WW II Aerial Combat

“At the start of World War II some pilots were still flying obsolete bi-planes. By the end of the war Germany had entered the jet age . . . The Battle of Britain was fought in the skies. The Allies had to gain air superiority before they could launch the D-Day invasion . . . In the Pacific the Japanese aircraft carriers dominated the seas. Only after four Japanese carriers (and many veteran pilots) were destroyed at the Battle of Midway did the United States turn the tables . . . In the end, the war was ended with atomic bombs delivered by bombers.” A simple historical miniatures air combat game of World War Two fighter combat designed for classroom use. The game may be played by eight players using 1/144 or 1/72 scale models on a large hex grid (a 4x4 foot piece of blue chart paper marked with five inch hexes is recommended). Each player uses an aircraft model (American, British, Russian, or Japanese), a deck of maneuver cards, a laminated record card (for tracking damage and victories with a dry erase marker), and 5 six-sided dice. Each record card includes the name and picture of a World War Two ace, his victory total, and brief biographical information. An optional rule provides specific characteristics for a number of different historical fighter aircraft. The aircraft are rated in a number of categories: the ability to sustain damage, offensive capability, and maneuverability. Statistics are given for fourteen different aircraft, including the Me-109, FW-190, Me-262, Spitfire, Hurricane, Mustang, Lightning, and Zero.