Today I'll be fighting a duel in the skies between two new planes that I've recently purchased. I'll be flying the British RAF Se5a flown by James Thomas Byford McCudden, the British top ace of WW1 with 57 planes shot down and is also one of the top British aces of all time. Against him will be a new Austrian two-seater the UFAG C.1. Both of these planes were from late in the war and I think it will be a good match between a quick scout plane and a two-seater.
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James McCudden
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As I mentioned above I will be piloting McCudden's RAF Se5a and my opponent will fly the Austrian UFAG C.1 and will be using the solo rules developed by Herkybird of the Tyneside Wargamers website. I will be using all of the optional rules in the rulebook except for the height rules.
James McCudden takes up his new RAF Se5a for a dawn patrol above no man's land. McCudden is excited to test his brand new plane against the best the Central Powers have. After a half-hour in the sky, McCudden gets his wish when he spots an enemy UFAG C.1 in the air and turns his crate towards his prey.
The Austrian plane also spots McCudden and he also sets his course towards the Se5a. When they get withing long-range both planes open fire on each other and McCudden takes no damage while the UFAG is hit and takes 4 damage.
UFAG C.1 4 Damage
The two planes fly past each other with the Se5 now pointing the wrong way but the UFAG's rear gunner has a shot and fires at McCudden but the UFAG misses for a second time.
UFAG C.1 4 DAMAGE
McCudden throws his Se5a into an Immelmann turn and gets his crate heading toward his opponent. The UFAG pulls a left-hand turn to get his plane pointing toward the Se5a. The two planes get into long-range and fire with both missing their opponents.
UFAG C.1 4 DAMAGE
Se5a 0 DAMAGE
McCudden throws his plane into another Immelmann turn and points his plane towards his opponent. When he gets close enough to fire he does as does the rear gunner in the UFAG. Both are at long-range and the UFAG takes 2 Damage and the Se5a takes 1 Damage.
UFAG C.1 6 DAMAGE
Se5a 1 DAMAGE
The Se5a continues flying forward while the UFAG starts to turn left. As they get farther apart McCudden puts his plane into an Immelmann turn as the UFAG continues his left turn.
The UFAG is able to get on the six of the Se5a and begins to fire. The skills of McCudden are on display as he is able to avoid fire during two separate attacks. On his second attack his guns jam and he'll have to fix it before he can fire again.
UFAG C.1 6 DAMAGE
Se5a 1 DAMAGE
In order to get back in the fight, McCudden puts his plane into another Immelmann turn while the UFAG turns right. Eventually, both planes line up a long-range shot and fire at each other with the UFAG's guns finally being unjammed. The Se5a takes 0 damage, he really is very lucky this fight, while the UFAG takes 3 Damage.
UFAG C.1 9 DAMAGE
Se5a 1 DAMAGE
The two planes pass each other and the UFAG rear gunner gets a long-range shot off at the Se5a but again he misses with a 0 Damage card pulled, I swear I shuffled that deck before the game started.
UFAG C.1 9 DAMAGE
Se5a 1 DAMAGE
The UFAG puts his plane into a right-hand turn while the Se5a pulls an Immelmann turn and both planes end up flying at each head-on. Both pilots shoot at each other at long-range and both shots miss.
UFAG C.1 9 DAMAGE
Se5a 1 DAMAGE
The UFAG flies by the Se5a and once past McCudden throws his plane into an Immelmann and gets on the tail of the UFAG. The rear gunner attempts to fire at McCudden but the tail of his plane blocks his shot while McCudden's shot isn't blocked and he fires but causes no damage to the UFAG.
UFAG C.1 15 DAMAGE
Se5a 1 DAMAGE
The UFAG, after taking a lot of damage, turns right in an attempt to get away from McCudden's guns as the Se5a continues on the tail of the UFAG.
McCudden lines up a shot and fires while the rear gunner of the UFAG is able to also get a shot off. The Se5a takes 1 Damage while the UFAG takes 5 Damage and is shot down!
Another victory for me but I will admit that I was very lucky with my damage rolls as I was shot 8 times and took no damage. Overall a good dogfight and I'm beginning to get a handle on combat with a plane that can fire from the front or rear. I enjoyed flying the Se5a and while I don't know if it will replace my favorite plane, the Sopwith Camel, but it was great to fly.
I recently bought more planes and I've even lined up some humans to play against so stay tuned for that. I'm also working on the rules for my campaign that I
mentioned in the last AAR. While I wait for ARES to release their long mentioned Campaign and Scenario Pack I'm going to design a campaign using the different rulesets already designed and available on the Wings Of Glory Aerodrome forum and I'm thinking about using the Two Hour Wargames reaction system to determine enemies in battle to keep the fog of war realistic. I will continue flying dogfights to learn the planes I have and to get some practice with the new ones. Until next time!
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