Before heading off to the Deep Fried Lard Lardy Day this weekend, Andy asked if Phil, Jenny and myself would be up for a spot of torpedo bombing with the Bag The Hun game he was planning to play. Blimey, does Biggles like lemonade? Of course we would! So I took command of the brave, outnumbered and out-gunned Regia Aeronautica, whilst Phil and Jenny took control of the dastardly RAF trying to sink an unarmed merchant ship... (ok it was loaded with POL for Rommel and had three escorts ships but technically it was unarmed).
Out of the sun came Blue Flight, two Bristol Beaufighters from 227 Squadron based out of Malta...
Providing cover for the three torpedo carrying Bristol Beauforts of 217 Squadron's Green Flight.
Soon these were followed by more Beauforts (Yellow Flight) with their Beaufighter escort (Red Flight).
To the port they noticed a shimmer in the cloudless sky. Was it a flock of birds - or was it something more sinister?
A successful Spotting Roll revealed two Macchi MC.202
Folgores of the
Regia Aeronautica on a mission to protect the convoy from air attack - as they were at long range the British airmen found it hard to focus on the Italian planes!! ;-) (that's my excuse anyway, this 1/600th
Tumbling Dice planes are diddy!)
Moving ahead of the convoy route, Green Flight flew on escorted by Blue Flight...
Whilst the Beaufighters of Red Flight rushed forward to intercept the Folgores but overshot the nimble Italians who easily evaded them...
Who then fixed their eyes on the now escort-less RAF Yellow Flight!
Meanwhile Blue Flight spotted another two Macchi MC.202 Folgores bearing down on them and their charges.
Flak from the convoy escort opened fire on the British but with no effect...
Whilst Blue Flight pushed on to engage the Italians to their front...
However in the blink of an eye the Italians were past both the Beaufighters and the Beauforts...
The latter's rear gunners attempted to hit the nimble Italians but failed.
More anti-aircraft fire erupted from the Italian escort ships...
One near miss causing the Beaufighters of Blue Flight to scatter and break formation.
Meanwhile the Regia Aeronautica Yellow Flight bore down on the Beauforts, positioning themselves for an attack out of the sun!
The lead Folgore, piloted by a Junior Ace, firing a Burst into the central Beaufort...
Causing minor damage and the RAF torpedo bomber to scatter to the right, narrowly missing his wingman and breaking Yellow Flight's formation.
Red Flight's Beaufighters attempted to get themselves into position to strafe the Italian shipping with some jinking but were unable to fire...
Whilst the planes they should have been protecting, Yellow Flight, tried to out run the
Folgores and line themselves up for a torpedo attack on the convoy.
Meanwhile the other
Folgore flight took some machine-gun fire from the rear gunners of Green Flight's Beauforts, but with no effect....
Before the Italians turned back towards the incoming Beaufighters.
The Italian Junior Ace continued his dogged pursuit of Yellow Flight targeting another Beaufort, his multiple hits having no discernible effect on the sturdy Bristol built torpedo bomber...
His Sprog wingman joined in desperate for his first kill but his wasteful Burst just used up most of his ammo.
The Ace attacked again, but once again his 12.7mm Breda machine-guns only inflicted minor damage and the Beaufort broke to the left with a few holes in its fuselage.
Determined to down his opponent the
Folgore continued to tail the Beaufort, despite the threat that posed by now having an enemy plane behind him.
Elsewhere Blue Flight's Beaufighters tried to strafe the enemy shipping but failed...
Red Flight though showed them how it was done, lining up an attack on an Italian destroyer...
Strafing it with 20mm cannon fire and causing some damage!
The Italian Green Flight leader fired a Burst at the Beauforts of the British Green Flight...
Several hits again only causing minor damage and the RAF formation to break...
Scenting an opportunity Green Flight's leader picked a Beaufort and began tailing it...
Elsewhere Red Flight strafed the enemy vessel again...
Causing a big explosion cutting the ships speed in half!
Meanwhile the Junior Ace's reckless positioning cost him as the enemy Beaufighter behind got off a lucky shot badly damaging the Folgore. However with his plane falling apart around him he fired a final Burst at his target causing it to start badly leaking fuel and prematurely drop its torpedo.
Successfully crash landing his plane on the sea below, the Junior Ace got in his dingy and started paddling towards Sicily.
With the Italian Ace out of the battle, his Sprog wingman desperately low on ammo surely the two remaining pilots of the Regia Aeronautica could not thwart the RAF now?
The Regia Marina tried to do its bit with flak from one escort driving off one Blue Flight Beaufighter...
Whilst the lead pilot of the Italian Green Flight fired a burst at the Beaufort in his sights... Dakka! Dakka! Dakka!
BOOM! The Beaufort exploded! Fortunately (for the RAF) the explosion did not engulf the other members of the flight.
The Italians swung round to tackle the surviving Beauforts of Green Flight...
Who desperately launched their torpedoes at close range at the Italian merchant vessel (if fired too close it is likely a torpedo will not have time to arm and will bounce off the target).
The surviving planes of Yellow Flight also launched their torpedoes at the ships, one sinking as it hit the waves and the other passing between the Italian vessels.
With all the torpedoes in the water the only question was whether Green Flight had launched theirs too late or was it possible they could arm in time and blow up the freighter?
One missed the freighter whilst the other hit it amidships! Unfortunately for the RAF it had not had time to arm and went 'donk' on the freighters port side.
With no torpedoes left and running low on fuel the RAF planes set course for Malta and left the battlefield to the Italians. The POL freighter reached North Africa, Rommel was replenished and subsequently spent Christmas 1942 in Alexandria!!
An enjoyable game, despite being incredibly frustrating as the Italian player at times - getting behind the enemy, coming out of the sun, hitting them multiple times only to cause an oil leak or some paint damage with your machine guns (oh for a 20mm cannon). That said I did feel better when the Green Flight Beaufort exploded after one Burst so I shouldn't complain... From the British point of view it was hard to get into position to successfully launch the torpedoes, especially when under flak with enemy fighters whizzing around but we all had a lot of fun.
For anyone interested in the background to the game, Andy used this book by Wing Commander Gibbs which can be picked up quite cheap off Amazon etc.
