The Phony War Heats Up

 

 

The Phony War Heats Up

 

On Friday May 10, 1940, Germany unleashed Fall Gelb ("Case Yellow") upon the Allies.  The Wehrmacht had earmarked some ninety-two divisions for this campaign, equipped with over 2,400 tanks and 7,000 artillery pieces.  Leeb's Army Group C would hold the southern flank and launch small spoiling attacks against the Maginot Line.  Bock's Army Group B - with three armored divisions - would advance into Belgium and Holland, luring the Allies into a trap.  Rundstedt's Army Group A - with seven armored divisions - would punch through the Allied line in the Ardennes, swing north to the sea, and deliver the killing blow.  While the Luftwaffe's primary task was support of the Wehrmacht, it was able to flexibly shift between air superiority, interdiction, and close support.

 

The Allies, and France in particular, could boast of larger numbers than Germany of soldiers, tanks, and artillery.  However, French infantry divisions were of very uneven quality: some were elite combat units, while others were manned by reserve soldiers aged 30 and over.  The generally excellent French tanks were not concentrated into large armored formations, but were widely distributed in small units attached to infantry as direct support.

 

The 2,600 French and British aircraft were outnumbered about two-to-one by the Luftwaffe.  The aerial odds were made even worse for the Allies by the relatively low percentage of serviceable planes.  

 

On paper, the Allied forces looked strong, stronger than they would turn out to be in the harsh test of combat...

 

Version 1.0

23-Feb-2015

 

 

SIDE BALANCE ========================================

 

Allies: 50%

Axis: 50%

 

AIRCRAFT ===========================================

 

----- Axis  -----------------------------

 

Bf 109E-4 min 24 - NO max

Bf 110C-4b min 24 - NO max

Ju 87D-3 min 12 - max 36 (stand-in for Ju87B-1)

He 111H min 12 - max 36

 

----- Allies -----------------------------

 

(RAF)

Hurricane Mk I min 24 - NO max

B5N2 min 12 - max 36 (stand-in for Fairey Battle)

 

(Armee de l'Air)

P-40C min 24 - NO max (stand-in for Curtiss Hawk 75)

Boston III min 12 - max 36 (stand-in for Douglas DB-7)

 

 

SPECIAL RULES ==========================================

 

  1.) Minimums and maximums for each plane type must be observed.

  2.) This is a one-life event. 

  3.) The level bombing bombsight calibration method is AUTOMATIC. (MA standard)

  4.) Bomber formations are NOT enabled.

  5.) Bombers may not exceed 16,000 feet altitude.

  6.) Each of the target bases must be attacked by a force of at least twelve (12) planes carrying air-to-ground ordnance.

  7.) Air-to-ground ordnance is available ONLY to the bombers: Ju-87, He-111, B5N2, and Boston.

  8.) Each side will have two airfield assets to defend, and two airfield targets to attack.

 

 

SCORING ==============================================

 

Aircraft Points

---------------

Bf-109, Hurricane, P-40 2 points

Bf-110, JU-87, B5N2 4 points

He-111, Boston 10 points

 

Ground Target Points

------------------------

Vehicle Hangar 25 points

Fighter Hangar 25 points

Bomber Hangar 25 points

Ammo Bunker 3 points

Fuel Dump 3 points

Barracks 3 points

Radar 3 points

Gun 1 point

 

NO POINTS are awarded for:

  1.) civilian buildings in towns and cities

  2.) structures at airbases which are not assigned as targets (accurate navigation is important!)

 

End Of Frame Landing Bonus

--------------------------------

  A good landing at a friendly airbase (not a port or vehicle base) earns 5 points per pilot at the end of the frame.

 

Friendly Fire Penalty

----------------------

  Accidentally shooting down a fellow countryman incurs a penalty equal to two times the normal aircraft value (see Aircraft Points, above).

 

 

ARENA SETTINGS ============================================

 

Terrain map: BOF40

Fuel burn rate: 1.0

Anti-aircraft gun strength: 0.4

Bombsight calibration: AUTOMATIC (MA standard)

Icons: 3.0K yards (9,000 feet)

Sector Radar ("bar dar"): OFF

Dot Radar: OFF

Fighter and Bomber warning range: 79,200 feet (15 miles)

Tower range set to 79,200 feet (for display only, to match the above setting)

Haze range: 15 miles 

Friendly collisions: OFF

Enemy collisions: ON

Kill shooter: OFF

Stall Limiter: ON (not mandatory, but available as pilot's choice)

 

Wind:

--------

   altitude        speed        direction

   00 - 02K      0          NO WIND

   02 - 10K      10        SW -> NE

   10 - 18K      20        SW -> NE

   18 - 26K      30        SW -> NE

   26 - 30K      40        SW -> NE

   30K+          -199        DOWNDRAFT

 

Arena Clock

--------------

Frame 1        10:00    (10:00 AM, Morning)

Frame 2        12:00    (12:00 PM, Noon)

Frame 3        14:00    (2:00 PM, Afternoon)

 

 

NOTES ===================================================

 

During the real campaign the Luftwaffe was able to achieve local superiority by concentrating their air assets, 

in contrast to the Allies' strategy of dispersing relatively small air units for local ground support duties.

 

This is an attempt to stage a nearly even fight with some aircraft of the period.

 

Aircraft substitutions have been made to fill gaps in the current Early War plane set of the game.

 

Design by Bino

for March 2015 FSO