Tuesday 22 September 2015

Wings of Glory Aerodrome Tournament Weekend - Doncaster - Part 2

PART 1 can be found at the link.

After the success of the Ace of Aces game and a thoroughly enjoyable meal out on the Saturday night, I started of Sunday morning controlling an Italian Regia Aeronautica SM-79 Torpedo Bomber in Operation Pedastal the return!

For anyone not aware of this WW2 Operation, it was a major convoy including the SS Ohio Tanker on its way to resupply Malta.

Attacking the rear of the convoy along with a couple of other SM-79's and a lone Messerschmidt 100 flown by Andrezj whislt protected by a single Macchi Folgore, I flanked right and attempted to pick off single merchant ships. Flak was covering the approaches but I managed to dodge the AA and loosed of my torpeodes before exiting the table to rearm.

The dangerous fish ran true and as I flew away I could see in the distance explosions and plumes of black smoke rising over the striken ship.

After rearming, once again I flew in low, dancing over the waves and lining up with another pondereous merchantman. The 110 let rip with some devestating cannon fire and I saw a small transport sink beneath the waves as I dropped my torpedoes.

Allied Swordfish, Martlets and a pair of Hurricanes were now in the skies trying desperately to defend the convoy but the Folgore dived on a lone Hurricane and sent it spiraling into the Med!

The torpedoes impacted on the starboard of the merchantman causing it to be dead in the water and it was finally finished off by the other SM-79s as well as huge explosions coming from the HMS Warspite which had also been hit.

A cracking game and as Skafloc was trying it out for the first time I think it ran pretty well.

So onto the afternoon and the biggest Aviation game I have ever played. WW2 Battle of Britain, with nearly 100 aircraft on the table.

The bombers were all mounted on perspex sheets to move in waves and the fighters (I controlled 10 Messerschmidts in 3 sqns) were moved individually against the best of the RAF's Hurricanes and Spitfires.

Unfortunately I did not get to finish the game, having to leave mid afternoon but on my side of the board my fighters had a tough dogfight against 9 Spitfires whislt trying to protect the slower Stuka dive bombers.

The Luftwaffe however must have been veterans, flying for the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War and from the Blitzkrieg in Europe as they only lost two fighters whilst downing 7 Spitfires in return

Overall a brilliant weekend. Some very good fortune and some very helpful victims throwing themselves in front of my guns.

Fly well and may your guns never jam.

Definately looking forward to 2016 now.

1 comment:

  1. I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the trip. The report sounds really interesting and is seducing me to Wings of War... ;-)

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