Mosquito Command: Sortie 1

 

The first sortie for F/Lt Hilton and Sgt Webber was a baptism of fire, not for the night fighter crew but for the unfortunate Do-217 that they intercepted over Swindon on a freezing 3rd January 1944. Taking off into a light snow shower, the visibility improved as the Mosquito climbed onto its interception course, expertly guided by the GCI, with a half moon illuminating the snowy landscape below. 

Handing over to approach with radar, Sgt Webber, skilfully brought the night fighter into clsoe range at six o'clock, the unsuspecting Do-217 crew failing to spot the approaching threat. Using his Ross night vision goggles for the first time, F/Lt Hilton struggled to adjust, but Sgt Webber picked up the bomber with his excellent night vision, just as the rear gunner of the Do-217 saw a shadow approaching in the slipstream of the raider. 

A burst from his machine gun flew wild but the Mosquito's cannon blasted the bomber in return, hitting the pilot badly and lightly wounding the dorsal gunner, although not before the pilot managed to shut down the port engine to extinguish a fire. Once again the rear gunner opened up but missed, while the badly wounded pilot struggled to take evasive action. 

This allowed the Mosquito to make a second attack, this time killing the pilot with a devastating burst of cannon shells through the floor of the cockpit. with the shocked navigator only just managing to take over the controls in the nick of time. The navigator immediately corkscrewed the bomber, forcing the Mosquito to pull away, but it was a matter of seconds before F/Lt Hilton made a second approach, bringing the night fighter into close range to finish the job. 

This time the Ross night goggles did the trick and a third four-second burst of cannon fire shredded the Dornier, raking the cockpit, the fuselage and the port wing, wounding the struggling co-pilot and preventing any attempts at evasion or defensive fire. A fourth blast of cannon fire now inflicted what should have been a mortal blow, wounding the co-pilot again, peppering the fuselage and raking the port engine, but somehow the bomber kept flying with the rear gunner even taking a pot shot at the night fighter in defiance. 

Now down to the last four seconds of ammunition, the Mosquito closed for the inevitable coup de grace, but in a twist of fate the cannon feed jammed, allowing the crippled bomber to disappear into the night, a complete write-off when it eventually crash landed in a field just outside Morlaix. The frustrated night fighter crew now turned back to make the short flight to base but due to a flurry of snow showers the runway was slippery and the F/Lt Hilton overshot, causing the Mosquito to veer off the apron, bursting a tyre and damaging the oleos due to overstressing. The crew would now have to wait for two days until their aircraft was repaired before setting out again for their next sortie. 

Night Fighter Command Baby Blitz Crew

 

I have some playtesting for the Baby Blitz version of Night Fighter Command to do, so time to roll up a new crew for a Mosquito NF VII of 219 Squadron in early 1944.

The pilot, F/Lt John 'Lofty' Highton, 31, hails from Alnwick, Northumberland, and was a pre-war regular, rising through the ranks to gain a commission in 1941. He is ambitious but doesn't blow his own trumpet, preferring to encourage others by example. An experienced pilot, he has the following skills:

Spotting 2 / Evade 1 / Attack 2 / Flying 2

His navigator, Sgt Eric 'Spider' Webber, 24, is a farmer's son from Frome in Somerset, who was working in an agricultural feed merchants before enlisting in the RAF, where his mathematical ability led him to be selected for training as a radar operator. He is well-liked in the sergeants' mess. He has the following skills:

AI 3 / Spotting 1

Sgt Webber is a patriot who volunteered for service in the RAF in 1940, when the Battle of Britain highlighted the role played by The Few in defence of the homeland. Although not selected for pilot training, he has worked hard to gain a high level of proficiency with the MkX AI set. 

The crew have an excellent working relationship, although at times their friendly rivalry can cause some friction. Although F/Lt Highton often takes the mickey out of his younger partner, Sgt Webber is used to a bit of ribbing and gives as good as he gets!

As before, I've used Nordic Weasel's No End In Sight character generation system to provide a bit of background and personality to the crew. The GCI controller the crew will be working with is also a highly competent and experienced old hand, with a GCI Skill level of 3.

Their first sortie is slated for January 3rd 1944, when light snow showers, 5/10th cloud cover and a fresh breeze promise to make it a challenging mission, although a half moon may make interception a little easier. I'll do a write-up of the sortie once it's been played through.

Night Fighter Command Baby Blitz

 

The author of Night Fighter Command has been busy working away on a sequel to the first edition of the rules, based on the 'baby blitz' of  January to May 1944, or Operation Steinbock to give it its full title. This sounds really good and I'll be running a series of play test games as a mini-campaign as soon as the relevant files and instructions are available. It will be interesting to see how the improved technology like radar jammers and chaff as well as the different aircraft, build on the systems in the original rules. Then there's the accumulated experience of pilots and AI operators to factor into the success or otherwise of interceptions. I can't wait!

X Craft Command

I had an idea out of the blue today. Could the Night Fighter Command system be adapted to wargame the X or XE Craft midget submarine missions against the Tirpitz and the Japanese heavy cruiser Takao in 1943-45? This sounds daft but I think it might work, if you adapt the search and attack mechanisms to the avoidance of underwater navigation hazards, torpedo nets, mines and enemy patrol boats, the objective being to plant explosive charges or limpet mines under the target then try to get away. The crew would have suitable skill ratings and would have to use these to pass skills tests for piloting / navigation, stealthy use of the periscope, management of buoyancy and mechanical problems, and underwater frogman tasks. There would be mission route maps for the fjords of Norway and Singapore Harbour. I need to give this some more thought and do some research but I reckon it's got potential? 

Nightfighter Command v6: Sortie 3

 

I squeezed in a third sortie for F/Sgt Walker and Sgt Jones of 609 Squadron yesterday, flown on 11th May 1941 in light rain, a fresh Force 5 breeze, 5/10th's cloud cover and a full moon, with the Portland circuit once again but this time with a new, less experienced GCI controller (Skill 2). Things looked good to start with as the GCI vectored the Beaufighter onto a target in the first zone after take off, a Heinkel III (Evade 1 / Spotting 1 / Attack 3) but the vector was way off and the chase continued for four more zones until an Approach with radar was possible. 

In the meantime, F/Sgt Walker noticed that his port undercarriage hadn't locked in properly on take off, but he decided to carry on regardless, trusting Sgt Jones would get a good AI interception. 

In fact, Sgt Jones did manage to guide the night fighter into close range at 5'o'clock but this time it was the pilot who failed to spot the bomber that put a spanner in the works, although the bomber crew also missed the night fighter in the darkness. Moving around to a 6 o'clock position, Sgt Jones now guided F/Sgt Walker into a perfect close range position, where he spotted the Heinkel and opened fire with four seconds of cannon rounds. 

These slammed into the fuselage and port wing but failed to hit anything vital. The Heinkel rear gunner spotted the night fighter and returned fire, his spraying wide of the night fighter, while the pilot failed to evade, flying on straight and level in shock. This gave F/Sgt Walker a second chance and, with no hesitation, he slammed another four second burst into the bomber, hitting the tail, fuselage and port wing again, causing the aircraft to break up in mid flight, the pilot and radio operator failing to bail out in time before it crashed into the sea in a shower of debris.

This was another probable, due to the location in Lyme Bay and the fact that the crew were not captured, eventually being picked up by an enemy torpedo boat. The Beaufighter now flew on three more zones until a new contact was made with another Heinkel III (Evade 4 / Spotting 3 / Attack 1) over Studland, the GCI once again vectoring them way off target, although spot on for altitude. 

The chase began but an AI equipment malfunction had to be fixed by Sgt Jones before an approach could be made, whilst also reloading the cannons for a second attack. The AI malfunction was eventually sorted out but by this time, the night fighter crew were approaching Middle Wallop and so F/Sgt Walker decided to abandon the chase and land, hoping that the port undercarriage would successfully lock down before he made his approach. 

Luckily, the landing went smoothly for a change and crew breathed a sigh of relief as they taxied to dispersal. F/Sgt Walker's third 'probable' and his excellent flying skills in a tricky landing, meant that he was awarded an immediate DFM, while Sgt Jones already had a Mention in Dispatches, so had to go without any gongs for this sortie. Both of the crew now have a few days leave before they will be flying again, with only two more aircraft shot down to give them the chance of a skills upgrade. 

Nightfighter Command Now Out and it's Free

Now available as a free download from BGG and via the Nightfighter Command FB group, and will soon be available from Wargame Vault too. What's not to like? Tally Ho!

Nightfighter Command v6: Sortie 2

 

The second sortie for F/Sgt Walker and Sgt Jones followed on the night of the 10th May 1941, with light rain, a moderate breeze of 13kts, clear conditions and a full moon, although the cloud cover was still 10/10, making it easier for the enemy to evade. Take off went smoothly once again and the crew were vectored by an experienced GCI to a position near Sherborne in Dorset, heading on the Portland loop for the op. The first contact was a He-111, which Sgt Jones successfully picked up on his AI set, expertly vectoring F/Sgt Walker onto a 5 o'clock interception at close range. F/Sgt Walker spotted the bomber and let rip with four seconds of 20mm cannon fire, tearing into the tail of the Heinkel but only causing light damage. 

The Beaufighter now disappeared into the night, preventing the bomber crew from spotting the night fighter or evading, although they were now ready for the next attack. Sgt Jones now brought the aircraft into a 9'oclock intercept, then smoothly guided F/Sgt Walker into a perfect 6 o'clock position, from which he was able to spot the bomber and open fire. Another four second burst caused a critical hit, one on the starboard wing, and two on the crew, the pilot hit in the right arm with splinters and the navigator killed by a direct hit from a cannon shell. The shocked and bloodied crew were in no state to spot the night fighter, which quickly throttled back to reload, although the tail gunner did glimpse the night fighter as it pulled away but failed to hit with his burst of defensive fire. 

Sgt Jones now struggled to reload the cannon magazines but managed to lock them in place, ready to start the approach from the 6 o'clock position from which F/Sgt Walker was shadowing the stricken bomber. The night fighter moved in for the kill. with a four second burst of 20mm shells at close range which completely shredded the tail of the He-111, sending it spinning out of control. Only two parachutes were spotted by Sgt Jones, as the enemy radio operator and waist gunner baled out, the pilot struggling to keep the bomber aloft to allow his surviving crew to escape. The He-111 was claimed as a confirmed kill by F/Sgt Walker but, as there was no confirmation from the observer corps, he was only given a probable (the enemy crew believed they had been hit by flak, as the only witness to the night fighter attack was the tail gunner who had been KIA).

The GCI now vectored the night fighter toward a new contact, another He-111 but this one proved to be a much tougher customer. Despite several attempts to get into position, Sgt Jones failed to pin down the bomber as it twisted and turned to evade detection. His headaches were exacerbated by an equipment failure, with a loose electrical connection making it hard to communicate with the GCI, the static fading her voice and making it difficult to hear instructions. Finally, over Portland Sgt Jones and F/Sgt Walker managed to get into a 3 o'clock position at close range undetected by the bomber crew, opening fire only to have a cannon jam, losing a round and forcing them to pull back to clear the breech and remove the casing. The flash from the jammed round allowed the bomber crew to spot the night fighter and the pilot immediately pulled the aircraft into a steep corkscrew to evade the enemy attack.

Despite the best efforts of the bomber pilot, the chase continued and the night fighter crew eventually got into position for a final attack, this time from a perfect 6 o'clock approach but with only three seconds of ammunition left with which to shoot down the He-111. A burst of fire hit the pilot, who was lightly wounded in the right leg by flying splinters, the ventral gunner who was also lightly wounded but in the right arm, and the starboard engine, which the pilot managed to shut down and feather before it caught fire. Cursing their luck, F/Sgt Walker now pulled away and set a course for Middle Wallop, where he made another bumpy landing although once again without damage to the aircraft or Sgt Jones, although there was much blue language over the intercom. His temper improved a lot, however, when he was given a Mention in Dispatches for his skilled handling of the AI interception and his ability to overcome mechanical problems with a cool head.

I really enjoyed this game, although the second interception did drag on a bit due to bad dice rolls by the AI op, and thought the crew did pretty well only let down by their equipment and some poor dice rolling at critical moments. The award of an MID to Sgt Jones was well deserved, as he not only made a couple of very good interceptions, he also managed to reload and unjam the cannon quickly, then coped with dodgy GCI comms as though everything was business as usual. F/Sgt Walker does need to sort out his landings, however, as the oiks are getting fed up with the work that they have to do on the oleo legs. The crew really should have had a confirmed kill for the first bomber but I rolled a 1 and there was very little I could do to explain that away. Better luck next time perhaps? 

Nightfighter Command v6: Sortie 1

 

This was the first of the second round of playtesting for Nightfighter Command, with a new crew of F/Sgt Walker, RNZAF, and Sgt Jones, RAF, of 609 Squadron setting out for their first op on 9th May 1941. The sortie from Middle Wallop was on the Bristol loop, with light rain, a 13kt moderate breeze, 10/10 cloud cover and a 3/4 moon. Take off went smoothly and the first three zones were flown with no problem, the GCI vectoring Sgt Jones onto a He-111 but the subsequent attempts by both the GCI and AI operator failed to make a successful interception, allowing the bomber to slip away. The crew were now over Bristol and a new target was acquired in the shape of another He-111, the GCI and AI approach both being successful, bringing the Beaufighter into a 12'oclock position at long range. 

Sgt Jones then managed to guide F/Sgt Walker into a '6 o'clock position at close range, with the bomber then spotted by the pilot, who lined up for a perfect attack after dropping his undercarriage to slow down the night fighter. A four second burst of cannon rounds tore into the bomber, inflicting an engine and a tail hit which reduced it's evade rating to just one. The bomber crew spotted the night fighter and opened fire but missed, with an unsuccessful evade roll allowing a second blast of cannon fire from F/Sgt Walker, which obviously hit the bomb bay as the Heinkel exploded in a ball of flames. Now out of ammunition, F/Sgt Walker throttled back to allow Sgt Jones to reload, cursing the AA gunners below who would no doubt claim the bomber as their confirmed kill.

The Beaufighter now moved beyond the flak and searchlights of Bristol and turned back toward Middle Wallop, with the GCI guiding Sgt Jones onto a new vector and a new target, this time a Ju-88. However, despite several successful GCI approach rolls and subsequent AI approach attempts, the Ju88 managed to outwit Sgt Jones repeated attempts at an AI interception, eventually slipping away as the frustrated AI operator cursed his luck. By this time, the crew were approaching Middle Wallop and F/Sgt Walker decided to call it a night and set down for a well earned breakfast. Unfortunately, being new to the squadron and unfamiliar with the sloping airstrip, he overcooked the approach and slammed the aircraft down hard, almost knocking out Sgt Jones, who was less than amused by his pilot's rough landing. 

The crew claimed the He-111 as a confirmed kill but, as they suspected, the AA gunners of 236 Battery, 76th Anti Aircraft Regiment got in first, claiming the bomber as theirs. This meant that Walker and Jones could only claim a probable, much to their disgust, especially when the oiks pulled fragments of Heinkel out of the air filter on the port engine of their Beaufighter (this could explain Walker's bumpy landing?). The crew performed well on their first sortie, although Sgt Jones fluffed his AI interception rolls on the return leg of the op, which denied F/Sgt Walker the chance to get an attack on the Ju-88. The GCI was very good but they can't rely on her skills for subsequent sorties, as I'll be rolling up a new operator for the next op, following a tip off from Alan. The rules tweaks that have been made seem to have ironed out some of the wrinkles and it all went very smoothly. I only had one query about the GCI approach mechanism, but a closer reading of the rules cleared that up quickly, so no problem.

Next sortie up soon.

Nightfighter Command Crew Number Two

F/Sgt 'Johnnie' Walker and Sgt 'Taffy' Jones

For the playtesting of the latest edition of Nightfighter Command, I thought it would be best to roll up a new crew rather than use my experienced pilot and observer. The rules haven't changed for this bit, so I dug our the trusty D20 and D6, then set about creating a new pilot, observer and GCI operator, with the crew once again assigned to 609 Squadron at Middle Wallop. I used the background generation system in Nordic Weasel's No End In Sight skirmish rules to add a little character to the two aircrew, although it makes no difference to the game itself. I like this bit and think it makes for a really good narrative focus, but you could just leave it out. 

The pilot, F/Sgt Peter 'Johnnie' Walker, RNZAF, hails from Auckland, NZ, and was until recently a travelling sales representative for an engineering firm, spending much of his time abroad for work. He has travelled widely in the Far East, Africa and South America, but has never settled down in one place for very long. In 1939, he decided to pack in his job while stopping over in England for business and signed up to help defend the mother country in her time of need. As a pilot, he is a hard task master, being both disciplined and logical, but off duty has a reputation for high jinks and is regarded as a jolly good chap by the squadron. even if half of them can't understand his broad Kiwi accent.

SKILL RATING:  SPOTTING 2 / EVADE 1 / ATTACK 2 / FLYING 2

The observer, Sgt David 'Taffy' Jones, RAF, is from Abergavenny in Wales, where he grew up on a farm speaking Welsh as his first language. He is a bright lad and passed his eleven plus with flying colours, doing particularly well in mathematics and enabling him to study physics at grammar school, in which he excelled.  He was called up in 1940 and his academic and technical ability enabled him to apply as aircrew in the new field of radar operator after being rejected as an air gunner due to his eyesight. Although the rest of the squadron see him as an outsider due to his background, he is regarded with respect as a fellow professional by F/Sgt Walker, due to his calm and patient skills as an operator. He also has a reputation for being lucky,  surviving even the most risky sorties without a scratch.

SKILL RATING: AI 3 / RELOAD 1

The Ground Intercept Controller they will be working with is an experienced old hand and has a GCI rating of 3. Their first mission will be flown soon but probably not tomorrow as the in-laws are coming over for lunch. I'll kick off on 9th May 1941, when there will be light rain and a moderate breeze of 13kts but 10/10ths cloud cover which will obscure the 3/4 moon and make spotting tricky (the new rules for changing weather conditions are an interesting addition and I'm really interested to see how they affect the flow of the game). It should be fun but it's a challenging system and things don't always go according to plan!

Nightfighter Command Playtesting

 

I've been sent the latest version of Nightfighter Command to playtest over the holidays, so will aim to run half a dozen games or so to see how the amendments that have been made to the system play out. I really like this game but it does have a few elements that are a little confusing or convoluted, so I'm hoping that the edits that Alan and the team have made will help to smooth these bits over. I'm also going to be playing some more games of Corvette Command, as I haven't continued with my campaign of late and I'm keen to see how my crew upgrades will affect the success (or failure) of the next few convoy escort missions by HMS Windflower?

Night Fighter Command Sortie 6

I played the sixth and last sortie of Night Fighter Command today, at least for the moment, with a successful mission in which a Do17 and Ju88 were shot down, with one confirmed and one probable. This brought my total up to five bombers so I was able to roll for a skill increase for the crew, which resulted in a +1 across the board for both of them. The pilot, Acting Flt. Jenkins, DFC, also got a Mention in Dispatches, while the AI Operator, F/ Sgt Renaud got a well deserved DFM. They are both now on leave for a couple of weeks, but will be back on ops when I get time for some more games, probably next weekend. 

Night Fighter Command Sortie One Report

I completed the first mission for my night fighter command play test games and it was a pretty nasty outcome for both the RAF and the Luftwaffe. After an initial attack on a Do-17 last time, the crew managed to regain contact and fired another three second burst, hitting the engine, fuselage and tail and starting a fire. The Do-17 failed to evade and also missed with the tail gunners return fire, which is hardly a surprise. The Beaufighter then closed in for the coup de grace but missed and ran out of ammunition, resulting in the AI having to reload the cannon magazines, although the bomber also failed to evade or hit the fighter again. However, the subsequent three second burst of cannon fire scored a direct hit and blew the bomber out of the sky, with a confirmed kill from the observer corps in Yeovil. 

The GCI now vectored the crew to a He-111 over Weymouth, which had already been damaged by flak on a raid over Bristol and was now attempting to get back across the channel. This time, the AI operator initially failed to maintain contact but with help from the GCI managed to get back into position, eventually guiding the fighter onto the bombers six o'clock. A three second burst inflicted two more hits on the bomber but didn't cause any serious damage, with a second and final burst missing completely, despite the bomber failing to evade or spot the attacker. With no ammunition left, the crew set course for Middle Wallop but a nasty overshoot on landing left the aircraft in a wreck and the pilot and AI operator in hospital for a month with some serious wounds, the pilot having smashed his head on the gunsight and now with a -1 spotting penalty as a result. 

I enjoyed the game and it picked up pace after a slow start. I was lucky to shoot down the Do-17 which proved to be a tough customer but also really unlucky not to destroy the already damaged He-111, which only had an Evade of 1, a Spot of 1 and reduced Attack of 2. The crash landing at the end was also a pain in the bum as I will now have to rest the crew for a month, the pilot only needing two weeks to recover but the AI operator being more seriously injured. For the next sortie, they will get a new aircraft and will be operational in early June 1941, so there will be less chance of the 10/10 cloud cover that made spotting a bit more difficult and enabled the bombers to evade.

In terms of the system, I was thinking that the GCI could do a task roll to get a fix on a bomber each turn, rolling a GCI Skill vs Difficulty 1 roll, so that the game could move along a little faster. If the roll failed, the Beaufighter would advance 1D3 sectors onwards then contact the GCI for a new vector, with another GCI roll made to get a fix on a bomber. That way, the Beaufighter would move around the track a bit more and still get a chance to intercept a bomber at least once in the game. From what I've read about early GCI usage, there were occasions when night fighter crews failed to intercept due to ground controllers not vectoring them on to the target effectively or not being able to identify and locate enemy bombers with accuracy. I'll have to play a few more games to see if this works out.

Night Fighter Command Opening Shots

I've been playing the first moves of a Night Fighter Command game and, apart from some minor head scratching, it's been going pretty well. The Beaufighter crew are now somewhere over Sherborne in Dorset on the tail of a Do-17 bomber, which they intercepted using the CGI vector and the AI operators radar, successfully spotted despite 10/10ths cloud cover, then damaged with a three second burst of cannon fire. This hit the port engine, starboard wing and tail, also seriously wounded the pilot who nevertheless has now managed to evade to long range. I've had to call it a day now but will pick up the game again tomorrow, with the crew aiming to make another successful AI interception and spotting attempt, followed by a second deadly burst of 20mm! 

Night Fighter Command Set Up

I now have all the components for Night Fighter Command printed, laminated and cut out, so will be ready for a game or two at the end of the week. I have a day off on Friday this week, so I'm planning to run at least two games if I can find the time, with some more pencilled in for the weekend. I also dug out an old 1/300th scale Bristol Beaufighter from my Bag the Hun collection which I thought would be good as a marker for map movement rather than just a counter. I painted this years ago and had to improvise some fictitious insignia, but otherwise it's spot on in terms of accuracy for the game. I'm looking forward to finding out if I can shoot anything down with it!

Night Fighter Command Playtesting

I volunteered to do some playtesting of Night Fighter Command a while ago and the author, Alan Eagle, has very kindly let me take part. I have printed out all the sheets, counters, cards and rules so I need to get them cut out and get them laminated before I can start. I've really enjoyed Corvette Command and I'm a very keen air wargamer, albeit with miniatures, so I'm really looking forward to the whole playtesting process, which will hopefully include at least half a dozen ops.

PO 'Moggy' Jenkins famed for his cat like night vision

F/Sgt 'Jonno' Renaud, his stalwart Canuck AI Operator

In the meantime, I've rolled up my crew, operating from Middle Wallop with No.604 Squadron, with an English pilot, PO Albert 'Moggy' Jenkins, RAF, (Spotting 3 / Evade 1 / Attack 2 / Flying 2) and his French Canadian AI Operator, F/Sgt Jean Paul 'Jonno' Renaud, RCAF (AI 2 / Reload 2). Their GCI Controller has a skill rating of 4.  Their first op will be on the 12th May 1941 when the full moon should make interception easier over the mission route, which will take them down through Dorset then back along the coast around Portland before returning to Middle Wallop for breakfast.