Duel With the Veltro After Action

Same day, second game! (see HERE for the first game).

I had remembered to bring along a second scenario in case the guys wanted to game more after flying in the skies over Britain. Four of us could indeed stay (understanding wives), so I was able to put my version of "Protecting Them All" on the board, updated based on the information I could find from historic accounts, called "Duel With the Veltro." It features the Red Tails of the 302nd Fighter Squadron, part of the 332nd Fighter Group, known (well) after the war as the Tuskegee Airmen.  

One of the two Mustang elements. Those P-51s really stand out with their red trim and tails!

The game featured a damaged B-24 making its way home, being jumped by a pair of Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana Macchi C.205s. Screaming down from above was a flight of P-51Cs, led by Alfonza Davis. The bomber and the Italians were at Medium CAB, while the American Fighters stated at TAL 6, Medium Top CAB. It would be a case of timing to see if the Americans could dive fast enough to engage the pair of Macchis before the latter could destroy the wounded bomber.

In need of protection

The Italians closed in, but had a tough time against the bomber - perhaps the veteran aircrew rating I gave the bomber, with its already impressive robustness 4 rating, was overkill.

A pair of Macchis close in.

The Americans were able to power dive, then steep dive (with just one failing the resultant aircrew check - thank goodness for no doubles), then power dive, which actually caused the Yanks to overshoot the Macchis. But upon reverse the American veteran pilot plopped on the tail of the green Macchi at two hex range and...well that was that! 

But then there is but one Macchi.

The veteran Macchi skillfully maneuvered around the bomber, but then came in range once again of the veteran Mustang and within just a few turns it was pretty much game over. The second pair of Italian fighters, entering on Turn 3 at low altitude, had no impact by the time we decided to call the game.

Escorting the Liberator, Red Tail style.

A few takeaways on this scenario - first, the bomber probably started too far into the board (eight hexes). Changing that to five hexes. Second, since I wrote the scenario I have done a lot more reading on the 1st Fighter Squadron of the ANR - it was filled with skilled pilots, so that means the green Macchi is going to skilled. Third, a veteran bomber aircrew - a bit too much. Dropping that rating to skilled. And lastly, in order to get the second pair of Macchis to have a possible impact, they enter on Turn 2 - no longer will a random die roll determine its arrival.

The short game and the fact I was playing yielded fewer piccies.

Planes - Flight Deck Decals painted by Misc. Minis.

Decals - Misc. Minis and Sieben Schwaben Spiele.

Mat - Deep Cut Studio.

99th Fighter Squadron Scenarios

Ohhhh, it was bad, very bad. Spending too much time at the I-94 Enterprises booth during DayCon led to several different purchases. Poor Chris, he probably thought I was being an inconsiderate chap by not combining all my purchases into one transaction, but being under the influence (of others, not alcohol) I kept going back and sniping items. The first trip was a pair of painted Bearcats and the Star and Pyramid scenario book. Then the second drive by was to grab the Over the Channel and Days of Glory scenario books. The final stop yielded six Packard Merlin-powered P-40F models - which for some reason I had no idea I-94 even made - for some fun gaming in either the southwest Pacific or in the Med. 

An olive drab P-40L

In doing a little more research into the uses of the P-40F, I could go a few different ways. While some did see service in the Pacific, seemingly they were more prevalent in North Africa. Some were used by the 99th Fighter Squadron (which would later form part of the 332nd Fighter Group, known later as the Tuskegee Airmen), along with P-40L models, the differences being mostly in armament and a bit of a reduction in some armor on the L model. Plus, color schemes on the 99th's Warhawks varied between the British Dark Earth/Middle Stone/Azure Blue and the American Olive Drab 41/Light Grey 43. So within this squadron I can use a mix of plane colors and two models of P-40s at the same time.

Decals! Oh no, no one makes decals for the 99th - but I have sent off a request to Blue Falcon Hobbies to see if a sheet could be generated. Heck, prior to this week I did not even know of the existence of this firm, which makes a variety of products, most notably a slew of decals for World War II and modern squadrons in various scales, including 1/300. Fingers crossed for a positive response!

Of course the next step was to check AI to see what scenarios could be generated. There are already a few in the Battles Above scenario book, but I always want more. AI stepped up and provided several air to air and air to ground scenarios. Some of course will need to be scaled for playability purposes. There is also a lot of flak, as there probably should be. While one does not want flak to dominate what is mostly an air to air combat game, I do not believe we use nearly enough anti-aircraft as we should. AA can always be handled by the referee/game host if one is being used.

Stats for some of the various P-40 models

One area I am having difficulty in determining is what model of P-40 was being used for any given scenario. Some sources indicate that both the F and L models were being used, with the L being predominant. However, sources indicate only a "handful" or "small number" of F models were present. To handle this, every scenario will utilize a random die roll to determine the model of P-40. 

I will be providing scenarios for the above over the next several weeks. One already makes its appearance on the Downloads page.

Another Scenario

Admittedly, my newest scenario has a lot in common with the "Protecting Them All" scenario in the Battles Above 1 scenario book. To be honest I used it as the basis, but, upon reviewing various historical sources, I believe some of the details of the original scenario were missing or in need of updating. Then I took my interpretation to a different level by checking the facts using AI and have created a scenario that has more of a grounding in the history of the engagement that took place on July 16, 1944 between the fighter group later known (well after World War II) as the Tuskegee Airmen and Mussolini's Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana, although it is still unconfirmed the number of Italian fighters that were present.

Flight Deck Decals 3D prints painted by Misc. Minis.

On the Downloads page you will now find "Duel With the Veltro," a game ideal for four or five players. Due to damage a lone B-24, after bombing Weiner Neustadt, is making its way home, stalked by at least a pair of Macchi C.205Vs. Arriving just in time is a flight of P-51Cs from the 302nd Fighter Squadron. 

Thoughts on the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site

Boeing Stearman trainer in Building One

Every year for a number of years my wife and her family would spend a week at Pensacola beach. For years I have resisted in going, not because I wasn't interested, but I was waiting for the National Naval Air Museum to reopen, which it finally did in 2024. Last October my wife and I did a trip that incorporated several historical sites, such as Forts Blakely, Gaines, Morgan, and Pickens, along with American Rev War sites around Pensacola, and yes, the Naval Air Museum, which I featured in a previous post. On our return drive back to Ohio we stopped at the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site, about 40 minutes east of Montgomery, Alabama. To be clear, this site is located on the grounds of Moton Field, the initial training area for the airmen that would become known as the Tuskegee Airmen - the main airfield is not yet part of the preservation.

View from the path from the upper parking lot. Building One in the foreground with Building Two to the rear.

Getting to the site from I-85 is very easy, but what wasn't easy, or perhaps I should say what wasn't clear, was where to park. See, there is a large parking area on high ground above the field, but then also parking nearer the two buildings that make up the site. We parked in the upper area and walked down the hill. Luckily, while it was humid and warm, it was also overcast. I can't imagine the typical American family walking from the upper parking lot down the hill in July in a full sun!

It wasn't very clear on where to go once we came into the heart of the facility. There are interpretive panels around the grounds, but no system or map to indicate where to start. We were able to find the "main" entrance into the first main building, which was filled with displays, and a BT-19 trainer. The building was "odd," the main hanger (no air-conditioning so you have been warned) had several small offices with closed doors that indicated to go inside and view. These offices interpreted various aspects of the functions that were needed to build the Tuskegee program (and they WERE air-conditioned). One office had to be reached by going outside first. Strange layout.

P-51D in Building Two

We walked across the open space that separated the two main buildings. Ah, here we go, more like a visitor's center with rangers and volunteers there to greet us (we had yet to see an NPS employee up to that point). Modern displays, a fairly well done film, air-conditioning, and a P-51D suspended from the roof. One could also walk up to the original tower, even though several warnings of wasps graced the climb (we did not encounter a single one). The gift shop was also located in the second building. 

View from the tower, sans wasps. Look, another parking lot!

While there we only saw four other visitors, two of whom had to be transported back up the hill on a golf cart. 

It is a "strange" National Park Service site. From where to park, where to start, the confusion offices in building one, warnings of wasps, and the lack of visitation made it feel "forgotten." What was cool was the sounds of Moton Field being used by civilian prop planes - it provided the feeling of activity as it might have been in the 1940s. What would have been cool would have been active World War II aircraft using the field. Also, more displays of the different fighter aircraft that the 332nd used would have been a nice touch. But really clear instructions on where to park and where to start would have been ideal.

I do recommend a visit, but be prepared to be a little confused!

The Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana

A Macchi C.205V in RLM color scheme

As you are now well aware, I do like the oddball and obscure. While the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana might not be as obscure to Check Your 6! gamers as say, the 100 Hour or Slovak-Hungarian Wars, I am guessing that not too many gamers collect the aircraft of the ANR. My interest in ANR is actually rooted in my interest of the United States 332nd Fighter Group, known more commonly as the Tuskegee Airmen. One of the scenarios in Battles Above 1 features both the 332nd and the ANR (Protecting Them All) - the Americans, flying P-51Cs, coming to the rescue of a straggling B-24 that was being tracked by a pair of Macchi C.205Vs from the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana. My only quibble is the rating of the Italian pilots - one is skilled and the other green, but I feel they should most likely be skilled or even veteran, even though one pilot did, in an effort to get away from a P-51, clipped the Veltro's wing along a mountainside, causing the Macchi to be destroyed. Overall the Italian pilots in the ANR were experienced flyers.

In preparation for gaming this scenario, I had some beautiful planes printed by Flight Deck Decals in 1/285th scale. And they are beautiful!

Back to the ANR - The Italian pilots who decided to keep fighting on the Axis side were fairly small in number, but also consisted of some of the best Italian aviators from the Regia Aeronautica. Initially the Germans were very hesitant in accepting the Italians as a separate entity, while confiscating numerous Italian aircraft of the "5" series. One will find examples of the Italian aircraft painted with German markings in late 1943. By the end of 1943 and into 1944 the Germans allowed the formation of Italian squadrons to serve under Italian direction. The Italian planes initially would have sported the typical Italian tan and green swirled camouflage, but by March/April 1944 started being seen in schemes like that illustrated above. 

There are several books on the ANR, but I just own one at this time. Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (1943-1945): The Aviation Of The Italian Social Republic, written by Eduardo Martinez, published by Kagero in 2018, covers the subject suitably for a gamer's needs with several color profiles and black and white photographs to go along with enough historical context to give the reader enough background. It does not detail combat actions. However, the text seems to have been translated from Italian to English using software as at times the sentence structure and terms used are awkward. There are several other titles that detail the ANR, but most of them are hefty in price. I do have The Camouflage & Markings of the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana 1943-45, written by Ferdinand D'Amico and Gabriele Valentini, on order. Another book, Mussolini's Hawks, details the ANR fighter squadrons, and that is probably the book to have for scenario creation.

There will be more on the ANR in future posts, including progress on the aforementioned scenario.