is. a way to make vertical maneuvers more attractive? Is this a
compensation for not being able to turn in vertical flight?
Question from Martin Gallo, Davis, CA
• One could argue that an unloaded wing, one in vertical
2. RULE 2.1 -AIRCRAFT DA TA CARDS, 4) Power flight for example, is easier to roll with than a wing supporting
vs Speed Chart: If idle causes start speed to drop from 5 .0 to weight or pulling Gs but I never considered that in the rules
design. Actually, the differences exist simply for ease of play.
4.5, which speed is used for power; turn rates; and 1/3-1 /2-2/
In horizontal flight, a banked aircraft usually banks to some
3s determinations?
angle less than go0 when setting up for turns and the rules were
• The new, lower start speed is used for all of those. made to reflect that. In vertical flight, turning was not the issue,
simply facing changes on the map. I allowed up to go0 to reflect
3. RULE 10.5 - BOMBER DEFENSIVE FIRE: The the possibilities for facing changes. I didn't really try to
correlate the two different flight paths, nor was it a deliberate
term "high" has been defined in the rules, but not "high +".
attempt to make the vertical more attractive. It was however,
What is the difference?
some compensation for not being able to turn in the vertical.
• You must have missed the 4th bullet under rule 10.5 which
states the following: High+ or Low+ indicates the gun may only 8. RULE 5.1-ANGLE OF BANK, Banking, Turning,
fire on targets more than one altitude increment higher or lower And Vertical Climbs And Dives: What would be the effect
than the aircraft for each hex of horizontal range. on the game of allowing only 60° turns per roll? Would this
help mitigate the "crabbing" tactic of vertically diving AJC
4. RULE 10.1 - FIGHTERS WITH FIXED GUNS, being able to move away from attackers but always presenting
Tracking Shots: For tracking requirements, if a hex moved a beam shot?
into puts the target out of the gunfire arc, but a facing change
puts the target back into the gunfire arc, is continuous tracking • My belief is that the effect would distort the game badly
from its intentions, but you can do what you want within your
maintained?
own gaming circles. Why would you want to mitigate the
• The rules state only that two-thirds of the shooter's FPs crabbing tactic? The problem is not with the movement rules
must be expended with the target in the shooter's fire arc while but the gunfire deflection rules that allow what should be a tail
the shooter is in any of the three rear arcs. This is measured on shot to be a beam shot. I am making changes to the game
at the instant each FP is expended, therefore, if your shooter system to correct this, but messing with the movement rules
changed facing upon entering the new hex, and, before ex- sometimes causes more problems than it fixes.
pending the next FP, the target was back in the shooter's arc,
Questions from Tom Russ, Marina de] Rey, CA
then YES, tracking is continuous. Note, however, that continu-
ous tracking from hex-to-hex is not a requirement of this rule,
just a total of two-thirds of the FPs expended during the game 9. RULE 10.1 FIGHTERS WITH FIXED GUNS: When
turn, so it is allowed to have momentary breaks in the tracking. is the "A/C is inverted" modifier used? Is it only if the ale
inverted at the moment of firing, or if it was inverted at any time
5. RULE 6.1 - CLIMBING FLIGHT: If using only 1 during the move, e.g. it started inverted and rolled upright? The
VFP for climbing, is the minimum altitude gain required to be wording leads me to think the former, but I have a nagging
2 increments (200'), as it is for diving? feeling that 4.1 seconds is an awfully short time for a pilot to
regain his equilibrium, especially ifhe just did an Immelmann.
• No, for climbing flight, it is allowed that the first VFP used
gains only 100 feet. • Only when the aircraft is inverted at the moment of firing. It's
not equilibrium, the concern, but wrong subconscious adjust-
6. RULE 10.5 - BOMBER DEFENSIVE FIRE: For ment for bullet drop due to gravity that causes the modifier.
defensive fire from manual and turret guns, does the vertical
Question from N J Hickman, Australia

15
AIR POWER Issue #47

Coming up in future issues: AIR POWER SEP/OCT1996

The EMPORER J. D. Webster

More OTR I ASP I TSOH Data Cards
EDITOR John Caraher
Limeys & Frogs - Furheners Among Us!
COLUMNISTS Jim Meldrum
Fighting Wings Replays (If someone writes 'em)
ARTIST Tony Stanfl
More Meldrum Variants (maybe)
Other Useless Stuff by J.D. Webster & Friends AIR POWER is published two or more times a year (six
usually). All rights on the contents of the journal are reserved. No
part of the journal may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without
prior consent of the publisher. Portions of the journal may be
UPCOMING CONS: explicitly released from these restrictions. Use of a product
name without reference to its company or trademark does not
G � t@ ir <C o IDl = <fJ; 1 constitute a challenge to its trademark status by that company.

(1fllil® JJIB1f Aii.ir W�ir�) BACK ISSUES are available at US $3.00 for domestic
subscribers and US $3.50 for overseas subscribers, postage
included. Some back issues are original prints, some are photo-
When? March 15, 1997 copies. All issues still available.
Where? Comfort Inn, Lee Rd. 1-4
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Any previously unpublished
Sunny Orlando, Fl. material is welcomed. Articles, reviews, scenarios, etc. should
be submitted on 8.5 x 11 white paper, typed and double-spaced
or submitted as text only files on an IBM or Macintosh formatted
• Featuring the usual Air Sup., TSOH, 3.5" diskette. Artwork should be full or double-sized, on white
and OTR Tourneys with emphasis on paper, and camera-ready. All submissions become the property
of Al R POWER Publications. Contributers receive credit for one
JETS. (Prop-heads invited as well). free issue for each 3 pages (or less) of their work which is
published per issue.
For registration contact:
Tony Valle at: Ph=407-366-3928 Send letters, comments, questions, sugges-
e-mail= tvalle@magicnet.net tions, etc., with SASE for reply, to the address
listed below. Your feedback is welcome!

Notice: All Air Power back issues are still available SUBSCRIPTIONS: All payment must be made in US
for sale. Limited quantities of #2 through #10 however. Order dollars. Payment may be made with checks drawn on US
IO or more and reduce cost by 50 cents per issue ordered. banks only, or via International or Postal money order. No
billing option. Please send your name, address, shipping
option (if applicable) and payment to the address below.
Air Superiority I Air Strike Current Rates (as of June 1995)

games for sale! Single issue .................. US $ 3.00

Single issue (overseas). US$ 3.50 (by sur. only)
Air Power has acquired all remaining stock of GDW's 1 year (6 issues) ........... US $15.00
Air Sup./Strike games. Replace your worn out, pizza and 2 years (12 issues) ....... US $24.00
beer stained components with brand new ones (No boxes).
Canadian & Mexican .... Add US $5.00 per year
• Map Sections: $0.50 (Specify by letter code) Overseas Surface ......... Add US $6.00 per year
• Data Card Set: $2.00 (Specify AS or STR) Overseas Air Mail ......... Add US $15.00 per year
• Rules/Scenrio Booklet: $2.00 (Specify AS or STR)
Direct subscription inquiries, address changes, and
• Play Aid Booklet: $2.00 (Specify AS or STR)
general feedback to:
• Air Sup. Counters: $2.00
• Air Strike Counters: $2.00 (Specify sheet I or 2)

Complete Air Sup. or Strike game in zip-lock: $8.00 ea. AIR POWER Publications
(Great gift to get your friends hooked on air gaming!)
1395 Kelly Green Dr.
SPECIAL SALE!! ORDER 4 or more games for $6.00 Ann Arbor, MI, 48103
each or 8 or more for $5.00 each

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