Dogfight over the Channel: 100 Octane and Supercharged

Over the weekend the Rejects gathered in the Shed-o-War for something different to our normal fayre. Richard has been writing again and has come up with a cracking set of rules for aerial warfare in WWII. The rules could work for other periods (within reason), but the test games, particularly this game, are set firmly in WWII. I donned my lucky lederhosen and flying goggles to join the Luftwaffe in a linked pair of games somewhere over the channel, with the white cliffs as our backdrop. 

The first game was a simple dogfight with two flights of aircraft battling for supremacy. The Germans were flying Messerschmitt Bf 109E and the British were flying Spitfires. For this introductory game, there was no spotting required and no cloud cover to complicate matters. This was to be a straight-up fight with both sets of pilots finding their wings and learning the rules. 

The second game was more interesting because each pilot started the game with two Blinds which had to be 'spotted' to either identify an enemy aircraft or eliminate it as just a speck on the windshield or a bird. There would also be clouds at various altitudes and as the game progressed these played a very important role in enabling pursued pilots to escape tails or jump enemy aircraft.

I found the clouds to be a welcome respite from being shot at when I was tailed by a Spitfire. Bullets were whizzing past my plane and it was only complete luck (or the lack of it) that saved me from Dan's relentless pursuit. Desperate to share the tail I dived for the clouds and safety. 

When I exited the clouds I was able to get behind my erstwhile pursuer and pump his aircraft full of holes. The pilot managed to bail out moments before his Spitfire exploded in a rather spectacular fireball. 

Unfortunately, I didn't have long to enjoy my win because Sprog Pilot, Stuart (shot down earlier in the game and respawned as a lower-level pilot) was able to put several bullet holes through my own fuel tank. Unfortunately, my pilot wasn't as lucky as Dan earlier and was lost in the resulting explosion. 

Richard has posted more photos on his blog My Wargaming Habit and I recommend you read that for a fuller review of the game/s. I'm sure this won't be the last time we play this game, and everyone seemed to have a good time, even when we were being 'bounced' by the enemy! 

Bottisham Airfield Museum

The Bottisham Airfield Museum is a small enthusiast-run collection dedicated to the memory of the pilots who flew from this site during WWII. 

Bottisham Airfield (Designated Station 364) was home to the US 8th Air Force 361st Fighter Group between November 1943 and September 1944.

www.facebook.com/bottishamairfieldmuseum/
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www.bottishamairfieldmuseum.org.uk

Bounce! - A WWII Aerial warfare remote gaming session

A few nights ago the Rejects gather online (rather than in the Shed-o-War) for an evening of WWII fighter combat. Richard (of My Wargaming Habit fame) hosted the game using Zoom as the medium for five of us to join and play. We played this very simple game a month ago and had such a good time Richard decided to do it again. 

Each plane's altitude and speed were shown using coloured dice and each plane had six points of movement available to spend on a simple set of manoeuvres. These included forward for one point; Forward & up a level for two points; slipping left or right and dropping a level for two points, and a full 180° loop rising one level in the process. The order of activation was determined by a combination of Altitude (higher is better) and speed. Play was across a hex tabletop and the aircraft are all 1/300th scale models from H&R I believe. With this really simple set of rules, five of us were able to strap into the cockpits of our fighters and do combat over a couple of hours. 

The result was unfortunately a German victory, but the real winners were all the participants as we had a really good time cheering each other on. I'm pretty sure my neighbours must have been wondering what all the noise was about, given that this was an evening game 😆.

Well done to Richard for hosting this fun little evening event. 

Biggin Hill Memorial Museum: The Strongest link

On Sunday I had a belated, but much anticipated, 'fathers day' trip out to the Biggin Hill Memorial Museum. The Museum tells the story of RAF Biggin Hill, one of the most famous airfields of the Battle of Britain, through the personal experiences of those who served there. Despite being just a 45-minute drive from my home, I haven't been here before so this was a real treat for me. We did try to visit last year but of course, it was shut due to Covid restrictions, but now that museums are open again it was back on my list of places to visit in 2021. 

Newark Air Museum

I recently had a chance to get away for a weekend (something we haven't done in a long while) and visited a few museums. Newark Air Museum has been on my hit list for some time and has a very interesting history and an even more interesting collection of Post War jet aircraft on display. I shot a little bit of video while I was there and it is available to view on my YouTube Channel Miniature Adventures. 

I also took a few pictures (you know what I'm like!) and thought I'd share these here as well.  

Avro Vulcan B.2 in excellent condition - The Vulcan was a jet-powered tailless delta wing high-altitude strategic bomber, which was operated by the Royal Air Force from 1956 until 1984. 

Blackburn Buccaneer S.1 outside Hanger 1 - It was a British carrier-capable attack aircraft designed in the 1950s for the Royal Navy.

Avro Shackleton MR.3/3 - Constructed in 1957 this aircraft was for a while stationed in Malta. It had a crew of 10, a top speed of 302mph and a range of about 3600 miles. 

A Model of a Halifax Mk 3 with 466 Sqdn. Halifaxes were one of a number of British Bombers based at this site during the war, primarily for training.

Another model of a Halifax, this time signed by aircrew veterans.

Memorial to Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC DSO DFC

Probably the prettiest Anderson Shelter I have ever seen!

Memorial to the personnel of Bomber Command who made the supreme sacrifice in WWII

It was nice to get out and back to visiting museums, something we haven't been able to do for such a long time. It was especially nice because the weather was fantastic for a change, so all in all a refreshing day out and another step back towards normality. 

RAF Relics in Hornchurch Country Park

Anyone that follows my blog knows that I visit a lot of museums and living history events. Like everything else, these have either been closed or cancelled and with Posties Rejects unable to have any games this has meant that my weekends have been a bit empty! Part of my reason for doing the Quarantined Wargamer videos has been to keep me occupied when I would otherwise be out and about. As social distancing rules have been eased in England, combined with some decent weather, we have been trying to get out for some much-needed exercise. Unlike tens of thousands of people, we knew the coast would be packed (social distancing be damned apparently) so instead, we stayed away from the crowds by visiting Hornchurch Country Park. 

We have visited quite a few local country parks over the last couple of months and aside from a handful of dog walkers and a few family groups, these have been largely empty. We'd be forgiven for thinking the nation had hollowed itself out as everyone and their granny headed for the coastal edges of our little island! I live in a London Suburb and as any fellow urbanite will tell you, it's never quiet. We are fortunate to have a garden to relax in when the weather is good, but its not a place for peace and quiet. Although all the country parks we have been too are within the M25 (for non-UK readers, that's the orbital motorway that effectively encircles Greater London) they are blissfully tranquil compared to my back yard. And Hornchurch Country Park has a little extra to entice me because it was once the site of RAF Hornchurch. 

The Airfield at Hornchurch first saw service in WWI until it was decommissioned in 1919. It had a new lease of life in 1928 when it reopened as RAF Hornchurch. Unfortunately pretty much all of the WWI structures were levelled when the site reopened so the remaining archaeology is mostly from WW2. The squadrons based here got their first real taste of war during the Dunkirk evacuations as they flew sorties to protect the ships. 28 Aircrew lost their lives in this mission. The next test was the Battle of Britain, as the RAF across the South East of England sought to defend Britain from the might of the Luftwaffe. Control of the skies was vital if the Germans were to launch their invasion (Operations Sealion) but after heavy air losses, they abandoned the plan. RAF Hornchurch was literally in the Front line for this crucial battle and its not hyperbole to say that if they had failed, and the invasion had taken place, the war would have taken a longer and much darker turn. 

A Type 28 PillBox - one of several guarding the Eastern Perimeter of the site overlooking the Ingreborne river valley.

The site has plenty of visible archaeology including several Type 22 Pill Boxes, some very rare Tett Turrets and the remains of at least two fighter E pens, one of which surrounds the car park! There is also a small museum in the visitor centre but we avoided that because it was a little crowded. I' sure we will be back here again pretty soon and if it's not too busy I'll try and get a look at the museum. 

Despite modern Grafitti its a well-preserved relic of the period. 

One of a number of Tett Turrets. These were one-man Machine Gun posts. Some of these were linked by communication trenches. 

Another type 22 pillbox. 

This version had an underground entrance. 

The purpose of our afternoon out was to get some exercise but the added bonus of exploring a little bit of history at the same time made this a great - and much needed - trip out. My wife and daughter were quite amused at how excited I got when we parked up and I realised we were in an E Pen, and later when I would go running off into the scrub to explore an abandoned Pill Box. Incidentally if your interested check out this website which includes some interesting information and links about the site. And it's also worth watching the Two Men in a Trench episode from 2004 (available on the BBC Archive) when Dr Tony Pollard and Neil Oliver visited the site and dug some of the archaeology. 

North Weald Airfield Museum

The North Weald Airfield Museum displays items that show the active service life of the airfield between 1916 and 1958 when the airbase closed. The museum is situated in what would have been the old station office for the airfield. It's been some years since I've been here so I thought it was well overdue a return visit. As usual, I went camera hand and took a load of photos, some of which are shown below.  Outside the entrance is a large memorial stone donated by Norway in recognition of the use of the airfield by the Royal Norwegian Air Force that was based here during World War II after the occupation of Norway by Germany.

The Norwegen War Memorial outside the Museum

Inside the museum, there are five main rooms dedicated to different periods of airfield history. The first room looks at the history of the airfield for WWI right through the interwar period. There's a heavy emphasis on the fight against the Zeppelin raids and the development of tactics to deal with this new weapon of war.

WWI posters portrayed the Zeppelin raids as an affront to humanity.
Rather than weakening the resolve of the British to fight, indiscriminate
warfare such as the bombing of Civilians populations only served to
inflame public opinion. 

Another room is specifically dedicated to the battle of Britain and many young pilots flying hurricanes would give their lives in this conflict. The collection here includes documents lots of photographs of personal histories medals and unusual items of memorabilia. One such is the chest mike the WAAFS would wear when working in the plotting room as part of Britain's anti-aircraft defence network.

Part of the WWII display. The uniforms are all original and most of the exhibits are donations from private individuals. 

Model planes are found throughout the collection, alongside original artefacts such as this aiming mirror used in both the Spitfire and the Hurricane. 

This chest mike enabled the WAAF operators to keep both hands free and provide two-way communication with squadrons in the air, individual airfields and forward observation positions. 

Yet another room is dedicated to the later War. And all the foreign pilots that served here. Before America officially joined the war over 60000 Americans had volunteered to join the RAF. 6 1/2 thousand had actually served in the RAF many giving their lives to defend England and democracy. Later as already mentioned the Norwegian air force was based at North Weald.

After the war, the airfield continued to be used well into the jet age and only cease to be an RAF base in 1958. The airfield itself continues to this day as a civil airfield but they have a nice collection of aeroplanes that can be seen on special days. I also have a number of air shows during the year all of this has been reduced due to that very close proximity with the M25 and M11 motorways.

This is a very small museum, so allow about an hour to 90 minutes for a visit. However, the collection is very interesting, very well displayed and the staff are extremely helpful and willing to answer any questions. Entry is just a couple of pounds and all profits go to the upkeep of the collection, so if you have an hour or two and it's well worth visiting and having a little explore. Check out their website at www.nwamuseun.co.uk for more information.

Another historical weekend away

I've been away on yet another short weekend trip, this time down to 'Hells Corner' in sunny Kent. We had to dodge a few showers but on the whole, the weather was pretty good and we had a great weekend. We have been taking full advantage of our English Heritage membership, re-visiting sites we haven't been to in several years. The weekend started with a relatively short trip over to Rochester and from there we travelled on to Dover Castle and the coastline of the Cinque Ports. 

The 12th Century keep of Rochester Castle

The internal floors are missing, but the walkways through the walls are still accessible.

The view from the top is stunning, especially when the sun is shining. This is the view across Rochester towards Chatham and the building in the foreground is Rochester Cathedral. 

Another view of the Castle, this time from outside the curtain wall. 

Then on Monday, we drove down to Dover for a WWII weekend inside arguably Britains most important castle. Dover castle had a special WWII themed event this weekend so we decided to make the relatively short trip down to the coast and stay overnight. This corner of Kent was literally on the front lines in the second world war, with German-occupied France clearly visible across the Channel. Dover itself was the target of many air raids and was even under direct shellfire from German railways guns and coastal batteries. Over 10000 properties in the city were damaged during the war with the loss of 216 civilians. 

One of many AA guns positioned around the site. This corner of Britain was known as Hells Corner as it was in the front line. Dover itself was bombed many times in both the first and second world wars and in WWII it was also inside the range of German railway guns in France. 

Admiral Ramsey, the mastermind of Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of Dunkirk. Ramsey initially estimated that he could save about 30,000 men of the British Expeditionary Force trapped in northern France, in the end, he was able to rescue over 330,000 British and allied soldiers. 

Another AA gun this time with shell cabinets and a mock crew. 

Smaller 25 pounders still had a maximum range of about 7.5 miles so could also be used to defend the harbour. 

The event had several reenactment groups present and some brought larger equipment for display, like this Dodge Carrier. 

Up on the battlements of the central keep at Dover, the highest point of the site. As with Rochester the view from up here is stunning. 

Looking West across Dover itself. The town was heavily damaged during the second world war. Less than 26 miles from the coast of France this part of England was on almost continuous invasion alert. 

Looking out towards France. The French coast can be seen very clearly when the weather is good and guns from both sides of the channel would exchange fire. 

One of two monuments on the hills overlooking Dover dedicated to aircrew and Artillery crew who served in the defence of the area. 

Part of the Chain Home radar station built in 1937 and operational the following year. They formed a vital part of the, the Dowding system, a ground-controlled interception network which collected and filtered this information on incoming air-raids.  

The next day we headed off to Walmer Castle, a 16th Century castle built by Henry VIII as part of the defence of the Cinque Ports. I wanted to come here as this was for a time the home of the Duke of Wellington until his death in 1852. There is an extensive collection of memorabilia related to his tenure, including his Death Mask and items relating to his funeral. Unfortunately, photography inside the building is not allowed. 

The entrance to Walmer Castle. 

Photography isn't really allowed but I managed to snap a cheeky picture with Old Nosey. 

The real value of Walmer Castle was its seaward facing guns which could protect a large area of sea known as the Downs Anchorage. 

I'm still feeling the after-effects of all the walking we did over the weekend but when the weather is good, Britain is a beautify place to holiday and take in some heritage.

Boscombe Down Aviation Collection

After our morning at Stonehenge we took a drive down to Amesbury and then on to Sailsbury for a bit of shopping...but en-route we made a chance discovery and took a little diversion to see the Boscombe Down Aviation Collection. The original museum was created in 1999 but moved to its current site in 2012 and tells the history of Boscombe Down. 

Inside one of the hangers at the museum. There are several full aircraft and dozens of cockpit sections, many of which you can climb into (not me, too big!)

Meteor Mk D16 - This complete aircraft was used to chase target drones.

This Jaguar GR1 served in the RAF and the IAF before being used for explosives testing. It had now been largely restored.

A Hawker Sea Harrier. This one has a side panel removed to show the complex wiring running through the wall of the plane.

Auster AOP Mk 4/5. This aircraft was deployed in Normandy in 1944 and is being restored in its Overlord paint scheme. 

A replica BE2B. 

There is also an extensive model plane collection. 

This is a nice little museum although I would describe it as an enthusiasts museum, it helps if you know a lot about the exhibits on display. I like the hands on nature of the museum and most of the aircraft cockpits are open and, if your small enough, you can climb in a get a pilots eye view of the insides.  Not a bad discovery, especially as it wasn't planned and was very much a happy accident coming across it. 

Tomorrow I'm going back to Bovington Tank Museum while the girls do Monkey World just down the road (got to keep everyone happy).  I'm looking forward to my visit, even though I have been here dozens of times.