The What If War

Yep, I have a hankering! 

In 1937 Europe was unsettled, to say the least. The rise of Germany was on the near horizon and it was unknown to the other European powers what Germany's impact would be on future events. Austria was still "free" although the Austrian socialists were making strides towards controlling the country (with a little shove called German annexation in March 1938). There were some rumblings of the Germans and Czechs having a bit of a "have at you" as well. Using this unsettled setting as a background, I wanted to create a biplane encounter, using some planes not often seen on the tabletop, and appearing in eye appealing schemes. 

The setting is late 1937 with the Austrians causing some angst among the Czechs by repeated violations of Czechoslovakian air space by the CR.32s of the Austrian Luftstreitkräfte. The Czechs have been hesitant to do more than protest as they have concerns of a larger conflict that would see Germany supporting Austria. However, on a beautiful fall day over the Vltava River the Czechs had had enough and scrambled fighters to intercept the latest Austrian incursion.

Austria - The Austrians had as their main fighter the Fiat CR.32. I just love the Austrian roundel over top a gray or natural metal scheme and have been looking for an excuse to buy a sheet of Austrian decals (which might wind up on some Tunnans as well). As Table Top Flights make the CR.32 in 1/285, grabbing a flight (or two) of these will be a no-brainer. However, does anyone know what constituted an Austrian flight?

Czechoslovakia - And now I can get some double duty from my Slovak-Hungarian War Avia B-534s! Or, it gives me an excuse to order more! I am asking Flight Deck Decals to scale some of these for me in 1/285. I know the Czechs used three-plane formations, so three flights of these will do nicely, thank you very much.

Germany - Okay, I should use an early model of the Bf 109, but I miss the Heinkel He 51s I used to have for the Spanish Civil War (traded them years ago) and want more! And I really like the above scheme, the medium blue speaks to my Bavarian roots. Like the Czechs, the Germans were using three-plane formations, so as a support to the Austrians, I might just grab three of the Heinkels. Again, I am having Flight Deck scale these to 1/285.

The good news is that all three antagonists have paint schemes that I should be able to pull off myself.

I have created a scenario (well, you KNOW I was going to) in which the aggressor (the Austrians) intentionally violate Czech airspace to embarrass the Czechs, with the Czechs unexpectedly responding in force, and with the Germans coming to the Austrians rescue. Check the Downloads page for the Violence over the Vltava scenario.

Afternoon Delight After Action Report

I hosted one of my scenarios from my Slovak-Hungarian booklet (not yet ready for much public consumption) at the local store, and suckered...er, convinced four members of the Check Your 6! Southwestern Ohio Group to play. The scenario was Afternoon Delight, which is a representation of the largest air battle of this small conflict.

The Slovak starting positions...

...and the Hungarian initial starting alignment.

Setup saw the Slovaks (three Letov S.328s escorted by three Avia B.534s) moving in from the southwest as they were on a mission to bomb targets along the Hungarian advance (aircrew quality was one skilled and two poor for the fighters, with three green for the bombers). To oppose them were six Fiat CR.32s with two skilled and four green aircrew. Both sides had to plot forward moves until a spotting check was made, and all aircraft were pretty much spotted by Turn Three. The escort Avias, pulling away from the slower bombers, made an impressive turn to take on the the flight of Avias that were heading directly for the Slovak bombers, but was unfortunately too high to do any damage. Meanwhile the other flight of Fiats now had a good angle on the Avias, but they in turn were too high. 

The Avia flight turns into the Fiats tasked for the bombers...

...but that Fiat flight stayed focused on the Letovs...

...and one split s later placed themselves in a great position, while the other Fiat flight starts to engage the Avias

Some dancing about lead to the second flight of Fiats placing rounds on the Avias, but as many '4' results were appearing on the dice, damage was limited. This was a theme for the Hungarian players - a decent amount of hits, but many '4' were being thrown, and hence, thrown out for damage.

The remaining Letovs stay on target

Things started heating up quickly, with some beautiful formation flying. The Slovaks started taking damage and based on some great positioning by the Hungarian fighters I thought this scenario was going to be over, and soon. However, the small caliber and number of guns on the Fiats meant that the Slovak planes might take hits, but were not being blown out of the sky. The bombers, less one from their flight, kept heading for the target hexes. The flight of Fiats that first encountered the bombers reversed course and stayed on the tails of the Letovs, and another Slovak bomber went down. But then the dice went cold. Even with some incredibly easy to hit numbers, the dice were unkind, and three Fiats chasing the bombers could not finish the job.

One Slovak bomber closed in to the target area, diving a couple of turns to grab the extra hex. But just as the Letov was over one of the targets, the Hungarian antiaircraft scored a full hit - five six sided dice of damage was inbound. However, Mr. Robusto (my friend Matt) fended off the strike and then placed his light bombload squarely on target, giving the Slovaks a much needed four victory points. The game was running closer.

Down to one bomber, the Fiats could not buy a hit

One Avia fighter, with the skilled (+1) aircrew, took a lucky hit and went out of control as a result. For several turns this pilot could not pass an aircrew check, and the Avia kept losing altitude. One of the Hungarian fighters pulled a Split S, winding up in the out of control aircraft's hex and at the same altitude, and both pilots failed their checks. Collision! The result was the Hungarian Fiat fell from the sky, while the Avia still hung on.

Out of control!

The balance had swung. While the Hungarians might have been able to nail another Slovak fighter or two, the remaining bomber was moving safely towards a friendly edge, and the out of control Avia finally regained a semblance of order, and was also pointed towards a safe edge. At this point we decided to call the game.

This is not the first game I have hosted in which a side looked destined for destruction, only to flip the script and pull out a victory. The dice, had then been average in nature, most likely would have seen the third Slovak bomber shot down, but it did not happen and the Slovaks could pull out a slight victory.

Returning home I pulled out some resource material and I am updating a couple of items by increasing the Slovak crew quality a bit, and giving the Letov a +1 agility.

Thanks to the group for playing!

Planes - Flight Deck Decals Avias, Table Top Flights CR.32s, and H&R Letovs, all painted by Miscellaneous Miniatures.

Mat - Deep Cut Studio.

Slovak-Hungarian War Planes Have Arrived

The combatants

This is a project that has taken a bit of time to come to fruition, but man oh man it was worth the wait! My interest in this pre-Second World War conflict started over a year ago as I started collecting some research materials and then miniatures (check out all the Slovak-Hungarian War posts HERE for additional information). I commissioned Miscellaneous Miniatures to do the painting on this project, and Kevin at MM, yet again, has created some beautiful gaming pieces.

The Hungarian Ju 86

The Slovakian Letov

The CR.32s are from Table Top Flights, the Avia B.534s and Junkers Ju 86s are from Flight Deck Decals, while the Letovs are old Heroics & Ros castings, and one can readily see the quality gap between those older metal miniatures and today's cutting edge 3D prints offered by Table Top and Flight Deck. Kevin did a great job not only with painting this eclectic mix of planes, but also in building the finicky Letovs as they are cast in several pieces. The sixteen planes cost an average of $8.40 each to have painted and shipped, but bear in mind that ten of the planes are biplanes and the other six medium bombers, and add in the fact that the Hungarians are all in a three tone camouflage scheme, the price to me is a very fair price point.

A flurry of Fiats will face a foe of...

...Avia adversaries

The other posts detail reading material for this conflict include a pair of scenarios I have created. I am working on two additional scenarios as well, that will feature the Hungarians bombing Spišská Nová Ves (a Slovak airfield) with the potential of Slovak fighters intervening, and the other an encounter between Hungarian recon aircraft and Slovak Avias. My goal is to offer the four scenarios, along with background information, as a pdf download for CY6! players to ease into a rather obscure period.

Slovak-Hungarian War Scenario

The link that follows is the first of a couple of Slovak-Hungarian War scenarios I hope to create. This particular scenario has not gone through any playtesting, so hoping that players will give it a run-through and provide feedback (use whatever planes you have to represent the opposing forces as the aircraft stats follow). 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1llYr60m1tT0zQNtfogcucUD2zmuydc5I/view?usp=sharing

Here are the stats needed for the Slovak-Hungarian War:

The next scenario will be the Hungarian bombing attack on the Slovakian airfield at Spišská Nová Ves.

Table Top Flights - Order Has Arrived

Recently I reached out to Mike at Table Top Flights to see if he could create some World War II aircraft in 1/285th scale (his normal WWII scale is 1/200). He willingly obliged so I placed a small order to see how the planes would turn out. They happened to be in today's post, and I am pleased with the outcome. The planes will be for three different projects - Slovak-Hungarian War, 1945-46 what if, and a 1941 Rumanian scenario (which is available to the left). 

Ta 183s

The prints are clean, not encumbered with oversized details, and very little need of prep. Wing thicknesses are thinner compared to metal castings, and hence more in scale.

I.A.R.80/81

I am awaiting to see if Flight Deck Decals can also scale to 1/285 as that will give me the Ju.86s and the Avia B.534s needed for the Slovak-Hungarian War (I have metal Letov S.328s from Heroics & Ros). Once the planes have been gathered, off for painting, and that project will be complete (and I have two scenarios in mind).

Two of the six Cr.32s

I recommend Table Top Flights - service, communication, and quality all receive high marks!

The Slovak-Hungarian War Project - Rating the Planes

For the Hungarians, ratings are easy - they are already provided in the Check Your 6! rulebook. The Slovaks are a bit more problematic, so I posted on the CY6! group for some assistance. Alas after several weeks of waiting, not a single response. Well, here is my list, and still open to hear more about the Letov S-328 ratings if you have any input!

Cr.32

Hungary

Fiat Cr.32 - A3 + 2, 16/36, R0, FF: 2xHMG, 2XLMG (in the rulebook)

Junkers Ju.86 - C3 + 0 Lx, 9/35, R2, F: 1xLMG, RT: 1xLMG, RB: 1xLMG (in the rulebook)

Slovakia

Avia B534 - A3 + 3(-), 23/38, R0, FF: 4xLMG

Letov S.328 - C2 + 0, ?/?, R1,  FF: 2xLMG, RT: 2xLMG (some models FF: 4xLMG, RT: 2xLMG)

The Slovak-Hungarian War - The Books

A short post today as I slip ever more deeply into this obscure conflict. Here are some titles that cover the aircraft and the air campaign as a whole.

Miroslav Bily and Jiří Vraný - Avia B-534: Czechoslovak Fighter. MBI Publishing, 2008. This title only covers the third and fourth versions of the B.534, with more pages than the Vraný title below. However, it is difficult to locate and I have not seen a copy to examine its worth.  

Gianni Cattaneo - Aircraft Profile No. 22: The Fiat CR. 32. Profile Publications, 1965. This series, while long out of print, is still usually available on eBay and aftermarket sites. Just a handful of pages, with some color profiles and black and white photos.

Josef Krybus - Aircraft Profile No. 152: The Avia B.534. Profile Publications, 1967. 

George Punka - Fiat CR 32/CR 42 in Action. Squadron/Signal Publications, 2000. A typical Squadron offering with plenty of technical details, photographs, and color profiles.

Csaba B. Stenge - Baptism of Fire: The First Combat Experiences of the Royal Hungarian Air Force and Slovak Air Force, March 1939. Helion Publications, 2014. If you want just want one title, this is it. Comprehensive coverage of the conflict, illustrated with color aircraft profiles representing the aircraft used by both sides, along with black and white photographs. Helion titles are not inexpensive, so try to find a discount code or an aftermarket shop to pick up your copy. 

Jiří Vraný - Avia B-534. MBI Publishing, 1994. This title is in both Czech and English and is a fairly deep dive into the development and the technical aspects of the four versions of the B.534. Numerous pictures, line drawings, and color profiles accompany the text. 

Jiří Vraný - Letov S-328 Volume 2 - the Luftwaffe, Slovak Air Force, Bulgarian Air Force, and Slovak National Uprising. Jakab, 2005.

The Slovak-Hungarian War Project

Cr.32s face off against Avia B.534s

I've owned a rather nifty title on the Avia B.534 for a few years now, and even picked up four packs of this model from MSD Games, but haven't done much else with the planes (still in their packages). I've come across references to the Slovak-Hungarian War on the interwebs, and created a listing of aircraft used by both sides in the conflict also known as "The Little War." Hungary wanted more portions of Slovakia, and invaded the latter nation in March 1939. There were a few encounters in the air, with Avias, Cr.32s, Ju.86s, and Letov S.328s involved (among others). One can source Cr.32s from a few different manufacturers, the Avias and Ju.86s can be had from MSD Games, but the Letov's were evading me until today - Heroics and Ros make them, and while I am probably not going to far out on a limb when I say the quality of H&R won't be quite as good as the MSD range, once painted they will service just fine on the tabletop. Order placed for the Letovs.

There is a book on the subject, published by Helion, titled Baptism of Fire: The First Combat Experiences of the Royal Hungarian Air Force and Slovak Air Force, March 1939, and written by Csaba B. Stenge. It has been on my wishlist at Amazon for some time, and I decided it was time to order it.

A few more steps are in order...

First, scenario creation - I have come across the basics for two encounters between the B.534s and Cr.32s. I probably have enough to cobble together very basic scenarios for these two engagements, but I am hoping that the Stenge book, since it is focused on this very short war, will be able to provide additional information so as to make the scenarios more accurate. 

Second, rating the planes - I can decently compare the Avia against other types that are already rated for Check Your 6! and determine stats! But even easier is to use what another gamer has come up with for the Avia!

Avia B534IV:   A3+3(-)   23/38   4 x LMG   Robust 0

A Hungarian Ju.86

I have asked the Check Your 6! group for stats on the Ju.86 and the Letov S-328. And as all the aircraft for this conflict are slow, I may increase their speeds by one. 

And so there we are, the beginnings of yet another obscure project, although, much like the 1948 Arab-Israeli or the One Hundred Hours War, one that involves a small number of aircraft - I think (going from memory) the maximum Avias would be six, while nine Cr.32s would be needed, along with three Letovs, and three Ju.86s would cover it. I believe after this project I may try to refrain from starting too many others...yeah, right!

Check Your 6! Updates

A bit of a summary, mostly for my own later reference, but some of the projects I am toying with for Check Your 6!

Spanish Civil War - I have a few Heinkel He 51s, Bf 109s, and now with my friend's collection, some CR.32s. I need some more bad guys to go against them.  I do have four I-16s painted up, but in Soviet markings.

German-Czech What If - Just got my order for eight Avia B-534s from MSD, and I plan on buying some early mark Bf.109s to go against them, but I still need to find a few period German bombers to add in. Most of the German bombers on the market that were round in 1938 are later period versions, and so a bit incorrect.

Romanian-Soviet Front - I like the Heinkel He 112, a lot. While there were only a few made (less than 100) it is still a cool looking bird. There is a neat encounter in June, 1941 in which Romanian He 112s are strafing a Soviet airfield while the I-16s based on the field are taking off. Turns into a hairball of a fight, with a dozen Heinkels facing upwards of thirty Ratas. Rating the He 112 is a bit of a bear, seemingly a tad slower than the Bf 109B, less agile, but more maneuverable, I think I would rate the 112 as follows:  A4+1, with a robustness of 1, and armed with FF: 2xLVC, 2xLMG. This would make them a tad better than the I-16, with a better punch for armament, which should help a bit with the number disparity. I already have four I-16s painted in Soviet colors, but would need to order some Heinkels from MSD along with a slew more of the Ratas.

American Volunteer Group - I've always liked their story, and with the addition of several scenarios in one of the Check Your 6! books that was released recently, there are now something like fifteen scenarios published that include the Tigers. I have no aircraft for this project.

Wake Island - Another one of those stories that pull me in again and again. However, while I look the look of those Marine Wildcats at Wake, after the initial Japanese bombing attack, only four remained, and they faced Mavis flying boats after the initial attack. I can't see buying a ton of flying boats for one project - they are expensive! Perhaps I can do something from the Cactus Air Force scenario book as I do like the look of those early Wildcats!