I am the Walrus
Sturmgruppe
Luftwaffe Mission Orders: Proceed to Scapa Flow from base in Denmark, launch Mistel bombs at ships in port, and return to Stavanger in Norway.
| Mission Aircraft: | Eight Mistel 2 Four escorts: roll die 1-2: Four Bf110G-2/R3 3-6: Four Bf410A-2 7-10: Four Ju88C-6 | |
| Interceptors: | Four Seafire IIc (use Spitfire Vc ADC) Four Sea Hurricane IIc (use Hurricane IIc ADC) Four Mosquito FB VI |
OMT Set up:
| Friendly Border: | 2/4 * | Enemy Border: | 12 |
| Friendly Airfield: | 1 | Stavanger: | 4 |
| Scapa Flow: | 12 | Int Airfields: | 11, 13, 14 ** |
| EW Radar: | 11 ** | Heavy Flak: | 12 |
| Med Flak: | 12 | Light Flak: | 12 |
* 2 on the outward journey, 4 on the return.
** these positions represent their positions relative to the Luftwaffe forces' track, not their actual positions.
Rules of Engagement:
1. Escorts: The Escorts are based at airfield 1.
2. Interceptors: Interceptors must each be based at a different airfield. They can not take off until a Luftwaffe force is detected by any means. Because they do not know the intended target, they must fly out to meet them as early as possible, they may not loiter over Scapa and wait for them.
3. Mistel Attacks: Mistels must be at VL over Scapa to attack. Mistels that are attacking are subject to attacks by all types of Flak at a -2 in addition to other modifiers. Successfully launched bombs are attacked again at a -2. All bombs that survive both of these hit their targets. If there are Interceptors over Scapa, the Mistels are not subject to attack by Flak. They must avoid the fighters at OMT/TMG scale, or successfully disengage from Combat scale, to attack; if they do so, then Light Flak may attack them twice as above, but no other Flak may attack. All Mistels launched in the same op-turn are subject to a single Flak roll.
4. Drop Tanks: Any and all German aircraft - including the piloted half of a Mistel - may carry drop tanks. British aircraft may not.
5. Victory Points: Interceptors are worth their normal VP totals. Escorts have no VP value. A Mistel combination shot down is worth full VPs for both parts. A Mistel bomb released prior to reaching its target is worth its severely damaged VP to the interceptor player, unless it is subsequently shot down at combat scale (at op-scale it can be allowed to form its own formation). A Mistel bomb successfully launched against a target is worth its full VP to the launching player, regardless of its fate. The interceptor player receives half-points for damaging/shooting down a launched Mistel.
Notes:
1. Pilot quality: Luftwaffe = Good (hand-picked crews for vital mission); RAF (Mosquitos) = Good, FAA (others) = Average (limited combat experience).
2. Squares between borders are the North Sea. ASR is available only in squares next to a border - in these frigid climes, aircrew not rescued immediately would perish.
3. Starting weather is Clear in all zones.
Variants:
1. Add four He177-A5/R2 (ADC available from Uncle Ted's House of Homebrew) with Hs293 anti-ship missiles, and an extra escort group (again roll randomly), to the German attack forces [*Update 26Jul98 - Rules for using HS293 missiles at the Combat scale are now available. These haven't been playtested, so feedback on these is wanted!]. He177's with Hs293s attack at the Op-scale like Mistels, except they may be in either the LO or VL bands (unless obscured by clouds - they must be under the lowest cloud deck to attack) and are only subject to 1 Flak attack. Increase interceptors to six of each type. Each Hs293 launched is worth 5 VP to the German player.
2. For a solitaire version (to practice the op-scale rules) use only the bombers, with no escorts. The player is the British in this case. If one Mistel (or He177 if used) makes a successful attack, the player loses.
3. Gotterdammerung: Change the date to 1 May 1945, and use Do335B-2s as escorts.
| Die roll | Allied | German |
| 1-3 | Mosquito FB VI | Bf110G-2/R3 |
| 4-6 | Spitfire IXc* | Bf109G-6** |
| 7-10 | False alarm | Ju88C-6 |
* Sq 8-12 only. Pilot quality (if required) = Limited (from OTU)
** Sq 1-7 only.
| Die Roll | Allied |
| 1-3 | 4 Mosquito FB VI with rockets in LO band |
| 4-6 | 3 damaged Mosquito FB VI in VL band** |
| 7-8 | Wellington IC on anti-submarine patrol in ML band* |
| 9 | Recon Spitfire FR XIVe in MH band |
| 10 | Recon Mosquito PR I in MH band* |
* these types may shadow raiders
** for damaged aircraft, use procedure for "Damaged Loner" (OTR, p59).
German types = automatic False Alarm
Detailed Mistel rules and German Guided weapons rules are on separate pages.
Designer's Notes: This mission is based on a few articles I have on the Mistel. Usually these defenceless, vulnerable aircraft attacked at night, but lacking night rules, I made the attack a hypothetical daylight attack, but based on a genuine plan, and used what long-range aircraft are available in the ADC mix as escorts - not that there were many other options anyway. I have no handy information about the state of air defence in Scotland at this stage of the war, but I assumed the FAA and Coastal Command between them would take responsibility for protecting the naval bases there. The FAA's Seafire and Sea Hurricane were both based on land-based versions, but neither was updated as the war went on, and their equivalent ADCs can be used without modification. Using these "older" marks also makes the mission a little less unbalanced than using Spitfire IXs and Tempest Vs would!
Why the Mistel as a subject? As this is the "Christmas Edition" scenario, I wanted a subject with a Christmas theme, but without the gloomy overtones that tales of battles on Christmas Day always evoke. A hypothetical situation, where no-one actually died, and featuring as its centrepiece an aircraft named after the Christmas icon of "Mistletoe", seemed to fit the bill.
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| Scenario 21 I am the Walrus |
| Mission 2 Sturmgruppe |