Battle for Malta - Scenario 2 - Sink the Aircraft Carrier

This is the second scenario in a Battle for Malta campaign that follows the exploits of the Country of Dampshire 369 Squadron Auxiliary Air Force fighting against the Regia Aeronautica squadriglia d'aquila - two fictitious squadrons. We use the Wings of Glory WW2 rules, slightly modified to give faster play. We use the Wings of Glory planes where the right model is available, other manufactures are used to fill in the gaps.

We use our own set of campaign rules "Wings Over Malta". These contain 6 basic missions which will be played with alternate sides as the attacker. They will be played first with "early war" planes and then repeated with "late war planes". This differs from our previous Battle of Britain campaign which was a ladder campaign that followed more exactly the historical battle.

The Background

Aircraft carriers were a rare sight in the Mediterranean. When the appeared they were used to protect convoy's to Malta and to trnsport fighter aircraft to Malta which they flew off at maximum range.

HMS Ark Royal. Cigarette card originally Issued by John Player & Sons cirka 1939.

The Action

At Luqa airfield, three pilots of 369 Squadron AAF walked out to check their Gloster Gladiator fighters. Leading Aircraftman Walker, the fitter, showed Cholmondeley Featherstonehaugh round his Gladiator and said "No problems here, you are the squadron's Ace, we have faith in you!". "What-ho" said Cholmondeley "Let's name the plane Faith". Walker then showed Emmett Hollingberry round the Gladiator and then said "I hope you bring this one back in better shape than the last time when it was full of holes". "Great!" said Holliberry "Let's name the plane Hope". Finally Walker went round a Gladiator with Squadron Leader Foxy Moron. "We've got a Faith and a Hope", said Walker, "We should probably name yours Charity". "Bullshit", said Foxy, "I'll name it Butchery". Not long thereafter Faith, Hope and Butchery scrambled to protect an incoming convoy. However Foxy soon had engine trouble and had to turn back leaving the other two pilots to continue the mission.

The Italian High Command did not want any supply convoys to get through to Malta. Malta was to be under siege and if it couldn't be invaded then it would be staved into submission. When a convoy was spotted by an Italian float plane, Capitano Vitello Tonnato and the squadriglia d'aquila were ordered to attack; to sink the convoy and the aircraft carrier protecting it. The squadriglia d'aquila launched a strike consisting of Savoia-Marchetti SM.79-II Sparviero (Sparrowhawk) Torpedo Bombers escorted by Fiat CR.42 Falco (Falcon) biplane fighters.

The Italians headed towards the British ships in a tight formation.

Cholmondeley and Hollingberry were patrolling in a loose formation, perhaps because Hollingberry had been known to clips his squadron mates' planes with his propeller when in tight formations.

The Sparviero torpedo bombers turned towards the ships while the CR.42's headed straight at the incoming Gladiators.

The two sides continued to close.

The Sparviero torpedo bombers lined up for their run at the ships. The anti-aircraft guns on the ships opened up on the CR.42 fighters.

Cholmondeley and Hollingberry in their Gladiators head towards Capitano Vitello Tonnato and Tenente Gabriel Firenze Bossonova in their CR.42's and both sides open fire head-to-head.

As the fighters raced past each other, Cholmondeley in his Gladiator exchanged fire with a Sparviero torpedo bomber.

As the friendly fighters raced clear of the incoming enemy, the anti-aircraft guns on the ships opened fire again. The Italian fighters did an Immelmann to chase the Gladiators.

The Sparviero torpedo bombers drop their torpedoes as the dogfight between the Gladiators and the CR.42's continues. A lucky shot from Hollingberry, and Capitano Vitello Tonnato's engine starts smoking.

The Sparviero torpedo bombers come under heavy anti-aircraft fire from the ships as one torpedo hits the aircraft carrier and the second is still running.

The Sparviero torpedo bombers turn for home as the second torpedo passes the stern of the aircraft carrier. Cholmondeley in his Gladiator turns somewhat belatedly to chase the bombers and leaves Hollingberry to tangle with the two CR.42's.

The bombers hug the deck and turn for home, hoping that the fighters will continue to ignore them.

Cholmondeley turns to try and get on the tail of a bomber; Vitello Tonnato charges in to try and head him off.

Vitello Tonnato places his CR.42 between Cholmondeley and the bomber. A hail of machine gun fire passes between Cholmondeley and Vitello in both directions.

A lucky shot from Vitello Tonnato and Cholmondeley's Gladiator is done for.

Both CR.42's now tussle with Hollingberry to give the bombers a good run for home. The bombers headed back towards their base with only a few parting shots from the ships' anti-aircraft guns.

The mission completed, both CR.42's now head for home. Both were damaged and didn't want to stay and fight. They left Hollingberry to circle over the now limping carrier.

But the stubborn Hollingberry didn't give up that easily, he chased down Tenente Gabriel Firenze Bossonova's CR.42 and with a long range burst shot him down.

Flying Officer Cholmondeley Featherstonehaugh DFC and Bar ditched his stricken Gladiator near the Carrier's destroyer escort and was picked up. "I was right", he said, "it is muchwarmer than protecting channel convoys". He was injured in the crash, the doctor tried to patch him up and he was soon back in Malta.

Tenente Gabriel Firenze Bossonova ditched his CR.42 and like Cholmondeley he was picked up by the Royal Navy.

Result

Italian Victory

• Capitano Tonnato: 1 Kill
• Pilot Officer Hollingberry: 1 Kill

Notes

ARES has no Savoia-Marchetti SM.79-II Sparviero models so we used models from AIM (Armaments In Miniature).

The ships are 1:1200 Hallmark models sold by Magister Militum.

Battle of Britain - Scenario 9 - July 25th 1940 – The Straits are Closed in Daylight

This is the ninth scenario in a Battle of Britain campaign that follows the exploits of the fictitious Country of Dampshire 369 Squadron Auxiliary Air Force. We use the Wings of Glory WW2 rules, slightly modified to give faster play, together with our own set of campaign rules. We use the Wings of Glory planes where the right model is available, other manufactures are used to fill in the gaps.

The Background

Westbound Convoy CW8 consisting of colliers and coasters was attacked by German Stukas. Of the 21 ships, only 2 got to their destination undamaged. This caused the Admiralty to stopped further daylight shipping from passing through the Straits of Dover.

Convoys were then timed so as to pass the straight at night; however the Germans installed a Freya radar on the Channel coast so even night-time convoys would prove too dangerous.

The Action

While waiting in the ready room sitting in an overstuffed armchair, Sir Price received a telephone call. Two weeks earlier he had been picked up from the cold Channel waters by a collier. Now the collier was going through the Dover straight again, and telephoned to to ask for a return favour. Please could Sir Price keep them safe from Jerry aircraft this time through.

Sir Price called to his pals Featherstonehaugh and Hollingberry. "Come on chaps", he exclaimed, "This collier saved my bacon, we must make sure he get through the Dover Straits safely". "Strange chappy that Sir Price", thought Featherstonehaugh as they raced towards their Spitfire Mk IIs, "He seems to always have bacon on his mind!". Hollingberry's Spit was having a tyre changed, so he jumped into a nearby Hurricane Mk II and chased after his friends.

German e-boats had been shadowing the convoy up the Channel and the Kriegsmarine alerted the Luftwaffe. At the airfield, within sight of the Channel, Oberleutnant Sepp Schlangenaugen and his men were scrambled. Schlangenaugen and Halland in their Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-4s as well as von und zu Missendorff and Stahlhelm in the Ju 87 B Stukas. Climbing steeply to gain height, they soon spotted the convoy.

Sir Price, Featherstonehaugh and Hollingberry had arrived just in the nick of time. As they crossed over the cliffs the saw the convoy and just a few seconds later Hollingberry spotted the Huns.

"Shit!", thought Hollingberry, "We are outnumbered, three planes against four of them". "Scheisse!", thought Schlangenaugen , "We are outnumbered, two fighters against three of them".

Led by Sir Price, the RAF used their speed advantage over the Stukas and raced to the convoy's protection. They arrived at the convoy first and opened fire on the Stukas. The Stukas were damaged but could continue with their bombing run as the two 109 turned in and distracted the British.

The two Stukas concentrated on the lead ship, both scoring direct hits, sinking the collier. Slowly pulling out of its dive, Missendorff's Stuka was hit by AA machine-gun fire from the convoy. He ditched his plan and they both took to their rubber dinghy.

A swirking dogfight broke out among the fighters.

Stalhelm's Stuka was also hit by AA from the convoy and caught fire. Stalhelm turned for home with Cholmondeley on his tail firing wildly. Distracted by the tailing Spit and by the flames coming from his own engine, Stalhelm hit the barrage balloon cable and lost his port wingtip. His plane was un-flyable but luckily for him, in the narrow Straits of Dover, the beach was nearby and he managed to nurse his Stuka for a few more seconds until he could crash land on the beach. However he was so seriously hurt that he would never fly again.

A swirking dogfight continued and Schlangenaugen, the skillfull Ace that he was, shot down Sir Price's Spitfire who once again ditched in the cold sea. In what was now becoming a habit, Sir Price was yet again plucked out of the Channel by his friends of the Merchant Navy.

With one ship sinking, but both Stukas down, Schlangenaugen and Halland decided to head for home; there was no point in circling above the convoy which was taking pot-shots with their AA machine-guns.

When he was over the coast, Schlangenaugen noticed a Hurricane chasing after him. So waiting for the right moment, he turned on his pursuer and with a well placed cannon shot set Hollingberry's Hurricane on fire. A lucky shot from Hollingberry in his flaming Hurricane caused Schlangenaugen's 109 to give up and he had to make a forced landing on the beach.

Hollingberry himself ditched in the channel, which was one way to put out the flames, but he was seriously injured in the process. He would be out of the war for a time, needing to rest and recover. While convalescing, he visited a tea-room in the nearby town of Bramley End where he met an attractive waitress. When hearing about his fight with Jerry, she gave him a silver cigarette case which he keeps in his breast pocket over his heart.

Result

Marginal German Victory

• Pilot Officer Cholmondeley Featherstonehaugh: 1 Kill. 
• Pilot Officer Emmett Hollingberry: 1 Kill. Shot down. Wounded miss one scenario. Because of the cigarette case, he may ignore the next Aircrew Special Damage as it takes the bullet.
• Pilot Officer Sir Price: Shot down. Plucked from the sea by the Merchant Navy: Flatiron SS Fulham.
• Oberleutnant Sepp Schlangenaugen: 1 Kill. Shot down, but managed to crash land in France. Awarded Iron Cross, First Class for becoming a Double-Ace.
• Leutnant Adolf Halland: 1 Kill.
• Oberleutnant Hans von und zu Missendorff: Shot down in Channel. Crew took to inflatable dinghy and paddled back to shore. 
• Leutnant Hermann Stahlhelm: Shot down. Crashed on French beach. Seriously injured, confined to a wheelchair and honourably discharged from the service. 

Notes

The ship models are Hallmark 1:1200 sold by Magister Militum. The barrage balloon was scratch built from modelling clay.

Battle for Malta - Scenario 1 - Dogfight

This is the first scenario in a Battle for Malta campaign that follows the exploits of the Country of Dampshire 369 Squadron Auxiliary Air Force fighting against the Regia Aeronautica squadriglia d'aquila - two fictitious squadrons. We use the Wings of Glory WW2 rules, slightly modified to give faster play. We use the Wings of Glory planes where the right model is available, other manufactures are used to fill in the gaps.

We use our own set of campaign rules "Wings Over Malta". These contain 6 basic missions which will be played with alternate sides as the attacker. They will be played first with "early war" planes and then repeated with "late war planes". This differs from our previous Battle of Britain campaign which was a ladder campaign that followed more exactly the historical battle.

The Background

Months before the declaration of war, the British were already experimenting with their first radar prototype in Malta; although at the time it was known as RDF (Radio Directing Finding) and not yet as RADAR. The Malta system was the first and only one tested outside the UK, and as soon as the war broke, the British brought over four more radars to cover high and low level flying aircraft, as well as sea movements.

It was a clear blue sky over the Mediterranean with only a few small puffs of cloud. British radar spotted a raid flying towards Malta and sent up fighters to intercept over the sea before they reached the island. The raid however contained no bombers, it was only a fighter sweep.

The Action

Number 369 Squadron AAF had been heroically defending the shores of Southern Britain. As the summer came to an end, Pilot Officer Cholmondeley Featherstonehaugh was the best scoring ace in the squadron. His uncle at the Air Ministry visited the squadron, with a bar for Featherstonehaugh's DFC and a promotion to Flying Officer. Featherstonehaugh had been pestering his uncle for a transfer to warmer climes where the water wasn't as cold as in The Channel, preferable an island in the Caribbean. "Good news!", said his uncle, "I have found you and the whole squadron a posting to a warm and friendly island - Malta!". His uncle then explained "You'll be loosing your CO of course, we need him here in England, but we'll be promoting your Intelligence Officer, Foxy Moron to CO. After all he's got experience in biplanes, all those hours in Camels you know." "Biplanes!", exclaimed Featherstonehaugh, "You can not be serious!". After that, it all went rather quickly, the remaining pilots and a few of the ground crew were shipped off to Malta, but without any aircraft which were still needed for home defense.

The Italian High Command wanted information about the status of the air defense of Malta. The  Regia Aeronautica sent the squadriglia d'aquila under the command  of Capitano Vitello Tonnato to Sicily with orders to investigate. Capitano Tonnato was an Ace from the Second Italo-Abyssinian War where he flew Fiat CR.20 biplanes and was known for shooting Ethiopian camels. He decided that, together with Tenente Luigi Macaroni, he would fly a sweep over the island in their Fiat CR.42 fighters, to see what the defenders could send up.

The RAF controller called Luqa airfield after incoming planes had been spotted on the radar. Only two pilots had recovered enough after their seasickness to be able to fly. Pilot Officers Sir Price and Emmett Hollingberry jumped into their Gloster Gladiators and climbed towards the incoming planes.

The ground controller had done a good job; Sir Price and Hollingberry were vectored so as to contact the raid from behind.

Both sides having spotted each other, the Gladiators turned in to tail the enemy while the CR.42's carried straight on.

The CR.42's performed an Immelmann turn as the Gladiators gained height.

The planes passed close by each other with both sides taking snap shots.

Capitano Tonnato turned to try and get onto the tail of the Gladiators but these turned tightly too. Luigi Macaroni carried straight on, preparing to Immelman yet again.

Capitano Tonnato could turn no faster than the Gladiators, so he couldn't get on their tail.
Luigi Macaroni's Immelman brought him face to face with the Gladiators and fire was exchanged.

A .303 calibre machine gun bullet hit something important in Luigi Macaroni's radial engine and smoke started to pour out.

Sir Price and Hollingberry headed straight for the smoking CR.42 with which they exchanged quick bursts as it passed just inches above their heads. Capitano Tonnato had still not learnt that he could turn no faster than the Gladiators.

Hollingberry and Capitano Tonnato continued to turn tightly. Sir Price went straight ahead preparing to Immelmann.

Capitano Tonnato and Pilot Officer Sir Price went head to head and opened fire, each with their four machine guns.

Capitano Tonnato was the luckier shot and Sir Price's Gladiator went down.

Luigi Macaroni, his engine no longer smoking, made the mistake of chasing the crashing Sir Price instead of concentrating on the still flying Hollingberry.

Seeing the danger posed by Hollingberry, Luigi Macaroni turned in head to head and exchanged shots as they passed. Tonnato performed an Immelmann turn and headed back into the fight.

Hollingberry was the better shot and Luigi Macaroni's CR.42 was done for.

Hollingberry and Tonnato passed very close, almost colliding; both got off quick shots. Tonnato added many new holes to Hollingberry's Gladiator.

Pilot Officer Emmett Hollingberry, his Gloster Gladiator full of 12.7 mm holes, turned for home as fast as he could go leaving Capitano Tonnato of the Regia Aeronautica in control of the skies.

Pilot Officer Sir Price tried to nurse his fatally wounded Gloster Gladiator back to Malta, but the distance was too far. He ditched in the sea half way between Malta and Sicily. A pair of Italian MAS boats saw him ditch and rushed to the scene, pulling Sir Price out of the sea. They transported their prisoner back to Reggio Calabria where he was put on a train under heavy guard heading north.

Tenente Luigi Macaroni saw another pair of MAS boats and crashed his CR.42 as near as he could to them. He was picked up and returned to his airfield on Sicily, but the had been wounded in the fight and injured in the crash; it will be a while before he has recovered enough to fly again.

Result

Italian Victory

• Capitano Tonnato: 1 Kill
• Pilot Officer Hollingberry: 1 Kill
• Pilot Officer Sir Price: POW

Telegram

Telegram from the Swedish Military Attaché in Rome...

Battle of Britain - Scenario 8b - July 19th 1940 – RAF Losses Rising

This is the scenario was not in the original design of the Battle of Britain campaign becuase I did not have any Bouton Paul Defiant models. However I managed to buy some from AIM (Armaments In Miniature) so this scenario could be added,

The campaign follows the exploits of the fictitious Country of Dampshire 369 Squadron Auxiliary Air Force. We use the Wings of Glory WW2 rules, slightly modified to give faster play, together with our own set of campaign rules. We use the Wings of Glory planes where the right model is available, other manufactures are used to fill in the gaps.

The Background

RAF losses were rising fast. If anyone had drawn a graph, it would have “proved” that Fighter Command would cease to exist within six weeks. As far as it is known, no one at Fighter Command drew such a graph.

RAF fighters were getting scarcer and scarcer, and 19th July was the day that the Bouton Paul Defiant was sent into the battle.

The two-seater Bristol Fighter had proved a great success in WW1, and the Defiant was thought to be a modern version of it. However in 1940 the Defiant was already obsolete and proved a disaster. It's only armament, a dorsal turret, had problems firing forward - it couldn't fire through the propeller and had a minimum elevation of 19 degrees. One pilot said, “The Defiant could only attack another plane once it had past it”.

No. 141 Squadron’s Defiant fighters were in combat with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 Es of JG 51. Of the 9 Defiant fighters that entered combat, only 3 returned; none of these would probably have made it, had not No. 111 Squadron’s Hurricanes entered the combat to save the day.

The Action

Two Bouton Paul Defiant fighters were patrolling over the south coast. They just flew clear of a cloud formation, when they spotted a pair of Messerschmitt 109 E-4s off their port wing.

The Defiant pilots split formation, one turning sharply to starboard and the other to port. However the 109 wingman stuck tightly to his leader and held formation.

Accurate shooting from the Defiant's rear turret soon set one Messerschmitt on fire, wounding the pilot.

As the Defiants had separated, the 109 pilots could pick out one target and concentrate on it. Although the Defiant's rear-gunner bravely returned fire, his machine-guns were no match for the Messerschmitts' cannon. The first Defiant was soon a goner!

The Messerschmitts then ganged up on the second Defiant, giving it no chance to survive, even though the Defiant pilot had dived to give his rear-gunner as best a shot as possible. High above the fight, two Hurricanes led by Pilot Officer Percy Prune entered the fray.

A snap shot by Prune on the flaming Messerschmitt was enough to do for the Hun, but in the same second the Hun's wingman shot down Prune's.

A tight turning dogfight ensued between the two remaining fighters, out of which Prune emerged victorious.

Pilot Officer Percy Prune was now all alone in the sky above the south coast. So he made a low level pass over the fields where his kills had gone in. There was a plume of fire where the flaming 109 had hit. He saw the pilot from his second kill climbing from the wreckage and a platoon of Home Guard running towards him.

Returning home, Plume performed a couple of victory rolls, first over his local pub (The Black Swan) and then over the airfield itself.

These forbidden victory rolls so enraged the Squadron Commander that he knew he must discipline Prune. But that’s not an easy thing to do when a pilot has just shot down two Jerrys. So instead he decided to transfer Prune to No. 369 Squadron, a squadron already full of known troublemakers!

Result

British Victory - One Hurricane remained, master of the sky!

• Pilot Officer Prune: 2 Kills.
• Leutnant Kein Name 1: ½ Kill, Shot down, KIA
• Leutnant Kein Name 2: 2½ Kills, Shot down, Captured by Home Guard. 

Notes

As this mission was added after the campaign started, we used new pilots; initially with no name, however Pilot Officer Prune did so well in his Hurricane that he was named.