SZCZEKOCINY 1794 THUNDERBIRDS AT WAR Bombing the Reich Jan to Jun 1943 . .

Table of Contents

0 0 USING THESE RULES [ . ] 1 0 INTRODUCTION [ . ] 2 0 GENERAL COURSE OF PLAY Design by: michel Boucher [ . ] Developed by David Knepper 3 0 GAME EQUIPMENT : [ . ] 4 0 SEQUENCE OF PLAY [ . ] 5 0 HOW TO WIN [ . ] 6 0 SETTING UP THE GAME 8 0 APPLYING DAMAGE [ . ] [ . ] 7 0 BEGIN THE OPERATION 9 0 THE GRT [ . ] [ . ] 10 0 KEEPING TRACK [ . ] 31

PW79.3.1.indd 31 11/20/14 9:20 PM in the which consisted of a long triple layer [0.0] USING THESE RULES corridor of stations extending from Denmark to the middle The rules are designed to be used in play order and of France. The RAF was able to counter the effect by flying down with a minimum of detail required to get into the the middle of a cell. game. Elaborations and historical notes are intended to give Hit – the result of a successful roll on the GRT by the crew against the player a feeling of immersion. The campaign game uses the an LW fighter, or by German fighter and flak units, against the historical selection of targets for the period January to June 1943, Wimpy which results in turning over a single airframe counter but the players are free to make any selection of targets they and applying effects. wish should they only want to play a session with a few random missions. – literally, “air force”, German air combat arm under the command of Hermann Göring. Mission – in the game, a single assignment to reach and bomb or Text in boxes, like this, provides the voice of the game’s mine a target. designer, who is addressing you to explain an idea or concept, or providing quotes from the squadron diaries Skill check – another way of saying “roll on the General Results in support of rules. Table”. Space – a location on a track. Sprog – a new arrival, a green member of the crew. Targets – assigned by High Command as strategic objectives. [1.0] INTRODUCTION Tour of operations – a total of 30 successful missions, that is to say Thunderbirds at War is a solitaire game that will tell you, the that targets were bombed 30 times. player, the story of 6 Group (RCAF) bomber squadron 426, the Thunderbirds. From January 1943 to May 1945, they were Wimpy – the nickname given by RAF crews to the Vickers engaged in the largest undertaking in any war to date, that of Wellington, after the popular hamburger-loving Popeye character, taking the battle to the enemy, night after night, and at the cost of J. Wellington Wimpy. many thousands of lives. Zone – another term for a hex when referring to German defenses. The game covers the first five months of operations of 426 Squadron, from mid-January to mid-June 1943, when the squadron flew venerable two-engine Wellingtons (Wimpys). The squadrons [2.0] GENERAL COURSE OF PLAY of 6 Group were composed primarily of Canadians, with some Thunderbirds at War is a solitaire game in which you, the player, New Zealanders, Australians, Britons and Americans, many of assume the role of a pilot in RCAF 426 Squadron and, to win whom had trained in the British Commonwealth Air Training the game, you must complete a tour of operations of 30 successful Plan (BCATP) in the many schools in Canada and elsewhere. missions. Thunderbirds at War uses chits to handle random elements such as Luftwaffe, flak, weather, sudden mishaps, etc. During the 1.1 Terms Used course of a mission, you will roll on a simple table and improve the chances of success using crew quality bonuses, pilot decisions, BCATP – British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, administered weather, random events. by the Commonwealth, primarily by Canada, where pilots and crews were trained in North America and Australia, in relative safety away from combat zones. [3.0] GAME EQUIPMENT Flak - Fliegerabwehrkanone, aircraft defense cannon. By 1943, the majority of flak guns were FlaK 88mm, 105mm and • 1 map, including playing aids 128mm. By the time these missions were flown, FlaK guns were • 1 countersheet (see tables 5 and 5a for description and use) larger and more effective, the most deadly being FlaK 41 (improved • 52 Historical Targets sheet 88mm) firing 9.4kg shells at 1000m/s with a maximum ceiling of • Events sheet (2 pages) about 15,000 m as opposed to the old ceiling of about 8,000 m. A • Counter Legend sheet (2 pages) flak Zone is indicated by a coloured triangle in a shaded hex. • These rules You will also need 1 to 3 ten-sided dice (d10) numbered from 0-9 Gardening – missions which consisted of mining harbours. (the ‘0’’ is a ‘0’, and not a ‘10’), and 1 six-sided die (d6), all of which ds Geschwader - roughly the size of an RAF , with about 90 to you will use to resolve skill checks, events, and other requirements r i 120 aircraft under its command. for both 426 Sq. (RCAF) and the Luftwaffe, throughout the game.

rb GRT – General Results Table is used for resolution of all actions The map represents the theatre of operations for Bomber requiring a skill check by the crew as well as German fighter and Command (Europe, early 1943) with German radar zones flak units (see rule 9.0). highlighted, targets marked with coloured flak triangles denoting

hunde Hex – part of hexagonal grid regulating movement on the map. levels of flak intensity that indicate which bombing track to

T use, and some named targets. Hexes with darker shading are in Himmelbett – literally “sky bed”, a series of radar zones (or cells) 32

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Germany (7.5.2[1]). Around the map are the necessary tables and tour of operations, you should continue using the same method of tracks to aid you, the player, in completing your missions. selection each time. These are: Historical (see Table 4) Intentional selection [4.0] SEQUENCE OF PLAY Random assignment Each mission represents one “turn” of a series of 30 successful In the case of the Historical order, the player uses targets in the bombing missions which constitute a “tour of operations”. Each sequence listed on the Historical Targets sheet (Table 4). turn consists of performing the following tasks until the plane In the case of Intentional selection, the player chooses any target either lands safely or crashes. he wishes from the Historical Targets sheet. Preparatory In the case of Random assignment, the player may use Table 1, the Mission Randomizer Table, or determine a random method 1. Identify target of their own devising to select targets or missions. 2. Determine target conditions 3. Select crew Some targets, although named for historical purposes, are not 4. Assign crew quality points. specifically located on the map. A zone number has been assigned 5. Determine flight path, fuel and airframe to five hexes to help locate these targets. For example, Oldenburg is located in Zone 3, Stuttgart in Zone 4, and all of the Ruhr sites Targetbound are in Zone 5. 6. Begin operation, draw Luftwaffe Intensity chit, draw event chits when advised. Resolve events as needed. NOTE: The time divisions each represent a ten day 7. Roll on LW Intensity Table when appropriate. period of the squadron’s operations. In some periods 8. Roll on flak table when appropriate. there were few missions, and in others there were many. 9. Combat. Bad weather was the most significant contributing 10. At target, resolve event, fighters, and flak, as appropriate, factor to the squadron’s enforced inacticity over the before bombing periods as long as a week.

Homebound 11. Return home along flight path, drawing and resolving event 6.2 Roll two d10s on the Target Conditions table (one for chits as needed. weather and one for the phase of the moon) and place appropriate 12. Land (or crash). markers. Target conditions are sky and moon phase. They can be good or bad independently of each other. Missions were not planned in [5.0] HOW TO WIN stormy weather although that happened occasionally, but there You win a game of Thunderbirds at War by flying 30 successful were different degrees of alertness depending on visibility caused missions (a tour of operations). A successful mission is defined as by the moon and the presence of clouds. bombing the Target or another enemy location in Germany and The player rolls on the Target Conditions Table for both the sky followed by the return of the crew to . and the moon phase. Each “bad” condition modifies the General Results Table [GRT] die rolls by -1, average conditions have no die roll impact, and “good” conditions modify GRT die rolls by +1. Historically, 426 Sq. flew 57 missions from January to June 1943, five of which were Sea Search and none Both sides are equally affected by these conditions, so a positive of those resulted in spotting anyone. So the Sea Search result can have a negative effect on the outcome of a mission. missions were left out of the game. All others are listed on the historical targets sheet. 6.3 Select Crew (pilot and four others)* 6.3.1 Selecting a crew: The player selects 5 crew members from the available roster, always selecting the Pilot as his first. The rest may depend on the type of target or atmospheric conditions: [6.0] SETTING UP THE GAME gunner, aimer, navigator, wireless and flight engineer. The pilot is the mission commander. To play the game, you will need to set out the parts (map, counters, & dice) on a table. Separate the counters into the various groups. Pilot (P): The pilot is the mission commander and flies the Functions of counters are listed on tables 5 and 5a. Wimpy. He manoeuvres the Wimpy, spends discretionary points, and directs crew members to affect aircraft 6.1 Identify the Target (select a target either in historical order repairs and put out fires. A successful skill or randomly) check is required. In order to select a target, you can do one of three things (it doesn’t really matter which) but if you plan to do a full or even shortened 33

PW79.3.1.indd 33 11/20/14 9:20 PM Gunner (AG): he is your primary line of defense, it has been used, further skill checks will not be modified unless ensuring that night fighters are warned off, if not directed otherwise by events or the pilot’s discretionary points. shot down outright. On dark or cloudy nights, he is not as effective. He may also put out fires. 6.4.2 Select the Pilot’s Discretionary Points

Aimer (B): this crew member is specialized in identifying and 6.4.2[1] The pilot has a separate allocation of points (PDPs), lining up the target. He finds the target and drops the bombs. The also limited to 3 per mission, which can be selected. PDPs are aimer may also man the guns and put out fires. as follows: • +1 to any one manoeuvre (must be spent BEFORE the die Navigator (N): this crew member is specialized in identifying the roll) Wimpy’s location with respect to the target and the home field. • +1 Stamina (reduces the negative DRM of a wounded crew He is sorely needed most of the time. Some crews had navigators member to -1; can be combined with a DISCretionary) who could double as aimers. The navigator may also put out fires. • 1 Reroll of any die roll, including Luftwaffe and flak rolls. Wireless (WAG): this crew member ensures that the Wimpy • Up to two pilot DISCretionary modifiers. receives alerts and is also important in signaling position in case A PDP provides a ONE TIME ONLY modifier or a single die of a ditch. The wireless operator may also man the guns and put reroll. out fires. 6.4.2[2] Pilot DISCretionary Modifiers. These modifiers are Flight Engineer (E): this crew member saw to the proper running used to improve crew (including pilot) performance during the of the Wimpy, checking fuel levels and keeping an eye on all the current mission, as follows: dials and gauges. He could perform spot repairs on damaged equipment to keep the plane aloft including putting out fires. The • to replace a CQP used by a crew member or a PDP used by Flight Engineer was also trained to replace a Pilot that has been the pilot incapacitated, with no skill check handicap. • to assign a CQP to a crew member who was not assigned a CQP at mission start or to the pilot for a PDP not selected * Historical crew assignments provided at Table 2. at mission start

Generally, 426 Sq. flew with 5-man crews. The point IMPORTANT: Any crew member can attempt to of the selection process is that the pilot will have to perform any action, but only those qualified will get to make choices. So the player chooses four from the five use a bonus point unless they are given a discretionary crew members available to him based on his experience point by the pilot during the mission. For repairs, see and his hunches looking at the mission ahead. rules section 6.3.1.

6.4.3 New crew member penalty: Sprogs (new arrivals from 6.4 Assign Crew Quality/Pilot Discretionary the BCATP) are assigned to replace wounded or deceased crew Points (CQP/PDP) members as needed. If no crew member leaves, no sprog crew is assigned and none can be assigned before mission period 2, 2nd 6.4.1 The player starts with 0 points and accumulates them by Lorient. The first mission of a sprog crew member will lower the completing missions, to a limit of 5, at the rate of: crew’s ability to use the full allotment of crew quality points, and 1 for green targets is reflected in a reduction of available CQPs by 1 (to a minimum 2 for yellow targets of 1). So if the crew has accumulated 3 CQP, the CQP will be 3 for red targets (and the Ruhr) reduced to 2 as a result of the arrival of a sprog. 6.4.1[1] He assigns up to 3 such points before the start of a mission, 1 each to enhance a crew member’s specialist ability to If you find a target name in red, then you are the lucky deal with certain events (as the player wishes). A CQP provides a recipient of a fresh-faced youngster, eager and willing. ONE TIME ONLY die roll modifier (DRM) as follows: Sprogs do not receive a CQP on first mission. +1 to gunnery (gunner only) The reduction in available CQPs is intended to simulate +1 to bombing (aimer only) shadowing by experienced crew members and the fact that their attention is sometimes directed elsewhere. ds +1 to repairs (flight engineer only)

r +1 to navigation (navigator only) i

rb Obviously, not every crew station will be covered and only expe- 6.5 Map and Track Markers rience will give the player the knowledge to choose the right mix. 6.4.1[2] A CQP assigned at the beginning of the mission may be Draw (from the entire pool) and place Flight Path markers (up to spent by the specialist at any time to enhance his skill check, but 12), event face down, on the map to form the path you have selected hunde only once during the mission and spent before the die roll. After to the target and for the return flight to 6 Group (including the T 34

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6th Group hex upon return, but NOT upon departure). These two may appear at your location. The appearance of each of these paths need not be identical. Also draw (from the entire pool) and fighters is still highly dependent on a spotting skill check [7.1.2], place eight Air Frame markers, event face down, on the Airframe as modified by cloud cover and phase of the moon. Track. Prepare the pool of Event chits, number face down. [7.0.2] The Luftwaffe Intensity chit is set aside at the end of the 6.5.1 Flight Path: Plan your flight path knowing a) the target, b) current mission. At the beginning of the next mission, the draw the weather, and c) crew complement. Use one flight path marker is made using the two remaining chits; then the previous mission per hex you must enter (between 8 and 12), selected randomly chit is added back into the pool. So, for every mission but the first, and placed face down (arrow side up) on the map, pointing the there is a draw pool of two chits, which does NOT include the markers towards the hexsides that you will cross. Two path chit used in the previous mission. markers can occupy the same hex with no ill-effect. Remember to place one in the 6 Group hex to be turned over upon arrival. Keep NOTE: The player may choose to add the previous mission chit in mind each hex entered represents a minimum of one point of back into the pool and draw from a pool of three chits each turn. fuel expended. [7.0.3] Move the Wimpy counter from the 6 Group hex into the 6.5.1[1] Event chits, which are drawn as indicated by the flight first hex of the flight path, reduce the fuel track by one, and flip path markers, are placed face down on the playing area (or in over the flight path marker. If an event is indicated, draw a chit an opaque container) and randomized. As chits are drawn, from the event pool, and find that numbered event on Table 3. the corresponding event is located on the Event sheet and the Otherwise, continue moving into the next hex, expending fuel, instructions are followed, using the Targetbound event text for turning over the flight path marker and implementing any event the flight to the target, including the target hex. The Homebound occurring as your first action in each hex. The reason for this is event text is used for the return flight, including 6 Group hex, that some events will scrub the rest of your mission and send you and then the chit is either retained in the Active Events box if home. instructed to do so, or discarded. After the target hex event is NOTE: When entering a hex, always do the following in this resolved (whether or not bombing is successful), all event chits order: are turned face down (or returned to the opaque container) and randomized again for the trip home. 1. Expend fuel by decreasing the fuel track by the appropriate amount (1 per hexside crossed and possibly more due to NOTE : The text of events takes precedence over rules. damage) 6.5.1[2] Some events are “Unique” to their respective flight paths 2. Flip over the flight path marker and implement the event, if (Targetbound and Homebound) and if another “Unique” event is any drawn in the same flight path, it is treated as a “No Event” draw, 3. Determine if air combat or zone flak occurs: i.e., it is immediately discarded to the pool. 3.1 if flying at high altitude, roll on the LW Intensity 6.5.2 Air Frame: As there are eight blank locations on the airframe Table (rule 7.1.1[1]) or track, eight airframe markers are randomly selected from the pool 3.2 if flying at low altitude, roll on the Zone Flak Table and placed face down on the track. corresponding to the colour of the triangle (rule 7.2.1).

NOTE : Revealed airframe markers, with or without events, [7.0.4] The fuel marker is adjusted downward each time the represent aircraft damage. Wimpy crosses a line INTO a hex or as otherwise directed by events. Damage to fuel lines, increased drag or being off course 6.5.3 Perform other actions can result in greater fuel consumption or simply running out of a) Place the fuel marker on the Fuel track at the number fuel before being able to land at 6 Group. corresponding to the number of flight path markers. [7.0.5] When the Wimpy crosses into a shaded hex, roll one d10 b) Place the bomb marker on the Start Here box of the on the LW Intensity table, cross-referenced with the intensity appropriate bombing track (same colour as target hex level obtained earlier, to determine the number of LW fighters. indicator). If the Wimpy is flying at low altitude in a non-target shaded hex, c) Place the Luftwaffe counter at “0” the LW Intensity track. roll on the zone flak table (colour matching the encounter triangle in the hex) to determine the amount of flak dice but not fighters. [7.0] BEGIN THE OPERATION – Events may force you to cancel the mission. These represent any number of malfunctions. If you are forced to cancel a mission There and Back Again before reaching the target, remove all unused targetbound flight [7.0.1] You begin the operation by drawing a Luftwaffe Intensity path markers and use the remaining homebound markers to set a chit. Place the chit in the Active Events box as reminder. The level new path to 6 Group from your current of intensity determines which row of the LW Activity Table (see hex. If you have not yet left England, map sheet) you will consult when entering a shaded hex. When simply land and scrub the mission. required, you will roll a 1d10 and cross-reference that roll with the intensity level to determine the number of LW fighters that 35

PW79.3.1.indd 35 11/20/14 9:20 PM 1d10 on the GRT. This roll could be modified by: IMPORTANT: During the operation, NO crew • CQP/PDP (see 6.4.1[1] & 6.4.2[1]) action is mandatory beyond moving the Wimpy • mentioned in dispatches (see 7.11) counter on the map. Everything else is at the • wounds (see 8.3) discretion of the player. Crew members can always attempt actions but will not receive benefits unless A success is a hit which drives off [or, for the more blood-thirsty, they are specialists and have been assigned points. shoots down] the fighter. The gunner gets only one attempt to spot and one attempt to shoot down each fighter encountered.

7.1.2[4] Roll to damage the Wimpy: If the gunner’s attempts to February 24 – Wilhemshaven: All crews were in spot or to shoot down a fighter is a failure, the fighter fires on the their aircraft by 1800 hours and twelve Wellingtons Wimpy, rolling a 1d10 on the GRT. This die roll could be modi- from No 426 Squadron were on their way within 15 fied by an event (see Table 3). If this results in a success, the fighter minutes—one failed to take off for mechanical reasons. scores a hit on the Wimpy; a hit causes one point of damage. Three returned early: one with an unserviceable rear Whether the roll is a hit or a miss, air combat ends for that fighter. turret, another when the pilot’s compass failed, and the third because the pilot took sick. 7.1.2[5] Pilot skill/PDP: If the fighter hits the Wimpy, but before the damage is resolved, the pilot may attempt to evade the fighter’s shots by performing a manoeuvre skill check or by 7.1 Air Combat using a pilot’s Reroll PDP (see 6.4.2[2]). Note that the manoeuvre skill check may be modified by using a MAN +1 or Reroll PDP, 7.1.1 Air Combat [General]: When the Wimpy enters a shaded Discretionary markers, and/or being mentioned in dispatches (see hex, at either high or low altitude, there is the possibility of LW 7.11), if available. If either the manoeuver skill check or the Reroll fighter interception. The Wimpy’s altitude and the presence of a results in a success, that damage is canceled and air combat with flak triangle impacts the resolution of the LW fighter interception. that fighter is ended. 7.1.1[1] High Altitude - with Flak Triangle: The player rolls 7.1.2[6] If fighter damage is not canceled, flip one left most 1d10 and cross-references that result with the level of LW intensity airframe counter for each hit and go to 8.0. determined at the beginning of the mission. That generates the number of LW fighters that may intercept the Wimpy. Proceed to 7.1.2 Air Combat-Detail. 12 May – : Rear gunner Sergeant G.V. Andrew spotted the enemy aircraft first about 1000 NOTE: There is no Air Combat step in the Ruhr hex. yards off to the port quarter […] Closing in to 900 yards, the enemy opened fire and continued shooting 7.1.1[2] Low Altitude - with Flak Triangle: No LW fighter until he banked away 400 yards off the port quarter. interception occurs; flak is notorious for being unable to tell friend Stuart put his aircraft into a diving turn to starboard from foe. as the enemy pilot opened fire, and the crew watched his tracer burn out on their port quarter. The range was extreme, so 14 January – Lorient: During this operation, Sergeant Andrew did not open fire. Rands and his crew had an unusual experience. On the way to Lorient, they sighted two Me109s near Pointe du Chateau but the two enemy aircraft vanished, apparently without spotting the Wellington. 7.2 Zone Flak 7.2.1 When the Wimpy, flying at low altitude, enters a shaded hex with a coloured flak triangle, proceed to 7.2.1[1]. Otherwise 7.1.2 Air Combat [Detail]: continue flying. 7.1.2[1] For each LW fighter that may intercept the Wimpy, 7.2.1[1] Zone flak is resolved on the zone flak table that matches execute the following steps: the coloured flak triangle in the shaded hex by rolling a 1d10. This 7.1.2[2] Roll a spotting skill check: Each LW fighter, in turn, rolls generates a number between ‘0-3’ which is the number of dice the 1d10 on the GRT. This die roll IS modified by cloud cover and flak may roll. phase of the moon; this die roll could be modified by an event NOTE: This roll is not a skill check. ds (see Table 3). If the result is a success, the fighter has spotted the r i Wimpy. Otherwise the fighter fails to spot the Wimpy; if no 7.2.1[2] If the shaded hex is the Ruhr (Zone 5), there is no zone fighter spots the Wimpy, air combat ends. rb flak.

7.1.2[3] Roll to spot LW fighter: The gunner rolls 1d10 on the 7.2.2 The player then rolls a 1d10 skill check on the GRT to GRT for each fighter in turn. This die roll IS modified by cloud determine if the flak spots the Wimpy. The skill check IS modified cover and phase of the moon. If the result is a success, the gunner hunde by cloud cover and moon phase and may be modified by an event spots the fighter and chooses whether to open fire at it, rolling T (Table 3). If a success is rolled, go to 7.2.2[1]; if not, flak combat 36

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ends. the LW Intensity Table to determine the number of intercepting 7.2.2[1] If the Wimpy was spotted, the player now rolls d10 dice LW fighters, if any. equal to the amount of flak available (from 7.2.1[1]) to determine 7.5.1[1] At this point, the navigator attempts to locate the target if the flak damages the Wimpy. Each die rolled on the GRT may using his instruments. The navigator rolls 1d10 on the GRT. This be modified by an event (Table 3) and/or a +1 DRM to each die roll IS NOT modified by cloud cover or moon phase, but may if in the Ruhr hex (Zone 5). For each roll that is a success, the be modified by the use of an event or CQP. Whether the roll is a Wimpy may be damaged. Otherwise, flak combat ends. success or a failure, resolve LW fighter interception (7.1.2) before 7.2.2[2] For each flak die roll that may damage the Wimpy, the proceeding. If the roll was a success, go to 7.5.1[2]; if the roll pilot may attempt to avoid the damage by rolling a successful failed, go to 7.5.2. manoeuvre skill check. The player may apply: NOTE: If the target hex is the Ruhr, no LW fighter interception • the Man +1 DRM PDP, occurs. • use a Reroll PDP to reroll the flak or pilot’s manoeuvre die roll result 7.5.1[2] The Wimpy now descends to ‘low (bombing) altitude’ • as directed by an event, (move the Alt. marker accordingly). Place the bomb marker on the first space of the bombing track that matches the coloured if any of these options are available. triangle in the target hex and roll 1d10 on the corresponding If the manoeuvre skill check is a success or the flak die reroll Zone Flak Table. This generates a number between ‘0-3’ which is results in failure, the damage is canceled. In any case, the second the number of dice the flak may roll. Resolve Zone Flak as per die roll stands. 7.2.2[1] - 7.2.2[4].

7.2.2[3] If the flak damage is not canceled, flip the left most NOTE: This is not a skill check. airframe counter and go to 8.0. 7.5.1[3] If the target hex is the Ruhr, there is no zone flak.

7.2.2[4] The pilot can always immediately attempt an unmodified 7.5.1[4] At this point, the aimer must locate the target using the manoeuvre to avoid damage. In fact he should do so as often ‘Mark I Eyeball’ ie., must locate the target visually. The aimer rolls as possible. If he chooses to force the flak to reroll, he can still 1d10 on the GRT. This roll IS modified by cloud cover and moon attempt a manoeuvre to reduce any remaining hits. phase, and possibly an event or CQP. If a success is rolled, go to 7.5.3. If the roll fails, go to 7.5.2. 12 March - : Sergeant Runciman’s Wellington was attacked at the Dutch coast. […] The fighter 7.5.2 If the target has not been located using either method, opened at 600 yards […] Throughout the attack the aimer jettisons the bomb load if over Germany (the mission Runciman corkscrewed to evade the fighter which counts as a successful one, see 7.5.2[1]) and the Wimpy climbs to gave up without attacking more closely. [Rear high altitude if it can (remove the Low Alt. marker) and simply Gunner] Forland did not have to open fire and the heads back to the barn (6 Group). The Wimpy only remains at low aircraft was not hit. altitude if it cannot climb to high altitude because of damage or an event. In either case, take all event markers (discarded, used, and unused) and create a new pool for the flight home.

7.3 If not… 7.5.2[1] If the target is not located and it is in Germany, then …then consider yourself lucky and carry on with the mission. the Aimer may still release his bombs and count it a successful mission, even if he failed to locate his target. Bombing anywhere 7.4 Altitude else in Germany is considered a successful mission by Bomber Command, and nets a training value equal to a green target. If the When required to change altitude, place or remove the “Low Alt.” target is not over Germany, the aimer must wait until the Wimpy marker on the map. is over the Atlantic to jettison them.

Unless indicated otherwise, your bomber is assumed to be flying Mines are not jettisoned if the Gardening mission fails as they at “high altitude”. Events such as malfunctioning heaters and could become a liability to Allied shipping. Consequently, a pilot oxygen may require you to fly at ‘low altitude”. In essence this landing with a mine in the bomb bay is required to perform a skill means you will find yourself at a distance between you and the check. Failure causes catastrophic loss of the aircraft and crew ground that places you at bombing altitude or lower, but definitely unless the pilot opts to ditch over the sea (go to Survival Table). within reach of flak. 7.5.2[2] If the target is not located and the Wimpy is over Occupied 7.5 Bombing Europe, then the Aimer may only release 7.5.1 When the Wimpy enters the target hex, expend a fuel (more the bombs over water and the mission will if there are applicable events in effect) turn over the flight path be unsuccessful. Bombing of Occupied marker to determine if an event occurs; resolve as required. Then, Europe is deemed inappropriate and is if the Wimpy entered the target hex at high altitude, roll 1d10 on discouraged by Bomber Command. 37

PW79.3.1.indd 37 11/20/14 9:20 PM 7.5.3 If the Aimer found the target, advance the 7.7.2 The player moves the Wimpy counter along the return flight bomb marker one hex on the bombing track. path which he set up at the beginning, flipping the path markers over to determine Events, acting on Events, and rolling either on 7.5.4 Resolve Target flak as indicated on the the LW Intensity or Zone Flak tables (if flying at Low Alt.) when bombing track. required. 7.5.4[1] Roll 1d10, modified by cloud cover and moon phase 7.8 Land/Crash/Ditch on the GRT, to determine if the target flak spots the Wimpy. If 7.8.1 Landing at 6 Group is achieved by entering the hex, turning successful, roll the indicated target flak dice on the GRT. For each over the final flight path marker in case of event, and only rolling successful flak roll, the Wimpy may be damaged. If the roll fails, on the GRT if there is an event which indicates it is required target flak combat ends. (weather, damage to the landing gear, or the pilot is wounded/ 7.5.4[2] For each target flak die roll that may damage the Wimpy, killed) or the Wimpy is returning with an undelivered mine. the pilot may attempt to avoid the damage by rolling a successful Otherwise, landings are considered to have occurred without manoeuvre skill check. The player may apply: problems. • the Man +1 DRM PDP, • use a Reroll PDP to reroll the flak die roll result, 7.8.2 Landing elsewhere in England is permitted as long as the • as directed by an event, Wimpy has enough fuel to reach (enter) the hex. This includes any hex which has any part of England in it. Apply the same conditions if any of these options apply. as in 7.8.1 but disregard 6 Group hex weather. If the manoeuvre skill check is a success or the flak die reroll results in a failure, the damage is canceled. In any case, the second die roll stands. Indeed, this happened often (see 7.8.2) as crews ran out of fuel and were able to land in fields. Bombers 7.5.4[3] If the flak damage is not canceled, flip one left most were recovered and returned to the proper squadron. airframe counter and go to 8.0. February 1 - : “a massive burst of heavy flak […] 7.5.5 If over the Ruhr, ignore LW Intensity and Zone Flak Tables, damaged the hydraulics […] the flaps fell several degrees and flak spotting. The flak barrage is constant and was described increasing drag […] cutting airspeed and raising fuel by one crew member as “walking into a wall of fire”. Roll 3d10 consumption. […] they were flying at 8000 feet and they flak, adding 1 to each die, and apply the result as damage. As thought they had only enough fuel to carry them 12 minutes before, the pilot can attempt to manoeuvre and also use his Reroll past the Dutch coast […]At 0033, more than three hours after to avoid damage (see 7.5.4[2] above). leaving the target, Dowie set down his wounded Wellington at Coltishall with enough fuel for about seven more minutes 7.5.6 Once the Wimpy has run the gauntlet of fighters and flak, of flying. For his determination and skill, Dowie was put up move the bomb marker to the Bombs Away! space and roll 1d10 for a bar to his DFC, the squadron’s first decoration in action. on the GRT. The Aimer can use his CQP and MiD to modify the roll, if either are available. Apply other DRMs as appropriate. Rerolls are not permitted as the bombs cannot be recalled and dropped again. Quite a few crews were lost to a man due to the inclement 7.5.6[1] Having completed the bomb run, move the bomb marker weather of Yorkshire making landings treacherous (see to the “Return to high altitude” hex. The Wimpy remains at low 7.8.3). The reason for this is that the RAF located 6 altitude if it cannot climb to high altitude because of damage or Group in the Vale of York, a long corridor in northern an event. England composed of flat farmland bordered by the Pennines on the west (heights between 2000 and 7.5.6[2] A successful bombing mission will net training points 3000 feet) and the Howardian hills on the east (with (CQP) for the air crew as outlined in 6.4.1, provided they make it irregular altitudes of up to 600 feet). back to England. Many crews avoided danger by landing closer to the coast 7.6 If the event chit pool is ever exhausted (an unlikely event), and this is a choice the pilot can make if he is aware ahead return all chits, face down, to the pool and randomize again. of time that he is faced with inclement weather at 6 Group. ds r i 7.7 Going Home 7.8.3 Crashing may occur in England if the Wimpy is affected by rb 7.7.1 The Wimpy moves to high altitude (remove Low Alt. weather (one of two possible events), landing gear malfunction, or marker if damage permits), and a new Homebound event chit the pilot is wounded/killed. In these cases, a single d10 roll on the pool is prepared. The chits are returned, face down, to the pool GRT is required. Should the roll fail, the player then rolls 1d10 and randomized again. on the Survival Table (Over England) to determine the fate of hunde aircraft and crew. T 38

PW79.3.1.indd 38 11/20/14 9:20 PM T hunderbirds

7.8.4 Ditching will occur Over England, Over Occupied Europe 7.11.2[1] Starting with the next mission, the crew member listed (to include Germany), or Over Sea, when caused by irreparable for the DFM receives the benefit of having his CQPs increased by malfunctions, complete loss of fuel, or having flipped the last one (+1) until the end of the current period (see Historical Targets marker on the airframe track, regardless of what it is. sheet) or his death, whichever comes first.

Roll for the Wireless operator (as instructed by the Survival Table) Place an MiD +1 marker in his space to indicate the bonus. This to give a possible +1 DRM on crew status rolls (only, of course, if is a bonus and is in addition to the normal CQP allocation made there is a Wireless operator onboard the Wimpy). before takeoff which means that a crew member could have a +2 bonus, one point of which will be burned during the mission NOTE: the Wireless Operator may be wounded (DRM applies). and the other which will remain available each mission until the current period expires. Roll 1d10 on the appropriate Survival Table for each crew member to reveal their ultimate fate, i.e., they are killed, survived Should this be the last mission of the current period, the bonus and saved by the Resistance, captured and confined to Luftstalag will be extended into the next period but no further than the last 13, or successful in their attempts to escape. mission of that period. 7.9 Lost Event Caution 7.11.2[2] If the pilot is listed, starting with the next mission he also has a benefit of the MiD +1 marker to any skill check until Should the “Lost” event occur, follow the event’s instructions but, the end of the current period or, if it is the final mission of that in so doing, you cannot act in such a way as to exit the map. Roll period, until the end of the next period. 1d10 to determine the distance you have gone off course: 0-4 = 1 hex, 5-9 = 2 hexes. Then roll 1d6 to determine the direction 7.11.3 If the crewmember is captured/killed and the player referring to the numbers on the map’s direction chart. This could continues with a new crew, the MiD event is cancelled. be closer to England or much further inland. 7.11.4 Note that a new MiD event cannot occur until the current If the die roll sends the Wimpy marker off map, you are spared MiD event ends. Treat any additional MiD events drawn as “No the event. Effect” until the current MiD event ends. NOTE: You can only be Lost when you are over the Ruhr, , or any numbered zone hex. Otherwise treat as “no event”. [8.0] APPLYING DAMAGE See Table 5a for detailed instructions on how to use the Damage If the die rolls indicate you are Lost, take the reamining flight counters. path markers and reorganize them face down on the map, one per hex, to create the shortest route to England. NOTE: Beginners may wish to remove the BOOM counter from the mix. Should you not be able to reach England, try to get as close as possible to increase your chances of rescue at sea. 8.1 Event based damage 7.10 Karmøy 8.1.1 There are several events which increase the Wimpy’s fuel consumption, either as a result of being forced to fly at low The island port of Karmøy is two hexes above the map. Karmøy is altitude or fuel tank damage. If the Wimpy suffers concurrent, an exception to the off-map movement rule. Also the “Lost” event repairable event damage increasing fuel consumption, the is treated as “no event” when returning from Karmøy (as you are increased consumption will continue until all relevant events are over the water almost the whole time). repaired. However, the fuel consumption rate [one additional space on the fuel track for each two hexes flown] does not increase with the To organize the flight, stack the required number of flight path number of events, only the time required to effect repairs, unless markers (3 targetbound and 2 homebound) in the Karmøy hex otherwise stated. and proceed normally, turning them over one by one. 8.1.2 Heater, fuel losses and altimeter malfunction can be repaired 7.11 Resolving Mentioned in Dispatches by a Flt. Eng. (one attempt per hex entered). Once fully repaired, 7.11.1 Should this event occur anytime after a successful bombing the Wimpy can then return to High Altitude. run or a critical repair, a crew member or the pilot is mentioned in dispatches, otherwise treat as “No Event”. Roll 1d6. On a die roll 8.1.3 Events will stipulate certain conditions where the item in of 1, the pilot is listed for the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). question can no longer be repaired. On a die roll of 2-6 (consult crew markers), the indicated crew 8.1.4 When damage is caused by event draws, place the counter member is listed for a Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM). Use in the Active Events box as a reminder. the MiD +1 counter to indicate the crew member receives a morale When the damage is repaired, remove the bonus. If no one occupies the position, then the Dispatches are in counter from the Active Events box and error and the award is not given. discard it. 39

PW79.3.1.indd 39 11/20/14 9:20 PM 8.2 Airframe damage (result of combat) If the pilot is killed during a mission, he can be replaced by the Flight Engineer who will no longer be able to perform his 8.2.1 Damage to the airframe is recorded by usual duties. This crewmember will be able to land the bomber turning over the left most unrevealed counter on following a skill check with all applicable modifiers. the Airframe track. Consult the Damage counters section of the Counter Legend to determine the effect of the damage. Most Note: A deceased crew member is replaced by a BCATP sprog in are not repairable. Even “No Effect” results mean that structural the following mission, which will have the effect of lowering the damage has been caused. number of CQPs available on the following mission. This does not apply to pilots. 8.2.2 Fuel Consumption

8.2.2[1] Airframe damage may increase the Wimpy’s fuel consumption, either as a result of being forced to fly at low [9.0] THE GRT altitude or fuel tank damage. This increased fuel consumption will The General Results Table is used for resolution of all actions continue until the Wimpy lands or runs out of fuel. requiring a skill check by the crew as well as German fighter and 8.2.2[2] The fuel consumption rate one[ additional space on the flak units. The results for the German and the Wimpy crew are fuel track for each two hexes flown] does not increase based on the either Success (modified ≥ 6) or No Effect. amount of concurrent airframe damage from combat. However, event damage which occurs concurrently with airframe damage is Rolling from modified 0 to 5 is No Effect (a failure), rolling from cumulative, i.e., repairable events will increase fuel consumption as modified 6 to 9 is a success. The total number of modifiers of per 8.1.1 until repaired. any sort to a die roll cannot be more than +2 or less than -2. The GRT cannot be used by any crew member or German unit if the 8.2.2[3] The maximum amount of increased fuel consumption net DRM is -3 or less. that can occur for concurrent repairable event damage and non- repairable airframe damage is one additional space on the fuel track for each hex flown. Failure to bomb properly reflects hitting objects other than the objective. In fact this happened regularly, what 8.2.3 Fire: Fire is treated separately. Any crewmember can attempt with German misinformation (lit fires and others) and to put out a fire with a successful skill check with no DRMs. general mayhem which can occur in the dark, so from a strategic standpoint, Bomber Command • There can be two (2) attempts per hex entered to put fires was happy that bombs hit anything at all. They out when in High Altitude and not in combat. had entered the war thinking bombing campaigns • There can only be one (1) attempt to put out a fire when in would be good enough to demoralize the German the Target hex or when at “Low Alt.” when not in combat people and did not diverge from that agenda. (e.g. after bombing). Operationally, however, hitting the target was a good • Only the Flt. Eng. can put out fires when in combat, at the thing. In this game, dropping the bombs anywhere in any rate of one attempt per hex entered. type of target hex in Germany nets a Successful Mission. Once a fire has been extinguished, remove the counter from the 13 May - Bochum: As it passed north of Cologne, F/L Active Events box and discard it. Millward’s aircraft took a burst of heavy flak that damaged 8.2.4 If unchecked, fire will spread every second map hex entered the starboard engine. The predicted heavy flak was intense and cause further damage to the airframe. Turn over the next left so Millward’s crew jettisoned their bombload and turned most unrevealed counter on the airframe track. If still unchecked, back […] As the Wellington piloted by Sgt. L.G. Sutherland continue to turn over counters until it is extinguished or the approached … the target, caught and coned it for Wimpy is destroyed. fifteen minutes. During manoeuvres to get away from the searchlights, the aircraft was struck by heavy flak and lost 8.2.5 If the last airframe marker on the track is revealed, the altitude; near Krefeld, the crew armed and jettisoned the Wimpy crashes from accumulated structural damage. No further blockbuster they were carrying and Sutherland brought the attempts at repair are possible. Roll immediately on the applicable aircraft safely back to England… Survival Table.

ds 8.3 Crew Wounds

r [10.0] KEEPING TRACK

i Wounded crew (flip crew marker to wounded side) receive a -2 DRM to their skill checks on the GRT on the first wound and are 10.1 A track is provided to record the number of Successful rb killed on a second wound (remove the marker). A wounded crew Missions. This serves to evaluate the success of campaign games member can receive a Stamina point from the pilot to make his where a player will fly at least thirty, quite likely more missions, to modifier -1 instead of -2 on the GRT. successfully bomb thirty targets. Although the requirement was

hunde IMPORTANT: Crew cannot be “repaired” while the mission is for bomber crews to complete thirty missions, many were scrubbed

T ongoing. early on for various reasons (primarily illness often due to poor 40

PW79.3.1.indd 40 11/20/14 9:20 PM T hunderbirds

nutrition and faulty equipment as the Wellingtons were RAF rejects) as pointed out above, so that it usually takes a few more DEDICATION successful missions to make the full thirty for a tour of operations. This game is dedicated to Sgt. T.F. How (service number R132630), rear gunner, and members of the crew of 426 Sq. OW “M” bomber 10.2 If you lose an aircraft (options) shot down by a during a raid on Bochum, 13-14 May 1943. 10.2.1 (Option 1) If you lose an aircraft and its crew, reduce the missions completed to zero and continue with a new crew. Sgt. How is maternal granduncle to Catherine Lawrence, wife of Penalties apply to crew quality but otherwise, the game continues John Mundie, playtester emeritus. (not for the faint of heart).

10.2.2 (Option 2) If you lose an aircraft and its crew, keep track of the number of missions completed and continue with a new bird and a new crew. Penalties will apply with respect to crew quality but otherwise, the game just keeps rolling on. Errata (discovered after the Counters were printed): • The Repair 1 marker should read Repair +1. • The Clear marker should show a half-moon CREDITS night and read Clear +1 Designer : Michel Boucher ([email protected]) • Cloudy marker should read Heavy Clouds -1 Developer : David Knepper ([email protected]) • Radio crew marker should read WAG (for Playtesters : Gregory Wagland, Larry Sisson, John Mundie, Wireless Air Gunner) in the badge (not RO) and Arnaud Bouis Wireless (not Radio) Game Artwork: Brien Miller

Table 1: Mission Randomizer Table Selecting missions randomly. Roll 1d6 and 1d10 and look up the number on the Target sheet (Table 4). Fly those missions.

D6 | D10 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 2 11 12 13 14 15 1 2 3 4 5 3 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5 11 12 13 14 15 1 2 3 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Table 2: Crew Assignments

Replacing Pilot Rear Gunner Wireless Navigator Aimer Flt. Engineer Crew Flt. Engineer Yes No Yes No No Aimer No Yes No No No Navigator No No Yes Yes (*) No Wireless No Yes No No No Rear Gunner No No No No No Pilot No No Yes No No (*) Aimer and Navigator were often combined in one position. 41

PW79.3.1.indd 41 11/20/14 9:20 PM SUMMARY Playing a historical mission Preparation: Reaching the Target: 1. Identify target and take into account the difficulty level Upon reaching the Target hex, turn over the flight path marker (green to red or Ruhr) to determine in an event occurs, consult the LW Intensity table and roll on the appropriate Zone Flak Table to determine flak 2. Determine target conditions (sky, moon) and place available. Then: appropriate modifier marker. Navigator rolls on GRT to find target using instruments. 3. Determine crew members and assign crew quality points. Success on modified ≥ 6, then if successful move action over to the Bombing Table. Resolve event and fighters 4. Determine flight path by randomizing then placing upside before going to Low Alt. (place marker); the resolve Zone down path markers. flak (unless in Ruhr) and then target flak, as indicated on 5. Place airframe counters and fuel marker, bombing track the appropriate bombing track. If the Navigator failed to marker and Luftwaffe counter in the appropriate boxes. locate the target, the Aimer can try at this time using visual. Success on modified ≥ 6. Go to Bombs Away! Failing that, Begin Mission: the crew can still salvage a successful mission by dropping their bombs in the target hex, if the target hex is in Germany, Draw one Luftwaffe Intensity chit and set it aside, face up. Move even without locating the target. Consider the mission Wimpy counter along path (revealing flight path counters as you automatically successful (no skill check required) and the enter the hex). Advance the fuel marker. Draw Event chits when zone equivalent to a green triangle for CQP purposes. indicated on the reverse of a flight path counter. Refer to the Resolve the event, if any, and resolve flak, including the event chart in the rules. spotting skill check, to determine damage. Apply results.

NOTE: Until you reach the objective, read the Targetbound 7. Resolve flak over target (1 to 3 d10, depending on the die portion of the Event only. roll result on the colour coded table), including spotting skill check, apply +1 modifier to all three dice if in the Ruhr. When over a shaded hex that is not the Target, roll on the portion Use Pilot’s skill and Reroll if available to evade hits, if any. of the Luftwaffe Intensity Table which corresponds to the chit you drew earlier. 8. Continue bombing run. Aimer rolls on General Results table. Success on modified ≥ 6. 6. Resolve Fighter combat if the Wimpy is flying at high altitude, or flak if the Wimpy is flying at “low altitude”. NOTE: After the bombs have dropped, take all event chits drawn up till now, return them to the pool, face down, and start a new Both the LW fighter pilot and the Gunner must pass skill draw, reading the Homebound portion only on the Event table. check to spot. Under normal circumstances (*), the Gunner shoots first (rolls 1d10 using General Results table, apply Returning Home: modifiers if any); if Success (modified ≥ 6), the fighter is driven off. Otherwise, the fighter attacks on General Results Return home along flight path, turning over markers and table; if Success (modified ≥ 6), score a hit and flip over the drawing/resolving event chits. If flying at low altitude over a next airframe marker, from the left, on the Airframe track. shaded hex with a coloured triangle, see Zone Flak procedures. If Apply any results immediately. encountering only fighters, see 6 above.

If the Wimpy is flying at low altitude, resolve flak, rolling Land (or crash, rolling on the Over England survival table). one d10 skill check to spot the Wimpy. If spotted, roll a number of d10s equal to the flak dice on General Results NOTE: In the event that you have to roll on the survival table table (apply modifiers if any); if Success (modified ≥ 6), (Wimpy is damaged to the last airframe point, or runs out of fuel score a hit and flip over the next airframe marker, from the or weather results in a crash), your career is over unless you are left, on the Airframe track. Apply any results immediately. rescued at sea, taken in by the resistance, escape from Stalag 13

ds or crash land in England without crew losses (or at least the pilot,

r (*) There are events that allow the LW fighter to fire first. the Player, survives). You may in fact survive to fight again, but i unfortunately not within the five months covered by this game. rb NOTE: The pilot has various skills he can apply to avoid the However, as the player, you can continue with another aircraft and outcome of a hit: manoeuver, Reroll, MANoeuvre +1, and crew. DISCretionaries. The choices made at the beginning of a mission setup will often determine the outcome. hunde T 42

PW79.3.1.indd 42 11/20/14 9:20 PM T WALKING INTO A hunderbirds WALL OF FIRE A Short History of Canada’s Role in Bomber Command Modifiers: By Michel Boucher Target Conditions: “It drives one mad to think that some Canadian boor who proba- bly can’t even find Europe on the globe, flies here from a country • Clear / Moon: +1 DRM for each condition on glutted with natural resources, which his people don’t know how General Results Table to Luftwaffe, Flak, Gunner, to exploit, to bombard a continent with a crowded population.” Aimer, Navigator , diary, March 1943 (quoted in Ralph Allen, Or- • Light Cloud / Crescent Moon: 0 DRM on General deal by Fire, Toronto: Doubleday, 1961, p. 421) Results Table to Luftwaffe, Flak, Gunner, Aimer, Navigator In the night of January 14-15 1943, aging Wellington bombers, pilot- ed and crewed by Royal Canadian Air Force personnel, flew out of the • Heavy Cloud / New Moon: -1 DRM for each vale of York and headed south to Lorient in France for their first ever condition on General Results Table to Luftwaffe, mission as part of 6 Group, a newly minted Canadian bomber group Flak, Gunner, Aimer, Navigator under Bomber Command. They were sent there to bomb the Ger- NOTE: Total modifiers and apply to each skill check, man sub pens. By the time the war was over, 6 Group aircrews would both for Wimpy crew and Luftwaffe/Flak. have flown over 40,000 operational sorties as part of every major op- eration undertaken by Bomber Command from spotting Crew Quality, max 3 (+1 DRM on General Results Table, to bombing the Ruhr, often under adverse atmospheric conditions, discard once used): and dropped over 125,000 tons of bombs and mines. Over 800 of its aircraft never returned, and almost 75% of the aircrews aboard those • Aim +1: +1 on GRT to bomb target (see 7.5) bombers lost their lives.

• Gun +1: +1 on GRT to fire at LW Fighter (see 7.1) Many will wonder how this came about. Simply put, the story of 6 Group is the story of Canada at war. It is also the story of the • Nav +1: +1 on GRT to locate target/6 Group will of William Lyon Mackenzie King, its Prime Minister, to cement • Repair +1: Assign a crew member to repair a Canada’s newly acquired independence from the British Empire with malfunction concessions from Britain.

• Pilot’s choice: any 3 (+1 DRM on GRT, discard once The Treaty of Westminster (1931) set down the guidelines for a Brit- used) ish Commonwealth and guaranteed the “self-governing dominions” of the British Empire (Canada, the Irish Free State, the Union of South • Stam +1: Affects DRM by +1. This does not Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Newfoundland) complete auton- automatically mean that other modifiers cannot omy with respect to the UK, including the autonomy to declare war make the task impossible (the new modifier could be by Parliamentary vote rather than being automatically thrust into war -3). See 6.4.2[2]. by the UK’s declaration, as happened in WWI. So when George VI, as head of state of the newly established Commonwealth’s nations, • Man +1: Perform evasive manoeuvres against flak or appealed to its members for their support in the coming war, Prime Fighter (success cancels ONE hit) Minister Mackenzie King, never one to take anything for granted, re- sponded quickly with a radio address to Canadians on September 3, • Reroll: Force a reroll of any unsuccessful result, 1939, in which he clearly stated the conditions under which Canada applying modifiers, if any (see 6.4.2[2]). would agree to go to war: (NOTE: a die roll result may only be rerolled once). “ This morning the King, speaking to his people at home and • DISC: Discretionary orders, can replace an expended across the seas, appealed to all to make their own the cause of CQP, give any crew member an extra bonus, or force freedom which Britain again has taken up. Canada has already a reroll (a die roll result may only be rerolled once). answered that call. On Friday last, the government, speaking on behalf of the Canadian people announced that in the event of the • EXCEPTION: the MiD +1 marker acts as a United Kingdom becoming engaged in war, in the effort to resist persistent CQP for whichever crew member receives aggression, they would, as soon as Parliament meets, seek its au- it (NOTE: for the pilot, it is a persistent PDP). It thority for effective cooperation by Canada at the side of Britain. has a duration of one mission period (see Table 4 and [...] All I need to add at the moment is 6.4) and is extended to the next period if it occurs in that Canada, as a free nation of the Brit- the final mission of a period. ish Commonwealth, is bringing her co- operation voluntarily. Our effort will be Continued on page 49 43

PW79.3.1.indd 43 11/20/14 9:20 PM Table 3: Random Events

Targetbound: Reveal (flip) the first unrevealed airframe counter in the airframe track. Damage, if any, could be caused by ground crew inattention or simply wear and tear but it hardly matters. Apply this only over England or the /Channel and carry on with the mission, otherwise no event. 1 Homebound: Ace Helmut Schmidt of . The enemy ace attacks as two fighters. A hit from the first die roll is applied immediately (no evasion possible). Only the Ace’s second attack can be cancelled on successful rolls by either the Gunner or the Pilot using his manoeuver skill. No fighter/gunner spotting skill checks are required. Targetbound: German Tactical Advantage. All LW fighter or flak spotting skill check (not combat) die rolls on the GRT gain a +1 DRM for the remainder of the targetbound flight. Discard any tactical advantage chit drawn earlier. Keep this chit until instructed otherwise. 2 Homebound: Lost! A piece of shrapnel has damaged your equipment and you have become turned around in the dark. Roll a d10 and relocate your Wimpy one (if 0-4) or two (if 5-9) hexes away from the target hex. Roll a d6 and follow the indicator on the map. If already over water, ignore. See 7.9. Targetbound: The gunner mumbles that he has spotted Luftwaffe night fighters against the clouds but it turns out to be shadows of other targetbound bombers. No Event. 3 Homebound: Mentioned in dispatches. If returning from a successful mission or after repair of a major malfunction, roll a d6. On a 1, the pilot is listed for a Distinguished Flying Cross. On 2-6, the corresponding crew member gets mentioned in dispatches. See rule 7.12 Targetbound: Engine malfunction. Cancel mission if not in target zone and head home. Roll a d10 for each hex you enter. On a 0-2, the engine fails and your mission is compromised. You can no longer manoeuvre to avoid Luftwaffe 4 or Flak. You must land now. If over England, you land safely, otherwise go to Survival Table. Homebound: The rear gunner spots a night fighter which does not appear to have seen you. On a d10 die roll of 6-9, it spots you and combat starts, otherwise, no event. Targetbound: UNIQUE--The triangulation is interrupted by the Luftwaffe. When entering the target hex, roll on the GRT with a -1 DRM to find the target. If you fail, go home. If you find it, resume mission. Discard Unique 5 event chits drawn later. Keep this chit until Homebound. Homebound: Period of calm. A few minutes’ breather between crises and a cup of tea from the thermos invigorate the crew. Restore bonus to one unwounded crew member. Targetbound: UNIQUE-- triangulation works like a charm. When entering the target hex, roll on the GRT with a +2 DRM to find the target. Discard Unique event chits drawn later. Keep this chit until Homebound. 6 Homebound: Search and Rescue. You spot a dinghy floating fairly close to the continental shore. You radio their position and SAR teams go out to locate them. On a die d10 roll of 0-4, the crew is rescued. Targetbound: UNIQUE--The Luftwaffe successfully disrupt Oboe. When entering the target hex, roll on the GRT with a -2 DRM to find the target. Discard Unique event chits drawn later. Keep this chit until Homebound. 7 Homebound: UNIQUE--Driving rain makes your landing hazardous. You will need to roll on the GRT with a -1 modifier. Apply this event at the end of the mission, no matter when it was drawn. This event takes precedence over the other unique event if drawn later. Keep this chit until you have landed. Targetbound: Critical heating system malfunction. You must fly at low altitude. Roll for flak for every shaded hex you enter with a coloured triangle. Cancel mission if not in target zone and head home. If in target zone, suffer -2 DRM on all rolls on the GRT. You may continue the mission but must roll a d10 for each hex you enter. On a result of 0-2, the heating system fails completely and cannot be repaired. Prior to system failure, may be repaired by Flt. Eng., discarding 8 chit/returning to high altitude. Homebound: UNIQUE--Heavy fog makes your landing hazardous. You will need to make a skill roll on the GRT with a modifier of -2. Apply this event at the end of the mission, no matter when it was drawn. This event takes ds

r precedence over the other unique event if drawn later. Keep this chit until you have landed. i Targetbound: Ace Hans Schultz of Nachtjagdgeschwader 1. The enemy ace attacks as two fighters. A hit from the rb first die roll is applied immediately (no evasion possible). Only the Ace’s second attack can be cancelled on successful rolls by either the Gunner or the Pilot using his manoeuver skill. No fighter/gunner spotting skill checks are required. 9 Homebound: Advanced Training. The sends a coded radio message to the effect that you are to

hunde proceed immediately to Group headquarters and upon landing your crew will be sent up for advanced training. Skip

T the next mission. 44

PW79.3.1.indd 44 11/20/14 9:20 PM Targetbound: The pilot ate a bit of underdone potato and feels ill. If you are closer to base, return home. If you are T closer to the target (but not homebound), continue but apply a -1 DRM to pilot manoeuvres in addition to other hunderbirds modifiers. 10 Homebound: Flak damage. Flak damage has caused oxygen supply to fail. You must fly at low altitude. Roll a die when crossing a hexside. On a roll of 0-4 on d10, you expend an extra measure of fuel (advance fuel marker two spaces). If you cannot land in England, roll on the Survival Table. Targetbound: Your father warned you there would be days like this. Wings ice up. Cancel mission if not yet in target zone and head home. Halve fuel if carrying bomb load. The player may drop the bomb load to avoid the fuel penalty and, if over Germany, score one completed mission. Land in the first available hex in England and roll on the GRT. 11 Pilot may apply available modifiers. Homebound: Flak damage. Flak damage has caused the heating system to fail. You must fly at low altitude. Roll a d10 die when crossing a hexside. On a roll of 0-4, you expend an extra measure of fuel (advance fuel marker two spaces). If you cannot land in England, roll on the Survival Table. Targetbound: CONED! You find yourself lit up by flak. No flak spotting skill check is required. Apply +1DRM to all flak rolls in this zone. You may attempt manoeuvre which will if successful, cancel the German advantage. Apply this event only in target hex or if forced to fly at low altitude by event or combat result. Otherwise, no event. 12 Homebound: German Tactical Advantage. All LW fighter attacks gain a +1 DRM for ALL die rolls on the GRT for the remainder of the homebound flight. Discard any tactical advantage event chit drawn earlier. Keep this chit until instructed otherwise. Targetbound: Oxygen supply failure. You must fly at low altitude or scrub the mission. If within two hexes of the target, continue but at -2DRM on your rolls on the GRT over and above the already existing modifiers. You may continue the mission but must roll a d10 for each hex you enter. On a result of 0-2, the oxygen supply fails completely 13 and cannot be repaired. Prior to system failure, may be repaired by Flt. Eng., discarding chit/returning to high altitude. Homebound: A member of the crew thinks he has spotted Luftwaffe night fighters in the distance but it turns out to be returning bombers. No Event. Targetbound: If over the continent, gunner spots a night fighter which does not appear to have seen you. On a d10 roll of 6-9, it spots you and combat starts, otherwise, no event. 14 Homebound: You suddenly realize you have been flying for hours with a perforated fuel tank. The loss of fuel is significant. If you can reach England in three hexes, you may land anywhere. Otherwise, go as close as you can to Britain then roll on the survival table for the dominant terrain in your hex. Targetbound: German Tactical Advantage. All LW fighter attacks gain a +1 DRM for ALL die rolls on the GRT for the remainder of the targetbound flight. Discard any tactical advantage chit drawn earlier. Keep this chit until instructed otherwise. 15 Homebound: German Tactical Advantage. All LW fighters and flak attacks gain a +1 DRM for ALL die rolls on the GRT for the remainder of the homebound flight. Discard any tactical advantage event chit drawn earlier. Keep this chit until instructed otherwise. Targetbound: German Tactical Advantage. All Flak attacks gain a +1 DRM for ALL die rolls on the GRT forthe remainder of the targetbound flight. Discard any tactical advantage chit drawn earlier. Keep this chit until instructed otherwise. 16 Homebound: It’s the equivalent of running out of gas, but you’re not on a date. Due to combat damage, your equipment is faulty and you have expended all your fuel. If over England, land immediately with a -1DRM to the skill check. Otherwise, roll on the survival table for the dominant terrain in your hex. Targetbound: You realize your altimeter is not functioning properly. You may continue the mission but must roll a d10 for each hex you enter. On a result of 0-2, the instrument fails completely and cannot be repaired. You must fly using visual at low altitude. Apply -2DRM to all rolls on the GRT until mission ends. Prior to system failure, may 17 be repaired by Flt. Eng., discarding chit/returning to high altitude. Homebound: This is your last mission for a few days. The crew has been given leave for three days. Enjoy the flight home. Targetbound: German Tactical Advantage. All LW fighter or flak spotting skill check (not combat) die rolls on the GRT gain a +1 DRM for the remainder of the targetbound flight. Discard any tactical advantage chit drawn earlier. Keep this chit until instructed otherwise. 18 Homebound: Sunday driver! In your eagerness to return to base, you don’t notice that another bomber approaches in the dark. Wings collide. The damage appears minor. For each hexside crossed, roll a d10 die. On a 0-2, the effect is critical. Roll on the survival table. 45

PW79.3.1.indd 45 11/20/14 9:20 PM PW79.3.1.indd 46 T hunde rb i r ds Selection # Selection Random 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 January Period 2 January Period 3 April Period 2 April Period 1 April Period 3 March March Period 2 Period 1 March Period 3 February Period 2 February Period 1 February Period 3 Period 1 June Period 3 May Period 2 May May Period 1 Mission Period 1943/01/21‐30 1943/01/14‐20 1943/06/03‐12 1943/05/21‐30 1943/05/12‐17 1943/05/04‐05 1943/04/26‐29 1943/04/10‐17 1943/04/02‐09 1943/02/23‐30 1943/03/12‐20 1943/03/01‐09 1943/02/20‐01 1943/02/12‐20 1943/02/03‐08 Dates Table4: Targets Hamburg [2] Gardening [1] Saint-Nazaire Gardening [1] Cologne [3] Wilhemshaven Gardening [1] [3] Wilhemshaven Gardening [1] Lorient Cologne Lorient Gardening [1] Lorient Gardening [1] Lorient Hamburg [2] [3] Oldenburg Lorient Lorient Gardening [1] Lorient Lorient Dusseldorf [R] Dusseldorf Gardening [1] [R] Essen [R] [R] Dusseldorf [R] Gardening [1] Gardening [1] [R] Bochum [R] Duisburg [R] Dortmund Karm Gardening [1] [R] Duisburg Mannheim [4] [4] Stuttgart Gardening [1] Frankfurt [4] [R] Duisburg Kiel Saint-Nazaire [R] Bochum Saint-Nazaire [R] Duisburg Gardening [1] Essen [R] Gardening [1] Gardening [1] Essen [R] Targets [Zones] ø y

6 Group. Note: Oldenburg, mission daytime of only Tour ofOperationscompletion (30missions). casters. alsofirstcrewto reach Dusseldorf and given Lan ferred toLinton-on-Ouse NOTE: Dusseldorf, After 426Sq. istrans NOTE: Karm paign NOTE: Essen, Cam beginningofRuhr ø y wasGardening Notes

11/20/14 9:20PM - - - Table 5: Counter Legend T hunderbirds

Front Back How to use Represents the aircraft. Use on map to indicate position of the aircraft with respect to target and home. Use bomb to indicate position on the bombing track and the fuel gauge to indicate remaining fuel.

Luftwaffe Intensity (see rule 7.0), also and

Crew Quality Points (see rule 6.4). Use this counter to keep track of points remaining.

Phase of the Moon. Full Moon increases visibility by +1 for everybody (Luftwaffe and Flak, gunner, aimer), New Moon reduces it by -1 for everybody

Cloud cover, same effect as Phases of the Moon. NOTE that Full + Clear has a +2 effect and New + Heavy Cloud has a -2 effect.

CQP markers. Place in crew member box. Others include:

Flight path marker. Select up to twelve (as per rule 6.5) and place them front up on the map with the arrow pointing to the hexside that will be crossed. These can stack as long as the directions are different. Flip on entry. If the event is revealed, draw a mission Event chit and follow the instructions on the Events chart.

Reverse sides show Event numbers from to Manoeuvre +1, a pilot’s Discretionary Points (see rule 6.4). Others include:

NOTE: The pilot may only choose three of the five. After drawing Mentioned in Dispatches, he may select one of the four to be permanently available. He would then be able to take three more. This may only occur once for a pilot.

Mission counter. There is also a x10 counter:

Low Altitude, placed on the map to remind the player that the bomber is within reach of Flak and cannot be attacked by fighters.

Mentioned in Dispatches (see rule 7.11).

47

PW79.3.1.indd 47 11/20/14 9:20 PM Table 5a: Damage Counters

Front Back How to use

Crew wounds (see 8.3). Roll one d6. Matching number on front is crew wounded. The crew counter is flipped over to its wounded side and skill checks are reduced by 2 (net effect -2). A second hit on a wounded crewman results in death. Crew damage also results in structural damage to the aircraft (see Airframe damage, rule 8.2 above).

Airframe no specific effect when flipped upon taking damage. NOTE: No Effect still represents structural damage and counts as much as system or crew damage.

Below: twelve possible outcomes of Airframe damage (see 8.2). Note that all structural damage but fire are not repairable. When damage occurs, discard No Effect counters but place all others in the Active Events box.

(see Crew Damage above)

Critical to landing gear, -2 to landing, any other adverse effect will result in automatic failure of the landing attempt. Roll on crew survival table.

Will cause one more point of damage for each counter revealed (turn over another airframe marker). Can be extinguished by crew member successful roll on GRT. (see 8.2.4) Treat two fire counters as separate events even if they occur one after the other.

Will slow down aircraft causing it to “fly low” and use more fuel at the rate of one point more per two hexes (in other words, consume three points every two hexes)

Prevents the use of Manoeuvre (and MAN +1) to avoid damage.

Prevents dropping of bombs and results in mission being scrubbed. Only critical BEFORE dropping bombs, not afterwards.

Forces pilot to “fly low” causing greater consumption of fuel at rate of 1 point extra per two hexes (in other words, consume three points every two hexes)

Forces pilot to fly lower causing greater consumption of fuel at rate of 1 point extra per two hexes

ds (in other words, consume two points every second hex) r i rb

Flak hits bomb bay, bomber and crew are destroyed. Only valid if the Wimpy is carrying bombs, otherwise calculated as simple structural damage (NOTE: This may be left out of the mix for

hunde beginners). T 48

PW79.3.1.indd 48 11/20/14 9:20 PM T

voluntary.” (Transcribed by the author from the broadcast on rons, in reality it was only 15. Some of the discrepancy can be hunderbirds CBC Internet archives.) attributed to the horrendous losses which had to be filled. None- theless, the agreement resulted in “Article XV squadrons” and the Parliament voted by near unanimity to declare war on Germany creation of a bomber group crewed mostly by Canadians, with on 10 September 1939. some Commonwealth and Americans, and commanded entirely by Canadians. Canada’s Plan The creation of 6 Group was a political compromise to ensure Canada, luckily, already had a plan in place that it could present to the success of the BCATP, piloted, so to speak, by Mackenzie the Commonwealth as a fait accompli, at least on paper. King. He had insisted that Canada be given its own group of In 1936, with the rumbling of war increasing, Group Capt. Robert bombers. Whitehall agreed over the objections of C-in-C Bomb- Leckie (RAF), former Wing Commander and former member er Command Arthur Harris who wanted Canadians to be inte- of the Canadian Air Board (the precursor of the RCAF), sent a grated into the RAF to serve as replacements. That had been the report to Air Commodore Arthur Tedder, who was at the time attitude of the British to “colonials” in WWI and Mackenzie King head of training for the RAF. The report was entitled “Notes on was determined to break the pattern. a Proposal to Establish a Flight Training School in Canada”. He This initiative, bold indeed for a nation of 7 million, is what Presi- argued, successfully as it turned out, that Canada was the ideal dent Roosevelt was referring to when he spoke of Canada as “The location and had the requisite manpower to carry out the task. Aerodrome of Democracy”.

When Mackenzie King heard of this proposal he balked at the Lester B. Pearson (Prime Minister from 1963 to 1968) claims idea and a week later Cabinet rejected the proposal, declaring in his autobiography to have put the words in Roosevelt’s that “it would be inadvisable to have Canadian territory used by mouth: the British Government for training school purposes for British airmen […] It is the intention of the Canadian Government to “Once in Washington I was even a ghost writer for President establish training schools of its own.” The point of contention was Roosevelt, though he may never have known it. The Presi- that if the British set up this training school, there would eventu- dent wished to send a message of congratulation to Mr. King ally be discord between Canada and the British “over fields, pilots, on the third anniversary of the British Commonwealth Air equipment and the like.” Training Plan, a project in which Canada now took a great and justifiable pride. I was surprised when a friend on the On 17 December 1939, after three months of multilateral discus- White House staff, ignoring all rules of diplomatic propriety sions, an agreement was reached in Ottawa between the parties and without telling the State Department anything, asked me (the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Canada) pertaining to the whether I would be kind enough to do a draft of the mes- training of pilots and other air related trades in Canada aimed sage for the President. I did. So on 1 January 1943 the Prime at service overseas. Its purpose was to create the British Com- Minister of Canada received a very impressive letter lauding monwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) in Canada, or Empire Air Canada as the ‘aerodrome of democracy’ drafted by me but Training Plan (EATP) elsewhere, which would, as Group Capt. signed by the President of the !”’ Leckie had proposed, train pilots and aircrews in the safe haven that was Canada. Quoted in Hatch, p. iv “What had been Britain’s Plan, carried out on Canadian soil, Canada’s Plan: The undertaking now became Canada’s Plan, pure and simple. […] That the Plan survived at all, that it came to flower months ahead of The work quickly ramped up in earnest to craft, largely from nothing, original schedules, is one of the miracles of the war. the necessary infrastructures required in a country the size of Canada.

”Leslie Roberts, Canada’s War in the Air, quoted in Dunmore, Building, developing, supplying and manning close to 100 train- Wings for Victory, p. 66 ing stations and emergency fields throughout this vast country became the largest public undertaking ever launched in Canada. The Canadians had won control over all BCATP schools in Can- Roads had to be shaped out of the wilderness, forests cleared to ada, nearly 100 in all, aimed at turning out 3000 trained aircrew make room for landing strips, barracks, hangars, fuel depots, infir- a month at peak of performance. Under the agreement, Canada maries, etc. In the beginning, to get the ball rolling, the emphasis would bear the entire cost of infrastructures and training within was placed on transforming existing aero clubs into training cen- Canada (1.6$ billion), as well as manufacturing the fleet of aircraft tres, and making the officers of these clubs into flight instructors, required for said training, in exchange for autonomy when it came but fairly quickly they ran out of space. to making decisions. A survey of existing airfields in the fall of 1939 gave the initiative The section of the agreement which guaranteed this was Article a six month head start as 24 airfields were identified as being al- XV, also known as the “infiltration” or “Canadianization” clause, most ready and another 15 needed more which set down the conditions by which member nations would extensive work. Another 80 airfields have recognition in their own right instead of serving in the RAF. had to be hewn out of the landscape. Canada had the volume of graduates necessary to achieve that rec- The minister of Transport in the King gov- ognition. Although the expected number was 40 bomber squad- ernment in the late 1930’s was the Amer- 49

PW79.3.1.indd 49 11/20/14 9:20 PM ican-born Clarence Decatur “C.D.” Howe. He had he, in collaboration with Homer Smith, a wealthy Canadian with overseen in 1937 the creation of Trans-Canada Air ties to the oil industry, set up recruitment offices in the US in or- Lines, the first large commercial airline in Canada, der to find pilots and other suitable crew trainers that would want a business owned by the Canadian government. As to work in Canada. The project was a success and before Pearl a precaution, emergency landing fields one-hundred miles apart Harbor, 10,000 US citizens had crossed the border to work in the had been carved out of Crown Lands in the wilderness in north- BCATP. In order to protect their US citizenship, the relevant ern Ontario. These were ready to be added to the number of authorities in Ottawa issued an Order in Council to exempt them BCATP ready and nearly ready fields. from the obligatory oath of allegiance to the Monarch.

Elsewhere, Canadian National Railway real estate agents handled After December 1941, a train was commissioned to travel through the purchase of suitable land for the BCATP, usually at rock bot- Canada to repatriate US citizens employed by the BCATP. Of tom prices, which displeased farmers trying to recover from the the 10,000 who crossed the border, only 2,000 returned to the US difficult conditions of the“ dirty thirties”. and for the rest of the war, Canada (and indeed the world) bene- fitted from this very timely scheme. The fact was that not just any land was suitable. Airfields should ideally be situated in areas with an absence of hills, tall buildings, Late in 1940, the Minister of Defense for Air, Charles “Chubby” trees and telephone and power lines. However, there was also the Power, and his Deputy-Minister for Air, James Duncan, were fac- need for access to electrical power and water. That the soil should ing a crisis of confidence from the public, so they hastily created be sufficiently fertile to support good sod but porous enough to the RCAF Directorate of Public Relations and placed at its head provide proper drainage was of paramount consideration. The re- two very able men, Norman Smith, journalist, and Joseph Clark, quirement for relatively uniform surfaces resulted in a preference director of an advertising firm and a former pilot with the RAF for airfields located primarily in Southern Ontario and southern in WWI. portions of the prairie provinces. In essence, the BCATP was appropriating good agricultural land. In December 1940, Clark tracked down and found Hal Wallis, ex- ecutive producer at Warner Bros., sick in bed in a New York hotel The magnitude of the enterprise was such that the Royal Cana- room. He showed him transparencies of colour pictures featuring dian Engineers, who had until then been charged with all con- BCATP personnel taken for a photo essay to be published in the struction projects for the RCAF, were deemed insufficient to the Saturday Evening Post, a splashy spread which Clark himself had task. As a result, Dick Collard, a civilian and vice-president of a arranged. Wallis became enthused about the subject. Despite the construction firm in Winnipeg with experience in large projects, general reluctance in the US to appear to favour the Allies, Warner was enrolled in the RCAF, given a rank of wing commander (lat- Bros. had already made anti-Nazi movies and cartoon reels, and er promoted to vice air-marshal) and made head of the RCAF’s this was why Clark had chosen to pursue this matter with them. newly formed Directorate of Works and Buildings. On January 28, 1941, Clark (for the RCAF) and Wallis (for War- The work progressed at such a good pace that by July 1940, Otta- ner Bros.) signed a contract for a full-length feature film“ to illus- wa was able to advise the RAF that they were prepared to receive trate the gallant work of the Canadian air force in the war against the students from four British training schools. Germany”. Captains of the Clouds was the first Hollywood film shot entirely in Canada. After some discussion as to who should In September 1940, the US indicated that it was under the im- be the lead, James Cagney was selected and played, of all things, a pression that the BCATP was behind schedule and deemed a fail- heroic Canadian bush pilot. ure and questioned whether they should continue sending train- ing aircraft to Canada. Howe issued a press release in the US Billy Bishop became involved in the film and appears as himself pointing out that this impression was mistaken, that construction on screen, handing out trade badges to graduates of the BCATP and training was well ahead of schedule but that the main diffi- training program. Much of the film’s appeal, unlike previous ef- culty was the lack of aircraft which “was gradually being overcome forts done in studios, is its authenticity in locales and equipment, by purchases in the United States and new production in Canada”. being filmed primarily in Ottawa and North Bay, Ontario. For the sake of diplomacy the real reason airplanes were delayed in delivery was not mentioned. It was interference from within the The film opened to rave reviews in New York on 12 February 1942 US caused by the US Neutrality Act which effectively prohibited and without reserve as the US was finally engaged in the war. The the delivery of air combat equipment. RCAF Ferry service had shipped copies of the film for a simul- taneous opening night in Cairo, Melbourne, London, Vancouver, The US becomes involved Ottawa and Toronto. It was a public relations exercise that was in

ds all respects a success.

r As the fields were being leveled and the structures were going up, i it was noted that the BCATP had on hand too few instructors to Canada’s Plan : Aircrew Trades

rb meet demand. “The time has come,” the Walrus said, “To talk of many things: To remedy this situation, Billy Bishop, honorary Air Marshall and Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--Of cabbages--and kings-- Canada’s leading WWI air ace, traveled to the US in late 1939 And why the sea is boiling hot--And whether pigs have wings.”

hunde with the intention of meeting friend and former fellow RAF pilot, – Lewis Carroll, The Walrus and the Carpenter, 1872

T the New York artist Clayton Knight. He proposed to Knight that 50

PW79.3.1.indd 50 11/20/14 9:20 PM T hunderbirds Training in the BCATP looks at first glance like nothing so much camaraderie among aircrew members, something the British had as a hotchpotch of unrelated tasks. Essentially, a candidate for the a hard time accepting. To make matters worse, Canadians were BCATP started at one of Manning Depots where he was sort- very popular with British women. ed out and rejected or sent on to one of seven Initial Training Schools (ITS) where his fate was decided. His abilities were as- A Sidebar on Training sessed quickly and there was absolutely no choice in the matter. If It should be noted however that, despite the emphasis placed on accepted, he was sent to one of 82 schools covering every related training by High Command throughout the war, an emphasis trade, including cooking and air medical; there were even flight based on the belief that it increased the chances of survival, its instructor schools (no service overseas for them!). It was a gruel- impact was in fact negligible as attested by the high mortality rate ing programme which could last months or even years. Once the among Bomber Command flight crews. Freeman Dyson, who candidate had finished his training in Canada, he graduated and was employed as statistician for Bomber Command in 1944, rec- was sent on to his new appointment. The ones who would fly mis- ollected similar conclusions drawn by Daniel Kahnemann a de- sions were sent on to England and trained on the specific aircraft, cade later in Israel. He used Kahnemann’s expression to describe fighters or bombers, used by their squadrons. Ground crews, in this act of faith unsubstantiated by verifiable facts as the“ illusion some cases, had only trained on parts of aircraft and did not work of validity” which he said “is a false belief in the reliability of our on a complete plane until they were in England. own judgment”. He wrote (bold-faced mine): Air-related trades were very task specific and evolved as the When I was collecting the data in the spring of 1944, the work to be performed became more complex requiring 17 dif- chance of a crew reaching the end of a thirty-operation tour ferent types of schools and nine categories for aircrews. Early in was about 25 percent. The illusion that experience would help the history of combat flight, the only trade that existed for RFC them to survive was essential to their morale […] I did a flight personnel was that of “air observers”, which consisted in careful analysis of the correlation between the experience of flying over trenches to report on enemy troop movement. Later, the crews and their loss rates, subdividing the data into many there were two trades: observer/navigator/aimer and pilot. Gun- small packages so as to eliminate effects of weather and geog- nery positions (largely defensive) on larger aircraft were assigned raphy. My results were […] conclusive […] There was no ef- to ground crews enlisted for the duration of a single mission. fect of experience on loss rate. So far as I could tell, wheth-

er a crew lived or died was purely a matter of chance. Their By the end of WWII, the creation of quite a few more aircrew trades belief in the life-saving effect of experience was an illusion. had proved necessary: Aimer (or Bomber), Navigator, Wireless, Gunner and eventually Flight Engineer. A large number of these Joining the Fight in Earnest trained specialists who flew with the Commonwealth air units, and indeed also in some US units after 1941, were trained in Canada. After the Casablanca Conference in January 1943, the Allies agreed to a policy of saturation bombing for Germany. Bomber The Aimer trade was created in March 1942 at the request of Command had long held the view, defunct by early 1943, that the Air Marshall Arthur “Bomber” Harris to divide the tasks pre- bombing campaign alone would win the war. It became obvious viously performed by the navigator. This resulted in a spe- that High Command intended for Bomber Command’s role to cialist being charged with spotting the target, guiding the shift from one of primary aggressor to one of support, in light of pilot, operating the bomb-sight and releasing the bombs the anticipated invasions of the Continent. This directive changed as well as operating the machine-gun in the front turret. the objectives of Bomber Command just as many Canadian air- crew were coming in to the war with 6 Group. Gunnery was eventually divided between three crewmembers: the rear gunner, the wireless operator also known as the WAG (wire- Memorandum C.C.S. 166/1/D by the Combined Chiefs of less air gunner) and the aimer. It should be noted that the number Staff, 21 January 1943, stated: of trades in bombers remained fairly constant as aircrews migrated Directive to the appropriate British and U.S. Air Force Com- to larger aircraft although the number of actual gunners increased manders to govern the operation of the British and U.S. as the number of guns did. Bomber Commands in the United Kingdom The final trade to come out of the BCATP was that of flight- en Your Primary object will be the progressive destruction and gineer. The first Canadian-trained flight engineers did not arrive dislocation of the German military, industrial, and economic in England until late 1944. Until then, squadrons of 6 Group used system, and the undermining of the morale of the German ground crew volunteers to fill that post, and a good number of them people to a point where their capacity for armed resistance is were British ground crews, especially in the early days of 6 Group. fatally weakened. […] You should take every opportunity to It should be noted that, on missions, hierarchy among Canadian attack Germany […] to sustain continuous pressure on Ger- aircrew members was not relative to actual rank of the individu- man morale… als but rather their functions or in more modern parlance, spe- (University of Wisconsin Digital cialty. The pilots, many of whom were Flight Sergeants, were in Collections, Foreign Relations of the command over and above Pilot Officers within the crew. Photos United States) of the period clearly indicate that rank was no impediment to 51

PW79.3.1.indd 51 11/20/14 9:20 PM FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR 40

The British provided equipment and bases to 6 ably destroyed”. No fewer that 814 aircraft from 6 Group, Group: the by-now antiquated fleet of Welling- Wellingtons, Halifaxes and Lancasters, had not come back ton two-engine bombers (some of which were still from operations. Of the approximately 5,700 airmen aboard flying missions in October 1943) in which critical systems often those aircraft, 4,272 or almost 75% of them lost their lives. malfunctioned, and bases in the Vale of York where bad weather Hundreds more died in non-operational accidents.” (fog, driving rain) was the norm in winter. Add to that the com- mon occurrence of landing on instruments between two mountain The toll of the never ending missions on crew morale was the ranges and you had a recipe for disaster. most telling as this letter home attests:

Food was a constant complaint. Canadians were used to better “Dear Dawn, food than the gristly meat stews they were being served. Diges- “The longer I stay on the ground, the better I like it. Flying in tive ailments were common and sufficient cause for scrubbing a Bomber Command is just about the worst thing that could happen sortie. Despite these setbacks, weather, bad food, old equipment, to anyone. When night after night buddies fail to return it gets you Canadians performed their duty. As they had their own Bomber down. Maybe I’ve always been high strung and nervous, but late- group, complaints could be aired and understood by other fellow ly my nerves have been going to hell. Just last night we lost three Canadians, although not much could be done. kites. Most of the guys I was with when I joined the Squadron are By June 1943 many of the squadrons in 6 Group were transferring gone. To sum the whole thing up, I haven’t a Chinaman’s chance to Lancasters and crews increased from 5 to 7. The 420th, 424th in this game. It didn’t used to be so bad over Germany, but now its and 425th Squadrons were still flying missions from North Africa like walking into a wall of fire. I try not to think about it.” using Wellingtons in support of Canadian forces during the inva- F/O Kenneth Canning (RCAF) in a letter home, no date, sions of Sicily and starting in March 1943 and did not return quoted in Terry Copp, No Price Too High (documentary, 1996, until October. transcribed by John Mundie). F/O Canning (WAG) died in After the smoke had cleared… 1944 and is buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery. Some historians consider the contribution of Bomber Command Some Canadian historians have tried, with mitigated success, to as fundamental to the victory over Germany. Terry Copp assign the “birth” of the nation to economic or military events expresses it in this way: that precede its existence, in some cases by quite a stretch: the Fur Trade, the War of 1812, the capture of Vimy Ridge. Most of “(...) Indeed, it is important to understand the amount of these, however, were political in inspiration. materiel and manpower that the Germans diverted to the defense of Germany in the course of 1943. Not only anti-air- Here, however, we have a perfect example of nation building at craft guns, the famous 88, but most of the that its best. In a time of dire necessity, a small nation of 7 million, came on stream were diverted to the defense of Germany. In resource rich but recovering from a debilitating economic decade, general the Nazis responded to the bombing offensive over stands up to put together, under the very able leadership of its the skies of Germany by turning it into one of the principal Prime Minister, an air training program that starts from nothing confrontations of 1943. And therefore it seems clear to me but a few fields and flying clubs and within a few years is filling that the bomber offensive was one of the decisive factors in the sky with planes, training the air forces personnel of much of the defeat of .” the Western Allies, ground and flying crews, as well as sending many of its own to fly over the killing skies of Germany. The human cost was immense. After the war was over, it was estimated that only 27% of all Bomber Command crews survived Although every nation had its moments of glory on the battle- the 30 mission tour of operations. For 6 Group, the numbers are fields, Canada’s most distinguished achievement of WWII was quite similar. the result of quiet work in smoke-filled government offices and a determination to do what had to be done. As a result, and com- “The Canadian Bomber Group had flown 40,000 operational bined with the Naval building program, the military presence in sorties and dropped 126,122 tons of bombs and mines. In the Europe, and the participation in the Manhattan Project, Canada course of operations, the Group’s aircraft had had 1,312 en- took its place in the world as the fourth strongest power, the third counters with enemy aircraft—116 of which were shot down. largest navy, and one of the three nuclear powers. But that’s a Another twenty-four enemy fighters were claimed as “prob- story for another time. hunderbirds T 52

PW79.3.1.indd 52 11/20/14 9:20 PM