BONFIRE, 18 April 1943

	Map:	Blue Sky
	Aircraft:	Allied:	Eight P-40F Two Spitfire Vc (Trop)
		Axis:	Three Bf109G-1/Trop Two Bf110G-2/Trop Two Macchi C.202 Fifteen Ju52/3M g7e

Set Up: Place three of the Ju52s in hexes 2848, 2850, 2852, facing W, altitude 1.0/1.2/1.4 respectively, speed 3.0, banked level. The rest are placed in five-plane vics with these three as their leaders, at the same speed and altitudes. The six escorts may be placed anywhere within 6 hexes (inclusive of altitude differences) from any Ju52, at any altitude within this limit, with any speed up to maximum level and with any desired facing and bank angle.

The P-40s and Spitfires may start in any hex with a row co-ordinate of 12 or less (e.g 4812). The P-40s start at altitude 7.0, speed 5.0, the Spitfires at altitude 15.0, speed 5.0. All may have any desired facing and bank angle.

Game Length: 15 turns

Rules of Engagement:
1. Tropicalised Models: The Spitfires were fitted with a large Vokes sand filter on their air intakes. Reduce their Max level Speed by 0.5 in all bands as a result of the drag penalty this imposed. The Bf109G-1/Trop had the MG17s of the basic G-1 replaced by MG131s. Use the Bf109G-2 ADC, but use weapon data from the Bf109G-6 ADC. The Bf110G-2 was the "standard" fighter-bomber version, which had an armament of two MG151/20 cannon and four MG17 machine guns, plus the MG81Z twin machine gun rear armament. Use the N1 and N2 weapon groups of the C-4, plus the N2 (as N3) and DG of the G-2. [For your convenience, I have reproduced the appropriate Firepower Charts below]
2. Loads: The Ju52s are each carrying twenty fully-armed troops and are thus considered loaded. Unlike bombs, they may not jettison this cargo, even if severely damaged!
3. Defensive Gunfire: Although usually depicted facing rearwards, the DG on the Ju52 was (according to pictorial evidence I have) mounted on a 360 degree ring; it can thus fire in "All Arcs, Level to High (12/6 o'clock lines high only)." Further, after the first pass, the soldiers in the Ju52s frantically jettisoned windows and hatches and subjected incoming fighters to a hail of small arms fire. To reflect this, after the first Ju52 has been shot down, all other Ju52s gain extra defensive firepower, worth 2 factors at range 0 and 1 only, and covering all arcs except the front arc. Also, the inherent defensive guns are always considered fully manned, regardless of how many gunners are killed/wounded.
4. Disengaging: Any Allied fighter that is neither in a firing position, nor Tailing an enemy, that sustains a "Fuel Leak" critical (regardless of how minor) must immediately begin an attempt to disengage, to the South or West if possible. If in a firing position or Tailing, they may delay this disengagement attempt until they are no longer in such a position. They were only minutes from the end of their patrol, and about 150 miles from friendly lines - with another 100 miles to base.

Allied Post-combat fate: All Allied aircraft begin with 60 minutes endurance. Each four game-turns on map uses up 1 minute of Endurance. At game end/after disengaging, subtract this and any fuel lost to Major Fuel Leak/Fuel Loss criticals. To return to base sucessfully requires 45 minutes Endurance if there is no ongoing leak. With an ongoing leak, 45 minutes endurance is not enough to return to base, but is far enough to reach Allied lines. Less than 45 minutes endurance with a fuel leak (or, in an extreme case, 25 minutes without an ongoing fuel leak!) requires the pilot to bail-out/force land behind enemy lines.

5. Victory Points: Each side receives normal points for aircraft damaged/destroyed during the scenario. The Axis player also receives "damaged" points for any Allied aircraft that fails to make base due to fuel shortage (unless already severely damaged), and Destroyed VP for any that fail to reach their own lines for the same reason.
6. Pilot Quality: RAF = Good, Luftwaffe, Regia Aeronautica = Average, USAAF = Limited [except re-roll any "recruit" results].

Variants:
1. Substitute He111H-22 transports for the Ju52s. Use the He111H-2 ADC, treat as loaded, and use the following defensive armament:
FG, One 20mm MG FF, Ammo 3 x 4, Criticals 2, FP: 11, 9, 6, 4, 3, 2, -.
TT, One 13mm MG131, Ammo 20, Criticals 3, FP: 7, 5, 4, 2, 2, 1, -.
Coverage: FG, Front, Low to High. TT, All High, but 6 o'clock line is High+.
2. If you don't have access to Uncle Ted's ADCs, use the He111 option above and substitute an extra Bf109 for the Macchi.

Hatches and doors were hurriedly jettisoned from the "Tante Ju's", and the frantic troops started firing their personal weapons at their attackers. The open hatches gave the fighter pilots a sickening view of the results of their work, as their heavy .50 calibre bullets punched through the Junkers' thin hides, and turned the cargo hold into a blood-stained abattoir.

Scattered over the sky, escorts and transports alike were hunted down and savaged into the sea. After ten minutes, shortage of fuel brought an end to the carnage. The attackers lost six aircraft; the Germans and Italians lost 77, more than on any one day during the Battle of Britain. 59 of these were the transports, each carrying twenty battle-ready troops - over a thousand men.

Scenario List

Scenario 4 Flight of Icarus

Scenario 6 First to Fall