Details

Written by: Spikes

Category: Mediterranean Theatre

Published: 21 April 2021

Hits: 20

Introduction

A “Maximum Effort” mission was called by the USAAF and RAF when analysis of a target’s importance to the German war effort was sighted as being vital. A Maximum Effort would bring all available forces to bare on these identified targets. In most cases these targets would represent entire German industries such as oil production, armor and aircraft manufacturing, and ball bearing plants.

Pointblank

Operation Pointblank was the initiative placed upon the Allied Bomber offensive to cripple the German fighter strength. This mission not only belonged to the Mighty Eight Air Force, but also to the Fifteen Air Force as well. The Fifteenth USAAF based in southeast Italy, used it’s bombardment divisions to attack the German fighter industry in Italy, Romania, Yugoslavia, Hungry as well as Germany and Greece. The Fifteenth USAAF flew corresponding missions with the Eight Air Force to apply the Maximum Force possible on these German targets and war industries.

Join the AH FSO Team in this explosive high altitude fighter escort and fighter-interceptor style event in “Maximum Effort II – Italy 1944. 

Country Percentage

Axis 45%

Allies 55%

Victory Conditions

The attacking force is challenged with destroying 100% of the primary target in a single pass over the target. If the initial pass fails the attacking force can still win the frame by destroying 100% of the secondary target in one pass. If this is not possible the attackers can win the frame with having destroyed 90% of the primary target and 70% of the secondary target in a single pass over both targets. All percentages are rounded up. The targets on each base include all VHs, FHs, and BHs. No other targets will be counted towards goal completion.

Diamaond = Primary Target

Square = Secondary Target

Circle = Active Base

Map

Special Event Rules

• This is a single-life event. Pilots may not re-plane for another flight if they are shot down, killed, ditch, or otherwise cannot rearm on a friendly rearm pad.
• Combatants may rearm at any friendly base.
• Ordnance for each aircraft will be set by the setup CM in the hangar.
• All targeted objects will retain their normal MA destruction weight.
• The attackers will have up to T+60 to make their initial attack, otherwise they will be unable to win the frame.
• The bomber alt cap is 20K and the fighter alt cap is unlimited.
• Destroyed targets are down for the remainder of the frame.
• If the primary target is not 100% destroyed in a single pass, the attackers must attempt an attack on the secondary target.
• A second bomber attack in not allowed on either the primary or secondary targets.
• Interceptors may not proceed or attack south of the Gustav Line.
• All aircraft must be recovered/landed by frame's end.

Scoring

Scoring will be based on the final results and completion of assigned objectives for each frame. Players will know the results and winner of each frame by frame's end.

• Aircraft have no point value.
• All targets will retain the same destruction weight as does the MA configuration.

The destruction of each objective counts progressively towards the victory by frame’s end.

Arena Settings

• •Terrain map: Italy
• •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: 12 miles
• •Friendlycollisions: OFF
• •Enemy collisions: ON
• •Kill shooter: OFF
• •Stall Limiter: Set ON (Players may disable)

Wind:

 Altitude    Speed      Direction

   00 - 02K      0         NO WIND

   02 - 10K      05        W -> E

   10 - 18K      13        W -> E

   18 - 20K      27        W -> E

   20 - 50K+    35        DOWNDRAFT 

Weather:

Scattered cloud at 12k over the target area.

Arena Clock:

Frame 1        0815    (8:15 AM, Morning)

Frame 2        1130    (11:30 AM, Morning)

Frame 3        1400    (2:00 PM, Afternoon)

Historical Combat Skins:

Luftwaffe

BF109G-6

6./JG53 by Larry

7./Jg 53 by Devil5O5

4./Jg 77 by Devil5O5

FW190F-8

II/SG4 by Jawzzy

C-205

1 Squadriglia ANR by Greebo

1st Squadriglia ANR by Greebo

USAAF

P-51B

31FG/307FS by Vraciu

31FG/309FS by Vraciu

52FG/334FS by TDeacon

325FG/318FS By Vraciu

332FG/CAF by Vraciu

P-47D-11

57FG/65FS by Greebo

325FG/317FS by Greebo

332FG/302FS by Greebo

350FS/353FG by Player1

79FG/86FS by Greebo

P-38J

1FG/94FS by Greebo

B-17G

97BG/414BS by HornetUK

97BG/341BS by HornetUK

97BG/340BS by HornetUK

97BG/342BS by HornetUK

483BG/815BS by Kev367th

B-24H

459BG/756BS by Greebo

449th BG/719th BS by Greebo

Designer Notes:

Designer: AKWarHwk March 2021

Details

Written by: Spikes

Category: Mediterranean Theatre

Published: 01 January 2021

Hits: 21

Operation Marita encompasses the Italian and German invasion of Greece that began in late 1940 and ended in mid-1941. This invasion includes many participating militaries. The Allies include the Hellenic Air Force of Greece, Royal Air Force, and Royal Yugoslavian Air Force of Yugoslavia. The Axis include the Regia Aeronautica of Italy and the Luftwaffe of Germany.

This FSO will focus on the campaign during the month of April 1941, as the Axis push down from Bulgaria into Yugoslavia and Greece.

Allies: 50% / Axis 50%

Order of Battle:

Ordnance Restrictions:

Notes:

Bomber Alt Cap is 14K.

Fighter Alt Cap is 20K.

Scoring:

Fighters - 1

Bombers - 1

Hangars - 5

Town Buildings (Max 80) - .25 (Max 20)

Recommended Skin List:

I-16 - Default on Greece map

Bf 109E-4 - Default (for Allies)

Bf 109E-4 - Stab II.JG54 by Larry (for Axis)

                 - 7./JG 26 by Devil5O5 (for Axis)

He 111 - I./KG4 by Player1

Arena Settings:

- Terrain: greece

- Fuel Burn: 1.0

- Icons: 3K Friendly/Enemy

- Ack: .3

- Fighter and Bomber warning range: 63360 (about 12 miles)

- Tower range set to 63360 (for display only to match the above setting)

- Haze/Fog: 15 miles

- Radar: Off

- Enemy collisions: on

- Friendly collisions: off

- Killshooter: off

- Time: 1000 (10AM) Game Clock

- Formations: On

- Formation Autopilot: On

- Bomber calibration: Automatic

- Wind: 0K-2K NO WIND

2K-16K: E TO W - Speed 5

16K-20K: SE to NW - Speed 10

20K-26K: NE to SW - Speed 15

Area of Operations:

Details

Written by: Will Hyman

Category: Mediterranean Theatre

Published: 08 June 2020

Hits: 20

When the Allied armies in Italy finally broke through at Anzio and Cassino in the Spring of 1944, the next inevitable objective would be the capture or destruction of the German 10th Army in Italy. However, in one of the great Allied blunders of the second world war, 5th Army Commander Mark Clark would turn his forces to Rome instead of cutting off Kesserling’s line of retreat.

On May 30th, the Caesar C Line was breached by the US 5th Army and the road to Rome was wide open. With the 5th US Army’s focus on Rome, Kesserling and the German 10th Army forces escaped North and met up with the German 14th Army for a fighting retreat behind the Trasimene Line. During his fighting retreat that summer, Kesserling used the Arno Line to consolidate his forces along the newly formed Gothic Line to prepare for the Allied advance.

In June, the US 12th Tactical Air Support Command and the RAF Desert Air Force based in Sardinia, Corsica and mainland Italy, flew sortie after sortie in support of the US 5th and British 8th Armies as they advanced up the Italian boot. Air combat was sporadic as the focus turned to supporting the troops on the ground and was not as heavy as it was during the Anzio fighting, but some pilots on both sides continued to see success. After the Invasion of Normandy, the last Luftwaffe units began to return to Germany leaving the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana to fight on alone in Northern Italy. 

In this FSO we set the stage for final fights between the Allied Air Forces and the Luftwaffe and Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana after the breakouts at Anzio and Cassino to the Liberation of Rome.

PLANE SET:

Special Rules - 

Fw 190F-8 - PB-1 Panzerblitz Rockets Disabled.

P-38J - 1000lb bombs disabled. 

P-47D-25 - 1000lb bombs disabled. 

AIRCRAFT SCORING:

OBJECT SCORING

ACE MISSIONS

Each side will have one mandatory Ace mission per frame. These frames will represent notable pilots of the time and theater. One pilot from each side will be designated an "Ace" Pilot. They must fly the Aces listed aircraft. 

They will be scored as follows. 

Ace Pilot = 20 Points

Ace Pilot Kills = 20 Points

So for example if an Ace Pilot is shot down they are worth 20 points to the other side. Likewise, every victory an Ace Pilot lands they will be rewarded 20 points.

ALLIED:

Frame 1 – (RAF) – (Spitfire Mk IX) Geoffrey Baynham - Flight Lieutenant Baynham joined the RAF in 1938 and after the war began in 1939 found himself in Egypt flying Gloster Gladiators. After a short time in Fairey Battles, his squadron switched to Spitfires, shooting down his first three aircraft in one mission in 1941. In 1943 he would be posted to Egypt again flying Spitfires, eventually seeing action over Sicily where he would bring his total kills to 6. Baynham would pass away in South Africa in 1990 at the age of 75.

Frame 2 – (USAAF) – (P-38J) Tom Maloney - Captain Maloney joined the the 27th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group in late 1943.  Maloney's first victory came on his 22nd mission on March 28th, 1944. On May 27th, he was promoted to 1st Lt and 4 days later scored his 5th victory achieving Ace Status. Promoted to Captain on August 17th, two days later Maloney was shot down on mission supporting the invasion of southern France. Severely injured by a landmine, Maloney evaded capture for 9 days before being rescued. Maloney shot down 6 enemy aircraft during WW2 and retired as a Major. Maloney passed away in 2008 at the age of 85.

Frame 3 – (RAF) - (Spitfire Mk IX) Brian Kingcome - Wing Commander Kingcome joined the RAF in 1936 and fought in the Battle of France and Britain. In 1942 he took part in the mission to sink the Axis Cruisers attempting to escape through the English Channel to Germany. In 1943 Kingcome was sent to North Africa to lead 244 Wing. By the end of his stay with the wing, he had brought his total personal tally to 8 destroyed, three shared, five probable and 13 damaged enemy aircraft. Kingcome passed away in 1994 at 76.

AXIS:

Frame 1 – (ANR) – (C.205) Luigi Gorrini - Gorrini flew with the Italian Air Corps in the Battle of Britain, Libya and Tunisia. Gorrini’s first kill in 1941 over Greece was in a Fiat CR42 and then he progressed to the Macchi C.200, C.202, and C.205. Gorrini began flying the 205 in the defense of Rome and quickly became a master, shooting down P-38s, P-47s, B-17s and B-24s tallying 19 victories. Gorrini would fly for the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana and later the postwar Italian Air Force, he would pass away in November of 2014. 

Frame 2 – (Luftwaffe) (Bf 109G-6) Johannes “Macky” Steinhoff - “Macky” Steinhoff was already a 150+ Ace when he took over Jagdeschwader 77 as Gescwhaderkommodore in Italy. Steinhoff’s prestigious career saw him in action in every front of the war, including 12 total kills in Sicily and Italy. Steinhoff would be awarded the Swords to the Knight Cross in July of 1944 and finish the war flying Jets with JG 7 and JV44. He was badly burned in a jet crash in April 1945, but would live to be 80, passing away in 1994.

Frame 3 – (ANR) (C.205) Major Adriano Visconti started out in the Regia Aeronautica but after the Italian surrender joined the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana. He was given command of the 1st squadron of the 1st Gruppo Caccia. Visconti got his first kill with the ANR on January 3rd, 1944. He flew the C.205 and Bf109 until the ANR disbanded in 1945. Visconti was killed by communist partisans after surrendering on April 29th 1945.

SETTINGS

- Italy terrain

- Icon Range – Friendly 3k, Enemy 3k.

- No Radar

- Fighter and Bomber Warning Range - 79200 (15 miles)

- Tower Range – 79,200 (for display to match the above Fighter and Bomber Warning)

- External view for bombers (F3) - On

- Friendly Collisions - Off

- Enemy Collisions - On

- Kill Shooter - Off

- Fuel - 1.0

- Ack - 0.3

- Formations - Enabled

- Bombsite calibration - Main Arena Standard

- Time:

   FRAME 1 - 0800

   FRAME 2 - 1200

   FRAME 3 - 1600

- Object Downtime – full (200)

- Winds - MAX Downdraft 24K

Designed by Nefarious

Details

Written by: Spikes

Category: Mediterranean Theatre

Published: 25 November 2019

Hits: 17

Operation Torch: Oran 1942

November 8, 1942 was a hectic and busy day for the Allied forces. On this day, the ambitious Operation Torch commenced pre-dawn in 3 major cities in North Africa: Casablanca in the West, Oran in the Center, and Algiers in the East. The Western forces were comprised of American infantry, ships, and aircraft, whereas the east was comprised of British men and materiel. The center, at Oran, was a combination and an effort which was difficult from beginning to end. The Allies met more resistance than expected at Oran, which it felt would be the least resistance. The major goal of the invasion force was to capture the harbor of Oran and the airport at Oran. Two days after the attack, Spitfires of the 31st FG flew into Oran but were met by Vichy French fighters including D.520's which scored several kills of Sea Hurricanes in the previous days.

This event seeks to simulate the air battle over Oran, or at least what it may have been like with formidable numbers on both sides. 

Side Split: 50% Allies/50% Axis

Frame 1:

Frames 2 and 3:

Special Rules:

All aircraft have a 16K altitude cap.

Fighters have ordnance disable.

Formations are disabled.

4x20mm pack disabled on Sea Hurricane.

Scoring:

Aircraft - 1

Hangars - 4

Carrier - 16

Other Ships - 4

Hardness Changes:

All hangars = 2000 lbs.

Recommended Skins List:

Yak-7b - Default (Special Vichy French)

P-40C - Default (Special Vichy French)

Boston - Default (Special Vichy French)

Sea Hurrican Mk I - 800 NAS/FAA (Op Torch) by Greebo

F4F-4 - 893 NAS/FAA by Greebo*

TBM-3 - 852 NAS/FAA by Greebo *

Spitfire Mk. Vb - 31FG/307FS by Greebo

* These units were not present at Oran, but the schemes are accurate for the period and area of operations.

Arena Settings:

- Terrain: morocco

- Clouds: light5k

- Fuel Burn: 1.0

- Icons: 3K Friendly/Enemy

- Ack: .3

- Fighter and Bomber warning range: 52800 (about 10 miles)

- Tower range set to 52800 (for display only to match the above setting)

- Haze/Fog: 15 miles

- Radar: Off

- Enemy collisions: on

- Friendly collisions: off

- Killshooter: off

- Time: 1000 (10AM) Game Clock

- Formations: Off

- Formation Autopilot: On

- Bomber calibration: Automatic

- Wind:

0K-2K NO WIND

2K-8K: S TO N - Speed 5

8K-16K: SW TO NE - Speed 10

16K+: 65 MPH Downwind

Area of Operations: