Romanian Barbarossa After Action

One of the scenarios I have been wanting to game for some time was a file I obtained from the Check Your 6! forum, called Romanian Barbarossa and written by Keith Burnett. After having the planes painted by Miscellaneous Miniatures recently, I hosted this scenario, with my usual tweaks and such, for the Southwestern Ohio group. My version is a five player scenario, based on the historical even which saw the destruction of a pair of Soviet I-16s by the Romanians.

The initial Soviet deployment

The Soviet I-16s have just taken off from their airfield, guarding by a pair of light anti-aircraft guns, and being the target for the Romanian players. The Soviets had both a height and speed disadvantage as the Romanian players moved in. It was interesting to see the unplanned coordination between the Soviet players - one pair of I-16s went for speed while another pair nearby went for height, these four focusing on intercepting the incoming enemy. The third pair of I-16s, being a bit more on their own, maneuvered around the airfield itself.

A pair of beautiful Heinkels

The Romanians not only had a height advantage, but their Heinkel He 112s and I.A.R.80s had an edge in robustness and maneuverability. To be honest, as the game master, I was concerned - the I-16s were being ran by three very experienced players while the Romanians were a pair of newer players - but also concerned that the poorer maneuverability and robustness of the Soviet planes would result in many of them shot down. However, the balance of player experience and plane performance seemed to work well.

The pair of I.A.R.80s stayed along the southern edge of the board, while the Heinkels made their way towards the center of the playing surface. The I.A.R. player was going to turn and line up his planes to strafe the airfield. That plan worked well, but the Heinkel player lost his skilled aircrew early on as three Soviet fighters ganged up on him, causing an engine damage hit, before finishing the skilled pilot the next turn. 

The beginning of the end of the skilled Heinkel

Meanwhile the I.A.R.s dealt with some ineffective flak and the third pair of I-16s, which was trying to defend the airfield. Hot rolling by the Romanian player on his strafing run resulted in the complete destruction of the airfield, and gained the Axis 12 victory points. After successfully blowing the shite out of the airfield, the Romanian player turned for home. However, the I-16s were tenacious, hitting the I.A.R.s several times, destroying one and causing airframe damage on the other, which also happened to occur on the remaining Heinkel. The Romanian players turned for their home edge, the Soviet players moved in for the kill, hoping to shoot down the Remainians (as they were termed) an balance the victory point totals more in their favor.

Using their superior speed, the Remainians were able to fend off attacks with good robustness rolls, while finally creating enough of a gap to be out of the range of the Soviet light machineguns. Victory achieved for the Axis.

The I.A.R.80s on their run towards the airfield, intercepted along the way

Some lessons learned - the VP totals for strafing a grass airfield and destroying it with just two successful hits seemed like overkill. Next time I host this game I will set the victory points at two for each successful run and increasing the level for destruction at four hits. Also, I need to make certain to put an experienced player on the Romanian side since obtaining victory conditions will be a bit tougher.

The second Heinkel broke free and placed an airframe hit on an I-16, while the other I-16 had done the same to an I.A.R.80

The airfield destroyed, the remaining Romanians scramble towards home.

Soviet Results

One Heinkel and one I.A.R. shot down - 8 VPs

One Heinkel and one I.A.R. damaged - 2 VPs

Romanian Results

One I-16 shot down - 4VPs

Two I-16s damaged - 2 VPs

Airfield destroyed - 12 VPs

Toys Used:

Mat - Hotz mats

I.A.R.80 - Table Top Flights

Heinkel He 112 - Flight Deck Decals

I-16 - Raiden Miniatures

The Commissioned Projects - Part V

The next project being commissioned is a Rumanian-Soviet scenario featuring the obscure Heinkel He 112, perhaps an equally obscure I.A.R.80, facing off against Soviet I-16s. The scenario, entitled Romanian Barbarossa Redux, can be found in the Downloads page above. It is a modification of a scenario found on the Check Your 6! discussion forum.

The Flight Deck Decals Heinkels will be painted in an aluminum finish, with theater yellow distinctions, while the Table Top Flights I.A.R.s will be completed in a brown and green scheme, again with theater markings. 

The Soviets, a half dozen castings from Raiden, will be in the basic early war dark green upper surfaces with light blue undersides. This way I can also use them for facing off against the Finns (yet another project).

When Scales Collide

Most of my miniatures for Check Your 6! are in 1/285th scale, or at least they should be. Recently I grabbed ten Leading Edge Miniatures I.A.R.80/81s from Noble Knight Games. Why? Who knows? Maybe it was because the IKZs I bought previously were so nicely cast that I wanted to collect more Leading Edge planes. I already have I.A.R.80/81s from Table Top Flights (and they are nice), but as I like the obscure and also enjoy a good deal, I snagged the Rumanian planes as well. Call me an addict, but do not expect me to attend any meetings!

All the planes shown are supposed to be 1/285th scale

I wanted to see how the Leading Edge minis scaled against the Table Top versions - I was dismayed to find that the Leading Edge minis are much larger than the Table Top Flights model (a wingspan difference of 5mm - fairly significant on miniatures this small). Okay, so now which company is scaled properly, and which one isn't? A quick check against some other planes shows me that the Table Top Flights, when compared to other aircraft, are scaled comparatively well. So now I have these ten lovely but oversized Rumanian fighters that are...useless.

Another discovery - The Heinkel He 112, both the ones I have from MSD Games (1/300 scale) and the custom order from Flight Deck Decals (1/285th scale) are too small! The wingspan should be slightly larger than the I.A.R.s and about the same as the P-36/Model 75, and significantly smaller than the P-47. The P-36 is made by Flight Deck Decals, and looks to be properly scaled. The P-47, a Raiden product, does have a much larger wingspan. Okay, so now I have tiny Heinkels to deal with. 

UPDATE (6/24/2026) - The Heinkels ARE correct! The data I sourced gave the wingspan of the earlier He 112 and not the B model which had a much smaller (twenty-nine feet) wingspan.

Note to self, and to manufacturers...check the size against other historical aircraft to ensure the mini is in the ballpark.

Torched - After Action Report

Yesterday at the local game store (well, not that local, about a 50 minute drive) I hosted my hypothetical Operation Torch scenario. The event assumes that both Vichy French and American aircraft have violated Spanish Moroccan airspace, and the Spanish have responded in kind by scrambling Heinkel He 112s. This is a three-sided affair, with all three sides vying for victory. It is designed to be used as an introductory scenario to teach those new to Check Your 6! the game system. 

The combat takes place a Low CAB. The starting locations and TAL are determined by die rolls. Six players, two for each faction each running two aircraft, with each faction having one each of the four pilot skill types (ace, veteran, skilled, and green). Each section of two planes roll to see which edge they begin, so for example the Spanish players might start at Edge 2 or Edge 4, based on their die roll. Ironically each faction rolled such that both pairs of fighters started in the same area (for their faction). TAL rolls were interesting, with the French and Spanish players being widely dispersed, while the Americans started at TALs five and six.

The French forces maneuvered in Area F, heading generally towards the oncoming Spanish who were in Area D. The Americans made a beeline towards the French, with the Yanks starting in Area C. As the forces closed in, deflections shots reigned, and rained, but the French D.520s did some excellent work, knocking down the green and skilled American Wildcats. It was not looking good for the remaining Americans, as the Spanish split their sections, one focusing on the reduced Americans and the other swooping in behind the French. But the Americans held on.

The Spanish lost the next plane to the Wildcats (if memory serves), with two others taking various damage. The French continued to dance with the Americans. It was looking like a French victory, but the Americans continued to fight, their veteran and ace pilots swirling about. Then a French fighter took damage, and then another fell out of the sky. The Spanish ace splashed one the D520s, but ran out of ammo and had to leave the dogfight. With no Spanish left to to take out the Americans, and the French having troubles of their own, the Americans pulled out a victory.

I rather enjoyed hosting this game. All of the players had gamed CY6 in the past, so that made running the game rather easy. You can find this scenario on the Downloads page above.

Planes - Raiden and MSD Games

Mat - Hotz Mats

The I.A.R.80/81 in Check Your 6!

Appearing three times in the Battles Above 2 scenario book, the Romanian (or Rumanian if you prefer) Industria Aeronautică Română 80/81 series of aircraft were steady performers on the Eastern Front, and continued to serve even after being outclassed by later fighter designs. While modifications were made during the life of the I.A.R.80/81, those changes were not significant enough to greatly improve its performance. Decently agile, moderate in the amount of damage it could sustain, but light in armament, the I.A.R.80/81 soldiered on into the 1950s. The I.A.R.80/81 faced off against a variety of aircraft during its service life, ranging from I-16s to P-38s. It was used as a fighter and dive bomber on the Eastern Front, as well as a home defense fighter at Ploesti. Four hundred and fifty I.A.R.80/81s were built during the war.

Check Your 6! gamers have made some attempts to rate this aircraft to varying degrees. One overly optimistic gamer rated the plane an A4 + 3, making it far more agile and maneuverable than the aircraft was historically. The ratings in the Battles Above book seem about right, B4 + 2 with no penalty to agility at maximum speed. This allows the I.A.R. series to dogfight with most enemy fighters and hold its own from a performance perspective. However, the Rumanian pilots, while brave, did not have as much experience or training as their German allies, and should be throughout the war rated with just slightly better aircrew quality as their Soviet counterparts, with home defense squadrons being nearly on par with the Germans.

What follows is a fairly comprehensive yet still in progress listing of the I.A.R.80/81 variants in game terms. The information was gleaned from The I.A.R.80 & I.A.R.81: Airframe, Systems, & Equipment written by Radu Brinzan. Published in 2011 by SAM Limited, it is an extremely detailed look at the indigenous Romanian fighter, and is replete with color profiles.

My preferred scale for air combat games is 1/285th, and hence my preferred manufacturer is Raiden, owned by I-94 Enterprises. Alas, there is not a Raiden I.A.R.80/81 being offered at this time. However, there are other options, MSD Games (1/300 scale) and Shapeways (wwwitalik). I like the MSD line fine enough, but the scale difference does make itself apparent when comparing the MSD castings to the Raiden range (I have a few Heinkel He.112s that confirm this). The Shapeways version has the landing gear in the extended position, so one would have to carefully cut away the gear.

Scotia Grendel (Collectair) also make a 1/300 scale I.A.R.80/81, for a very reasonable price. Leading Edge Miniatures also made the I.A.R., but those planes have long been out of production (although I do have ten), and are overly large.

The I.A.R.80/81 is an oft overlooked option for gamers but one to consider for use on the Eastern Front.

New Check Your 6! Projects

Ah, the latest batch of toys have arrived from Chris Geisert of I-94. I have three World War Two projects with this grouping - a hypothetical Operation Torch threeway battle, a late war "what if" featuring the Ryan Fireball, and a Swiss/German encounter, based on an actual battle in 1940. The turnaround time for the planes to be painted was less than two weeks from the time I shipped them until the time they returned back to my door. I went with Chris as he did all my Korean War planes so I knew he would do a nice job. The schemes were taken from various plates found on Wings Palette. The tones are a bit dark in the pictures, but look very nice in person. All I need to do is to get magnets on them and they are ready of the tabletop!

To start us off we have German Bf.110s vs. Swiss Bf.109s.  

MSD Games Bf.110 and a Raiden Bf.109. Cool Swiss markings, yes?

Then off to North Africa for a three sided affair.

Raiden De.520, Raiden F4F Wildcat, and MSD Games He.112

And finally to the Pacific for some very late war what could have been.

MSD Games Ryan Fireball and a Raiden Ki.100

I pretty much have the scenarios for all three projects worked out. Time for some playtesting!

Torched

Today I received two orders for planes for yet another project, the background setting being Operation Torch. I love doing odd periods, or odd pieces of common conflicts, and I like odd or lesser known aircraft. One of my favorite planes is the Heinkel He.112. Why? I like the sleek look, the fact that the prototype was faster than the Bf.109, and that it was in service with Romania, Spain, and Hungary. I've been planning on buying some of these planes for a couple of years now, but only MSD Games seemed to make a quality version, even though MSD seems to be more 1/300 than 1/285. And I was going to buy them to use as Romanians to fight against Soviet I-16s. But other voices got inside my brain, so I have come up with something a bit different.

I also like the paint schemes of United States Navy aircraft for Torch, and was going to buy four Wildcats and four D.520s for the scenario that appears in the Check Your 6! rule book. But I also really like those Heinkels, so I have come up with a three-sided scenario that I can use to teach new players, using Spanish Heinkels as the third party. The Spanish did have some encounters with both the Americans and the Vichy French, so it wasn't a huge stretch to create this intro scenario. So along with my MSD order for four Heinkels, I also ordered four each of the Raiden F4Fs and Dewoitines from I-94.

While the basic parts of the scenario have been written, I still need to add a bit of background, and also figure out national move order for the three sides. If you are interested in an MS Word file of what I have completed thus far, leave a comment and I'll provide my email address to you.

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!