This scenario generator was developed by Christophe Massuyeau. All I have done was to clean up the translation If you like this, please e-mail Christophe (aka Prof. Erata) and tell him.. - Uncle Ted

This mission scenario generator enables you to plunge yourself in the aerial combat of 1940. This one generates Luftwaffe missions.

La Bataille de France: May/June 1940

by Prof. Errata

Background: After the aerial skirmishes of the Phoney War (or Drôle de Guerre or Sitzkrieg), the German offensive began on 10-May-40 at dawn directed against the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg. This mitigated the initial Luftwaffe initial attack against the bases of the French Air Force. The Armee de l'Air was not swept from the skies that day (53 aircraft only destroyed on the ground) and the others which followed. But many bombardments and repeated strafing attacks all through the campaign caused the long term destruction of the AA's bases, decreasing the number of planes available.

Although the French fighter pilots were

• not well-directed towards their objectives
• used obsolete doctrine, unsuited tactics, and many aircraft with lower performance than their principal adversary, the Messerschmitt Bf 109E,
• frequently obliged to change bases (sometimes in dire circumstances and often forced to leave behind some valuable aircraft...),

They paid for themselves in an exemplary way by putting out of combat in these difficult circumstances between 500 to 550 enemy aircraft in aerial combat (and not 1 000, as it it is too often repeated). But the remarkable fact remains that despite these difficulties, the French fighter force, though exhausted, folded up in good part in French North Africa and deprived of its ground personnel at the time of the Armistice, managed to preserve its combativeness until the end and subjected German fighters to comparable losses, even if it could not really affect the course of the engagements on the ground.

This mission scenario generator will enable you to recreate typical missions of the Battle of France, where Luftwaffe faced as in the historical reality of the French fighter hookers. The brawls promise to be hot!

Mission Orders for Luftflotten II and III:

Move towards the selected objectives and bomb them.

1. Roll a die to determine the objective (Roll again for Ju 87s if the objective obtained is beyond box 3):

   Roll	Mission target
   1	Base 4 n°1
   2	Base 4 n°2
   3 - 6	Allied Army in square 3 n°1
   7, 8	Allied Army in square 3 n°2
   9	City/Lines of communictaion in square 3
   10	City/Lines of communictaion in square 4.

2. Roll another die for bombing altitude:
   • 9,250+(1D5 x 750 feet) for medium bombers;
   • 5,500+(1D10 x 100 feet) for Ju 87s.

   Do not show the result to the French player before the end of the game.

OMT Set Up:

Special Rules:

1. The front line is located between boxes 2 and 3.
2. The French player cannot place more than 6 fighters in a single base initially. Additional fighters can land in a base as needed.
3. The Bf109s, Bf110s, and the Ju87s take off as separate formations from separate bases in square 1.
4. Ju 87s cannot go further than box 3, including those appearing on the Encounter Tables. Roll again if the result is not appropriate.
5. Flying through a box in enemy territory obligatorily does not mean to fly over the objectives which are there (to be specified with the opposing player before an unspecified displacement). Remember that for the French player, the friendly border is the enemy border (ASp! p.62), with light flak light, and medium flak on a die roll of £4! The German player is not attacked by flak while crossing the enemy border, except those obtained as a result on the Events Table.
6. Bases or allied armies area always defended by one light flak unit.
7. Armee de l'Air patrols normally consist of 3 aircraft, sometimes of two if necessary (for the need as of takeoff). Use the RAF's early war flexible formation parameters (ASP! p.51).
8. The attacking bombers are always Loaded.
9. Each bomber which succeeds in bombing its target hex successfully earns the German player the following points:
   • Ju 88=5
   • He 111=4
   • Do17 or Ju 87=3.

   Bombing in Overcast Skies or below the Bombardment Altitude reduces those point values by 2.

10. Strafing Objectives: the German fighters can attack and strafe French bases by ending an operational movement phase in the square with the base at hedgehopping altitude (ASP! p.42). The attackers are prone to AAA attack per the rules, with the additional modifier of +2. The strafing is carried out during the Interception and Combat Phase on this formation's turn to act and counts as a deliberate encounter. Each aircraft spends half a die of ammunition and can attack an enemy aircraft on its base at a distance of 2 hexes using the usual rules of combat. The deflection modifier for an aircraft on the ground is x1. Several aircraft can attack the same target, or separate ones as desired.
11. French Fighters:
    • French fighters can attack the German bombers only in the back angles (9:00/3:00 lines excluded) during Tactical and Combat scale, just like in historical reality..
    • They cannot refuel or rearm during the mission.
    • French fighters cannot go beyond square 1 or strafe German bases.
12. Fog of war: the German player should not reveal the type of aircraft of each formation or his destination until they are intercepted by the AA and/or the objective is bombarded.
13. The Dewoitine D.520 of GC I/3 were not operational before 13-May-40. Use MS.406 in their place if the mission takes place before that date.
14. The units using Hawk 75A and D.520 are not operational any more after June 17 (they are withdrawn to French North Africa to avoid being seized). With the rout and the withdrawal of those remaining towards the south of France, one can possibly end around this date a campaign for ASp! on the Battle of France, or to continue until the Armistice only using MB.152 or MS.406 French side.

Additional Rules:

1. National levels of Training:
   

   Armee de l'Air	Excellent from the 10 to 25-May-40 Good after 26-May-40 until the end. (Ace: according to the period)
   Luftwaffe	Average for Bf 109 pilots Good for the others. In all the cases, consider a result of 1 (Recruit) as Green.

   [My own research shows that the AA had been rapidly expanding, so while the older pilots may have been excellent, they had been diluted by many newer recruits. But this was written by a Frenchman - Uncle Ted]

2. The Bf 109E-3 has Cockpit + 0 and W1/W2 ammo=4.
3. The Ju 88A-1 is not as well defended as the Ju88A-5:
   • does not have FG2
     only 1 DG (Rear + 30, level to high, 6.00 line High only)
   • the Cockpit Protection is +2 and the Damage Factor is 18 / 27.

Variants:

• · The French Player can choose the types of fighters, but only one type of figter at each base. [Alternately, you could use the hostile fighter encounter table to select which French fighters are assigned to a given base at the beginning of the mission. - Uncle Ted]
• You can increase the number of French fighters at a base to 12, or increase the number of German bombers by sending two medium bomber formations (for example, He-111H and Do17Z); you can increase the main French formation the same way to 9 or 12 fighters. ·
• You can shrink the game size by removing a formation of German fighters and 3 fighters from the French side. · The German player can decide to send only fighters for an air superiority mission in a determined box. ·
• To respect historic reality, you can play 10 to 15 missions (the dates to be fixed between players). The AA and RAF hardly had the opportunity or organization to work in concert except at the beginning of the campaign for some escort work. ·
• You can start with the Sitzkrieg. To do so, take only 1 type of fighter (MS.406 or H-75A-1/2s), use 6-12 aircraft for the French. You can have fighter vs. fighter missions or an scorted recon mission, the French escorting a Potez 63.11 or the Germans escorting a Do17P or Z, but they (the French) cannot go further than square 1. Neither the French nor Germans can strafe enemy bases. There is a medium Flak unit on the hostile square across the front for either side. Germans cannot go farther than the square 3, but their base is in the circle of the OMT; this base is prepared. There can be no chance encounters (of hostile units) beyond squares 1 and 3, with only of fighters and reconnaissance aircraft used by either side. During the fall 1939, Germans can use the Bfs 109C-1 and D-1s [in place of the E-1 and E-3, which were mostly out East over Poland - Uncle Ted]
• If you begin the campaign on 10-May-40, the German player can opt to concentrate bombardments on hostile bases for the first three days, or put modify the mission selection die roll by -6. ·
• On 3-Jun-40, Operation "PAULA" occurred, a big Luftwaffe raid on the Paris region. Units of the AA were not warned in time (especially those with MB.152s), except GC I/3 with D.520s that was the only unit not surprised). . Germans must bomb a French base with four to six MB.152s, which will only take off once the attack on their base is in progress. The Germans can use only one formation of fighters.. ·
• If you want to put more emphasis on the RAF, add one or two Hurricane IAs bases in square 4. Training Level of the RAF is Good, same as that for the French and Germans. ·
• The French player can choose to escort LeO.451 or Br.693 bombers, or one or two recon aircraft (Po.63.11 or MB.174). [All available under French Aircraft- Uncle Ted.] Put in work the script ALONE AGAINST THE WEHRMACHT for it

Encounter Tables for the Luftwaffe During the Battle of France

To select which variant of the Curtiss H-75A, roll a die:

There can be no fighter encounters in the circle of the OMT; ignore this result.

If a bomber formation is met, they are loaded with bombs on a die roll £ 4.

Sources

CONCEPTION: Christophe MASSUYEAU
Bar-le-Duc, FRANCE 1995-1997