Group 10s August 15, 1940

[MengJiao]

So this would be a Burning Blue AAR (really a DAR), using half the map and not too many Fighter Command squadrons.  There will apparently be 300-400 LW planes represented as Luftflotte 3 gets into the act on August 15 (the day the LW lost its greatest number in the battle: 75).

Lflotte 3 had to wait for the weather to clear, but then it put in some very big and ambitious raids.  One of which was actually aimed at a Fighter Command airfield, though for some reason it was judged too difficult a target and a nearby naval base was attacked instead.

The other raids continued the presumably largely accidental LW policy of hitting any airfield as long as it was not a Fighter Command airfield. 


This is perhaps overly historical, but Group 10 is small (7 squadrons) and has no Chain Home Low radar coverage and these are large raids with three optional targets each:

   The red is about 200 109s and Stukas.  The Yellow is about 120 Ju88s and Me 110s.

   Historically, these raids were badly shot up.  Perhaps the LW will do better in this version of events.

    It is afternoon and the skies are clear.

[MengJiao]

Note to self: Other notes:

The line of Flying Colors Anchors represents a line beyond which any German Aircraft will trigger a response from Group 11.  Note that the HF relay station for Middle Wallop allows Group 10 to cover things pretty far to the east.  You see a similar pattern with other HF relays for other sectors:  they can all shift East which I guess allows sectors to the east to attack and have their airfields covered by sectors to the west.

[MengJiao]

So what LW Gruppez were available for these somewhat ill-fated attacks on Group 10?  3 109, 2 Stuka, 4 Me110 and two Ju88.  These were very heavily escorted
raids, but in terms of single-engine fighters, the LW put up 60 planes (3 gruppes) versus 6 squadrons (one of which was an experienced Spitfire squadron -- 609) or 70 planes.  Moreover, the raid going deepest had only 110s for escorts.

For a better solitaire experience, that has to be juggled some or I (as Fighter Command Group 10 once I plot the raids for the LW) will know to merely disrupt the Stuka raid and then wait to massacre the 110s and Ju88s.

Here's the line up:

[MengJiao]

For a better solitaire experience, that has to be juggled some or I (as Fighter Command Group 10 once I plot the raids for the LW) will know to merely disrupt the Stuka raid and then wait to massacre the 110s and Ju88s.

So, I added some potential raids and quasi-dummies.  Now Group 10 faces potentially 6 more 109 gruppez.  For the sake of Fighter Command, I added a Hurricane Squadron at Exeter.  Up sun.  Could be the end of the raid on Warmwell if it is real and not a dummy or 2 mysterious 109 gruppes at Angels 26.

[MengJiao]

For a better solitaire experience, that has to be juggled some or I (as Fighter Command Group 10 once I plot the raids for the LW) will know to merely disrupt the Stuka raid and then wait to massacre the 110s and Ju88s.

So, I added some potential raids and quasi-dummies.  Now Group 10 faces potentially 6 more 109 gruppez.  For the sake of Fighter Command, I added a Hurricane Squadron at Exeter.  Up sun.  Could be the end of the raid on Warmwell if it is real and not a dummy or 2 mysterious 109 gruppes at Angels 26.

Situation at 1:15.  Three Chain Home radars have picked up two raids, each of around 100 planes or more.  Each took extra time to form up due to large size and altitudes over Angels 18 and the absence of fighter bombers.  At 1:05, Group 10 scrambled 1 Squadron in Devon and one at Warmwell.  At 1:20, the plot of another 100 plus raid (at 1:15) will cause Group 10 to scramble one Squadron at Filton and 2 at Middle Wallop.  At 1:15 the two squadrons scrambled earlier are already at Angels 12.
Due to forming up problems, any 109s from raid 2 will only have 8 turns for dogfighting and any from raid 1 (which is going much deeper) will only have 5 turns of fuel for dogfighting.  Event cards could have helped with this, but two throws of the die (with various modifiers) were needed in the Burning Blue World.

[MengJiao]

Ten Minutes later (1:25pm) and things look unpromising for the LW.  Single squadrons can climb 8 thousand feet every 5 minutes, so there are two squadrons up sun at a higher altitude than the one raid approaching the coast.  Three other squadrons inland are at Angels 6 already.

At first I thought that climbing as high as the LW did was part of the problem.  And in some ways it is (if Burning Blue is to be believed): climbing uses fuel and makes forming up take longer.  BUT if you don't climb, then you have the same problems at a lower altitude and in Group 10's area, the defenders will have time to get above the attackers if the attackers are detected at all.  On the other hand there's no Chain Home Low coverage for the Group 10 area, so raids at very low altitude might be a good idea.