JTS - Wings Over The Reich

Wings Over The Reich

A JTS Game.

Copyright John Lambshead, 2011.

Permission is given to copy for personal use.

Introduction

Berlin Wings is a set of rules for wargaming fighter combat over the Third Reich around the American bomber streams in World War Two.

There are rules for the four primary fighter aircraft, the P47D Thunderbolt, the P51D Mustang, the Focke Wulf 190 A8, and the Bf 109 G Gustav.

It is intended for 1:100 scale aircraft or similar and assumes a limited number of fighters on each side. This is a skirmish game.

Aircraft Performance (after Wikipedia)

P47D

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 36 ft 1 in (11.00 m)
• Wingspan: 40 ft 9 in (12.42 m)
• Height: 14 ft 8 in (4.47 m)
• Wing area: 300 ft² (27.87 m²)
• Empty weight: 10,000 lb (4,536 kg)
• Loaded weight: 17,500 lb (7,938 kg)
• Max take-off weight: 17,500 lb (7,938 kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Pratt & Whitney R-2800-59 twin-row radial engine, 2,535 hp (1,890 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 433 mph at 30,000 ft (697 km/h at 9,145 m)
• Range: 800 mi combat, 1,800 mi ferry (1,290 km / 2,900 km)
• Service ceiling: 43,000 ft (13,100 m)
• Rate of climb: 3,120 ft/min (15.9 m/s)
• Wing loading: 58.3 lb/ft² (284.8 kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.14 hp/lb (238 W/kg)

Armament

• 8 × .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns (3400 rounds)
• Up to 2,500 lb (1,134 kg) of bombs
• 10 × 5 in (130 mm) unguided rockets

P51D

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 33ft 4 in (10.16m)
• Wingspan: 37ft 0 in (11.28m)
• Height: 11ft 1 in (3.38m)
• Wing area: 235ft² (21.83m²)
• Empty weight: 7,040lb (3,195kg)
• Loaded weight: 9,500lb (4,310kg)
• Max take-off weight: 11,500lb (5,215kg)
• Powerplant: 1× Packard V-1650-9 liquid-cooled supercharged V-12, 1,490hp (1,111 kW) at 3,000 rpm, 2,220hp (1,655 kW) at WEP

Performance

• Maximum speed: 487mph (784km/h) at 25,000ft (7,600m)
• Range: 1,160mi (1,865km) with external tanks
• Service ceiling: 41,600ft (12,700m)
• Rate of climb: 3,300ft/min (16.8m/s)
• Wing loading: 40.4lb/ft² (197.4kg/m²)
• Power/mass: 0.23hp/lb (385W/kg)

Armament

• 6× 0.50 inch (12.7mm) M2 Browning machine guns with 1,880 total rounds (400 rounds for each on the inner pair, and 270 rounds for each of the outer two pair), or 4 of the same guns with 1,600 total rounds (400 rpg)

FW 190 A8

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Length: 9.00 m (29 ft 5 in)
• Wingspan: 10.51 m (34 ft 5 in)
• Height: 3.95 m (12 ft 12 in)
• Wing area: 18,30 m² (196.99 ft²)
• Empty weight: 3,200 kg (7,060 lb)
• Loaded weight: 4,417 kg (9,735 lb)
• Max take-off weight: 4,900 kg (10,800 lb)
• Powerplant: 1× BMW 801 D-2 radial engine, 1,250 kW (1,700 PS) , 1,471 kW (2,000 PS) with boost

Performance

• Maximum speed: 656 km/h (408 mph) at 19,420ft (5,920m), 408mph (657km/h) with boost
• Range: 800 km (500 mi)
• Service ceiling: 11,410 m (37,430 ft)
• Rate of climb: 13 m/s (2,560 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 241 kg/m² (49.4 lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: 0.29-0.33 kW/kg (0.18-0.21 hp/lb)

Armament

• Guns: 2 × 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine guns with 475 rpg
• 4 × 20 mm MG 151/20 E cannons with 250 rpg in the wing root and 140 rpg outboard.

BF109 G6

General characteristics

• Crew: One
• Length: 8.95 m (29 ft 7 in)
• Wingspan: 9.925 m (32 ft 6 in)
• Height: 2.60 m (8 ft 2 in)
• Wing area: 16.05 m² (173.3 ft²)
• Empty weight: 2,247 kg (5,893 lb)
• Loaded weight: 3,148 kg (6,940 lb)
• Max take-off weight: 3,400 kg (7,495 lb)
• Powerplant: 1× Daimler-Benz DB 605A-1 liquid-cooled inverted V12, 1,475 PS (1,455 hp, 1,085 kW)
• Propellers: VDM 9-12087 three-bladed light-alloy propeller
  • Propeller diameter: 3 m (9.84 ft)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 640 km/h (398 mph) at 6,300 m (20,669 ft)
• Cruise speed: 590 km/h (365 mph) at 6,000 m (19,680 ft)
• Range: 850 km (528 mi) 1,000 km (621 mi) with droptank
• Service ceiling: 12,000 m (39,370 ft)
• Rate of climb: 17.0 m/s (3,345 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 196 kg/m² (40 lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: 344 W/kg (0.21 hp/lb)

Armament

• Guns:
  • 2 × 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine guns with 300 rounds per gun
  • 1 × 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon as Motorkanone with 200 rpg. G-6/U4 variant: 1 × 30 mm (1.18 in) MK 108 cannon as Motorkanone with 65 rpg
  • 2 × 20 mm MG 151/20 underwing cannon pods with 135 rpg (optional kit - Rüstsatz VI)
• Rockets: 2 × 21 cm (8 in) Wfr. Gr. 21 rockets (G-6 with BR21)
• Bombs: 1 × 250 kg (551 lb) bomb or 4 × 50 kg (110 lb) bombs or 1 × 300litres (79USgal)

Rules

Resolution Cards

Resolution Cards are ordinary playing cards, one deck of 52 cards per player, that are used as randomisers to determine shooting etc. Normally, card draws are opposed with each player turning over one or more cards – the highest card winning. Aces are low, Jacks are worth eleven points, Queens twelve, and Kings thirteen. In the event of a tie, i.e. each player draws a seven, the suites have the rank value of Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs. So a Seven of Spades beats a Seven of Diamonds. In the unlikely event that both players draw the same card (i.e. each draws the seven of spades as their highest card), then each player draws one more card to resolve the tie. If you tie twice in a row give up and go down the pub for a drink. The Gods of chance are against you.

In general, probability of success is modified by drawing more or fewer Resolution Cards. Each player works his way through a deck of playing cards, drawing one off the top to reveal its value, and discarding it after use. When all cards have been used the owning player immediately shuffles the deck and places it face down for reuse.

Aircraft Data  P47 P51 FW190 Bf109

Speed            10    11   9           8

Rate of Climb   3      3   2           3

Rate of Dive     5      4   4           4

Fire Power       8      6   6           5

The Playing Area

The game is played in a volume of sky bounded horizontally by the size of you table and vertically by twelve hight bands: best indicated by two dice alongside each plane. A plane leaving the playing area has disengaged from combat and may not return.

Game Turn

1. All the planes move in sequence.
2. All eligible planes fire in sequence, damage being immediately applied before the next plane fires.

Move

Models move in order of their hight, lowest first. Where aircraft from both sides are at the same hight then players draw a card to see whose models move last. A plane must expend between half to all its speed points per turn (round fractions up). Travelling in a straight line costs one speed point per inch. A plane may make up to two 45 degree turns per movement provided they are separated by four inches of straight movement. Each turn costs an additional one speed point.

A plane may climb up to its maximum rate per turn. This involves moving one inch forward and climbing one hight level at a cost of three speed points per manoeuvre. Similarly, a plane may dive by up to its dive rate per turn by moving one inch forward and dropping a level at a cost of one speed point. A plane may not climb and dive in the same turn.

A plane may only make one special manoeuvre per turn. A break turn is a special evasion manoeuvre. Turn the plane in place by 90 degrees at a cost of four speed points. Split S is a special dive manoeuvre where a plane drops its full dive rate in place and turns to face in any direction. It costs three speed points. Immelman Turn is a special climb manoeuvre where a plane climbs its full climb rate in place and turns to face in any direction. It costs five points.

Firing

Firing is not simultaneous but takes place in the reverse order to movement. Planes fire in a straight line ahead of the model in a band stretching from wing tip to wing tip out to a maximum range of ten inches. They may fire at targets up to two levels lower or higher. Each level higher reduces the maximum range by one inch.

Draw Resolution Cards to test for a hit. The number of cards drawn by the attacker depends on the clock position of the attacker with respect to the target, i.e. dead astern is 6 o'clock.

Clock Position Cards

11, 12, 1 2

9,10, 2, 3 1

7, 8, 4, 5 3

12 5

The number of cards drawn by the defender depends on the range. The defender draws one card for each three full inches of range between the firer and the defender: remember to add in hight range to the total at the rate of one inch per level. The defender draws one additional card if he made a special manoeuvre that turn and two additional cards if the attacker made a special manoeuvre that turn.

The defender never draws less than one card.

Damage

The attacker draws cards equal to his firepower but only red cards count. The defender draws one card but all suites count. Highest card wins. If the defender wins then the damage is minor and of no consequence.

If the attacker wins then the defender must draw another card and check the suite against the table below.

Suite Result

Spades Plane is destroyed

Hearts Structural damage, no special manoeuvres

Diamonds Engine damage, lose two speed points

Clubs Weapon damage, lose two points of firepower

Damage is accumulative. The second structural damage result destroys the plane.

Special Rules

P47: The Thunderbolt had the best dive characteristics in theatre. The P47 draws an additional two cards when firing if it dived the same turn and the target is at the same hight or lower.

Bf109: This was the smallest and most manouvrable plane in theatre. It draws two additional defense cards if it makes a break turn

Novice Pilots: The Germans were throwing barely trained pilots into the fray by late '44. They cannot make special manouvres and deduct two cards when firing or defending (they always draw one).

Veteran Pilots: Experienced pilots draw one extra card when shooting or defending.

Aces: These draw three extra cards when shooting and one extra card when defending.

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