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 However, it was such a shite plane that it was withdrawn from service - the following month!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and one week after delivery and many complaints, the French Minister of War said pas plus and ordered the Caudron withdrawn from service.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!).

Revamping the Rufe

A few months ago I hosted for the Check Your 6! Southwestern Ohio Group the Strike on Kiska scenario from Battles Above 3, and it did not go well for the Japanese (see HERE for that after action report). Outfitted in that scenario with five A6M2-n Rufes, the Japanese players could inflict but little damage to the B-25s or their P-40E escorts. Of course knowing that Check Your 6! is nothing if it is not a dice game, results may vary when running the same scenario several times. However I feel there may be a little more than just "luck of the dice" when it comes to using the Rufe.

On my bookshelves are three titles that deal directly with the Aleutian Campaign, including the recent two part series published by Helion. I've been re-reading these books, and then remembered that there was at least one video on the Aleutian Rufes (initially the 5th, but then redesignated the 452nd Kōkūtai) on the excellent Showtime 112 YouTube channel (it is actually a two part series). This morning I watched both of those videos, and I have become a bit more convinced that the poor showing in the scenario might have been partially due to the Rufe's CY6! ratings. 

In Part I of the Showtime videos it is mentioned that the addition of floats to the A6M2 Model 0 Zeke created a slower aircraft, but one without a loss of maneuverability. In CY6! the Zeke is rated (at lower altitudes) as A4 + 2(-) for maneuverability, speed, and agility, while the Rufe comes in at a paltry B3 + 1. I would make the argument that the Rufe's ratings should be enhanced a bit based on its performance in the Aleutians.

Early in its Aleutian deployment, the Rufe faced unescorted American heavy bombers. The floatplanes, always in fairly limited numbers, were able to damage and on occasion shoot down those large monsters, with one group of seven B-24s all taking damage during one mission. This would be a tough proposition in game terms as the Rufe only has a +1 agility advantage, going up against aircraft that have a robustness of 4. Even facing a B-25C is an almost even fight, as the B-25 has the same game agility as the Rufe, just one rating worse for maneuverability (B Chart vs. C Chart), and is a tough son of a gun to shoot down, as evidenced in the Kiska after action report linked above. 

Rufes also managed to do some solid work against American fighters, namely the P-39, P-40, and P-38 - faster and more robust aircraft. In all the 452nd Kōkūtai claimed seventeen kills and five probables against a loss of a dozen Rufes in combat.

Based on my reading and interwebs research (knowing the latter is always an adventure), I think the Rufe should be slightly improved in performance. Loaded weight and time to 20,000 feet favored the Rufe over the Zeke while both fighters used the same powerplant. I have changed climb and dive rates to a middle ground between the Rufe and the Zeke. Here are the game ratings and my proposed ratings.

I will be hosting the Strike on Kiska scenario a few more times to see if the proposed ratings work, or if I have created an overbalance.