The following is a replay of Wing Leader Scenario V25 “Singapore Sling” which is one of the supplemental scenarios provided by Lee B-W online..

Japanese Pre-game Planning

In order to win this scenario you will definitely need to bomb the airfield and at least take it out (6 hits). The Sally’s you are using have a bomb value of 20 so you will need at least 25% of the bombs from both bombers hit. That means that when you bomb you will need to roll an 8 or higher each time you bomb (before modifiers). So you will want to be sure to keep the negative modifiers to a minimum.

There are three paths that the Japanese can take to the target.

1. Dive down as soon as possible to altitude 0 and head straight for the Airfield and bomb. Then RTB (Return to Base).

2. The Japanese can Dive into the clouds for cover at altitude 5 (For the V Bombing site on the Sally’s, altitude 5 is the highest you can be for a -2 modifier). Then you can head for the H column and bomb the airfield from altitude 5 thereby avoiding the Flak (since its max height is altitude 4). Then RTB.

3. Lastly you can dive down into the clouds then once you exit the clouds head for the left side board edge diving down as much as possible braving the Light Flak shots. Then turn around and go to Altitude zero and bomb on the way back home.

Of the 3 options presented above I definitely prefer the first because it gets you to the target fast, does not over-expose you to flak (Generally option 1 allows 2 flak attacks on each bomber before you get there and 1 after you bomb), plus your bombing attack is at a +1 (due to Airfield defense and assuming no flak hits).

The second option makes the Japanese player bomb from Altitude 5 giving them a -2 to their accuracy. (The Sally’s have a type V Bombsight).

Altitude Modifier Table

Combined with the +1 for the Airfield defense, and the +1 for a bomber not being attacked by flak this turn, you will be bombing on the Bombing Accuracy Table with a net zero. You will need to roll an 8 or higher with both planes. Not bad but not as good as option 1 or 3.

Bombing Table [15.4]

There are a lot more modifiers to the Bombing table but for this scenario none of them apply.

Now option 3 does allow the bombers to bomb with a +1 for airfield defense with no other modifiers (assuming you are not hit by flak) just like option 1 BUT you are in the sights of the Allied planes for much longer. Plus you undergo a LOT of Flak attacks. I think this is too many chances for bad thing to happen.

Flak Attack Table [14.2.2]

The modifiers that apply to Flak are the following: + Flak unit’s strength (zero) and +1 if the target performed bomb aiming this turn (will happen once). So generally you will need to roll a 10 or higher against the bomber on the way in and a 9 or higher when they are bombing.

So for this game we will take option 1.

As for the Oscars escorting, I will have both of them one altitude higher and 2 squares back from the bomber they are escorting. This allows them to more easily react and tally the Hurricanes behind us.

I will put the Experte pilot and Veteran counter in the Front Squadron and have him try to tally the rear most Hurricanes. I put him in front because if he does tally the Experte will still be close to both bombers. If that squadron does Tally then I will break the squadron into flights and have one flight without the Experte fly up to fight them saving the Experte Flight to stay in escort.

The other squadron will fly escort and try to tally any enemy fighter that gets close then either go attack it or react to it if need be.

Allies Pre-game Planning

You have a couple of advantages and a couple of disadvantages.

Disadvantages

1. Your 3 Hurricane Flights are Green. This will be the most harmful thing to the Allies the entire game. It will affect your Tallies as well as Air Combat as well as Cohesion. Expect the Hurricanes to fight one battle then Break.
2. Your 3 Hurricane Flights are Flights. Which means a -1 in Air Combat. Combined with above, if you are attacking a Japanese squadron, you will be at a -2 Combat value. 3. Your Buffalo squadron’s Firepower is a zero. However, at least it’s a Squadron but it means when you attack the bombers you will need to roll a 6 to get a Loss.
3. You units are pretty far apart. Which is both good and bad. The bad part is that they cannot support each other in combat. The good is that you are forcing the Japanese to react in 2 directions.
4. The Terrain definitely does not help you. The two layers of broken clouds will interfere with Tallies causing you to dive down underneath them, thereby losing your height advantage.
5. The Left -most Hurricane and the Buffalo are climbing and may be at a disadvantage if attacked from above by the Oscars.

Advantages

1. You have more Flight/Squadrons than the Japanese. If you can get the Japanese Escorts to break on a one for one basis, you can have a free shot with one unit at the Bombers.
2. If you can engage the any Japanese Flight in the clouds you will stand a much better chance of them breaking (Broken clouds give a -2 to the Cohesion roll). Even though your flight will probably also break, that may leave the Bombers defenseless. 3. You are attacking from multiple directions. If the Japanese split their forces you might be able to blow past one side and get a free quick attack on the bombers.
3. The right most flight of 2 Hurricanes has a height advantage. So you may get a +1 Bounce bonus and since you will be diving and any Japanese will be climbing you will have a +2 speed advantage.
4. You know where the bombers are going and they only move 2 MP a turn. Since you know where they are going you can plan your attack forcing the Japanese to react to your moves.

There are two important things to remember when you are defending against a Bombing mission. First, the Bombers are the primary target. You will probably have to engage the escorts with at least part of your force but do not lose sight of the fact that the Bombers are the target.

Secondly, and this is where Wing Leader is different from most Air Combat games, those Bomber Squadrons take 12 hits to kill them, so the Goal is to BREAK the Bombers BEFORE they get to the Target not shoot them all down. Obviously, the more you do shoot down, the easier it is to break them but the goal is to Break them.

The same can actually be said about fighters too. Just remember that a Flight/Squadron that breaks is basically out of the battle allowing you to concentrate your firepower on the remaining enemy planes.

There is one additional thing to remember at all times with your Fighters. You cannot fight what you cannot see. Tallies are IMPORTANT. Generally (there are a few exceptions), try to Tally whenever you can. You can always drop that Tally later if need be.

For this scenario there is only one thing for the Allies to decide before the game, where to put your vector counters.

I prefer to keep the vector counters close to the target area or within 3-4 squares of the target in between the target and the oncoming enemies. I also try not to put the Vectors at too low an altitude so I can Dive into battle if needed.

That being said, here is how I placed them for this game.

Turn 1 Set Up Phase

Here is how the map looks after the Setup Phase.

Here are the Wing Displays:

Allies

Japanese

Turn 1 – Tally Phase

The Oscar B will try to tally Hurricane Q.

The Hurricane is 6 squares away so the Tally Roll is a 6 or higher. Normally, there would be -2 to the roll because the Hurricane is behind the Oscar but the Oscar is equipped with a Rear View, negating the -2. No other modifiers apply so the Oscar B will need to roll a 6.

The Oscar rolls a 3 so no tally. There are no more tallies to be made.

Turn 1 Movement Phase

There is a movement order in Wing Leader. It’s in 6.1 in the Rulebook.

For Initiative go to 6.1.1 in the Rulebook.

So in this case the move order would be:

Japanese Movement thoughts

To start we move before the Allies, hence they have a slight advantage. However, remember that you cannot attack what you have not tallied and we will probably tally before they will. Plus the clouds will prevent the leftmost Allied planes from tallying us for a few turns. The Hurricanes behind us are a problem. They are going to be diving down on us with a height advantage. So since I am in Escort mode with the Fighters we will be moving exactly like the bombers do at 2 MP a turn. Hence, until we tally, our moves will be very predictable.

Here is what the map looks like after movement:

Allied Post Movement thoughts

The Buffalo and Hurricane left (sine the game come with 2 sets of Hurricane with the same ID codes, R & Q, we will refer to the Hurricane on the left side of the map as Hurricane left) are just slowing moving towards their Vectors The two Hurricanes on the right will dive down towards the Japanese Bombers at full Speed to get closer and Tally them. Here is the blown up version so we can see the planes more clearly:

Turn 2 – Tally Phase

Oscar A (the veteran) will try to tally Hurricane Q.

The Oscar is 3 hexes away from the Hurricane so he needs to roll a 3. Note again due to the Rear View, the Oscar does not get a -2 due to the Hurricane being in the rear.

The Oscar rolls a 3 +1 (Due to the Oscar being Veteran) = 4, so he tallies the Hurricane. Per the Scenario rules, the Veteran Japanese Squadron (this one) has tactical Flexibility. Hence it can split into two Flights.

We had a lively debate on the benefits of splitting a squadron into two flights. On the down side you get a -1 in Air Combat so you are less effective. You also get a -1 on the Cohesion roll and because you are a Flight any Cohesion result will break you (It takes two Cohesion hits to break a Squadron). On the plus side you have more units to intercept with. After much debate we decided that there were a LOT of factors that could influence the decision to Split including relative Location of the units, tactical situation, the different planes fighting, etc. However, in this case we both agreed that since the Hurricanes were Green Flights and the number of Allied Fighter units was double the Japanese Fighter units (4 to 2) then the Japanese should almost always split the veteran Squadron in this scenario as soon as he can.

So the Japanese did split the Squadron A. It became Flight C & D. with D tallying the Hurricane Q and the Experte staying with Flight C and staying in escort of the Bombers.

Hurricane Q will try to Tally Oscar Flight D which is 3 squares away. He needs to roll a 3 or higher. He rolls a 2 -1(due to the Hurricane being Green) = 1. No Tally.

Hurricane R will try to Tally Oscar Squadron B which is 4 squares away. He needs to roll a 4 or higher. He rolls a 2 -1(due to the Hurricane being Green) = 1. No Tally.

Japanese Post Tally thoughts

I chose not to Tally with the Oscar B Squadron as I want to leave his options open. Note: This is probably a mistake. tallying someone gives you more tactical flexibility. You can always drop the Tally later.

Allied Post Tally thoughts

I was hoping to Tally at least one of the Japanese Squadrons but no joy. I will have to move so as not to be bounced by the Japanese planes.

Turn 2 Movement Phase

Here is the Movement order.

Here is the screen after Movement:

Japanese Post Movement thoughts

Obviously, the Escort Fighters kept in formation. However, since Oscar D had tallied Hurricane Q, it can move and does. The problem is that I have to climb to reach them and they can dive to me much faster than I can climb to them. Remember, in Aerial Combat, Height gives you a big advantage. Since the Allied Flights have not tallied me, I wanted to move Oscar D up and ou of a direct line to their vector since they HAVE to head towards the Vector.

Allied Post Movement thoughts

I slowly moved the Flight and Squadron on the left side of the map, waiting for the Japanese. to show which way they are going. When they do I will speed up. Hurricane R will try to dive quickly and attack a bomber. Either they will get lucky and not get tallied or they will fight in the clouds causing the Japanese unit that fights them to break and go home.

Turn 2 Combat Phase

No Combat.

Turn 2 Administration Phase

No Administration.

Turn 2 End of Turn Phase

Nothing.

Turn 3 Setup Phase

Nothing.

Turn 3 Tally Phase

Squadron Oscar B will try to Tally Flight Hurricane R which is 1 square away. He needs to roll a 1 or higher. He rolls a 2 – 0 = 2. Hurricane R is Tallied.

Hurricane Q will try to Tally Oscar Flight D which is 3 squares away. He needs to roll a 3 or higher. He rolls a 6 – 1(due to the Hurricane being Green) = 5. Oscar D is Tallied.

Hurricane R will try to Tally Oscar Flight C which is 1 square away. He needs to roll a 1 or higher. He rolls a 2 -1(due to the Hurricane being Green) = 1. Oscar C is Tallied.

Here is what the map looks like after the Tally Phase.

Turn 3 Movement Phase

Movement Order:

Japanese Pre Movement thoughts

The only real choice in movement I have is Oscar D. Since we are both Tallied. I will move so that the Hurricane that tallied me cannot attack from above and get a +1 Speed Dive bonus.

Allied Pre Movement thoughts

The left side planes will move quickly to their Vectors and try to use GCI to move them closer to the oncoming bombers. Hurricane R will Dive onto Oscar in the Clouds. Since the Japanese Experte is in that Flight, we can perchance get him to break and leave. Hurricane Q will keep climbing to maintain his advantage against Oscar D.

Here is the map after movement:

Turn 3 Combat Phase

Combat in Q6 between Hurricane R and Oscar C. Per 10.1.2 since the Hurricane was the last squadron in move order, it is the attacker.

The Hurricane will use Speed as the rating for combat (since the Oscar has a better turn rating). The Hurricane has a Speed value of 4. The following will affect its combat value.

The Oscar has a Speed value of 4. The following will affect its combat value.

The Hurricane will fire on the 3-4= -1 column with the following Die roll modifiers.

The Oscar will fire on the 4-3= +1 column with the following Die roll modifiers.

The Hurricane rolls a 6-1=5. Result – Nothing. The Oscar rolls a 12-2=10. Result – 2 hits.

The Oscar rolls for Losses [10.6]. He gets to add the following:

He rolls twice, once for each hit.

Now for the Cohesion Rolls. At this point I would like to point out something about fighting in the Clouds. The weather modifier is a negative to your Cohesion roll. Hence, when fighting in Broken Clouds like this, both sides will get a -2 added to their Cohesion Roll. So you are much more likely to become Dispersed or Broken while in clouds. Think very carefully before you have a combat in the clouds.

Cohesion Table [10.7]

Die Roll Modifiers for Hurricane R:

Hurricane R rolls a 5-4 = 1. This is 2 Cohesion hits and since Flights are broken by any Cohesion hit, Hurricane R is Broken (Note that this result would have broken a Squadron too).

Die Roll Modifiers for Oscar C:

Oscar D rolls a 6-1= 5. This is one Cohesion hit resulting Oscar D being Broken (Note that this result would have caused a Squadron to become Dispersed).

Neither side wishes to Dogfight at this time.

Post Battle thoughts

The Allies got the best of this battle. Since both sides broke, the Japanese will lose their Experte for the rest of the game. Notice how fighting in the clouds really affects your cohesion. If you want to stay in the battle, avoid fighting in Clouds unless it is absolutely necessary.

Here is what the map looks like post battle.

Note that because Hurricane R and Oscar C are Broken, they lose all their tallies. Basically, all they can do is defend themselves and fly back home at top speed. Also note that Oscar B still has a Tally on Hurricane R. He will probably drop the Tally next Tally phase in order to attack an Allied fighter that may do damage to the Bombers.

Turn 3 Admin Phase

This is where the Vectors can be moved. The Allies will try to move the following Vectors (they need a 4 or higher).

Vector P – Rolled a 3. No change

Vector Q Left – Rolled a 6. Vector changed from I3 to L3.

Turn 3 End of Turn Phase

Nothing.

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To be continued in Part 2…

Articles in this Series: Part 1  Part 2  Part 3