Volume 34, Number 6
Fall Game Dates Set
Indy Squadron gaming dates have been set through early 2023 and posted on the home page of IndySquadron.com. The fall season began in Lewisville, Indiana on October 29th with five players gathering for 4 games (see article in this issue).
The 34th annual Indy Squadron Armistice Day Fits Tournament will be held on Saturday, November 19th in Lewisville. We are expecting a large field of competitors this year, possibly as many as ten. This year's winner will receive the third of four medals from the historic Charles Becker collection from the 1950's.
The 9th Whosyercon Open is set for December 10th with the squadron's annual New Year's Day gaming tradition slated for January 1, 2023. The venues for these two game dates have not yet been established.
Benjamin Scores Pair of Kills, Jonathon Learns To Fly
Gaming Report, Oct 29, 2022
Game 1 featured two British SE 5 fighters (Benjamin, Stephen) on a balloon patrol against three German Albatri (Rick, Jonathon, Ethan). Stephen's pilot made a poor attempt at suppressing ground fire while Benjamin's pilot shot down the first of two German balloons on his second pass. The SE's were too beaten up to continue the attack on the second balloon and escaped from combat. Benjamin's pilot was credited with a balloon kill.
Game 2 consisted of the same teams with different airplanes. Stephen and Benjamin were in 150 hp Camels, opposed by Rick's Pfalz DXII and the Fokker DVII's of Ethan and Jonathon. Rick and Jonathon made quick work of Stephen's Camel with double side attacks that gave him 5 engine hits, a critical and smoked his motor. Stephen was forced out of the game on Turn 2, leaving Benjamin alone against the trio of Germans. Ethan and Jonathon dove their Fokkers after the balloon and flamed it quickly (with Ethan winning the cut for victory credit). Benjamin wisely escaped to end the fight.
Game 3 was a great matchup over the North Sea in December 1916 featuring a pair of British Short 184 torpedo bombers (Stephen, Jonathon) against two German Halberstadt D series fighters (Benjamin, Rick). Stephen's Short seaplane scored a direct torpedo hit on an escort ship, blowing it up and sinking it. His observer, CPT Cranbury Puddle, was awarded the Military Cross (pending approval from all players). Jonathon's Short seaplane overdove twice, making two rough landings on the open ocean and surviving each one, only to have his torpedo miss his target as well. He was able to get airborne again safely although his pilot's license is now under review by his superior officers.
Rick and Benjamin's Halberstadts bravely gave chase and shot up Jonathon's Short 184, but eventually were forced to abandon the pursuit when RIck's gun jammed. All airplanes on both sides returned safely.
Game 4 was a single turn affair with Rick and Benjamin's French SPAD 13's cornering Jonathon's Fokker DrI Triplane and firing on him from each side. The Triplane's engine was riddled and was instantly stopped by a fuel line hit. Jonathon saved his pilot by gliding down to a successful landing at an emergency field behind German lines. Stephen's Albatros DVa pilot (VZ Albert Hesselink, 12/1) squeezed off a quick burst at Rick's SPAD, scoring five right wings hits and a critical. Rick immediately escaped the combat and the game ended as fast as it had begun. Benjamin's SPAD pilot won the cut for sending Jonathon's DrI down with a dead motor, his second victory of the night.
Gaming Report, Oct 29, 2022
Game 1 featured two British SE 5 fighters (Benjamin, Stephen) on a balloon patrol against three German Albatri (Rick, Jonathon, Ethan). Stephen's pilot made a poor attempt at suppressing ground fire while Benjamin's pilot shot down the first of two German balloons on his second pass. The SE's were too beaten up to continue the attack on the second balloon and escaped from combat. Benjamin's pilot was credited with a balloon kill.
Game 2 consisted of the same teams with different airplanes. Stephen and Benjamin were in 150 hp Camels, opposed by Rick's Pfalz DXII and the Fokker DVII's of Ethan and Jonathon. Rick and Jonathon made quick work of Stephen's Camel with double side attacks that gave him 5 engine hits, a critical and smoked his motor. Stephen was forced out of the game on Turn 2, leaving Benjamin alone against the trio of Germans. Ethan and Jonathon dove their Fokkers after the balloon and flamed it quickly (with Ethan winning the cut for victory credit). Benjamin wisely escaped to end the fight.
Game 3 was a great matchup over the North Sea in December 1916 featuring a pair of British Short 184 torpedo bombers (Stephen, Jonathon) against two German Halberstadt D series fighters (Benjamin, Rick). Stephen's Short seaplane scored a direct torpedo hit on an escort ship, blowing it up and sinking it. His observer, CPT Cranbury Puddle, was awarded the Military Cross (pending approval from all players). Jonathon's Short seaplane overdove twice, making two rough landings on the open ocean and surviving each one, only to have his torpedo miss his target as well. He was able to get airborne again safely although his pilot's license is now under review by his superior officers.
Rick and Benjamin's Halberstadts bravely gave chase and shot up Jonathon's Short 184, but eventually were forced to abandon the pursuit when RIck's gun jammed. All airplanes on both sides returned safely.
Game 4 was a single turn affair with Rick and Benjamin's French SPAD 13's cornering Jonathon's Fokker DrI Triplane and firing on him from each side. The Triplane's engine was riddled and was instantly stopped by a fuel line hit. Jonathon saved his pilot by gliding down to a successful landing at an emergency field behind German lines. Stephen's Albatros DVa pilot (VZ Albert Hesselink, 12/1) squeezed off a quick burst at Rick's SPAD, scoring five right wings hits and a critical. Rick immediately escaped the combat and the game ended as fast as it had begun. Benjamin's SPAD pilot won the cut for sending Jonathon's DrI down with a dead motor, his second victory of the night.
Gen Con Removed from Indy Calendar
Gen Con games held under Indy Squadron rules will no longer count toward championship eligibility, and the Gen Con event will be removed from the Indy Squadron calendar. The move comes after Gen Con attempted to force 2022 attendees to use drugs associated with last year's pandemic narrative, and compel attendees to rebreathe their own bodily waste through the forced use of face masks. Ads supporting Gen Con are also to be removed from IndySquadron.com.
Gen Con games held under Indy Squadron rules will no longer count toward championship eligibility, and the Gen Con event will be removed from the Indy Squadron calendar. The move comes after Gen Con attempted to force 2022 attendees to use drugs associated with last year's pandemic narrative, and compel attendees to rebreathe their own bodily waste through the forced use of face masks. Ads supporting Gen Con are also to be removed from IndySquadron.com.
Book Review: Winged Sabres by Robert Sellwood
Pen & Sword Books
Review by Stephen Skinner
It is rare that I find a deep personal connection in a book but such was the case with Winged Sabres, which recounts the exploits of 20 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps in World War I. I was fortunate to correspond with three surviving members of 20 Squadron in the late 1980's (Stanley Walters, John Purcell and John Boyd). Sellwood's new book on the unit is so thorough and detailed that I was able to read the book, consistently find the names of my former pilot friends and enjoy their adventures from a first person standpoint.
20 Squadron was in the heat of combat on the western front from the spring of 1916 through the war's end in late 1918. These guys saw everything. The early members of the unit flew FE 2b's against Fokker Eindekkers. The late members of the squadron flew the legendary Bristol F2b against Albatri, Triplanes and Fokker DVII's.
Sellwood's book is a day-by-day account of life on the western front, arranged in a chronological format that makes for easy browsing. Each pilot is given a brief biography to acquaint the reader with the squadron's main personalities at any given time in the conflict. The center photo section is excellent and the hardcover format allows the book to travel with you anywhere and withstand a beating.
Winged Sabres is a superb glimpse into the lives of British two-seater crews and a worthy addition to any military bookshelf.
Pen & Sword Books
Review by Stephen Skinner
It is rare that I find a deep personal connection in a book but such was the case with Winged Sabres, which recounts the exploits of 20 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps in World War I. I was fortunate to correspond with three surviving members of 20 Squadron in the late 1980's (Stanley Walters, John Purcell and John Boyd). Sellwood's new book on the unit is so thorough and detailed that I was able to read the book, consistently find the names of my former pilot friends and enjoy their adventures from a first person standpoint.
20 Squadron was in the heat of combat on the western front from the spring of 1916 through the war's end in late 1918. These guys saw everything. The early members of the unit flew FE 2b's against Fokker Eindekkers. The late members of the squadron flew the legendary Bristol F2b against Albatri, Triplanes and Fokker DVII's.
Sellwood's book is a day-by-day account of life on the western front, arranged in a chronological format that makes for easy browsing. Each pilot is given a brief biography to acquaint the reader with the squadron's main personalities at any given time in the conflict. The center photo section is excellent and the hardcover format allows the book to travel with you anywhere and withstand a beating.
Winged Sabres is a superb glimpse into the lives of British two-seater crews and a worthy addition to any military bookshelf.
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