Caudron-Renault CR.714

Let's just get this out of the way first - while it looks kinda ugly cool, it's a pig. Unlike several other French fighters that could hold their own against the Bf 109E, the Caudron-Renault CR.714 Cyclone was a fairly unsuccessful effort to take French racing plane designs and militarize them, with wooden construction. As a light fighter it was supposed to supplement the lack of fighter aircraft in the French stable without having a negative impact on French fighter plane production. One might think that a "light fighter" design would result in a speedy and maneuverable aircraft, but with a top speed of just 290 miles per hour (keeping in mind that the aforementioned Messerschmitt had a top speed of 355 miles per hour), the 500 horsepower Renault engine just could not deliver. Surely being a light fighter then would at least yield a superior climb rate? Alas, no, as the Caudron could only manage twenty-three feet per second, with the German fighter coming in eleven feet per second higher. Okay, then it has to be more maneuverable and more agile, yes? No. Based on the Bf 109's rating in Check Your 6! the Caudron would use the C turn chart, with an agility of just +1. And let's not talk about robustness - without any self sealing fuel tanks, pilot armor, or even a radial engine, it warrants an R0 rating. Sign me up!

The CR.714 was first delivered to French squadrons in January 1940. However, it was such a shite plane that it was withdrawn from service - the following month! And the Finns, those crafty Finns who could make a fight with just about any plane discarded in their direction, said ei when it came to the wooden fighter (winter conditions and wooden plane - not a great combination). Ah, just who is deserving of this failure of a plane - I know, let's give it to the Poles, they won't know any better! And to the Poles it went.

Groupe de Chasse polonais I/145, the Polish Warsaw Squadron, received thirty-five Cyclones in mid-May, 1940. But even the Poles were leery of such an airframe, and one week after delivery and many complaints, the French Minister of War said pas plus and ordered the Caudron withdrawn from service. But the Poles, desperate to fight the Huns, and not having any other aircraft available to them, ignored the withdrawal order and used the Cyclones fairly effectively over a four day span in June. A dozen confirmed kills against Bf 109s, Bf 110s, and Dornier Do 17s were recorded, along with three additional unconfirmed claims. In return the Poles lost nine Caudrons in the air and an equal number on the ground. Hmmm, maybe it IS the man and not the machine....

Oh Bernhard, I need this in 1/285, pretty please!

Of course, those who know me also know that I like the obscure, and as long as I have some wonderfully painted (heaven no, not be me) Germans of the types mentioned, why not get a few Caudrons to recreate those scenarios. Wait, does anyone even make this pig in miniature? Why yes, yes they do - my friends at Flight Deck Decals and Table Top Flights both offer the Cyclone as a 3D print. Hmmm, decals, that will be my roadblock. A quick check at my favorite resources yielded a sheet of decals for the Caudron, for the Groupe de Chasse polonais I/145, over at Sieben Schwaben Spiele Decals! This MUST be fate!

Check out the YouTube video made about this plane over at Showtime112's channel and keep an eye open for a few upcoming scenarios. Now, don't tell my wife but I am going to go order some shite planes! Oh, and then decals. And darn it, I have NO French paint colors! Oh, and I need a book on this plane (there happens to be one in the Polish Wings series - and now ordered!).

More Generosity

A couple weekends ago, while gaming with friends at DayCon, I was chatting with one who does 1/600 scale (heathen!) as I was complimenting him on his Battle of Britain planes that he had painted up and used for another event a few years before. For some reason I misremembered them as being 1/600 when he corrected me and stated that they were indeed the Chosen Scale of 1/285. He also mentioned that he needed to figure out what to do with them since he now games in that tinier scale. A few days later I mentioned to him that I would be interested in the planes if he decided to part with them.

Yesterday he brought the planes to me and told me to keep them. Bear in mind these are beautifully painted planes, twenty-eight in sum, and he did not want anything for them! (little does he know I have a cunning plan to repay his kindness) So now I have another theater for World War Two, and what he bequeathed to me can cover a half dozen scenarios from the various scenario books (Over the Channel, Days of Glory, and Battles Above 1)

Rogožarski IKZ

Yugoslavian pilots with the first production IKZ, Summer 1940

The what? The Yugoslavian Rogožarski IKZ fighter, also known at times as the IK-3 (the 3 and Z in Cyrillic are very similar in appearance, hence the "error"). The three designers/developers of the IKZ were Ljubomir Ilic, Kosta Sivcev, and Slobodan Zrnic, hence the IKZ designation. The low wing fighter was designed in the mid-1930s, having its first flight in May 1938, and going into production March 1940. Only thirteen of the IKZ were built, but they did see some action in April 1941 when Yugoslavia was invaded by the Axis powers. In its first encounter against the Germans, five IKZs claimed five Bf.109Es as kills, while losing a pair of IKZs in return. During other sorties against German bomber formations, the pilots manning the IKZ would claim four twin-engine bombers shot down, with one IKZ taking fifty-six hits, but managing to return to base. Other claims were a Junkers Ju 87 and a Bf 110 before the Yugoslavs, with their bases being threatened of being overrun, burned the remaining IKZs. One pilot, Milislav Semiz, claimed four victories during the short campaign. The IKZs were distributed in two squadrons in the Yugoslavian 51st Fighter Group.

The IKZ had a smaller turning radius than the Messerschmitt Bf 109E, and a smaller wingspan than the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire, which in turn gave it a higher speed for its Avia-built Hispano-Suiza V-12 liquid-cooled engine that developed 860 horsepower. The Yugoslavs tested the IKZ against the Hawker Fury, Heinkel He 112, the Morane-Saulnier M.S.406, and the Hurricane. Performance most closely matched the Morane-Saulnier, although the IKZ was faster by twenty-five miles per hour. In mock combat against the Messerschmitt, it was found that the IKZ was more maneuverable in level flight, allowing the Yugoslav fighter to perform tighter turns and get on the tail of the German fighter. As the Bf 109E uses the B maneuver chart, in order to replicate tighter level flight turns the IKZ should use the A maneuver chart.`

So, not being an expert on things like wing loading, roll rate, and other assorted values, what I can determine is that the IKZ climbed about 2,300 feet per minute, while the Bf 109E climbed about 3,500 feet during the same timeframe. Hence, the IKZ needs to climb at a slower rate than the Messerschmitt. The MS.406 and IKZ had an identical rate of climb, so I can use the French fighter's climb rate. I have no idea how to determine dive speed, so I am just using the Morane's rate. The following is are the suggested airplane stats for the IKZ:

One may suggest, based on the account of an IKZ surviving fifty-six hits, that the robustness rating should be increased to R2.

Miniatures

Who makes the IKZ? Well, there is good news (for me) and less than good news (for others) when it comes to sourcing the IKZ. Leading Edge Miniatures made a lovely 1/285th scale casting of the Rogožarski, and while Museum Miniatures bought that range some years ago, they seem to be out of production these days (and they have no interest, due to a lack of interest, in returning the range to production). I was able to secure ten of these miniatures from Noble Knight Games, a place that usually charges too much for used items, but at three bucks a pop, I cleaned them out. No, I do not need ten IKZs, but as my friends The G Dog and the J Dog say, "If you want it, buy it, because you never know when it might become unavailable." I will not need more than four or six, so if you want a couple leave a comment. I will only charge the paltry sum of one million dollars!

How the Leading Edge planes were packaged - a little historical background in a small baggie

Very clean lines on the casting. Shame they are no longer in production

Another angle

However, although Leading Edge is no longer available, you are in a bit of luck - Heroics & Ros make the IKZ (listed as a IK-3) in 1/300 scale. H&R's lower quality may be an issue for potential buyers, but at least there is an option. Did I mention my price for my extra Leading Edge IKZs?

Decals

No problem here as Flight Deck Decals makes a set of Royal Yugoslav Air Force national insignia in 1/300 scale. One will have to paint the fin flash on the rudder as I have yet to find Yugoslavian flashes. The aircraft numbers are so small that they probably would not be worth trying to replicate in 1/285.

Aircraft Colors

Here is a bit of a problem as the various sources are all over the map. I have seen both darker toned camouflage and a much brighter version. I prefer the darker tone, but not being an expert cannot say that the lighter colors are not the way to go. An eye of the beholder situation to be certain. One publication provides the following colors: Light Blue Gray - RAL 7035 - FS14424, Ochre Yellow - RAL 8001 - FS 10266, Dark Green - RAL 6003 - FS 14096 (Vallejo 71.092 Medium Olive), Dark Brown - RAL 8017 - FS 10045 (Vallejo 71.041 Armor Brown).

Feeling too much yellow in the tan

A more subtle color scheme

This one feels a bit too muted

Looks pretty good to me, albeit a tad dark!

Learn More

The IK range of fighter aircraft was the focus of a Profile Publications Aircraft Profile (#242), which can be still found for varying prices on places like eBay. This is one of the later Profiles, with expanded pages. There are also other, but far more expensive, books on the IKZ, such as Kagero's Rogožarski IK-3, in their Monographs series. At 184 pages it is the definitive account of the indigenous IKZ and of course I just had to buy a copy. It is filled with information and profusely illustrated with photos. It also contains numerous scale plans and a section on the post war follow-on, the S-49.

Add in a couple of YouTube videos - Ed Nash's Military Matters and Aviation Deep Dive nicely cover the IKZ.

Swiss Miss

Today saw a few of us gather for some Check Your 6! action. The scenario was Neutrality Patrol, an engagement between the Swiss and German air forces on June 8, 1940.

The Germans are trying to bait the Swiss into war, after the Swiss had shot down German aircraft that had wandered into Swiss air space during bombing raids on France. Hermann Goering ordered increased German presence along the German-Swiss border as a result. 

Five players enjoyed this Messerschmitt vs. Messerschmitt action. The Germans start on the board, with the Swiss deploying on Turn One. 

The Swiss scored an early kill, and it did not appear that the Germans would recover, but after several turns, it was still four against seven, the German's outnumbering the Swiss. Another Bf.110 took damage, and the Swiss swarmed, all four aircraft lining up for the kill.

But it was not all easy going for the Swiss. A skilled Swiss pilot was blown out of the sky by the forward guns of a Bf.110, but then the Germans took another damaged aircraft (engine) that also happened to suffer from an engine lucky hit. It limped off the table with a movement rat of one. The Swiss could not close for the kill due to the number of German aircraft still in the fight. By this time another Bf.109 suffered damage at about the same time another German was destroyed. A bad plan by the damage Swiss aircraft resulted in a failed aircrew check. With two of the Swiss Messerschmitts out of ammunition, it was time to head for safer skies.

End result was three Bf.110s destroyed and one damaged for thirteen Swiss victory points, with the Germans gaining eight victory points for the two destroyed Bf.109s.

Planes - Raiden painted by Chris Geisert

Mat - Hotz Mats

Neutrality Patrol - Ready for the Table

I completed the less than enjoyable chore of adding magnets to a dozen planes today. I am actually getting much better at this task, with no issues with magnet waste and no glue stuck on my figures today, and in turn no foul language to speak of. The planes for today were German Bf. 110s and Swiss Bf.109s my my Neutrality Patrol scenario (which one can find on the Downloads page above). These planes were painted by Chris Geisert at I-94 and are all Raiden models. I really like the Swiss planes - the white cross on a red field really pops!

I just have to fill out aircraft charts and this scenario is finally ready for the table - it has been a few years for this one. Once I do host this scenario I will post an after action report.

By the way, an excellent book on the Bf.109 in Swiss service is the Schiffer titled Messerschmitt Me 109 in Swiss Air Force Service, written by Georg Hoch. Being a Schiffer publication, it is far from inexpensive, but it is everything you might have wanted for such a niche subject.

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!