Back to the 'Nam

After hosting (and getting to play as well) a Check Your 6! Jet Age game the other night, it has me thinking about getting into another jet age period, but something later than the 1950s things I have. I do have a decent collection of miniatures for the Second India-Pakistan War, but missiles and radar are rather limited in scope for that conflict, and I would like to "master" the more advanced rules and the aircraft that use them. I created some roughly framed scenarios for early Vietnam, and about a dozen for the 1982 Lebanon War, so there are plenty of opportunities and possibilities to get into an era that would require the understanding of radar lock-ons, ECW, and advanced missiles. I also have several outlined scenarios for the Second Taiwan Crisis, but that is basically the Korean War with some crappy missiles. 

Other guys in our group have 1956, 1967, and 1973 Arab-Israeli collections, so I do not want to duplicate efforts there. The Falklands are fairly covered as well. I am pretty certain no one is doing the Lebanon War, so that would bring something new to the table. But even in 1/300 scale, those beautiful Flight Deck Decals planes run four to five dollars each, and then there is the painting of advanced camouflage schemes. While my painting skills are improving of late, not certain if a lot of camo is in my future.

VF-211 Crusader. Later VF-211 served on the USS Bon Homme Richard

I keep heading back to Vietnam, although what I am looking at are early war years featuring the F-8 Crusader and MiG-17s and MiG-21s. The missiles are crappy, but radar starts to become a thing. Planes are easy - for the sixteen scenarios that feature just the F-8 I would only need four Crusaders, five MiG-17s, and four MiG-21s (if one does not mind using one model to cover the same basic airframe). If I add in four Skyhawks I increase the number of scenarios I could game to twenty.

Skyhawk from VA-76, USS Bon Homme Richard

I can handle painting Navy aircraft with the dull gray and insignia white scheme. Decals are covered by Miscellaneous Miniatures for specific Crusader and Skyhawk squadrons. Actually, that might be the hold up as those decal sheets mean adding something like a dozen or more decals to each plane! However, with the need for only four F-8s and four A-4s, I guess I could suffer adding a slew of decals. The MiGs are more decal friendly with just the North Vietnam national insignia and a BORT number needed. Painting them, however, would be a bit more of a challenge - early in the war many were simply in their natural metal, but then camo schemes started to appear. But I think the simple all metal versions might be the direction I take.

So, here on Christmas Day, I have ordered the planes and decals needed to eventually game these scenarios:

Baltic Encounter After Action Report

I have been trying to get this game on the table since October! Finally it happened.

I did a thing - I purposely scheduled a game for the group knowing that the planes were not ready to use. This was an effort to push me to take care of the chore of adding decals to planes that were mostly painted. Applying decals is not what I call an enjoyable task, and I think it is mostly from a time perspective that I dally when it comes to this stage of completing planes for the table top. I have my system worked out fairly well - put a little gloss finish where the decals will be applied (this makes it easier to move the decal into proper position), apply Vallejo decal fix, cut the decal, soak in hot water while holding a non printed corner with tweezers, and after about thirty seconds of soaking slide into place with a brush end. Roll a Q-Tip over the decal to absorb the excess water, and adjust the decal so that it is perfectly placed. Once dry, I brush on Vallejo decal softener which "melts" the decal so as to adjust into ribbing or panel lines.

Anyway, this post is supposed to be an after action report, so let's get to it!

I hosted my hypothetical Baltic Encounter scenario (found on the Downloads page) that features a flight of Swedish Saab J 29s vs. a half dozen East German MiG-15s and MiG-17s in 1958. The Swedes receive a little U. S. Marine support in the form of a pair of Fury FJ-4s. This scenario eases one into the use of early air-to-air missiles as the Furies are carrying AIM-9B Sidewinders. It also adds afterburners, found on the J 29s and MiG-17s. One can easily swap out the Swedes and East Germans for other nationalities so feel free to mix it up, 1950s Cold War style.

One movement in, and the Tunnans are flying neatly

Four Swedish Tunnans were scrambled to watch the approach of the East Germans, who were making a political statement on Swedish's National Day. Both sides had to maintain level flight and only plot forward turn codes until spotting occurred. The Tunnan aircrews were all skilled, and the Tunnans had afterburners and an agility of 3.

The "bad guys" after a move or two

The East German force consisted of four MiG-15s and a pair of MiG-17s. My pair of MiGs are the two at the bottom of the picture. We had three skilled and three green aircrews.

One thinks that one is in a good firing solution, but those Tunnans are agile!

After a few turns, spotting checks were successfully made, and the two sides turned to engage. 

The Marines have arrived!

On Turn 3 a pair of Marine FJ-4Bs approached from the west, bearing gifts in the form of four AIM-9Bs on each Fury.

The furball

The shot of the game occurred early. One MiG-15 needed boxcars to hit a Tunnan head on - SUCCESS! And we know the firepower on the MiGs, but the Tunnan's robustness is a 2, so a good chance to survive...but not when the robustness roll is a pair of ones. BOOM! Tiny pieces of Tunnan scattered across the sky.

Much maneuvering was forthcoming - the Free World planes were all rated Hx and the players took advantage of that fact. But another Tunnan fell from the sky (sorry, Bill, Scott had a good night with a pair of kills). Personally, I tried to boom and zoom as I could, but Check Your 6! does not model B&Z tactics that well, so while I was able to dive out and build massive speed, the climb back, even to half the level of my dives, ate a crap ton of speed. I got a few shots in - all misses. And then it happened - the tails of a few MiGs showed themselves to those Sidewinder carrying FJ-4s. Uh oh.

The fruitless missile attack

Now that is my pair of MiGs immediately in front of the Furys - I was safe as I was nearly on the low end of the CAB and waaay too close to be fired upon, but Bob's MiG-17s were in the ideal position - unleash the beasts! Four Sidewinders launched. But the dice were not in Jamie's favor - two malfunctions, one miss, but wait, one proximity hit! Robustness check time - passed! Four missiles fired, four futile efforts.

However, those two MiG-17s, having turned towards the missiles by using evasive action, were shot down the next turn. In retaliation, Bob knocked a Fury from the sky. Meanwhile, the other four MiGs were able to exit the north edge of the board, embarrassing the Swedes on their national holiday. The East Germans won the game.

Communist

Two Tunnans and one Fury were lost (skilled crews) - 12 victory points

Four MiGs exiting the north board edge - 4 victory points

16 points total

Free World

Two MiG-17s shot down (one skilled and one green aircrew) - 8 victory points

In hindsight, the MiGs could have simply dropped altitude and made a run for the north board edge exit and just went for VPs. However that might have provided too many tail shot opportunities to the Free World forces so perhaps that is not such a bad victory condition.

The Free World players had the advantage in aircrew quality and having Hx planes. The Tunnans used the A maneuver chart and had 3 agility with afterburners. The MiGs had mixed aircrew quality, but a heavier armament and a height advantage at the start. Overall I think it came out to be a balanced scenario.

For details on the miniatures, click HERE.

Mat - Deep Cut Studio

The Yugo Project

In a previous post I discussed the indigenous Yugoslavian fighter known as the Rogožarski IKZ or IK-3. I have finally gotten around to pulling the planes from their baggies, mounting magnets, and getting a coat of Vallejo primer on them. While I have ten of these Leading Edge IKZs, some of them are rather pitted and as the Yugoslavians started the war with only six operational IKZs I selected the six best to work with. The thin coat of primer filled in a few of the pits a bit, and I imagine that the pits will become even less noticeable once the main colors have been applied (after a second coat of primer).

With a coat of primer in place.

Paint scheme for the IKZ will be a three color camouflage on the upper surfaces and a factory gray green undersurfaces. My previous post gave some specific RAL and FS color codes, but in doing deeper research, some of those colors are difficult to source within the various hobby paint ranges. Also, there is much confusion on just what tones were used, the prime example being the undersurface color. I have seen light gray, light blue gray, and gray green on various models and illustrations. The Rogožarski factory used gray green, so light gray and light blue gray are not accurate. As I use Vallejo Model Air for most of my painting, I am going with the following:

Brown - 71.041 Tank Brown. Green - 71.092 Medium Olive. Yellow Ochre - 71.031 Middlestone. Gray Green - 71.305 Interior Grey Green.

I will be striving for this look

And now for a scenario - I was able to create a much scaled down version of the IKZs first action of the April 1941 invasion of Yugoslavia, and I believe I can create a two additional smaller scenarios of subsequent actions. The first scenario, entitled The Punishment Begins, can be located on the Downloads page. It features five IKZs facing off against Bf 109s, Ju 87s, and He 111s. While I have the IKZs and Messerschmitts, I will need to pick up the German bombers, something I am going to need in the long run anyway as I expand the collection into some early war actions.

I'll add the other pair of scenarios in the coming days.

Yak-7B Purchase

Recently I was able to take advantage of picking up some beautifully painted Yak-7Bs from Miscellaneous Miniatures. I do not have many Soviet planes in my collection - really prior to this I only owned a half dozen I-16s, also wonderfully painted by Misc. Minis. The six Yaks will come in handy for mid-war scenarios. I just need to add magnets and they will be ready for the table.

The manufacturer is Raiden.

The P-47N - Over the Straits of Taiwan

I am guessing the blue used on the top of the fuselage to reduce glare really should be flat black as I have never seen blue used for that purpose.

I have been working on a series of scenarios for the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, which featured the first combat use of the AIM-9 Sidewinder, fired by an F-86F Sabre and shooting down either a MiG-15bis or a MiG-17. Details are a bit confused as I have come across a couple of encounters that took place on September 24, 1958 that were part of a large Republic of China fighter sweep which was providing cover for recon missions. Seemingly the first encounter involved MiG-15s, and then shortly thereafter a group of MiG-17s appeared and more Sidewinder, as well as gun kills, occurred. But more on the 1958 crisis in future posts.

What I also found interesting was the mention of P-47Ns being engaged against Communist Chinese MiG-15s just a few years before.  I like the P-47N, the enlarged yet clipped wings gives it a bit of a different feel. Also, it is the plane the 332nd Fighter Group used after World War II to win a gunnery competition. But I digress.

While most of the Republic of China P-47 encounters (and hence losses) occurred against Communist anti-aircraft fire, there are a few air to air combat events. Here is a list of those encounters that resulted in a shoot down (taken from the "trusty" source WikiPedia, but in turn sourced from the Prop Wash Gang website so hopefully accurate):

• 29 July 1950 – A RoCAF P-47N Thunderbolt was shot down by anti-air fire from Xiamen, killing its pilot.
• 16 June 1953 – A RoCAF P-47N Thunderbolt was shot down by anti-aircraft fire from Dongshan Island, killing its pilot.
• 17 December 1953 – A RoCAF P-47N Thunderbolt was shot down by anti-aircraft fire from Jejiang, killing its pilot.
• 22 May 1954 – In an engagement involving six PLAAF MiG-15, RoCAF pilots Chien and Yen shoot down one of the MiGs with machine gun fire from their P-47N Thunderbolts.
• 3 June 1954 – A RoCAF P-47N Thunderbolt was shot down by a La-11 of the PLAAF, killing its pilot.
• 6 July 1954 – A RoCAF P-47N Thunderbolt was shot down by cannon fire from a MiG-15 of the PLAAF, killing its pilot.
• 21 January 1955 –A RoCAF P-47N Thunderbolt was shot down by anti-air fire over the PRC, killing its pilot.
• 1 July 1957 – A RoCAF P-47N Thunderbolt is shot down by anti-aircraft fire over the PRC, killing its pilot.

Admittedly unless one really wants to game anti-aircraft actions, there are only three that might be turned into Check Your 6! Jet Age scenarios. However, through the use of AI, I believe I have come up with enough details to add a few more historical scenarios into the mix - and yes, more on this in future posts.

Rating the P-47N for Check Your 6! and Check Your 6! Jet Age is as follows.

Obviously the P-47 will have its challenges against MiGs, but if a hit can be made, the eight .50 caliber machineguns should wreak havoc. The agility difference will also help with obtaining a hit. In defense, the agility again gives the Thunderbolt an assist, as does the robustness rating. While I followed the conversion process found on Page 39 of the Jet Age rules, I might add the Hx back in for low to medium altitudes. I understand that the D rating for World War Two means the Hx is lost when converting, but this is pretty much the penultimate version of the P-47, and those clipped wings and improved engine should translate better.

In using AI, which sourced numerous documents and articles, it also generated the following analysis, which I find interesting (my comments in italics):

5. Tactical Analysis and Doctrine

5.1 The ROCAF "Turtle" Tactic

ROCAF pilots, aware of their aircraft's limitations, often flew in a defensive "weaving" formation. When attacked by jets, they would turn into the attack, forcing the faster MiGs to steepen their dive or overshoot. The P-47's ruggedness allowed pilots to risk head-on passes, knowing their radial engine offered substantial armor protection compared to the MiG's delicate nose intake. Does this mean that the MiG-15 should have a robustness of 1 when attacked head-on, or for that matter any jet with a large intake?

5.2 PLAAF "Boom and Zoom"

Soviet advisors drilled the PLAAF to avoid turning fights. The standard doctrine was to dive from altitude (High/Very High CAB), fire a burst from the heavy 37mm cannon, and use the zoom climb to reset. In Check Your 6! this is represented by maintaining high energy states. After a recent game the group talked about this very thing, that boom and zoom, and in general aircraft that have a superior dive or climb rate, really does not have a good representation in Check Your 6! The climb and dive rates are lost within the maneuver charts, so any plane with B maneuver chart has the same climb and dive capabilities against any other plane rated as a B, no matter if the first plane had a superior climb and/or dive rating. 

5.3 Gunnery Considerations

The P-47N's eight .50 caliber machineguns (3400 rounds total) allowed for long bursts and "spray" tactics, increasing hit probability against small, fast jets. The MiG-15's heavy cannons (23mm/37mm) had low muzzle velocity and different ballistic arcs, making deflection shooting difficult for inexperienced pilots. In game terms, the P-47 should have a higher "To Hit" chance but lower damage per hit, while the MiG has low hit probability but catastrophic damage potential. The damage is taken care of by the dice type used for the various weapons, but one might consider giving a green MiG aircrew an additional -1 to hit when firing a deflection shot, while adding a +1 for all P-47 attacks due to the amount of lead being discharged.

Final Thoughts

Flight Deck Decals happen to offer the P-47N so sourcing the miniature is not a concern. I will be creating a few scenarios as well - they are all rather small (the largest is about a dozen aircraft), but include MiG-15s, Yak-9s, and La-11s, along with a variety of American aircraft. 

The F-86F-2 Sabre

The air war over the Korean Peninsula between 1950 and 1953 represents a singular moment in the history of aerial warfare, a violent transition period where the tactical dogmas of World War II collided with the nascent technologies of the jet age. For the United States Air Force, the conflict was defined by the struggle for air superiority over "MiG Alley," the strip of airspace along the Yalu River where American F-86 Sabres dueled with Soviet, Chinese, and North Korean MiG-15s. While the F-86 Sabre is often remembered as the victor of this contest, contemporary analysis and pilot reports from the era reveal a deep-seated anxiety regarding the Sabre’s lethality. The standard armament of the F-86 - six Colt-Browning AN/M3 .50 caliber machine guns - was increasingly viewed as insufficient against the rugged, armored airframe of the MiG-15. This lethality gap spurred a classified operational test program known as Project Gunval, an initiative that placed experimental 20mm cannon-armed Sabres into the freezing skies of Korea in early 1953.

Many Check Your 6! Jet Age gamers most likely have the F-86 in their collections - I personally own F-86s painted for both Korea and the Indo-Pakistan conflicts. They are solid birds, especially the later models with improved thrust, gunsight, and a wing configuration that increased maneuverability. However it was just recently that I learned of the 20mm armed version being used in combat over Korea. I have posted the first of a handful of scenarios that will all feature the F-2 model. By the way, eight F-2s were sent to Korea, these being a combination of E-10 and F-1 models modified to the F-2 configuration. These F-2s featured the "6-3" wing as well as the improved A-4 gunsight. Speaking of gunsights, when the Soviets evaluated a captured Sabre, they acknowledged the advantage the gunsight provided, not just for deflection shooting, but for long range accuracy as well. Therefore consider using the @FF as is for deflection shots, but also add a +1 to hit for tail arc shots at 4 hexes or greater.

The F-86F-2 had its flaws, all related to the cannon armament. When the guns where fired at higher altitudes, propellant gases would emit from the cannons and could be sucked into engine air intake, causing instances in which the engine on the Sabre would flame-out - not an ideal situation when in combat, especially as the MiGs usually operated at an extremely high altitude. In addition, due to the high rate of fire of the M39 (T-106) cannons and the limited ammunition carried for these weapons, running out of ammo early in a fight was a true concern. American pilots learned to fire snap bursts to conserve ammo, and would also try dipping the nose to clear the gas. However the Air Force still lost two F-2s due to engine flame outs caused by the gases created by the 20mm cannon. It was decided to not move forward with standard equipping of the Sabre with the improved firepower.

The scenarios will include rules to deal with the F-2 model and its woes.

Korean War Planes Ready for the Table

A productive few days on the assembly line as I worked on finishing some planes I have had in various stages for a few months. These additions will allow me to game 24 out of 52 scenarios I have for the Korean War. 

F-80s - Vallejo Aluminium, Foundry Bavarian Cornflower Blue Shade 73C, Vallejo NATO Black, Army Painter Pure Red, Dom's Decals (national insignia), Flight Deck Decals (USAF). I will be adding some additional decals from Sieben Schwaben, such as plane numbers and some additional details.

Yak-9s - Vallejo UK Azure Blue, Foundry Bavarian Cornflower Blue Shade 73C, Army Painter Pure Red, Vallejo Natural Steel, Sieben Schwaben Spiele Decals.

F-82s - Vallejo NATO Black, Foundry Bavarian Cornflower Blue Shade 73C, Army Painter Pure Red, Vallejo Natural Steel, Dom's Decals (national insignia), Flight Deck Decals (USAF). While I used Vallejo Decal Softener there are still some cloudy parts on the decals. I've not had that issue before, and a second coat helped a bit, but did not solve the issue completely. I am thinking the black background is really bringing this defect to the fore.

Being colder outside, I cannot spray the planes with varnish (Army Painter Satin) on our balcony so I went with a brush coat of Vallejo Satin Acrylic Varnish. That provides a good protective layer while giving the planes just a hint of shine. For the F-82s, I went with a coat of Vallejo Gloss with a coat of satin as these night fighters had quite the sheen.

Plenty of more planes in the paint and decal queue, so more will be forthcoming.

A Pair of Jet Age Scenarios

Not that I own any planes for the Falklands conflict, but as my buddy Matt does game this war, I was able to cobble together a pair of scenarios to add to the five that are present in the Check Your 6! Jet Age rules. These are actual events, not some of my hypothetical creations, so I hope folks will get some enjoyment from having another pair of scenarios that feature the Israeli Aircraft Industries Dagger, which is the export version of the Israeli Nesher, which in turn is a modified French Mirage 5.

The scenarios are on my Downloads page. 

Pearl Redux! After Action Report

Over Pearl Harbor....

We ran the Second Strike scenario in commemorate the attack on Pearl Harbor. Due to a limitation with the number of players in attendance, we adjusted the scenario to feature Zekes making strafing runs on Ford Island and Hicam Field as we did not have the Vals and Kates needed. Admittedly, my knowledge from the game, played just yesterday, is limited as I actually played in this event and so my point of observation is rather focused, but I will cover what I can remember! Once again I also took few photos.

The Japanese players move in to strafe Ford Island. The AA piece in the distance would be attacked the following turn.

The Japanese players moved into range of Ford Island, dropping altitude in order to strafe the ships and the installations. The dice were HOT for Jay, who not only put down something like five or six successful strafing hits, but he also knocked out the light AA as well. He liked my dice so much he offered to buy them such was his success. With the Japanese already raking up the victory points, the Americans closed in.

Three P-40s and three P-36s move towards the Japanese. I was piloting the two Hawks at the bottom of the picture.

A pair of P-40s started on the board, and the remaining Americans came on during Turn 1 (another scenario change to adjust to the speed to the Zekes). Each turn I dropped my P-36 section one TAL and grabbed the extra hex from the shallow dive. The other two Americans closed into the ranks of the Japanese Zekes, and the furball began.

After pounding Ford Island the Zekes move to engage the oncoming Americans. My Hawks were straining to catch up and the base on one can be seen on the right.

While both sides had mostly skilled pilots, some maneuvers made by the Americans allowed the Japanese to start inflicting damage on the P-40s. It was going badly for the Americans - already in the hole six victory points from the strafing runs, now the Yanks started to fall out of the sky.

As I closed in I dove nearly to the deck to get under the oncoming Zekes. However, I bled off nearly all my speed on an Immelmann and was not in a grand position. That seemed to be the mantra for the American players - we just could not pull off just the right turn codes to really stick it to the Japanese. One, two, then a third American plane fell our of the Hawaiian skies. Finally one Zeke was shot down (if we could hit, then we stood a good chance as the Zeke's robustness is 0). Then my green pilot was face to face with the Japanese veteran. Crap. But the dice were favorable as I shot down the bugger - the return fire proved to be just as deadly as my green Hawk became debris. Regardless, a bit of a morale victory.

Jay had two of his Zekes run out of ammo, but that saving grace really did not matter. The Japanese won this fight overwhelmingly! Four American planes shot down (or was it five) for the loss of a pair of Zekes. The Americans earned ten VPs - the Japanese was something like twenty-two. 

The Japanese only went after Ford Island. In hindsight I probably should have had one group attack Ford while the other attacked Hickam Field. That would have spread out the Japanese Zekes a bit more, and would have aligned with the scenario had we had Vals and Zekes.

Planes - Zekes are Flight Deck Decals (painted by yours truly), P-40s and P-36s are Raiden (painted by Miscellaneous Miniatures).

Mat - custom Pearl Harbor from Deep Cut Studio.

Zekes Off the Production Line

 As I am hosting another Check Your 6! Pearl Harbor game this weekend, and as I need Zekes for my Darwin and Wake Island scenarios as well, I finally completed nine A6M2 Model 21 Zekes today. 

I like how they turned out, although I do not have the dexterity, whether through paint or decal, to add the blue fuselage stripe for aircraft based on the IJN Soryu. Oh, I do have a long stripe decal to be used, but trying to come up with the exact place to cut it for the correct length, and to have it actually be straight around the fuselage - well that ain't happening! Anyway, the IJN Ash Grey seems to be the perfect color for ame-iro. 

Sieben Schwaben Spiele do make decals for Zekes in 1/200, so eventually I will ask to have some scaled to 1/285 as they are curved to adjust for the fuselage and they should be in the correct length.

• Miniatures - Flight Deck Decals
• Paints - Vallejo IJN Ash Grey, NATO Black, Natural Steel, and Foundry Bavarian Cornflower Blue, Shade C.
• Decals - Scale Specialities
• Varnish - Vallejo Matt (brushed on)