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Fighter Ace Campaign III
From The Air Combat Wiki
Contents |
Overview
Fighter Ace Campaign III is a "Best of Seven" series of battles between the Allied and Axis teams. The campaign starts in September with one battle being fought each month until a winner is decided.
The campaign will be fought under the Fighter Ace Campaign II Rules.
Schedule
The battles will alternate between Friday night, Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. The reason for the different start times and days is that it gives a chance for each major time zone to have one battle in a good time for them to play. The battles and their dates are:
- Battle 1 - The Battle Of Ortona - Sunday, 23 September 2007 at 3 pm US ET
- Battle 2 - Cape Gloucester - Friday, 19 October 2007 at 9:30 pm US ET
- Battle 3 - Storming Novgorod - Saturday, 10 November 2007 at 5:30 pm US ET
- Battle 4 - The Marianas Turkey Shoot - Sunday, Sunday, 16 December 2007 at 3:00 pm US ET
- Battle 5 - The Oil Offensive - Friday, 18 January 2008 at 9:00 pm US ET
- Battle 6 - The Battle Of Berlin - Saturday, 16 February 2008 at 4:00 pm US ET
Battle 1 - The Battle Of Ortona
History
After crossing the Sangro River at the Eighth Army assaulted the broke through the Gustav Line and prepared to cross the Moro River. The town of Ortona was at the mouth of the river and the German 1st Parachute Division was ordered to hold the town at all costs. Ordered to take the town were the Candian 1st Infantry and 5th Armored Divisions who began their attack on 20 December 1943. After over a week of hard fighting, the Germans withdrew from the city after suffering an unknown number of casualties. The Canadians lost almost 1400 killed and almost 1000 wounded, almost a quarter of all Candian casualties in the Italian campaign. The battle is known as the Little Stalingrad to the survivors of both sides.
Battle Map
Victory Conditions
The team with the most scenes after 3 hours is the winner.
Special Rules
- 1. Each team gets 12 tank groups.
- 2. German tank groups are 6x Tigers, Canadian tank groups are 9x Shermans.
- 3. Each team gets up to 30 paratroops. Cargo planes become active after 2 hours, allowing paratroop usage during the last hour of the battle.
- 4. Bombs limited to 500 kg max.
- 5. Rockets are impact only (no air bursts). No US 5" HVAR rockets (P-47) or GE R4M (FW-190F-8) allowed.
- 6. There are 6 trains on the map, 3 starting in each rear area whenever destroyed.
- 7. Triggers = D35,C40,A45
- 8. Bldgs = A100,L100,R67
Canadian Fighters
Canadian Bombers
German Fighters
German Bombers
Battle Results
The Germans quickly shut down the Canadian tank production and only a handful of Shermans were launched offensively. Few scenes had changed hands, and GE held a slight liead, when paratroops were activated. Both teams took many more scenes and the lead changed hands several times during the final hour. With 10 minutes left, the Canadian captured 2 scenes to break a tie, then quickly followed with 4 more unanswered scene captures before time expired, taking a solid win in the final minutes of the battle.
Battle 2 - Cape Gloucester
History
New Britain, with its air and naval base at Rabaul and over 100,000 defending Japanese Army troops, was the key to the control of the Bismarck Sea and the supply lines to Rabaul. Following a feint attack at Arawe on the southern side of New Britain, the main assault was by the 1st Marines Division at Cape Gloucester, on the western tip of the island. Meeting only light resistance at first, the Japanese Army quickly moved to counter this threat.
Battle Map
Victory Conditions
The team with the most airfields after 3 hours is the winner.
Special Rules
- 1. Each team gets 8 tank groups of 8x Type 97 tanks each.
- 2. Each team gets 50 paratroops after 1 hour.
- 3. Bombs limited to 250 kg max.
- 4. Rockets are impact only (no air bursts). No US 5" HVAR rockets (P-47).
- 5. Triggers = C20,A30,D40
- 6. Bldgs = A100,L100,R67
- 7. US has 2x carriers escorted by 6x cruisers, which will not respawn when sunk.
- 8. Ground AA=1, Ships AA=4.
US Aircraft
JP Aircraft
- Messerschmitt Bf-110C-4/B Zerstörer (sub for Ki-45}
Battle Results
JP organized their position and pushed quickly into the neutral areas, establishing a dominant position from the start. The dominance continued until the end of the battle, with JP holding the most airfields at the end of the contest.
Campaign Progression
The JP victory ties the Campaign at 1 victory for each team. The campaign is now a best-of-five, with the first team to secure 3 more victories being the winner.
Storming Novgorod
History
The new year began with German forces reeling from major Soviet offensives in the Ukraine and on 14 January 1944 the Leningrad, Volkhov and Second Baltic Fronts begin a major offensive intended to relieve the siege of Leningrad. Situated on the north shore of Lake Ilmen, Novgorod was the focus of the Soviet Fifty-ninth Army, which took the city in a brutal and bloody storming attack on 20 January.
Battle Map
Victory Conditions
The team with the most scenes after 3 hours is the winner.
Special Rules
- 1. No paratroops.
- 2. Each team gets 12 groups of 9 Tiger or KV-1 tanks.
- 3. Each team gets up to 36 defensive tanks in up to 6 tank groups, with a maximum of 15 tanks per group. Each group can be assigned to defend any scenes, except that no two groups may be assigned to the same scene.
- 4. GB scenes will have a permanent contingent of defensive tanks to prevent capture by either team.
- 5. Bombs limited to 500 kg/1100 lbs.
- 6. All rockets allowed.
- 7. Triggers: Capture=50%, Attack=75%, no defensive tanks.
- 8. Buildings: Armor=250%, Life=100%, Repair=167% (tank factory repair in 12 minutes).
- 9. Each BBB has a single train assigned for supply movement purposes within that rail loop. Trains move at 5x normal speed (bullet train).
SU Aircraft
GE Aircraft
Battle Results
Each team started off with a multi-front attack when the room opened and each team's right hook was the most effective. GE captured the southernmost SU tank factory, while SU captured the northernmost GE tank factory.
The two teams slugged it out over the next hour plus with nothing to show for it but a lot smoking tank hulls. The pressure continued until GE captured another tank factory in the south, followed shortly by SU capturing a GE tank factory in the center.
The south and north continued to see heavy tank action, while the center was too dedly to mount many successful triggers. GE fought off a large-scale SU attack, then countered with a large scale attack of their own. SU was unable to stop all the tanks, however, and lost the initiative in the north.
GE brought the number of scenes captured more than lost to three and, after defeating the last SU counterattacks, held on until the end of the battle to get the victory.
It was a close contest and featured some deadly air-to-air action all along the front. Without troops and with the high trigger and repair levels, scene triggers were precious few and the action tended to congregate above the tank columns.
Campaign Progression
Axis now leads the Campaign 2-1.
The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot
History
While the battle for Normandy raged in Europe, the US Navy made preparations for Operation Forager, the invasion of Saipan. Admiral Mitscher's carrier strike force, designated TF 58, started raided Japanese installations on Saipan, Tinian and Guam on 11 June 1944 and the invasion began with 67,500 Marines landing on Saipan on the 15th.
Meanwhile, the Japanese Naval Command had been planning a large attack on the US fleet for months and sent out Admiral Ozawa's 1st Mobile Fleet from Tawitawi and Admiral Ugaki's Southern Force from Batjan, which rendezvoused northwest of Palau on the 16th. However, by this time the main fleet had already been sighted by US submarines in the San Bernardino Straight and, after refueling and replenishing, Mitscher's TF 58 began sailing southwest on the 18th to meet the Japanese fleet head on.
The stage was set for what would turn into the largest carrier battle in history. Officially known as the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the incredible success of the US pilots and gunners against the poorly trained Japanese aircrews caused it to be unofficially dubbed "The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot".
Battle Map
Ocean map. JP to the west, US to the east.
Victory Conditions
The team with the most points after 3 hours is the victor.
Points are:
- ship assists = 100
- player planes destroyed = 20
- AI planes destroyed = 10
- pilots lost = -10
Special Rules
1. US is limited to 1000 lb bombs.
2. JP is given the GB Dauntless as a substitute for the D4Y Judy dive-bomber, which had a similar bomb load.
3. Ship AA=1, Bomber Gunner AI=1.
4. Each team has 20 carriers, which are replaced when sunk.
JP Planeset
US Planeset
Battle Results
Nathan Bedford Forrest, one of America's greatest cavalry leaders, is supposed to have said that "the battle goes to whoever gets there fustest with the mostest" and the Allied team took that saying to heart as they came out swinging with an almost 100% registration/attendance rate!
The Allied team led the battle in every single scoring category:
- Ship Assists - 144 to 9
- Player Fighters Destroyed - 1126 to 558
- Player Bombers Destroyed - 238 to 230
- AI Fighters Destroyed - 99 to 6
- AI Bombers Destroyed - 395 to 36
- Lost Pilots - 444 to 513
- Points - 27,880 to 11,950
and as such easily won the battle.
Campaign Progression
With this victory, the Campaign score evens back up at 2 wins each. The victory goes to the first team to get 4 wins and there are 3 possible battles remaining.
The Oil Offensive
History
Modern armies and air forces need fuel to fight and without it they grind to a halt. With the Soviet capturing the Romanian oil fields, which Germany had relied on since the start of Barbarossa, the Germans turned to their strengths - huge reserves of high-quality coal and scientific ingenuity. However, this required considerable planing. Between 1933 and 1939, seven synthetic fuel plants were built, and another five were constructed during the war. Using a process developed by Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch, these plants hydrogenated coal into a synthetic fuel, which could be further refined into gasoline, diesel fuel, and lubricating oils.
Realizing that fuel was Germany's achilles heel, Allied air planners determined to destroy Germany's delicate synthetic fuel plants and thus deprive the German army and air force the means to continue fighting. Once the strategic air forces had been released from their invasion support duties, they immediately set upon the oil industry as their primary target.
Over the next several months the 8th and 15th Air Forces pounded targets in Leuna, Magdeburg, Gelsenkirchen, Merseberg, Politz, Brux, Blechhammer, and other locations deep inside Germany.
Battle Map
Victory Conditions
The seven JP scenes on the map represent German synthetic oil production facilities.
The US team must damage these facilities to a total of least the Base Damage Level +/- any modifiers.
Base Damage Level
The Base Damage Level is based on the number of players on the two teams and is calculated as follows:
1. The average peak level of players on each team will be determined during the event and announced to the two commanders.
2. The ratio of players between the two teams is calculated to determine the Base Multiplier.
2a. If the Axis team has at least as many players or more players than the Allied team, the Base Multiplier is 8.
2b. If the Axis and Allied teams have near parity in numbers, with Axis having 70-100% of the numbers of the Allied team, the Base Multiplier is 10.
2c. If the Allies have a significant advantage such that Axis has less than 70% the player numbers of the Allied team, the Base Multiplier is 12.
3. The Base Damage Level is calculated as 50% of the Allied Average Peak times the Base Multiplier, with a minimum of 200%.
For example, if each team has 80 players, the Base Multiplier is 10 and the Base Damage Level is 80 * 50% * 10 = 400%.
Modifiers
1. Each US Plane Lost, as displayed on the CTRL+L team score screen, increases the Base Damage Level required for victory by 1%.
2. Each GE Plane Lost, as displayed on the CTRL+L team score screen, decreases the Base Damage Level required for victory by 1%.
3. Each GE Pilot Lost, as displayed on the CTRL+L team score screen, decreases the Base Damage Level required for victory by 1%.
Judgement
The purpose of this event is to recreate the high-altitude daylight raids over Germany during late 1944. This means victory should be obtained by bombing targets from B-17s on the US side and from legitimately shooting down attacking bombers for the GE side. If GE attempts to disrupt the US form-up and spawn areas, the Base Damage Level will be decreased accordingly. If US uses their fighters to strafe targets, rather than defending their bomber charges, the Base Damage Level will be increased accordingly. "Gaming" the system to try to make victory more attainable will only result in victory being more difficult.
Special Rules
1. No Fighter bombs.
2. No US rockets.
3. All planes start in air at about 6500m altitude (about 22,500 ft).
4. Fuel consumption is 5x normal.
5. SU/OT area is enemy to both teams.
6. Buildings Armor=250, Life=250, Repair=0.
7. Bomber gunner AI=5. Gunner Clutch=Manual (CTRL+F).
8. All AA=6.
9. Oxygen not required until 14,999m altitude.
US Aircraft
- Republic P-47D Thunderbolt
- North American P-51D Mustang
- Lockheed P-38L Lightning
- Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress
- De Havilland DH98 Mosquito B Mk IX (unarmed recon only) (Limit=4)
- Gloster Meteor F1 (for spawn area defense only) (Limit=3)
Note: US fighters will be limited to 50% of total US player numbers.
GE Aircraft
- Focke-Wulf FW-190A-4/U3 Wurger
- Messerschmitt Bf-110G-2/R3 Zerstörer
- Messerschmitt Bf-109G-6/R2 Gustav
- Focke-Wulf FW-190F-8 Wurger
- Messerschmitt Bf-109G-6/R6 Gustav
- Focke-Wulf FW-190A-8/R2 Wurger
- Focke-Wulf FW-190A-8/R3 Wurger
- Messerschmitt Bf-109K-4 Kurfurst (Limit=1 per 4 pilots)
- Focke-Wulf Ta-152H-1 (Limit=1 per 4 pilots)
- Messerschmitt Me-262A-1 Schwalbe (Limit=5)
Battle Results
Eighth Air Force B-17 Flying Fortress bombers, escorted by Mustangs, Lightnings and Thunderbolts, struck deep into the heart of Germany in a series of raids aimed at the German synthetic oil industry. At the end of the battle, the US fliers had brought oil production down to less than 20% of nominal capacity. The Jagdwaffe fought valiantly but suffered crippling losses in both planes and pilots, enhancing the effect of the Allied bombing effort.
Campaign Progression
This victory puts the Allies only a single victory away from winning their first Campaign and leaves Axis in the unfamiliar role of needing to come from behind to win.
The Battle of Berlin
History
Berlin was the obvious political and military prize for the Red Army, and Stalin was not to be denied his victory. He cultivated an atmosphere of competition among his top Generals, with Konev, Rokossovsky and Zhukov vying to be the one whose troops captured the Reichstag and put both a real and symbolic end to the war.
The German defenders numbered over three-quarters of a million men, supplemented by police and the Volksturm. They were significantly lacking in heavy weapons, with less than 2000 AFVs and a little more than 9300 artillery pieces. Amassed against this force were three Soviet Armies, with over 2.5 million men, over 6000 tanks, 41000 artillery pieces and 7500 planes.
Battle Map
Victory Conditions
SU must capture the Reichstag and one of the two Bomber Airfields in the GE area and hold them for 30 minutes before the end of the game. Alternately, they must hold the Reichstag and both Bomber Airfields at the end of the game to win.
The Reichstag is defined as the two Substations at 61bd and 65bc, and the airfield at 62bc (scene numbers 2, 3 and 11). The two Bomber Airfields are at 77bk and 57ca (scenes 0 and 21).
Special Rules
1. Each team gets 9 groups of trigger response tanks, composed of 6x Tigers or KV-1s.
2. GE trigger tanks will only respond to defensive triggers. SU tanks will respond to offensive triggers only.
3. Each team has 4 Flying Columns of 9x Panthers or T-34s. The Flying Columns will spawn at the closest friendly tank resource center to the factories at 44az (109), 45cb (112), 84by (115), and 89bd (129).
4. The game starts with 1x paratrooper allowed per team. Each minute the number of paratroops allowed increments by 1, until there are 180 allowed per team by the end of the battle.
5. Trigger levels are: D=30, C=40, A=50
6. Tanks Speed = 3x (usually 2x, so 50% faster than normal)
7. All AA=2. Gunner AI=6. Gunner Clutch=Manual (CTRL+F).
8. Buildings: A=100,L=100,R=100.
9. All planes get 100% fuel/ammo. Bombs and rockets require ammo resources.
SU Planeset
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-3
- Yakovlev Yak-3
- Yakovlev Yak-9U
- Lavochkin La-7
- Yakovlev Yak-9UT
- Tupolev Tu-2S
- Ilyushin IL-10 Stormovik
- Lisunov Li-2 (Limit=8)
GE Planeset
- Messerschmitt Bf-110G-2/R3 Zerstörer
- Focke-Wulf FW-190F-8 Wurger
- Messerschmitt Bf-109G-6/R6 Gustav
- Focke-Wulf FW-190A-8/R3 Wurger
- Focke-Wulf FW-190D-9 Dora
- Messerschmitt Bf-109K-4 Kurfurst
- Junkers Ju-87G-2 Stuka
- Junkers Ju-88A-4
- Junkers Ju-52/3m g5e (Limit=2)
Battle Results
The Soviets assaulted Berlin in a massive tank and troop battle for control of the Reichstag and the critical Bomber Airfields in the city.
The Soviets had assembled a well-coordinated team, which outnumbered the German defenders of the city and assaulted the city from all points of the compass, but particularly from the southwest and northwest of the city.
The German defenders fought valiantly, but could not hold all fronts at once as the Soviet tanks and troops penetrated the city suburbs. The southern Bomber Airfield was the first to fall to the Soviet onslaught.
After about 80 minutes, the Soviets secured the Reichstag and set about defending against the inevitable German counter-attack. The Germans pushed and pushed, but could not get troops into the Reichstag and so the government was forced to surrender, ending the battle and the Campaign with an Allied victory.
Campaign Progression
Congratulations to the Allied team for their victory in this battle, which gives them their first overall Campaign victory of this event series! This was a close-fought Campaign and many battles could have fallen either way with a little luck. Each side fought hard and grabbed for victory, but the Allies got to it first and so to them go the laurels.
Thank you to all who participated in this campaign and made it such a memorable occasion! A special thank you to the members of the two Command Staffs, past and present, who have helped make the Campaigns fun times for all. =S=
The Fighter Ace Campaign IV will commence in April.
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