"Air support in 28mm WW II games?" Topic

Perhaps foolishly, I bid on and won a 1/48 JU-87 Stuka and a 1/48 IL-2 Sturmovik, thinking that they may have some use as air support in 28mm WW II gaming.

Now that they are going to be incoming, I am wondering if their effect may be so overwhelming that it would be "game over" for their opponents?

I suppose that their effect could be limited by only allowing them to make low-probability once-per-game random appearances in which they pass over the table for just long enough to make a single attack.

However, would they still be "overkill", e.g. should the IL-2 attack German armour or the JU-87 bomb a bridge or drop "butterfly bombs" (assuming that JU-87s did carry such loads)?

Writing of which, how is such air support handled in rulesets such as Arc of Fire, TW&T, and Rules of Engagement?

I'd probably use them as single attack, semi-random event. However, given the proximity of forces in a typical skirmish game there should be a fair chance of friendly fire. Maybe allow a generous deviation roll from the desired target and use whatever artillery template(s) you think is appropriate for the bombs.

Another use for them is just as "scenery" pieces such as for an airfield being overrun or as an objective piece such as if the plane had made a forced landing and nearby troops from both sides send out patrols to check it out/get any survivors.

We have used them in TW&T games now and again but given the low level of the game they take out a huge template on the field (as well they should). TW&T certainly has rules for them.

They get a fair amount of use in our 1939 Poland games and are a real double edged sword for the Germans. Go ahead and use them – the crazy huge template can actually be a lot of fun and AFAIK no one else in the club has one.

I've bought quite a bit of 1/48th aircraft although for me they are exclusively for german airfield scenery for LRDG scenarios.

I've included air or artillery support in 28mm games but have never included a figure on the table, just modelled the effect of the attack.

use them as objectives or scenery on the table, they would be moving to fast to need a model for a game.

I've got a Pfalz DIII & a Nieport 17 for "Through The Mud & The Blood". I haven't used em yet, but they do have rules for em. They attack a single target until they run out of ammo (3 turns, I believe) are driven off or shot down. I think when I do use em they will attack 3 different targets down the trench line, or 3 different targets, one behind the other if in No Mans Land to simulate the movement of the AC. No bombs of course, but I'm sure you can find a way to work em into your game. BTW – I also have a crashed version of both, in case they get shot down, then you can go capture the pilot!
Peter

Hi

I cannot comment on your rules. the big problem for the aircraft is identifying the target. Once on target, you can cludge in rules you already have. Aircraft either attack with light mg, medium or small cannon for straffing, usally under 100m. I would treat them the same.

Bombs? Arty has the problem that there is a delay between when the FAC calls it and when it arrives. In a mobile situation, you have an arty effect. With bombs, use the weight of the load as if it were called arty, the plane misses a lot, however, it is more likely to be on target with the pilot able to see the target currently than a "called" shot from 30 minutes ago!

A 50kg small bomb, 100, 250 and 500 can all be corresponded to a known arty round of the same weight.

Rocky

@Ceterman:

That sounds like a great way of using aircraft in WW I games!

However, two problems with trying to do that for WW II games might be: first, and as mentioned by quester, airspeed; and, second, the much heavier bomb loads that were possible.

Skeptic,
Agreed! I just thought I would throw out what I intend to do when I do get around to it. I guess if it was WW2 I'd throw a d4 or d6 for the number of turns the AC would appear, with an increased chance of hitting the target with each pass (recon, less deviation!)and an increased chance of getting hit (AC awareness) by ground fire, if you had anything that could hit it! I would probably use a bomb template smaller than the scale, so's not to make the AC a game killer. Just give it enough power to make the players sweat about it! BTW, I don't think it a foolish purchase at all, I'm sure you can work something out!

We have rules for them in the up and comming rule set FRONTLINE-COMMAND.

However they pretty much make one pass over the battlefield because of the game time vrs real time maybe 2 and Anti aircraft guns would give them a problem.

'We have rules for them in the up and comming rule set FRONTLINE-COMMAND'

Sorry, but you have no chance with these rules, there is no 'Panzer', 'Blitz' or 'Achtung' in the title!

John

"Achtung! Flames of Panzer Blitz Command" new rules set from "War Anvil Frontline"!!!!

I've always though that, in a skirmish game, Airplanes are best handled as an 'act of god', out of control of the players and equally deadly to each side.

I'm not sure about the games you mentioned, but my favorite, Disposable Heroes, has rules for airplane strafing attacks and points for planes too.

We've also used 1/48 planes for LRDG raids on air strips with the British goal of blowing up the German planes before the Luftwaffe troops discover and kill the sneaky Kiwis, Brits, Aussies etc.

"Achtung! Flames of Panzer Blitz Command"

Shouldn't it be something like Hauptkampflinie-Fuehrer?

Even in low level games, aircraft models can ad something to the game. Yes, they do fly very fast IRL, but they make nice markers to use when an airstrike happens (whether called in or as a random event or whatever), and they also look very nice hovering around the table edge.

In WW1 games we often use spotter planes, which do hover around for quite a while. And look nice.