Demo --Air to Air Combat

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I wanted to bring this air demo back to the front page for anyone who might have a question about air battles I found it back on page 10, does not help there.

Bo


I will be using words like "the program did this and did that instead of romanticizing the game like I tried to do in the AAR's , the reason is for the board gamers they can see how a combat plays out compared to playing it on a board game map, and new comers might like to know whats going on behind the scenes---- Bo


I would like to show an air to air combat played out in full during a game, all combat results are resolved by the program, I fudged nothing.

What I am impressed with is how you board gamers handled these counter stacks, there will be 14 counters in one hex during this air to air battle.

I took me 2 hours to put this together, it will take you maybe 10 minutes to read through it and game wise 5 minutes to resolve the combat on your computer.

I am starting out with the weather popup, the weather is excellent for flying today, planes do not fly in storms, but they can rebase in storms.

I hope you enjoy this small but important part of the overall battle that will last for years computer game wise. I find it a little difficult to do but that is just me, but I like doing it if it helps at all.

I am open to all questions positive[;)] and negative[:@]

Please paul keep an eye on me for help. [8D]

Bo

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The screen you are looking at is denoting an attack by German infantry units on a 4/3 Belgian unit in Brussels. I had to start the air battle somewhere and here was as good as any place else. In this particular case I had to attack another enemy ground unit by my units to bring all airpowers from both the German and the French assests into play over the skys of Brussels.

You see the odds for a German attack at 3:1 --I could have used more German units to attack and increase my odds, but the land battle is not the focus here, it will be the air battle. The battle will include 13 squadrons from both sides. You or I in an actual game may never encounter a large air to air battle as this, I just wanted to show what might happen if it occured.

Bo

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I am doing this by memory of what transpired in the actual battle so if I make a mistake please forgive me--- Bo

After I initiated combat with my ground units the program asked me do I want to use ground support [bombers attacking the 4/3 Belgian unit] of couse I said yes.

I used the flyout to show you the 5 German bombers attacking the Belgian 4/3 unit in Brussels.

The five German bombers ground attack factors are [20] for new readers the bottom left number on the counters is the air to ground attack factor.

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In this screen the program has asked the allied player [not exact wording] do you want to send in air wings to assist the Belgian unit, remember computer wise, even though the German infantry unit has not enterd Brussels physically, it is I believe consider to be in Brussels fighting for the city.

The French have sent in 2 units the Potez 631 and the Amiot 143 both with bombing capabilities which have a combined attack factor of [4].
We now have 7 units in the mix and we are just starting, and in the board game the person with the littlest fingers has been asked to adjust the stack when each unit is added[;)]

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In this screen The French player is asked by the program do you want to do "ground support defender intercept" The French player then sends in the French MS 406 fighter and the Belgian CR.42bis. with combined air to air combat factors of [7] new readers those factors are in the top left corner of the counter.

We now have 10 counters in this hex, 1 infantry unit and 9 air units, skys are getting a little crowded.

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The program now asks the German player if [he or she, trying to be careful with the ladies present, if any] would like to send in German fighters to interdict the allied planes in the hex. The exact wording by the program is "Ground support attacker intercept" "Yes or No". The German player decided to send in 4 fighter Squadrons with an air to air attack factor of [18] those are selected from the box in the far left part of the screen.

I could have sent 5 fighters in but I was thinking about the little fingers person in the board game it would be one too many [Actually I forgot about the 5th one [:(]]

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This screen is the begining of the resolution of the air battle. I do not know how this was handled in the board game but this works very well in the computer game. What I am going to say next is just my opinion and not from battle experience against a human opponet, which I have none.

The program set up the sequence or order of the planes in the row. But I can change that order as the German player with the keyboard arrows. If you notice the program put the highest attack factor plane first the BF 109 Emil E-2. Now here is where the game gets interesting at least for me, do I want to endanger my best fighter in the first round of combat even though this plane is superior to any allied plane [I am one of those people "what could go wrong will go wrong"]

I do have a good fighter [same rating] backing me up though. I could put a lesser rated attack factor fighter first BF 109 E-1 or the Bf 110C which would be equal to the French plane. For now in this demo I will leave it like it shows on the screen.

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Okay finally the first round of combat, whew! The popus about combat are pretty much self-explanatory. I will go through the first popup. Allies fired first the result according to the die is AC, [C= a miss and cleared] one German bomber is allowed to clear through to the target.

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In the screen below it says the French [allied] player makes the decision as to which plane is to be cleared, did I read that right NO! [&:] The French player would naturally select the German bomber with the weakest air to ground attack.

I did not look at it correctly and the German player [me] selected the Ju 87B [:(] Not positive but I believe the program will not allow that to happen, I assume it will stop me from making that mistake.

Steve or paul will know.

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Axis turn to fire and DA was the result which means abort. this plane when picked must now leave the battle, it is damaged, has engine trouble, out of ammo etc. And the French player must now decide to abort the bomber or the fighter.

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The decision to abort the allies best fighter is not an easy one, but the French object here is to assist the Belgian infantry unit in Brussels, not win an air war, so the French player selected his best fighter to abort to allow the bomber to remain in the battle. I tell you posters every decision in this game has some kind of consequence [ Unbelievable ] In MWIF the front fighter or bomber take the hit if there is one. The only time a selection from a group of planes by a player, Allies or Axis can be made is when you clear a bomber through. I believe. [hazy]

Bo

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The program asked me if I wanted to abort the combat or go into round 2, if either player aborted the air to air battle would be over, but not the ground attacks.

Allies fire first and miss, so none was the result meaning just what it says nothing happened and no bomber of Germany was cleared through as of this 2nd round yet.

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sorry!

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Ok back in sync.

German plane opens fire and the result is AC [C=Clear] which means the German player chooses to clear one of the allied bombers to assist the Belgian unit in Brussels. No real choice there is only one bomber, the Amiot 142.

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Again the program asks if either side wants to abort and I said NO please continue for demo purposes [:(]

Allied planes fire on the axis planes and again DC was the result which means the axis bomber is cleared through to attack the unit in Brussels. Of course I would pick the next Stuka, attack rating of [5]

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sorry wearing on me. Not a complaint I like doing this.

Bo

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Notice the German Stukas are no longer shown in the bomber section they have been cleared to the target.

Axis turn to fire and the result is AX--- X=Destroyed it is the Germans choice to destroy a bomber or a fighter, well the bomber has been cleared through so the only choice is one of the fighters, really no choice it has to be the front fighter to be destroyed.

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Round 4 of the combat, again I said to continue when the abort popup appeared.

Allies fire next and an AX was the result [X=destroyed] and the allied player gets to choose which unit will be destroyed, reasoning here if I am the allied player at this junction of the battle, to destroy a figher might be all right but the German has 3 more fighter units backing them up, and the real problem is to stop the ground attack so the obvious choice at least for me would be to destroy a bomber which happens to be the Do 17Z.

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This popup just shows which plane is destroyed.

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This screen depicts round 5, again did not abort either side when asked.

Allies fire and miss DC was the result C= cleared, meaning another German bomber is cleared to go to the ground target. This time I selected the Ju 88A1 because it has an attack factor of 4, 1 higher attack then the other bomber.

Board players all know this but I am also talking to new players too.