Battle of Britain Game Overview

June 2010
The game portrays the events the game play by placing their areas. The Luftwaffe player
of one day in the Battle of Brit- raid plot markers facing the RAF may follow any of these inter-
ain, the 8th August 1940 and is player on the opposite side of the links as he sees the situation
centred on the concept of RAF board, in the grey ‘Luftflotte’ develop. This is to give the
Sector Stations within 11 Group raid assembly squares. In the Luftwaffe player a reasonable
RAF Fighter Command, as they event of an RDF site being de- degree of tactical manoeuvre,
existed in August 1940. There stroyed, the marker will be which is historically correct.
are five such Sector Stations, placed so that the RAF player However, London is the final
Biggin Hill, Kenley, Tangmere cannot see the raid details on the destination of all raids and once
Hornchurch and Northolt. To marker. this is reached, the Luftwaffe
each of these sector stations were returns home and all raid mark-
The RAF player will set up
attached satellite airfields, most ers on London are automatically
their squadrons on the appropri-
of which were quite primitive in removed. It should be remem-
ate ‘Squadron Readiness Board’
terms of repair and maintenance bered that the London metro-
with a squadron on each of the
Battle of Britain

facilities. One player will take politan area was not, at this
categories. One squadron, per
the RAF and control all the sec- time, the target, but there were
airfield, will always be on
tor stations, allocating defending significant industrial targets that
‘Alert’ at the beginning of the
fighters to attack the Luftwaffe were attacked on the outskirts.
game. There were no standing
raids as they occur. Where possi- For the purposes of the game,
patrols at this time.
ble, each sector station should be these targets are not identified.
controlled by a single player, Each raid marker will move
Each Luftflotte HQ can
thereby giving the game the through each of the boxes on
mount three raids per day – one
element of tension that devel- their specific raid track, marked
DAVID CHILD-DENNIS

each at morning, midday and

oped within 11 Group as fighter on the map, until they reach their
afternoon. To simplify play, all
squadrons were removed as non- target, are destroyed by RAF
morning raid markers must be
operational and replacements fighters or turn back. Once any
out of play before the midday
were increasingly difficult to get. of these events occur, the raid
raids commence. The midday
marker is immediately removed
There are three German Luft- raids must be complete before
from play; it being assumed the
flotte commands split between the afternoon raids are
Luftwaffe has beaten a hasty
Luftflotte 3 (Cherbourg) and launched. Once the three raids
retreat, unhampered by bomb
Luftflotte 2 (at Cap Blanc Nez are complete, the game is fin-
loads. An unloaded Do.17Z,
and Ghent). Again, it is prefer- ished. Each raid should take no
slightly nose down, could outrun
able that there is a player for more than about 15 minutes
a Hurricane on a good day!
each of these headquarters. playing time, so a complete
Players will see that the raid game should take no more than
The Luftwaffe player(s) open
tracks are interlinked in some an hour at most.

Contents
Design Credits
Sequence of play 3
Original Concept: John Armatys
Generating Raids 4

Air Combat 4
Rules/Design: David Child-Dennis

Attacking Targets 6
Developer: Matt Irsik

Victory Conditions 7 Contact the author:

Advanced rules 8 [email protected]

Background 11
Sequence of Play
Each turn in Battle of Britain follows the sequence listed below. Players of both sides go through the list in order, perform-
ing each part as described before going on to the next item.

1. The Luftwaffe player rolls 2D6 adding the total of the dice together to establish the number of aircraft in a raid. Each
Luftflotte HQ, rolls for three raid cards. One in the morning, at midday and the afternoon of the 8th August. This makes for a
total of nine Luftwaffe raids during the game. Set up all RAF squadron markers on the ‘Readiness Board’ at their listed air-
fields with one squadron at each being placed at ‘Standby’ or ‘5 Minutes readiness’. There are no RAF standing patrols.

2. Move all aircraft markers one square along the raid track or between any adjacent objective markers linked by a raid
line. The Luftwaffe player always moves first. Move any squadron markers on the ‘readiness board’ up one level of readi-
ness

3. Attempt to intercept enemy raids with RAF fighters that occupy the same square or objective marker. RAF Fighter
squadrons may not attempt to deliberately by-pass enemy raids in the same square. Fighters that fail an interception test
immediately return to base.

4. Resolve combat between intercepting fighters and bombers. Determine casualties.

5. Bombers that have been intercepted and lost the action to the fighters must immediately return to their home base.
Fighters engaged in combat immediately return to their home base. Bombers winning the interception combat continue.

6. Check to see if the bombers attack the target box or objective they now occupy. If they don’t, they move to the next box
or objective on their raid track in step 2. All raid markers reaching London are removed from play once they have delivered
their attack, or been driven off by fighter attack.

7. Go to step 2 and continue the raid sequence

until all raiders have returned to base.

8. Attempt to repair damage.

Event & Tactical Cards

The game uses two sets of cards that interception and combat bat. Once used they are dis-
allow players to influence game out- moves. At the beginning of carded and may not be re-
comes. Event cards allow for the repair of each raid cycle, each side used in the current game.
facilities, the replacement of casualties in (RAF and Luftwaffe) may Event cards may only be used
aircrew and aircraft and assistance from select three ‘event cards’ once per game turn, but may
adjoining Groups. Tactical cards allow and two ‘tactical cards’. then be returned to the pile
players to add or subtract from the en- Only one tactical card may for reuse in the next raid cy-
emy’s, or their own, dice rolls during be used per round of com- cle.

Page 3 BATTLE OF BRITAIN

Generating a Raid & The Raid Track
The German player has eleven raid So, if, an ‘11 ‘is rolled twice in a selec- move at a time, to the ‘Channel’ box,
cards ranging from 120+ through 20 + tion, the player will take the ‘120+’ raid then ‘RDF’ box, and so on. The raid
aircraft. Each of the three Luftflotte play- card that represents a dice roll of ‘12’. markers then proceed to the next Sector
ers rolls 2 dice and adds the total together Station box [S] along the raid track. If
Once three raid cards have been se-
to get a number between 2 and 12. The there are multiple dotted lines leading
lected, place one on each of the grey
number rolled equals the size of the raid from any box, the Luftwaffe player may
Luftflotte raid assembly squares. If the
allocate to that Luftflotte. Thus a ‘12’ choose to follow any one of these. How-
player rolls and gets a ‘2’, they can opt to
gives the player the ‘120+ raid card and ever, the final destination must be Lon-
use a ‘Low Level’ attack option involving
so on. If the same number is rolled twice don. Players will soon realise that the
Do17Z aircraft. This gives the player an
in a row, pick the nearest card to the more moves their aircraft take to reach
added attack advantage against targets.
number available. If there is a choice London, the more likely they are to be
between numbers, always take the higher. Each raiding force begins in the Luft- attacked.
flotte box (in grey) and proceeds one

Intercepting a Raid
Nearly 50% of all fighter squadrons fighter squadrons attacking a 120+ raid be required to roll a ‘2’ in order to do so.
failed to intercept the bombers they were will roll 12 or less with two dice, so can- If the fighters fail to roll the required
vectored against. Divide the bomber raid not fail to locate total, they fail to inter-
size by 10. Each fighter unit will be re- the raid. If, how- cept and immediately
quired to roll two dice and score a com- ever, a fighter return to base. Intercep-
bined total equal to or LESS than this squadron is at- tion dice rolls can be
figure in order to intercept the raid before tempting to locate a modified by tactical
they can engage it in air combat. Thus, 20+ raid, they will cards.

Air Combat (Tally Ho!)

Air Combat can only occur between two numbers of raiding aircraft and intercept- treated in the same way, its aircraft
forces that have made contact by moving ing fighters to determine the outcome. strength also being divided by ‘10’.
onto the same square or objective marker.
For the purposes of the game we will The lower number is divided into the
The combat is between all the RAF fight-
assume that the attack value of each indi- higher number and this represents the
ers and the entire Luft-
vidual RAF squadron is minimum number that must be rolled
waffe raid being inter-
‘10’. That is, each attack- (including any adjustments using tactical
cepted in that square or
ing squadron managed to cards) to force a raid to turn back. If the
on that objective. Com-
get 10 out of 12 aircraft number is exceeded, then there is a possi-
bat is adjusted in accor-
into combat. This is his- bility of bomber casualties. If the ad-
dance with ‘tactical
torically a gross over- justed number rolled is lower, then the
cards’ played by either
estimate, with 50% being a RAF fighters are beaten off by the escort
player and the outcome
normal average at this and bomber defensive fire. They are im-
determined by a single
time. However, ‘10’ is an mediately withdrawn, and may suffer
six-sided dice roll. It is a
easy number to work with. fighter losses. The raiders continue on
matter of calculating an
The Luftwaffe raid is with their mission.
odds ratio between the

Page 4 BATTLE OF BRITAIN

Air Combat Examples
Example 1 squadrons to intercept such a large raid in Luftwaffe raid 50: RAF Fighters 30 = 5
order to have a better than equal prospect divided by 3 = 1.66 rounded up to 2.
A Luftwaffe raid of 120+ is intercepted
of success. Hence the ‘Event cards’ al-
by 3 RAF squadrons, 30 aircraft. It would require any dice roll greater than
lowing 10 and 12 Groups to offer addi-
‘1’ to force the enemy to turn back and
Luftwaffe combat value = 12: RAF com- tional fighter squadrons in support of 11
possibly cause loss.
bat value = 3: Therefore 12 divided by 3 Group are important to the RAF defend-
= 4. ers. Note that the winner does not take a test
for losing aircraft in the attack. While this
The RAF would need to roll an adjusted However, should the raid be smaller, say
may appear unrealistic, it must be re-
4, 5 or 6’ with a single D6, to have any 50 aircraft (including escort) then 3 inter-
membered that RAF losses will occur
effect against the raid. The odds of the cepting RAF squadrons would have de-
when they fail to beat an attacking
RAF causing the raid to turn back are cidedly better odds at inflicting serious
bomber force. And… just how many ‘1’s
50%, but that was the nature of the Battle. loss on the raiders…
do you think you can roll (at the wrong
It requires a greater number of RAF
Example 2 time) in a game anyway? Say no more!

Aces, Leaders, & Their Effects

A number of exceptional commanders appeared during the Battle to lead various units. They had an immediate and positive effect on
their unit’s combat effectiveness. I consider the following individuals as such and when leading their units in combat increase their ef-
fectiveness by +1

RAF Luftwaffe Note: There may be others that deserve

such an accolade, and if you feel they
Bader 242 H Sqn Duxford Molders
deserve it, feel free to add them to the
Deere 54 S Sqn Hornchurch Fink (Bombers) Luftflotte2 list. However, a raid or squadron may
only include one such named individual.
Malan 74 S Sqn Coltishall Galland
Where possible try and allocate them to
Townshend 85 H Sqn Hornchurch their correct squadron.
Finucane 65 S Sqn Hornchurch

Aircraft Losses
Compare the required dice roll for a remember these are only claimed losses If players want to make tally sheets for
successful combat result with the actual and may not represent the actual loss their squadrons so they can record kills,
dice roll. If, as above, the dice roll was a suffered by the bombers. In fact, both then by all means do so. As the game has
‘2’ or greater to mount a successful attack sides grossly overestimated their kills. a playing time of around 15 minutes per
then any number over this causes loss to Therefore, as a simple solution to the raid cycle, such ‘accounting’ will not
the bombers. So, if the RAF player rolls a problem, we will roll for each of the prove a major impediment to game play.
‘6’, the difference between the required ‘claims’ and a 4,5,6 will determine it was Once an RAF squadron suffers 6 aircraft
dice roll of ‘2’ and ‘6’ is 4. The RAF has an actual loss, while a 1,2,3 will deter- lost, (either actual or claimed) it is con-
therefore inflicted 40% loss on the attack- mine it as ‘a probable’. sidered ‘ineffective’ and withdraws from
ing bombers. This represents a loss of 20 the Battle. It may be replaced using an
aircraft from the total of 50 raiders. But events card.

BATTLE OF BRITAIN Page 5

Attacking Targets & Damage
The Luftwaffe targets are not selected on to the next objective, where another out of action. Satellite airfields require 5,
by the Luftwaffe commanders, rather attack test will be made. Players will note or 6 to put them put of action. Sector
they are determined by dice roll as the that the first target box bombers will pass Station airfields require a 4,5, or 6 to put
raid passes along the raid track. This has over is the RDF station box located on them out of action, while London re-
been done to introduce a degree of uncer- the coast. It requires a ‘5’ or ‘6’ to attack quires 3,4,5 or 6 to cause damage. Lon-
tainty into the bomber target options and these difficult targets. The airfields, being don cannot be knocked out for obvious
what response the RAF needs to make to considered important tactical targets, reasons, however, should five out of the
counter it. require only a 4,5, or 6 to attack, while nine possible raids reach London,
London, which is almost impossible to Dowding will be immediately sacked by
There are two parts to the bombing
miss, is a 3,4,5 or 6. Remember that Churchill. As if Dowding didn’t have
attack. The first dice roll is to hit the tar-
London was not a target at this period of enough on his plate!
get and the second is to cause damage.
the Battle, rather the industries and dock-
The reason for this two-part roll is to take After a target is attacked, the raid
lands situated in the north-west and east
into account the fact that bombing was marker will be immediately removed
end were.
inaccurate and although a raid might plas- from the game and assumed to have re-
ter the target area with bombs, it might Once the raid has attacked the target, turned home as quickly as possible. Luft-
not cause significant damage. it is time to assess the damage. This is waffe raid markers are always returned to
done by rolling a single dice for each ten the stack in preparation for the next raid
As the Luftwaffe raid passes over each
aircraft in the raid. Therefore a 120+ raid cycle. RAF squadrons attacking a raid or
box or objective, the player will roll a
will roll 12 dice to assess damage to a that have failed to locate a raid immedi-
single dice to determine if the raid attacks
target. ately return to base and are placed on the
that specific box or objective, or passes
Readiness Board at ‘Available’.
RDF stations require a ‘6’ to put them

Special Attacks
A number of very low level attacks and damage could have resulted in a seri- proach the target, before they attack,
were made as the weather cleared during ous gap in Fighter Command’s response. equivalent to 1 squadron of fighters. If
August. One particularly dangerous at- Luftwaffe players drawing raid cards of the AA fire scores a hit, the same calcula-
tack occurred on 18th August against 20+ aircraft can opt to use them as a low- tion for normal fighter combat losses
Kenley by the 9th Staffel of Kampfgesch- level attack formation. They cannot be applies. If the Special Attack raid fails to
wader 76, flying 9 - Do17Z. Although detected until they cross the coast. They identify a target it will continue on the
they suffered losses, for a mere nine air- receive a +1 bonus to hit the target and same raid track until it finds an alterna-
craft they caused considerable damage damage the target. However, they must tive target, reaches London, or is turned
and havoc. Kenley was a Sector Station take an anti-aircraft fire test as they ap- back by enemy action.

Damage Effects & Repairs

RDF stations knocked out result in ment’ of the game with a single dice roll Repairs can be affected one of two ways.
the Luftwaffe raid marker being turned of ‘6’, or an events card allowing Through the use of event cards or by
away from the RAF player until it crosses ‘installation repair’ can be used instead. rolling a ‘5’ or ‘6’ on a single dice. Play-
the coast. At that point we can assume the Only one repair attempt may be made ers must chose which option they are
R.O.C will have sighted the raid and re- after each raid cycle. This allows for going to attempt BEFORE they do so. As
ported its size, course and altitude to HQ three attempts during the game. with the RDF stations, only three repair
Fighter Command, Stanmore. RDF sta- attempts may be made during the game in
Airfields will remain unavailable for
tions can be repaired in the ‘repair seg- the repair segments of the game turn.
fighter operations until they are repaired.

Page 6 BATTLE OF BRITAIN

Victory Conditions
The German and British objectives were considerably different during the Battle of Britain. The German objective was to suffi-
ciently threaten Britain with invasion that she would come to the negotiating table and an armistice or at least a cessation of hos-
tilities arranged. The Luftwaffe was therefore primarily an instrument of political policy. The British objective was simple survival in
the face of a very capable enemy air force. I would suggest the following as victory conditions for each side.

The Luftwaffe
Any one of the following conditions must be fulfilled to gain a Luftwaffe victory.

 The destruction of three out of five sector stations in 11 Group. This would leave the air defence of 11 Group almost im-
possible and require the RAF to withdraw north of London and out of the effective control of the south coast, thus paving
the way for invasion.

 The destruction of half of 11 Group’s fighter squadrons.

 Five out of nine bomber raids (of at least 50+ strength) reach London. This would have resulted in serious damage to
aircraft production and repair facilities, not to mention civilian and political morale.

RAF Fighter Command

Any one of the following conditions will gain an RAF victory

 No raids reach London

 Five out of nine raids crossing the coast turn back before they attack a target

 The losses of
Luftwaffe air-
craft (claimed
and con-
firmed) ex-
ceed those of
the RAF by
2:1.

If both sides achieve

two of their three ob-
jectives, the game is a
draw.

BATTLE OF BRITAIN Page 7

Advanced Rules-Luftwaffe
The original rules don’t allow the 10 Group, so this battle falls outside the been relatively successful in this task. By
Luftwaffe player(s) to select targets. This scope of these rules. Later in the day, early August, the Luftwaffe had a reason-
is done randomly as the Luftwaffe raids Heinkel and Dornier raids occurred in 11 able picture of the RAF. What they un-
overfly the target. In the advanced rules, Group areas as fighter units became derestimated was the aircraft production
the Luftwaffe player(s) may select their available to cover the bombers. rates and reserve squadron availability.
targets, but there are limits to their selec-
The Luftwaffe intelligence assessment The Germans, although possessing
tion.
had made various erroneous assumptions their own radar (Freya) units based in the
By the 8th August 1940, the Luftwaffe about the RAF use of RDF and the con- Pas de Calais, seem to have believed
had been directed to attack RDF sites and trol system associated with Fighter Com- RDF would tie the RAF to specific areas
airfields. However, the opportunity to mand. Specialist Me110C aircraft, carry- of response as their controllers attempted
attack a convoy (Peewit) in the Channel, ing a third crew member tasked with ra- to differentiate the various raids being
diverted most of the Stuka and fighter dio interception, monitored the RAF ra- assembled over the French countryside.
resources to this task on the 8th. Most of dio networks to identify squadrons and This erroneous Luftwaffe intelligence had
the RAF defence involved aircraft from command installations and appear to have a major effect on the selection of targets.

Rules
1. Luftwaffe players will roll a 1D6 to select a target type and anything but a ‘1’ will result in a sector station being selected as a
target. A ‘1’ will result in an RDF site being attacked.

2. Each Luftflotte command may attack any target they can reach in 5 game moves. However, raids may not double-back on
their attack track. They may only move sideways or forward. If the target is London, then the raid finishes as soon as London
is attacked or the raid is driven off while attempting to do so, the raid is removed from play and returned to the Luftwaffe raid
card stack.

3. Luftwaffe players will launch three raids per game, as per the original rules, per Luftflotte HQ. The aircraft strength will be
determined in the same manner and the raid marker placed according to the original rules.

4. Luftwaffe players may select various named specialist bomber units to attack targets. These units require a ‘6’ to be rolled in
order to obtain them. If the required ‘6’ is not rolled, the Luftwaffe player is allocated a standard, unidentified bomber unit.
These specialist attack units are deemed to part of the raid and not acting on their own. The only exception to this is the low
level attacks, which were carried out by very small numbers of aircraft.

5. If a unit is required to attack an RDF site, the Luftwaffe player may attempt to obtain a specialist Stuka unit (StG77) by roll-
ing a ‘6’. Only one dice roll per target allocation is allowed, per game.

6. Weather played an important part in the Battle therefore the Luftwaffe player will make a dice roll for weather conditions at
the beginning of each raid sequence – morning, midday and afternoon.

1,2 Weather is heavy cloud – all target location and combat dice rolls –1

3,4 Weather has light cloud – all dice rolls unmodified.

5,6 Weather is clear – all dice rolls for the RAF location and attack +1

BATTLE OF BRITAIN Page 8

Advanced Rules-Luftwaffe (cont.)
WEATHER: as historically recorded for 8th August.
Cloudy in the morning with the possibility of showers in the south-east. Cloudy inland but remaining dry. Cloud cover should break up
during the afternoon. Visibility good with cloudy periods with bright intervals in the west.

7. Sector stations have a greater degree of specific damage.

1,2 damages the airfield – each time the airfield is used before its repaired, the player must roll a 4,5,6 in order to get aircraft
into the air.

3,4 damages the hangars – all aircraft remain at ‘readiness’ until the installation is repaired.

5,6 damages aircraft repair and fuel installations. If the fuel and repair installations are damaged roll a further dice for a
catastrophic explosion (a “6”) causing the airfield to be lost as an operational base for the duration of the game.

RAF Standing Patrols

The original rules don’t allow for stand- ployed forward to Manston at dusk ready bombardment Manston suffered from
ing patrols, even though they were pre- to begin their patrol at daybreak the fol- German long range artillery units set up
sent historically. RAF players may now lowing morning. Because Manston re- to shell Dover and the coast. I would
place 1 squadron on standing patrol in the mained under constant attack during this suggest that players might like to include
‘Channel’ box in the morning period of period, rearming and refuelling was a a local weather dice roll for the Channel
the game. It attempts to intercept any major problem. Players may like to con- area as per the above rules and a single
Luftwaffe raid passing through the box it sider adding two difficulties experienced dice roll for attacking Manston with artil-
is allocated to in the same manner as the by fighter patrols. The Channel weather lery at the beginning of the day using rule
original rules. If the standing patrol fails was often quite different to that further 7 above. It requires a ‘5’ or ‘6’ to hit
to contact the raid, it is withdrawn to its inland. Mist and fog often covered the Manston with artillery fire. Only one
original base and placed in the ‘available’ Dover sector of the Channel, making round of artillery fire may be conducted
box. Most of the standing patrols were flying difficult and interception almost against Manston in the morning period of
based at Biggin Hill or Henley, and de- impossible. The other was the constant the game.

Advanced Rules-RAF
The RAF began the May 1940. This re- foreign pilots enter the RAF and make
Battle of Britain sulted in the loss of good some of these losses. Of particular
desperately short of hundreds of Hurri- note were the Polish and Czech pilots that
experienced pilots canes and many Spit- formed their own national squadrons.
as a result of Chur- fires along with their No303 Polish Sqn based at Croydon fly-
chill’s insistence irreplaceable pilots ing Hurricanes was the first such squad-
that it should divert and ground crew. This ron, the Canadian No1 (later 404) squad-
an unsustainable loss was to have an ron, based at Northolt, was the second.
number of aircrews almost disastrous ef- These two squadrons showed remarkable
to the defence of France in May 1940. No fect on the RAF’s ability to defend Brit- élan and aggression in the battle. But
one in the British Cabinet expected the ain. After the fall of France, the RAF was these squadrons were not to see battle on
French army to collapse so quickly in extremely fortunate to have a number of the 8th August.

Page 9 BATTLE OF BRITAIN

Advanced Rules-RAF (cont.)
RAF aircraft availability by squadron as at noon on 8th August

Debden [S] 17 Sqn (19 H)

Martlesham 85 Sqn (21H)

North Weald 151 Sqn (19H)

Hornchurch [S] 65 Sqn (18S), 74 Sqn (17S)

Rochford 56 Sqn (19H)

Gravesend 501 Sqn (19H), 54 Sqn (18S)

Biggin Hill [S] 32 Sqn (17H), 610 Sqn (15S)

Kenley [S] 64 Sqn (15S), 615 Sqn (16H)

Croydon 111 Sqn (18H)

Northolt [S] 1 Sqn (18H), 257 Sqn (18H)

Tangmere [S] 601 Sqn (16H), 43 Sqn (19H)

Westhampnett 145 Sqn (16H)

[S] Sector Stations

(S) Spitfire squadron

(H) Hurricane Squadron

Players may choose to substitute the above squadron lists for those in the original game, which are from a later period in the battle. I
have made the squadrons from Debden and Martlesham ‘reserve status’ because of their distance from London and the south coast and
because there was an expectation that Luftwaffe attacks would cross the North Sea from Holland and Belgium – which they did. Tang-
mere and Westhampnett squadrons cannot be used against other than Luftflotte 3 raids due to the ongoing attacks on Channel convoys.
Tangmere may place a morning patrol of 1 squadron in the Channel box opposite Luftflotte 3. It may remain on station until the Luft-
waffe raid has passed through the Channel box, been driven off, or destroyed, and then is withdrawn to its home base, where it is placed
at ‘available’ on the squadron readiness table.

RAF Morale (Optional)

There is no doubt that at the beginning of of friends and colleagues affect the survi-  RAF squadrons are ‘exhausted’ and
the Battle the RAF morale was high. The vors in a squadron. However, the territo- must be withdrawn once they reach
RAF believed itself to be the equal of the rial air force pilots were different. Most an aircraft strength of 6. Given that
Luftwaffe, especially when it came to the of them were firm friends, some over the game only lasts one actual day,
Spitfire. By the beginning of August, many years, and it must have been par- there is no time for reinforcement
after the debacle of France that had re- ticularly difficult to lose someone with pilots or aircraft to arrive. I therefore
sulted in such heavy losses in aircrew, the whom you have known for a long time suggest that they are stood down as
average squadron pilot realised the battle and endured the rigours of battle. In the ‘ineffective’ until the end of the
that lay ahead was not going to be easy. It light of these considerations, I suggest the game.
is always difficult to assess how the loss following optional rule:

BATTLE OF BRITAIN Page 10

Historical Overview of the Battle
What is so interesting about this battle?
reached a maximum speed of around 350 mph, The Luftwaffe had opted for a cannon and
The Battle over British skies during the period
bombers around 270 mph. This meant that an machinegun armament combination in the
July through early September 1940, was at that
aircraft crossing the English coast near Dover Me109E and Me110C. It allowed the use of
time, the most unique battle in the history of
could arrive over London in about 15 minutes. It explosive shells in the 20mm cannon, which were
warfare. It was the first time that airpower was to
took a Spitfire 13 minutes to reach 20,000 feet primarily intended for use in the ground support
be the only determining factor in the outcome of
and the Hurricane about 17, which was the aver- role, the principle purpose for which the Luft-
a battle.
age altitude Luftwaffe raids arrived over London. waffe was designed. The RAF opted for six, then
Bleriot had crossed the English Channel in Reaction times of the defending RAF fighter eight .303 calibre machineguns as the basic arma-
July 1909, a matter of about 22 miles, in approxi- squadrons became vital. The RAF had given this ment of both the Spitfire and Hurricane, believ-
mately 37 minutes. The fact that his aircraft matter some thought before the war and with the ing they would be more than adequate to bring
engine was able to sustain such a long period of help of some very talented GPO personnel, man- down any bomber then in service. In this as-
continuous running was considered to be a tech- aged to construct an efficient fighter command sumption they made a number of errors.
nical marvel at that time. By 1936, less than and control system, before the battle began. This
One of the principle reasons the RAF elected
thirty years later, aircraft had been developed that system was the core of the RAF’s ability to react
to use a rifle calibre bullet, as opposed to the
would cross the world in a week and carry 5,000 to Luftwaffe raids.
US.50 calibre heavy machinegun or 20mm can-
pounds of cargo as well. Canvas wing coverings RDF – Radar
non, was that early trials with both these weapons
had been supplanted by aluminium skins and the Radio Direction Finding (RDF – later to be-
had indicated that under high “G” loads, they
science of electronics had invented radar and come radar) was only in its infancy, yet allowed
tended to jam. The .303 machinegun had shown
radio aids that greatly increased safety levels. the RAF the vital advantage of detecting Luft-
the least tendency to do this, by a large margin.
Engine technology, probably the most important waffe raids as they formed up over France. This
However, it was not the weight of fire that
contribution to aviation’s success, had produced gave the RAF an extension of the time needed to
proved to be decisive, but the range and therefore
an engine of nearly 1,000 HP by the mid 1930’s, get airborne, something that was to prove critical
the accuracy with which fire could be delivered.
a far cry from Bleriot’s 25 HP Azani engine. to the outcome of the
As a result of the extensive
The sky is a different medium in which to battle. However, we
analysis of gun-camera film
fight must remember that
taken during the Dieppe raid,
The sky is a completely different medium in RDF in 1940 was not
British scientists were able to
which to conduct war. Unlike a land or sea battle, nearly as accurate as it
calculate that most pilots fired
it has a three dimensional aspect in that height was later in the war.
from beyond the effective
becomes an important third factor. Commanders On average, only 50%
range of the .303 machinegun.
and pilots needed to be aware that as the battle of all squadrons man-
When interviewed about this
got higher, the problems associated with combat aged to intercept the
problem, many pilots simply
at altitude became greater. Oxygen was essential raids they were sent
had no idea how far they were
above 10,000 feet and even in the height of sum- against. There were a number of reasons, but the
from the target. When many pilots thought they
mer, temperatures dropped to –20C at 20,000 feet. most common was the speed with which a raid
were firing at 700 yards range, they were actually
One of the greatest difficulties with the Spitfire moved and the inherent inaccuracies in radar
firing from beyond 1,000 yards and thus had no
and Me109E was their very cramped cockpits plotting. A pilot only needed to be 2 miles away
chance of hitting the target. But during the Battle,
prevented pilots wearing heavy jackets to keep from his intended target and he was unlikely to
they had no idea this was the case, so the .303
warm. Hurricanes were considerably roomier and see it. If he was below it, then it became even
calibre machinegun was unjustly blamed for
thus allowed the wearing of sheepskin jackets. more difficult. Cloud was another factor. Flying
failing to score enough hits to bring down a
This not only protected the pilot against the cold, through heavy cloud presented a real danger of
bomber. True, there were instances where bomb-
it provided extra protection against shrapnel and collision, especially when opposing aircraft had
ers managed to survive incredible numbers of
the greatest peril of all; fire. not sighted one another.
hits, but they were rare. It was the naturally tal-
There was yet another important factor in air Armament – will the controversy ever be ented shooters that managed to rack up the high
settled?
war… speed. By 1939, the average fighter had kill rates because they were (cont. on p. 12)

BATTLE OF BRITAIN Page 11

Historical Overview of the Battle (cont.)
skilled in assessing target lead and range. 305 mph from his own personal Hurricane. This of experience. It had been given the very best of
Cannons anyone? difference could be accounted for because Park everything and expected excellence from their
While the cannon shell was extremely de- may not have been issued with a Hurricane using aircrew. Oberst Fink, Commodore KG2, at age
structive to an aircraft, it being estimated that just 100-octane fuel, something that would have made 50, was leading his Do17Z Gruppe over England
three 20mm hits were capable of bringing down a a considerable difference at altitude. However, it from almost the first day of the campaign; such a
B17 bomber, they presented their own set of was the wide spacing of the undercarriage that commitment to lead their airmen into battle was
problems. The first was what is known as ‘drop made a significant difference to the ground han- expected of Luftwaffe officers. It was only after
of shot’. Because the cannon shell is heavier and dling, and thus the safety of inexperienced pilots. the Luftwaffe command began to become con-
travels at a slower velocity than the machinegun On balance, the Hurricane was easier to handle cerned at the mounting casualty rate among irre-
bullet, it follows a markedly curved trajectory. by the novice pilot. This made a very significant placeable senior officers that Fink was ordered
This makes it inaccurate at longer ranges. Yet, difference to aircraft serviceability rates, when from flying duties
once the range has closed with the target, the they were most needed.
The RAF volunteer reservists proved to be as
cannon becomes decisive, hence the huge num-
Initially, it was decided that Hurricanes would flamboyant as their Luftwaffe opposite numbers,
bers of B17’s lost in daylight raids against can-
attack the bombers and Spitfires the escort. Fine if not more so. Many of them had red linings
non armed fighters prepared to press an attack. In
in theory, but it didn’t work in practice. There is added to their service jackets, much to the dis-
1940, the Me109E was in fighter-to-fighter com-
no doubt that being 50 mph slower than your quiet of their more conservative regular airforce
bat and cannon were not as effective against the
opposing Me109E presented a serous handicap to colleagues. Yet in battle, they proved more than
opposing fighters. Certainly, once a hit was
all but the most experienced pilots. Yet, the Hur- equal to the task. Their fighting spirit was forever
scored, the opponent was almost certainly
ricane appears to have acquitted itself very well perpetuated by the hunting call, ‘Tally Ho’ when
doomed. It was getting the hit that was the prob-
in 1940. By 1941, with the introduction of the the enemy was engaged. It became such a univer-
lem.
Fw190 and Me109F series, the Hurricane was sal RAF battle call that even squadrons that had
The Hurricane V Spitfire hopelessly outclassed, as the fighting over Malta lost their VR members continued its use.
Both aircraft came about through entirely proved. The Spitfire, on the other hand was capa-
But, as in all war, victory will go to the better
different design and construction philosophies. ble of being improved and re-developed so that
prepared or the side that makes the fewer mis-
Cam at Hawker, was well aware that if they were by 1946 a Mark XXIV had been developed that
takes. Both forces were exhausted by the end of
to mass-produce a fighter aircraft in a very short bore little relationship to Mitchell’s original
August, with casualties rising at an alarming rate
space of time, they would need to rely on the design. However, there is little doubt that had it
and men so tired that they could barely fly. What
existing industrial skill base available in 1935. not been for the Hurricane, the Battle of Britain
was not readily appreciated at the time was the
That meant wood and craftsmen joiners, of which might have turned out very differently.
enormous strain pilots were under, both physical
Britain had plenty. Mitchell, at Vickers, decided
Personnel
and mental. Altitude saps energy very quickly,
to risk all and develop an entirely revolutionary
Both air forces were professional to the core,
especially if you are involved in violent manoeu-
aircraft, using a new set of skills. This divergence
even though the RAF contained a large number
vres in combat. The enormous ‘G’ loads inflicted
contributed heavily to the difference in produc-
of ‘volunteer – Reserve’ squadrons. It was these
on pilots, caused exhaustion that was not recog-
tion and repair rates between the two aircraft.
‘territorials’ that formed the backbone of the
nised. Pilots would come back to their airfields
However, there were RAF, the regular air
and literally fall asleep almost as soon as they got
more important differences. force being too small
out of the aircraft, even though they may have
The Hurricane had a slower to carry the burden
been in the air for only an hour. Sitting in an
top speed by about 50 mph. of the Battle. The
aircraft in dispersal for hours on end didn’t help
It was supposed to attain Luftwaffe was an
matters either. They were often as not, tired be-
325 mph in a straight line at all-regular force,
fore they took off. By the end of August the
around 15,000 feet. Accord- having already
battle had become an almost endless grind for
ing to Keith Park, he never fought in Spain and
both sides, with no end in sight. Whoever blinked
managed to get more than Poland, from which
first was going to lose.
it gained a great deal

BATTLE OF BRITAIN Page 12

 WFHGS
There has never been a point in the wargaming hobby where there are so many op-
tions for the air combat gamer! Not only are there dozens of well made 1/300th scale
models, but there are also 1/600th and 1/144th versions for almost any period. There
are also a wide range of air combat rules, but Battle of Britain, August 8th, 1940 is
DAVID CHILD-DENNIS
not a set that you would traditionally see as it focuses on this one critical day of com-
We meet every other Friday night in the Salt Lake City, Utah
area. We currently game Age of Reason, Age of Discovery, Age bat over England. The game is operational in nature and does not focus on the usual
of Eagles, The Sword and the Flame, Battles for Empire, Wild
West, Blitzkrieg Commander, Sharp Practice, and many, many one on one dogfighting seen in most rules. Instead, you get a quick snapshot of a one
more periods and games.
day massive battle with squadrons of aircraft. This is ideal for conventions or large
Email questions to:
[email protected] groups where you can run mul-
tiple games or for the times
when you have gamers who are
The best in historical miniatures interested in air combat, but not
gaming
to the point of having to learn
an entire book of rules. If you
like this set of rules we encour-
Visit our site at: age you to try Typhoon for
www.wfhgs.com quick game of modern air to air
combat or take it to the next
level with Phantoms/Intruders.

Other Air Combat Miniatures Rules

If you’ve enjoyed Battle of Britain there are several other sets of air combat rules that can be downloaded for free. Go to the
Downloads section at www.wfhgs.com to learn more.

Quick play rules for modern air com- Vietnam era jet combat using any scale The air to ground supplement for
bat using 1/144th scale aircraft. of miniatures. Based off of the popular Phantoms featuring a mission genera-
Mustangs rules by Avalon Hill, the tor, AAA, SAMs, and lots of ord-
system features three dimensional nance.
movement and is suitable for large
groups.
 Battle of Britain
Event Cards - Weather

Event card Event card Event card

Weather Weather Weather
Heavy Cloud Heavy Cloud Heavy Cloud

-1 to all target location and -1 to all target location -1 to all target location and
combat dice rolls combat dice rolls combat dice rolls

The card is remain in force The card is remain in force The card is remain in force
for the duration of the raid for the duration of the raid for the duration of the raid

Event card Event card Event card

Weather Weather Weather

Light Cloud Light Cloud Light Cloud

No adjustment to location No adjustment to location No adjustment to location

or combat dice rolls. or combat dice rolls. or combat dice rolls.

The card is remain in The card is remain in The card is remain in

force for the duration of force for the duration of force for the duration of
the raid the raid the raid

Event card Event card Event card

Weather Weather Weather

Clear Clear Clear

Location or RAF combat Location or RAF combat Location or RAF combat

dice rolls +1. dice rolls +1. dice rolls +1.

The card is remain in The card is remain in The card is remain in

force for the duration of force for the duration of force for the duration of
the raid the raid the raid

Tuesday, 8 June 2010

 Battle of Britain
Damage cards

Event card Event card Event card

Bomb Damage Bomb Damage Bomb Damage
Airfield cratered Airfield cratered Airfield cratered

Player must roll 4,5,6 to get Player must roll 4,5,6 to get Player must roll 4,5,6 to get
aircraft in the air until airfield aircraft in the air until airfield aircraft in the air until airfield
is repaired is repaired is repaired

Event card Event card Event card

Bomb Damage Bomb Damage Bomb Damage
Hangars Damaged Hangars Damaged Hangars Damaged

Aircraft must remain at Aircraft must remain at Aircraft must remain at

readiness until airfield is readiness until airfield is readiness until airfield is
repaired. No aircraft may repaired. No aircraft may repaired. No aircraft may
take off. take off. take off.

Event card Event card Event card

Bomb Damage Bomb Damage Bomb Damage
Aircraft refuelling and Aircraft refuelling and Aircraft refuelling and
repair facilities destroyed. repair facilities destroyed. repair facilities destroyed.

No aircraft may use the No aircraft may use the No aircraft may use the
airfield until it is repaired. airfield until it is repaired. airfield until it is repaired.
All aircraft begin at All aircraft begin at All aircraft begin at
‘Available’ once airfield is ‘Available’ once airfield is ‘Available’ once airfield is
repaired repaired repaired

Tuesday, 8 June 2010

 Battle of Britain
Event Cards Page 2

Event card Event card Event card

RDF Repairs RDF Repairs RDF Repairs
Any single RDF station Any single RDF station Any single RDF station
put out of action may be put out of action may be put out of action may be
repaired with this card. repaired with this card. repaired with this card.

The card is discarded The card is discarded The card is discarded

immediately after use. immediately after use. immediately after use.

Event card Event card Event card

Replacement Replacement Replacement
Squadron Squadron Squadron
73 Hurricane Squadron 504 Hurricane Squadron 611 Spitfire Squadron
transferred from 12 Group transferred from 13 Group transferred from 13 Group
to replace a non- to replace a non- to replace a non-
operational squadron. operational squadron. operational squadron.

The card is discarded The card is discarded The card is discarded

immediately after use. immediately after use. immediate ly after use.

Event card Event card Event card

10 Group 10 Group 12 Group
Lends a hand Lends a hand Lends a hand
609 Spitfire Squadron 238 Hurricane Squadron 1D6 roll of 4,5,6 scramble
scrambles from Middle scrambles from Middle 242 (H) and 54 (S) Sqns
Wallop. Wallop. from Duxford. Roll 1,2,3
and only 242 (H) available.
The card is discarded The card is discarded
immediately after use. immediately after use. The card is discarded
immediately after use.

David Child-Dennis 2010 1

 Battle of Britain
Event Cards Page 1

Event card Event card Event card

Airfield Repairs Airfield Repairs Airfield Repairs
Any single airfield put out Any single airfield put out Any single airfield put out
of action may be repaired of action may be repaired of action may be repaired
with this card. with this card. with this card.

The card is discarded The card is discarded The card is discarded

immediately after use. immediately after use. immediately after use .

Event card Event card Event card

Heavy AA Barrage Heavy AA Barrage Heavy AA Barrage
The latest 3.7” AA guns The latest 3.7” AA guns The latest 3.7” AA guns
join the London Barrage. join the London Barrage. join the London Barrage.
All bombers must roll a ‘6’ All bombers must roll a ‘6’ All bombers must roll a ‘6’
to hit a London target. to hit a London target. to hit a London target.

The card is discarded The card is discarded The card is discarded

immediately after use. immediately after use . immediately after use.

Event card Event card Event card

Balloon Barrage Balloon Barrage Balloon Barrage
RAF Balloon Command RAF Balloon Command RAF Balloon Command
joins the London AA joins the London AA joins the London AA
defences. All bombers defences. All bombers defences. All bombers
must roll a ‘6’ to hit a must roll a ‘6’ to hit a must roll a ‘6’ to hit a
London target. London target. London target.

The card is discarded The card is discarded The card is discarded

immediately after use. immediately after use. immediately after use.

David Child-Dennis 2010 1

 Duxford

Northolt Hornchurch

Biggin Hill
Middle Wallop

Kenley Dover
RDF

Tangmere Beachy
Head
RDF

Ventnor
RDF

Channel Channel Channel

Luftflotte 3 Luftflotte 2 Luftflotte 2

Cherbourg Cap Blanc Nez Ghent
 Battle of Britain
Tactical Cards – Page 1

Tactical card Tactical card Tactical card

Achtung Spitfeur! Achtung Spitfeur! Achtung Spitfeur!
Any one Spitfire squadron Any one Spitfire squadron Any one Spitfire squadron
involved in an attack involved in an attack involved in an attack
gains Plus 1 to their dice gains Plus 1 to their dice gains Plus 1 to their dice
roll roll roll

The card is discarded The card is discarded The card is discarded

immediately after use. immediately after use. immediately after use.

Tactical card Tactical card Tactical card

Achtung Spitfeur! Achtung Spitfeur! Achtung Spitfeur!
Any one Spitfire squadron Any one Spitfire squadron Any one Spitfire squadron
involved in an attack involved in an attack involved in an attack
gains Plus 1 to their dice gains Plus 1 to their dice gains Plus 1 to their dice
roll roll roll

The card is discarded The card is discarded The card is discarded

immediately after use. immediately after use. immediately after use.

Tactical card Tactical card Tactical card

Bounced by Escort! Bounced by Escort! Bounced by Escort!
Any one RAF squadron Any one RAF squadron Any one RAF squadron
involved in an attack involved in an attack involved in an attack
Looses -1 to their dice Looses -1 to their dice Looses -1 to their dice
roll. roll. roll.

The card is discarded The card is discarded The card is discarded

immediately after use. immediately after use. immediately after use.

David Child-Dennis 2010

 Battle of Britain
Tactical Cards Page 2

Tactical card Tactical card Tactical card

Buster! Buster! Buster!
Any one RAF squadron Any one RAF squadron Any one RAF squadron
may make an extra move may make an extra move may make an extra move
to intercept a raid this to intercept a raid this to intercept a raid this
turn. turn. turn.

The card is discarded The card is discarded The card is discarded

immediately after use. immediately after use. immediately after use .

Tactical card Tactical card Tactical card

Height Advantage! Height Advantage! Height Advantage!
Any one RAF squadron Any one RAF squadron Any one RAF squadron
may add +1 to the may add +1 to the may add +1 to the
attacking dice roll this attacking dice roll this attacking dice roll this
turn only turn only turn only

The card is discarded The card is discarded The card is discarded

immediately after use. immediately after use. immediately after use.

Tactical card Tactical card Tactical card

Cloud Cover! Cloud Cover! Cloud Cover!
One raid of Luftwaffe One raid of Luftwaffe One raid of Luftwaffe
Bombers manages to hide Bombers manages to hide Bombers manages to hide
in cloud… -1 to the RAF in cloud… -1 to the RAF in cloud… -1 to the RAF
interception dice roll this interception dice roll this interception dice roll this
turn only. turn only. turn only.

The card is discarded The card is discarded The card is discarded

immediately after use. immediately after use. immediately after use.

David Child-Dennis 2010

 Battle of Britain
Raid Cards

021 022 023 024 025 026

40+ 50+ 60+ 70+ 80+ 90+
15000 15000 15000 15000 15000 15000

027 028 029 030 031 032

90+ 100+ 110+ 120+ 20+ 30+
15000 15000 15000 15000 1000 15000

033 034 035 036 037 038

30+ 40+ 50+ 60+ 70+ 80+
12000 12000 12000 12000 12000 12000

013 015 016 017 018 019

80+ 90+ 100+ 110+ 120+ 20+
21000 21000 21000 21000 21000 2000

001 002 003 004 005 006

20+ 30+ 40+ 50+ 60+ 70+
2000 15000 15000 15000 15000 15000

Use only one set of raid cards numbered from 20+ through 120+ aircraft, when setting up a game.
The extra cards are provided as spares.

David Child-Dennis 2010

 Squadron Readiness Board
11 Group Sector Stations
Northolt Hornchurch Biggin Hill Kenley Tangmere
Alert Alert Alert Alert Alert

5 Minutes 5 Minutes 5 Minutes 5 Minutes 5 Minutes

Readiness Readiness Readiness Readiness Readiness

Available Available Available Available Available

David Child-Dennis 2010

 RAF Squadrons
8th August 1940

Biggin Hill Kenley

32 Squadron 610 Squadron 615 Squadron 64 Squadron

Hurricanes Spitfires Hurricanes Spitfires

Northolt Croydon

1 Squadron 257 Squadron 111 Squadron

Hurricanes Hurricanes Hurricanes

Tangmere Westhampnett

601 Squadron 43 Squadron 145 Squadron

Hurricanes Hurricanes Hurricanes

David Child-Dennis 2010

 Battle of Britain - 11 Group - RAF
11th – 18th August 1940
Hornchurch Northholt

F-266 F-54 F-1 F-303

Polish

S S H H
F-74 F-401
RCAF

S H

Graves End

F-501

Kenley Biggin Hill West Malling

F-615 F-616 F-32 F-601

H S H S

Tangmere Westhampnett

F-43 F-601 F-602

H H S

David Child-Dennis 2010

 RAF Squadron reinforcements

12 Group
Duxford

F-242 F-54

H S

10 Group
Hornchurch Debden

F-65 F-85

S H

13 Group
Middle Wallop
F-609 F-238

S H

David Child-Dennis 2010

 11 Group
RAF Squadrons
th
8 August 1940

Reserve Squadrons

Debden Martlesham

17 Squadron 85 Squadron
Hurricanes Hurricanes

Active Squadrons ‘at readiness’

North Weald Hornchurch

151 Squadron 65 Squadron 74 Squadron

Hurricanes Spitfires Spitfires

Rochford Gravesend

56 Squadron 501 Squadron 54 Squadron

Hurricanes Hurricanes Spitfires

David Child-Dennis 2010

 Battle of Britain
RAF Aces and Leaders cards

Al Deere Peter Townshend Douglas Bader

54 Spitfire Squadron 85 Hurricane Squadron 242 Hurricane Squadron

‘Paddy’ Finucane ‘Sailor’ Malan

65 Spitfire Squadron 74 Spitfire Squadron

David Child-Dennis 2010

 Luftwaffe
Elite strike units

LUFTWAFFE LUFTWAFFE LUFTWAFFE

9th Staffel - KG 76 KG 27 KG51
Elite Do17Z low -level strike Elite He111 precision Elite Ju88 strike force.
force. bombing.
May only be used with a 20+
ADD +1
raid card. This card need
ADD +1
To HIT and DAMAGE dice roll
only be revealed as it
To HIT and DAMAGE dice roll
crosses from the Channel
box onto the RDF box.

LUFTWAFFE
LUFTWAFFE Gruppe I/KG 3
LUFTWAFFE
Gruppe III/ StG 77 Me110C special intelligence Elite Do17Z low-level strike
and radio intercept unit. force.
Elite Ju87 precision dive-
bombing. Raider gains warning of May only be used with a 20+
interception. RAF attacker(s) raid card. This card need
ADD +1 interception dice roll reduced only be revealed as it
by -1 crosses from the Channel
To dice roll to hit target.
box onto the RDF box.

David Child-Dennis 2010

 Battle of Britain
Luftwaffe Aces and Leader’s Cards

Johannes Fink Adolf Galland ‘Jopp’Jopien

Werner Molders Helmut Wik

David Child-Dennis 2010