Reinventing my WW1 Air War campaign

During the summer I fought out a 1917 air war campaign. The format was simple, I re-read the Biggles novels set during WW1 and devised twenty scenarios from that to randomly assign to my patrolling Sopwith Camels.  The 1:600 Tumbling dice worked really well, and in one game I had over thirty aircraft mixed in a tremendous dogfight.

How to improve on that?  Well I decided that I needed 1/144 scale planes and to focus more on a small scale game.  The flying got lost with more aircraft on table, and to be honest it was far too complicated.

The Blue Max

The campaign objective will be to win this most coveted medal.  The first pilot to get to 10 kills will be awarded the Pour Le Merité, the Blue Max, and win the game.  Getting to ten wins will be rather difficult, especially since, as George Peppard discovers during the movie, getting a kill confirmed can be difficult. 

It's 1916.  The Fokker Scourge has lasted almost a year. The British have finally responded by forming "scout" squadrons.  21 Squadron has been formed as one of these, flying DH2 single seaters.  Winning the air war is critical since the long awaited British offensive at the Somme is planned for July.

The German response has been Fliegerabteilung Douai (Flying Detachment Douai). This unit of six fighter pilots was the precursor of German fighter squadrons. They have connected a front line observation post to the Jabbekke airfield, as a tactical air direction centre.  They also have the new twin machine gun Eindekkers.

Both the German and British scout squadrons will have six pilots, earning resources through their missions.  In effect they are proving their worth to the top brass and gaining recruits, replacement aircraft, fuel and ammunition.

My new 1916 1/144 planes

4 Fokker Eindecker 
2 Rumpler
1 Roland
2 Albatros D (late 1916)

The British

4 DH2
1 RE8
2 FE2b
1 Sopwith Pup
1 Nieuport 11

40mm hex bases
4 cm height rod
3 cm height rod
Magnets on rods
Magnet tape on planes.

21 Sqn DH2
"The Bullingdon boys"

Maj Piggy Kammeron
Capt Boris Knobson
Backstabber Grove
Nigel Porridge
David Davis Davidson
Joan Redwood
Jacob Reece-Fagg  (character card)
Timmy Martin Weatherspoon
Jimmy Dyson

FE2b RE8 Squadron
Ian and Duncan Smythe
Dominic Rabies and Andrew Leadsome
Peter Patel and B.F Mosley

RNAS Sopwith Pups
Lt. Kenneth Clarkie  (character card)
Lt. Joey Johnston

Algy Soubry

The Pumphosen Staffel
Jasta 7 - flying Eindekkers

The Baron Manfred von Pumphosen  (Character card)
Max Todtraum
Hans Frei
Helmut Rashe
Hans Untergloves
Fitz Sexpest
Sigmund Wank (character card)
Dieter Foffenhoff
Gunter Munter

French pilots flying Nieuport 11s

Maurice Le Coq, Ace (Character Card)
Pepé le Pew
Jean Pierre Gautier
Louis Vite-on
Christian Dio (character card )
Pierre Cardigan
Cocoa Channel
Yves Saint Lawrence