6
DiF Series Air Campaign Module REVISED Poland 1939 This is the first time that C3i Magazine has published a new treatment of an already existing Down in Flames Series campaign. You may ask, how does this campaign differ from its counterpart in Rise of the Luftwaffe? One important difference is that it's "denser", reflecting the current state of the art of DiF campaign designs (it has multiple phases and the resources are more campaign- specific). Another is that it allows the Polish player the opportunity to undertake a few offensive missions by providing him with bombers as well as fighters. Finally, creating this version allowed us to delete the Junkers Ju88 aircraft, which appeared in RotL despite the fact that it was not introduced until just after the 1939 Polish campaign had ended. Stuka Angriff Early in the morning of 1 September 1939, a formation of three Junkers Ju87B Stukas belonging to the 3 4 Gruppe of Stukageschwader 1 took off from the airfield at Elbing in Germany and quickly crossed the border into Poland. Com- manding the unit was Oberleutnant Bruno Dilley, the other machines being flown by Leutnant Horst Schiller and Unteroffizier Gerhard Grenzel. Dilley's bordfunker (radioman/gunner) was Obelfeldwebel Ernst Kather. Their target was a block- house at the railroad station in Tczew (Dirschau) next to a bridge on the river Vistula (Weichsel). The Poles, fearful of an invasion from Germany and aware that the Germans would need the bridge to communicate with their detached province of East Prussia, had wired it with explo- sives and placed the detonator in the building. The bomber crews' task was to destroy the structure without damaging the bridge. The three aircraft rarely climbed above fifty meters — they were going to glide-bomb, not dive-bomb, that day — as they gingerly made their way east through patchy fog in rolling country. Fortunately, Dilley and his companions knew the terrain fairly well. Earlier in the week, dressed in civilian clothes, they had visited the station, where they had reconnoitered the bridge and surrounding area. The first bomb fell at 4:34 am. Eleven minutes later, Germans ground forces crossed the border into Poland. The Second World War had begun. by Roger Horky Dilley and his companions succeeded in their mission, severing the cables between the blockhouse and the bridge. But when the soldiers who were to secure the bridge arrived later in the morning, they discovered it had been destroyed. Their train had been delayed. Despite another attack against the railyard about an hour after Dilley's visit (this time by Dornier Dol7s), the Poles had managed to reconnect the ignition wires and blow up the bridge at 6:30 am. The Historical Campaign The invasion of Poland is an excellent subject for a DiF campaign (which is one of the reasons it was included in RotL). It was one of the earliest demonstrations of blitzkrieg, the German army's doctrine for the conduct of offensive operations during World War Two. The word literally means "lightning war," a fitting name for a concept emphasizing speed and mobility. Airpower, fast and flexible, is a vital component of blitzkrieg. However, there is a widespread belief that an air force involved in a blitzkrieg campaign is completely subordinated to the needs of the ground war, serving as little more than glorified artillery. This perception, common though it is, is wrong. There are fewer restrictions on the use of airpower in blitzkrieg than is usually supposed. Airpower's primary (in both senses of the word, "first" and "most important") contribution to a successful blitzkrieg campaign is the establishment of air superiority. Surface forces enjoy a greater freedom of action when they are protected from aerial observation and attack by a strong air arm, which can then, once it has suppressed the enemy air force, be applied to direct and indirect support of the surface forces. Air strikes against hostile forces can open up gaps in the front lines to be exploited by friendly tanks and infantry, while airplanes operating in the enemy's rear areas can attack his communi- cations, supply, and morale, weakening both his ability and his will to fight. Fall Weiss ("Case White," the German plan for the invasion of Poland) was explicit about the role of airpower in the upcoming campaign. The Luftwaffe (the German air force) was instructed "to prevent the Polish air arm from effective participation in operations...to carry out concentrated air strikes on the...rear of the fighting Polish armies [and] to provide close support for ground troops... [and to conduct] massive air strikes on military installations, government establishments, and armament industries..." The need to achieve air superiority dominated the Luftwaffe's mission assignments on the first day of the campaign. Most bomber squadrons were assigned to attack airfields and aircraft factories, while fighter units were expected to seek out and destroy the Polish air force in the air. The Germans destroyed almost 180 Polish aircraft on the ground on 1 September and accounted for an additional 29 in aerial combat. The next day, the official German war communique proclaimed that "all existing enemy aircraft in hangars or in the open were set on fire. From this it can be assumed that the Polish air arm has received a mortal blow. The German Luftwaffe has won undisputed mastery over the whole of Poland." The announcement was premature. The aircraft that had been destroyed on the ground were commercial and private airplanes, trainers, and obsolescent military types — and many outright decoys. The Poles' front-line fighters and bombers had been no where near the targeted airfields. As tensions rose in the late summer, the Poles, aware that a German invasion would probably begin with an attack against airbases, began dispersing their fighter and bomber units to smaller airstrips (all in the western part of the country, the Poles deliberately leaving their eastern frontier

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Page 1: DiF Series — AirCampaign Module REVISED Poland 1939 1939 Air Campaign.pdf · DiF Series — AirCampaign Module REVISED Poland 1939 This isthe firsttime that C3i Magazine has published

DiF Series — Air Campaign Module REVISED

Poland 1939This is the first time that C3i Magazine

has published a new treatment of an

already existing Down in Flames Series

campaign. You may ask, how does this

campaign differ from its counterpart in

Rise of the Luftwaffe? One important

difference is that it's "denser", reflecting

the current state of the art of DiF

campaign designs (it has multiple phases

and the resources are more campaign-

specific). Another is that it allows the

Polish player the opportunity to undertake

a few offensive missions by providing him

with bombers as well as fighters. Finally,

creating this version allowed us to delete

the Junkers Ju88 aircraft, which appeared

in RotL despite the fact that it was not

introduced until just after the 1939 Polish

campaign had ended.

Stuka AngriffEarly in the morning of 1 September

1939, a formation of three Junkers Ju87B

Stukas belonging to the 34 Gruppe of

Stukageschwader 1 took off from the

airfield at Elbing in Germany and quickly

crossed the border into Poland. Com-

manding the unit was Oberleutnant Bruno

Dilley, the other machines being flown by

Leutnant Horst Schiller and Unteroffizier

Gerhard Grenzel. Dilley's bordfunker

(radioman/gunner) was Obelfeldwebel

Ernst Kather. Their target was a block-

house at the railroad station in Tczew

(Dirschau) next to a bridge on the river

Vistula (Weichsel). The Poles, fearful of an

invasion from Germany and aware that the

Germans would need the bridge to

communicate with their detached province

of East Prussia, had wired it with explo-

sives and placed the detonator in the

building. The bomber crews' task was to

destroy the structure without damaging the

bridge. The three aircraft rarely climbed

above fifty meters — they were going to

glide-bomb, not dive-bomb, that day — as

they gingerly made their way east through

patchy fog in rolling country. Fortunately,

Dilley and his companions knew the

terrain fairly well. Earlier in the week,

dressed in civilian clothes, they had visited

the station, where they had reconnoitered

the bridge and surrounding area.

The first bomb fell at 4:34 am. Eleven

minutes later, Germans ground forces

crossed the border into Poland. The

Second World War had begun.

by Roger Horky

Dilley and his companions succeeded in

their mission, severing the cables between

the blockhouse and the bridge. But when

the soldiers who were to secure the bridge

arrived later in the morning, they

discovered it had been destroyed. Their

train had been delayed. Despite another

attack against the railyard about an hour

after Dilley's visit (this time by Dornier

Dol7s), the Poles had managed to

reconnect the ignition wires and blow up

the bridge at 6:30 am.

The Historical Campaign

The invasion of Poland is an excellent

subject for a DiF campaign (which is one

of the reasons it was included in RotL). It

was one of the earliest demonstrations of

blitzkrieg, the German army's doctrine for

the conduct of offensive operations during

World War Two. The word literally means

"lightning war," a fitting name for a

concept emphasizing speed and mobility.

Airpower, fast and flexible, is a vital

component of blitzkrieg. However, there

is a widespread belief that an air force

involved in a blitzkrieg campaign is

completely subordinated to the needs of

the ground war, serving as little more than

glorified artillery. This perception,

common though it is, is wrong. There are

fewer restrictions on the use of airpower in

blitzkrieg than is usually supposed.

Airpower's primary (in both senses of

the word, "first" and "most important")

contribution to a successful blitzkrieg

campaign is the establishment of air

superiority. Surface forces enjoy a greater

freedom of action when they are protected

from aerial observation and attack by a

strong air arm, which can then, once it has

suppressed the enemy air force, be applied

to direct and indirect support of the

surface forces. Air strikes against hostile

forces can open up gaps in the front lines

to be exploited by friendly tanks and

infantry, while airplanes operating in the

enemy's rearareascanattack his communi-

cations, supply, and morale, weakening

both his ability and his will to fight. Fall

Weiss ("Case White," the German plan for

the invasion of Poland) was explicit about

the role of airpower in the upcoming

campaign. The Luftwaffe (the German air

force) was instructed "to prevent the Polish

air arm from effective participation in

operations...to carry out concentrated air

strikes on the...rear of the fighting Polish

armies [and] to provide close support for

ground troops... [and to conduct] massive

air strikes on military installations,

government establishments, and armament

industries..."

The need to achieve air superiority

dominated the Luftwaffe's mission

assignments on the first day of the

campaign. Most bomber squadrons were

assigned to attack airfields and aircraft

factories, while fighter units were expected

to seek out and destroy the Polish air force

in the air. The Germans destroyed almost

180 Polish aircraft on the ground on 1

September and accounted for an additional

29 in aerial combat. The next day, the

official German war communique

proclaimed that "all existing enemy aircraft

in hangars or in the open were set on fire.

From this it can be assumed that the Polish

air arm has received a mortal blow. The

German Luftwaffe has won undisputed

mastery over the whole of Poland."

The announcement was premature. The

aircraft that had been destroyed on the

ground were commercial and private

airplanes, trainers, and obsolescent military

types — and many outright decoys. The

Poles' front-line fighters and bombers had

been no where near the targeted airfields.

As tensions rose in the late summer, the

Poles, aware that a German invasion would

probably begin with an attack against

airbases, began dispersing their fighter and

bomber units to smaller airstrips (all in the

western part of the country, the Poles

deliberately leaving their eastern frontier

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Poland 1939 Air Campaign — Down in Flames Module

unprotected). The task was completed on

31 August, the day before hostilities began.

Thus the Poles were able to continue air

operations through most of the campaign.

Polish airmen fought valiantly, but were

simply outnumbered and outclassed. The

Luftwaffe had committed 1200 medium

bombers, 360 dive bombers, 40 attack

aircraft, 1180 fighters (both single and

twin-engined), 890 reconnaissance aircraft,

and 550 transports to the campaign. Most

of these aircraft were among the most

advanced in their class in the world. The

Lotnictwo Wojskowe ("military aviation," a

part of the army) had just 420 aircraft:

170 fighters, 120 light bombardment/

reconnaissance aircraft, 35 medium

bombers, and 95 army cooperation

(observation/light transport) aircraft. Of

these, only the medium bombers could be

considered modern designs.

The Poles may have had tenacity and

spirit, but they lacked many of the material

resources necessary for sustaining an air

campaign. Their dispersal airfields were

well supplied but were often deficient in

other respects. Many had poorly-drained

runways, forcing any bombers operating

from them to carry reduced bombloads to

avoid getting mired. The absence of repair

facilities compelled the Poles to abandon

many airplanes that had suffered only

minor damage. Additionally, most of the

dispersal airfields lacked adequate fuel

storage. The one thing these airfields did

provide was concealment. The Germans

located only one of them, the base at

Hutniki, during the campaign. They

immediately dispatched bombers to attack

it, destroying seventeen of Poland's

irreplaceable P.23Bs and P.37s in two

quick raids.

The Lotnictwo Wojskowe's organization

further handicapped the defenders. Polish

aviation was firmly subordinated to the

army, each regional ground commander

having his own fighters and light bomber/

observation aircraft, which made coordi-

nating units from various regions difficult,

especially after the Germans began

disrupting the Polish communications

network. A fighter brigade, independent of

any particular army group, was created for

the defense of Warsaw, but it lacked an

early-warning system and thus had to rely

upon wasteful standing patrols to effect

interceptions. The independent bomber

brigade was too small to have a significant

impact. It also suffered from the Polish

high command's indecisiveness regarding

what to do with it, its forces slowly

squandered in small raids against German

ground forces (additionally, the British

and French pressured the Poles to refrain

from bombing targets in German

territory). On 10 September, the Poles

ordered all surviving air units to fall back

behind the Vistula, where they were

supposed to be consolidated. By that

time, though, the Lotnictwo Wojskowe was

so badly disorganized that little changed.

A second withdrawal to the east of the

Bug added to the chaos and confusion.

The Luftwaffewas not the only hazard

Polish airmen faced. Polish ground troops

saw so few friendly aircraft that they

assumed that anything in the air was

hostile (civilians, too, felt abandoned by

the Lotnictwo Wojskowe). At least thirty

Polish aircraft were lost to friendly fire

during the September campaign. Ace

fighter pilot Stanisaw Skalski wrote in his

memoirs that "Everyone was shooting at

us: Germans and Poles alike — the Poles

often more accurately."

Even nature seemed to favor the

Germans. September in Poland is usually

wet and dreary, but in 1939 the skies

remained clear. Dry roads facilitated the

Wehrmacht'sdash across the countryside;

sunny skies permitted the Luftwaffe to

maintain a constant presence over the

battlefield. Dispirited Poles spoke of

pogoda Hitlera (Hitler's weather).

The Poles never gave up fighting

despite the hardships they faced.

Nonetheless, by 5 September the German

high command believed the Polish air

force to have been weakened sufficiently

for the Luftwaffe to begin directing its

efforts towards the destruction of the

Polish army. Of course, the Germans had

been conducting air operations against

ground targets since the first day of the

campaign, but these were on a relatively

small scale. As the Wehrmacht (the

German army) advanced through Poland,

its need for air support grew ever greater.

The Poles, unprepared for the speed

and fury of blitzkrieg, could do little to

slow the German assault. They attempted

to pull back from the borders and

regroup, but constant Luftwaffe attacks

denied them any opportunity to restore

themselves to order (Stuka units flew as

many as ten sorties a day). In blitzkrieg,

aircraft are rarely used against ground

forces in contact with friendly units, as

distinguishing one set of soldiers from

another is too difficult amongst the

smoke, dust, and confusion. It is much

easier to target men, trucks, and tanks

traveling down roads, being carried by

trains, ormarshaling inrearareas (tooeasy,

perhaps: German fighter pilots assigned to

strafe troops late in thecampaign said they

would prefer "a nice clean dogfight").

Airpower also serves the ground war by

sowing confusion and despair among the

enemy by striking at his lines of communi-

cation and supply. The rapidity of the

German troops' advance was in no small

part due to the support they received from

the Luftwaffe.Wehrmachtunits reached the

outskirts of Warsaw just over a week after

the invasion.

However, the Luftwaffe did not engage

in tactical operations exclusively. It also

conducted a strategic bombing campaign.

German bombers made a number of

attacksagainst factories, arsenals, and other

targets associated with the Polish war

economy at the beginning of the cam-

paign. By 6 September, however, the raids

were ordered stopped. The Germans had

advanced more rapidly than they expected

and realized that they should leave

Poland's industry intact so that they could

use it afterwards. A short time later, the

Luftwaffe began withdrawing medium

bomber units from the theatre. Those that

remained were not idle, however.

The air strikes against factories and

other economic targets were just one part

of the Luftwaffe's strategic bombing

campaign. Another component was raids

against non-military targets intended to

undermine civilian morale. Throughout

the 1930s, advocates of airpower main-

tained that a bomb that fell into a

residential area was as valuable as one that

hit an industrial target, because a nation's

will to fight is just as important as its

ability to fight. The Luftwaffe embraced

this notion, in part because precision

bombing was more difficult to accomplish

than originally thought. The Germans

conducted "terror raids" against Polish

cities, towns, and villages, the most

notorious of which were the attacks on

Wielu on 1 September, Frampol twelve

days later, and Warsaw on the 25th.

Some of these attacks may have been

misinterpreted, however. The dive bomber

strike on Wielu can be explained as having

had a military objective. The Germans

have long claimed that that there was

Polish cavalry in the town. It was the first

day of the campaign and Wielu is near the

border; it is entirely plausible that Polish

ground forces may have been present (and

whether they actually were or not is

unimportant; the reason for the attack was

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DiF Poland 1939 Campaign — Revisedthe perception that troops were there —

consider Monte Cassino in Italy). Much

depends on the timing of the raid. Polish

accounts aver that the town wasattacked at

daybreak, before the invasion began, while

the Germans say just after noon. Given

that ground fog covered much of western

Poland that morning, it seems unlikely

that the Stukas would have attempted a

dawn strike, although it is possible.

Other so-called terror raids may have

been attacks against factories, radio

stations, railyards, and other strategic

targets that went astray (the majority of

bombs dropped on Frampol appear to have

been aimed at the village center, a point

where five roads met). As was mentioned

earlier, pinpoint bombing was beyond the

capability of the Luftwaffe. However, the

Germans probably did not care that much

whether their bombs hit their intended

targets or flattened nearby residences.Both, they might argue, would contributeto the defeat of Poland.

It is also possible that the Luftwaffedid

strafe refugee columns. German aircraft

may indeed have bombed villages just to

practice, as the Poles claim. And the raids

on Polish cities and towns may have been

conducted solely to terrify civilians.

Contemporary accounts and the post-war

literature are so full of accusations and

exonerations that it is difficult now to

ascertain the actual purposes of the raids.

However, it is almost impossible to

explain the attack on Warsaw on 25

September as anything but a terror raid.

The operation was the culmination of a

week and a half of German land and air

operations intended to compel the city's

surrender. German troops reached Warsaw

on 8 September but the siege of the city

did not begin in earnest until the 13th.

On that day, the Germans conducted a

large-scale attack against military targets

and public utilities in Warsaw. Smoke and

flame rising from the city caused many

aircrews to miss their targets, resulting in

considerable damage to residential areas,

particularly the Jewish quarter. Several

similar raids, with similar outcomes, took

place over the next week. When not

carrying bombs, German medium bombers

dropped leaflets urging the city's defenders

to surrender.

The Poles held out, and the Germans

decided to punish the city for its resistance.

Having withdrawn most of its medium

bomber units, including all of its He 1 11

squadrons, the Luftwaffeassigned every still

available aircraft to the raid — Dornier

Do17 medium bombers, Henschel Hs123

attack aircraft, Stuka dive bombers, and

Junkers Ju52 transports —some 400 aircraft

in all. The Ju87s were used as level

bombers, greatly reducing their accuracy.

The Ju52s had neither bombsights nor

bomb racks, but accurate aim was not

needed for the incendiary bombs they

carried. Their crews just shoveled the

explosives out of the aircraft's cargo doors.

There was no attempt to disguise the raid

as anything but a terror bombing.

This attack is not included in the DiF

Campaign's target matrix, as it was

unopposed. The Lotnictwo Wojskowe no

longer existed on 25 September.

A week earlier (17 September) the

Soviet Union, in keeping with the Nazi-

Soviet Pact, also invaded Poland. Polish

airmen were then instructed to take

whatever aircraft were still flying to

Rumania. About 150 of all types were

saved, most to be impressed into the

Fortele Aeriene Regale ale Romaniei

(Royal Romanian Air Force). A handful of

diehards refused to evacuate, but one or

two airplanes could do little to save Poland

from its Nazi-Soviet invaders. Warsaw fell

on 27 September. The last holdouts — the

fortress at Modlin, troops on the Hel

peninsula, and the Polesie army group —

fought a little while longer. The land

campaign ended on 6 October 1939.

A Note About Place Names

The plains of northeastern Europe lie

on the blurry and porous frontier between

the German and Slavic speaking peoples,

and as a result, most cities, towns, and

rivers in Poland have multiple names. The

centuries-long struggle for control of the

area — Austria-Hungary, Russia, Prussia,

USSR, and Nazi Germany have all

conquered large parts of Poland — has

"prevented any particular set of names from

entering English as the standard accepted

version. It has also given one's choice of

names an unfortunate political component.

Poles and Germans remain sensitive to

whether a writer refers to Danzig,

Tschenstochau, and Warschau or Gdansk,

Czestochowa, and Warsaw. Another effect

of this situation is that it forces readers

trying to find locations on a map of Poland

to be aware of its age and nation of origin

(the language problem is not just limited to

German and Polish: what were Brzesc,

Gabin, uck, and Wilno in Poland in 1939

are now Brest in Belarus, Gusev in Russia,

Lutsk in the Ukraine, and Vilnius in

Lithuania respectively).

In this DiF Campaign and its accompa-

nying article, most place names are

rendered in their Polish forms because

most of the works referred to used them.

There are some exceptions, generally

because older English-language sources

favored the German names. The writer has

no particular preferences.

IMPORTANT NOTE

DiF Components Needed for C3i ModuleLike the Air Umbrella Over Dunkirk

Campaign Module in C3i Nr17, the

Poland 1939 DiF Campaign does not

require the ownership of either of GMT

Games' European Theatre of Operations

games: The Rise of the Luftwaffe (DiF

Vol I) and 8th Air Force (DiF Vol II).

What players will need is a copy of

Zero! (DiF Vol III), Corsairs & Hellcats

(DiF Vol IV), and the C3i Magazine AirUmbrella Over Dunkirk Campaign Module

in Nr17. A limited number of back issues

of C3i Nr17 containing the Air Umbrella

DiF Campaign Module are still available.

Campaign Rules

The Polish campaign is played

according to the DiF rules as presented in

Zero! and Corsairs & Hellcats, with the

following additions. There are new

resources and several new Target

Systems as well.

RevisedMissionSelectionProcedure

When determining the mission to be

flown, refer not only to the type of the

random Action Card drawn but to whether

its index number (located on the left of the

card immediately above the "Attack"

portion of the card) is even or odd as well.

Multiple aircraft elements: If two

elements an aircraft type are listed as part

of a resource andthat type isalsoamission

aircraft, the player receives one element of

the listed type instead.

Patrol Mission aircraft: Victory Points for

mission aircraft on a Patrol Mission are

scored using the Patrol Aircraft column of

the Victory Point Award Table, regardless

of what type the aircraft actually are.

Variable mission aircraft: Several of the

missions onthe targetmatrices listMission

aircraft by generic type (i.e., Polish

Bomber). Use the following charts to

determine the actual aircraft involved.

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Poland 1939 Air Campaign - Down in Flames Module

Special (Future) Missions: Special (Future) Missions featureaircraft that are not yet represented in the DiF series, but may bein future DiF games, modules, or Squadron Packs. They occurwhen entry 19 is drawn on the Mission Targets table. Special(Future) Missions are formatted like regular missions and are listedon the table below.

The Special (Future) Missions table is divided into threesections, one for each phase of the campaign. Each phase has twoentries, a "future" mission featuring an airplane not yet in DiF anda "default" mission featuring an aircraft currently available in DiF.If the aircraft featured in the "future" mission for the current

phase is not available, play the default mission for the phase.However, if that aircraft is available, flip the allied/axis turnmarker to determine which mission to play. Axis-side-up indicatesthe future mission.

Special (Future) Missions are played like regular missions.Both players select Resources for Special (Future) Missions.

1. Penalty for bombing naval targets does not apply to Small Watercraft target, ifdrawn.

2. Target is fortified. See 27.9.

3. Cargo Capacity: three

Substitute Aircraft: Several resources in this campaign call for aplayer to replace one element of his aircraft with a different modelof the same plane. Space limitations precluded us from includingthese aircraft. Instead, the countersheet in this issue of themagazine contains counters for each type. When a substitution iscalled for place the appropriate Leader and Wingman counters onthe cards that are being changed. Each Leader counter shows thesubstitute model's Performance (P), Horsepower (H) and Burst(B) ratings. Each Wingman counter shows the substitute's Offense(0) and Defense (D) ratings. The Bombing, Damage and Gunnerratings of the "parent" card are used in all cases. (Note that one ormore of the ratings on the counter may be the same as the parentas well.) If an aircraft card with a substitute counter on it is flippedto its Damaged side, flip the counter as well.

Skilled/Green Pilots and Crews: Before the beginning of eachmission players draw for Skilled or Green Pilots and Crews usingthe procedure in Rule 19.0 of Corsairs & Hellcats and the tablebelow. When selecting the specific Skilled Pilot/Crew for aSubstitute Aircraft use the designation on the parent card.

New Resources

Bf-109D: Has no effect if your opponent has no MesserschmittBf-109E fighters this mission. Your opponent must designate oneelement of Messerschmitt Bf-109Es as Messerschmitt Bf-109Ds.Mark the Leader and Wingman with Bf-109D counters.

Blundering Recon Aircraft: If mission aircraft are PZL P.23B,place one PZL P.37B at Low altitude. Otherwise place one PZLP.23B Leader starting at Very Low altitude. This aircraft is inaddition to any mission aircraft and resource aircraft. The aircraftis not affected by the "Recognition Error" resource and is treatedas a patrol aircraft for VP calculation.

Dispersal Airfield Deficiencies: May not be selected for lastmission of phase. If mission aircraft are PZL P.37B, their bombratings are reduced by one (1). If mission aircraft are PZL P.23B,draw one card and refer to its color:

If mission aircraft are any other type or if mission is a Dogfight:if any Polish fighter (Leader or Wingman) ends this mission inDamaged condition, the Polish player must remove a Wingmanfrom one element the next time he receives any Polish fighters.

Dispersal Airfield Discovered: May not be selected for lastmission of phase. Disregard the mission selected and play Mission3 (German Bomber v Airfield) instead. Add one turn to both theTargetbound and Homebound phases. Effects vary by the successlevel of this mission.

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DiF Poland 1939 Campaign — Revised

Freie Jagd: Targetbound phase increased by two (2) turns.Mission aircraft do not appear until turn three of theTargetbound phase.

German Fighter: Draw one random action card and referto its color:

Nervous Ground Troops: Increase the number of Target Flakcards drawn against strafing aircraft — friendly or hostile — by one.This resource has no effect on Area Flak or Dogfight missions. Inaddition, if the Mission aircraft are Polish draw one card for all

aircraft at Low and Very Low altitude at the end of each turn andrefer to the card's strafing section. If the result is Hit that aircraftreceives one point of Damage.

No fighters, German or Polish, may "break away" during theOver the Target phase of the mission.

Overwhelmed Defenses: Draw one random Action card.

PZL P.7: Has no effect if your opponent has no PZL P.11cfighters this mission. Your opponent must designate one 1/w PZLP.11c as l/w PZL P.7. Mark the Leader and Wingman with P.7counters.

Ramming Attack: Fighters and Light Bombers may declare theuse of "Out of the Sun" cards to make Ramming Attacks. Whenused to Ram, ignore the Burst cost of the Action card. If success-ful, both aircraft are destroyed. When ramming is successful, theenemy receives no victory points for your aircraft, and you receivedouble for his.

Recognition Error: May not be selected if mission aircraft arefighter types (if this is the last mission of the phase, and missionaircraft are fighter types, this resource has no effect).

Disregard mission drawn and draw a random Action card todetermine mission. Refer to its Index number.

The mission begins with a pair or element of the MisidentifiedAircraft in play, controlled of the player identified inparentheses.

Play mission as normal but draw a random Action card at thebeginning of second and all subsequent turns. If blue-bordered,the mission aircraft pair is replaced by an element or pair of theActual Aircraft. Control of the new mission aircraft istransferred to player originally on defensive. All surviving missionaircraft immediately become neutral to all other aircraft in game.Their altitude does not change. All damage inflicted on and bymission aircraft remains unchanged.

If aircraft element does not change during mission, draw onerandom action card at end of game. If white-bordered, theMisidentified Aircraft changes to the Actual Aircraft and is givento former defensive player.

VPs for damage to Target awarded to player who finishedmission in possession of mission aircraft, whether Actual orMisidentified. VPs for damage to mission aircraft awarded toplayer who did not have possession of mission aircraft at end ofmission, whether Actual or Misidentified.

Scramble: Has no effect if the mission aircraft belong to oppo-nent. After deciding altitude for your aircraft, but before revealingit, your opponent draws one random action card for each of hisaircraft elements and refers to its color.

Treetop altitude is one level lower than Very Low altitude. Anaircraft may climb out of Treetop level but no aircraft may divedown into Treetop level. An enemy airplane at Treetop altitudemay be attacked by expending Red action cards from the hand ofany one aircraft at Very Low altitude. There is no limit to thenumber of cards that may be played. In My Sights and Out OfThe Sun cards do the amount of damage indicated on the card.

Page 6: DiF Series — AirCampaign Module REVISED Poland 1939 1939 Air Campaign.pdf · DiF Series — AirCampaign Module REVISED Poland 1939 This isthe firsttime that C3i Magazine has published

Poland 1939 Air Campaign - Down in Flames Module

Each Half Loop and Maneuvering card played does one point ofdamage if the Strafing results section indicates a Hit. The targetedaircraft may not respond to these cards.

Standing Patrol: Your leaders receive three bonus action cards atthe start of the mission.

Your opponent declares the starting altitude of his aircraftbefore you decide yours. Draw a random action card and referto its color:

Tight/Loose Formations: If Mission aircraft are friendly, allfriendly Formation aircraft draw one additional card when underattack. If Mission aircraft belong to opponent, enemy Formationaircraft draw one card less than normal when under attack. Doesnot apply to aircraft — friendly or hostile — that are out offormation due to being damaged.

Trained Bomber Crews: Treat all non-skilled medium bombercrews as having the "B" skill.

Vacant Airfield: Has no effect if target is not airfield. Halve(round down) all VP awards for Damage to the target.

Variant Aircraft: If mission aircraft are Polish and themission is not a Dogfight, do not draw for aircraft type.Receive one element of PZL P.23B Karas. Mark the Leaderand Wingman with P.43 counters.

If the mission aircraft are German, or if mission is a Dogfight,receive one element of PZL P.11c and skilled pilot Szczesnycounter. Mark the Leader and Wingman with P.11g counters (ifthe players have Down in Flames Squadron Pack 1 they may usethe PZL P.24F cards in the pack to represent the PZL P.11ginstead of the counters).