WW1 Air Combat Game

Today we played a game of WW1 air combat using the Canvas Eagles rules. Matt provided the 1/72 scale models, the hexagon gaming mat and the rules. The game involved two RFC aircraft an RE8 on an artillery spotting mission and an SE5a protecting it, and two German Albatrosses whose mission was to shoot down the RE8. Sam and Matt played the Germans and Ian and I played the RFC. Sam dueled with the RE8 scoring and taking some hits to each of their fuselages. Matt closed in on my SE5 but went into a spin when he tried a complicated maneuver to get behind me and could not recover crashing to the ground. He returned to the game with a second Albatross (actually Hermann Goering). I shot this down the turn it came on - some accurate shooting followed by a 6 on the critical hit dice which blew it up (so much for the WW2 Luftwaffe chief!). The duel between Ian and Sam continued as Matt came on with a third plane, this time a DR1. I closed in on it quickly and once again got a really good dice score and caused four critical hits which blew the DR1 to pieces (it was not Matt's day for sure!). Matt then came on with the fourth plane. We let this one come on a bit further away from me and it did survive for a couple of turns before I managed to get in close gave it a burst and once again rolled hot and Matt went down in flames. At that point Matt gave up, put his feet up and relaxed. While this had been going on Sam and Ian had been tangling with each other, both scoring hits but nothing dramatic. I closed in on Sam and managed to get into the same hex as he was in and gave him a burst at point blank range and just like Matt sent Sam down in flames. With that Ian and I turned and flew for home with Ian sporting some honorable battle scars and my plane without a scratch. I must admit it really was my day with five kills for me counting Matt's spin out as one, the dice were good to me and I managed to get my plane in the right place more often than not. It was a fun game with everyone having a good time - even Matt who to his credit found a lot to laugh at as his planes went down one after the other. Here are some photos of the game.

 

 Ian's trusty RE8

 Matt's Albatross

 Sam's Albatross

 My SE5a

 The fun begins

 

 Matt's first replacement goes down in flames

 Matt's second replacement does the same

Matt's third replacement managed to survive for a while before suffering the same fate as his comrades

Sam tempting fate by closing in on my SE5, he went down in flames a couple of turns later