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Whosyercon Open Nets 6-Time Winner ~ Whosyercon Photo Gallery ~ March 30 Gaming Report ~ Original WWI Silent Film ~ Book Review: Battle of Little Bighorn, A New Appraisal

4/19/2024

Volume 36, Number 3

Whosyercon Open Nets 6-Time Winner

Rick drew up a great scenario for this year's Whosyercon Open, held at the Indianapolis Marriott East on March 30, 2024 with four players in attendance. Defending champion Ethan teamed up with Stephen in French Hanriot HD2's while Rick and Bob flew German Hansa-Brandenburg KDW's in a dogfight over the North Sea.

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Feb 17 Gaming Report ~ Listen to an Original Sopwith Camel Rotary ~ Engine Rick Receives RBF Cup

2/18/2024

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Volume 36, Number 2

February 17 Gaming Report

Five Indy Squadron members played five games on Saturday, February 17, 2024 in Lewisville, IN, the most games the squadron has played in a single day in quite a long time. Everyone was delighted to see three-time squadron champion Kevin Richeson return after a long absence and we were all grateful to Nelson Skinner who provided brats, hot dogs, chips and dip, soft drinks and snacks throughout the day.

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Summer Games Return to Indy ~ New Year's Day Gaming Report ~ Gen Con Got It Wrong Again ~ Fighting for the French Foreign Legion ~ New WW1 Documentary

11/20/2023

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Volume 36, Number 1
February 4, 2024

Summer games return to Indy

Welcome to the 36th year of uninterrupted publication of the Indy Squadron Dispatch!

For the first time in more than a decade, the Indy Squadron will host gaming throughout much of the summer with games in May, June and September. These games sometimes attracted fewer players and were dropped from the calendar. But with Stephen's lighter travel schedule this year, we will expand into summer just a bit more than usual.

See the entire 2024 Indy Squadron Calendar on the right sidebar of our home page, including all special events and specific game slots for the upcoming Whosyercon event.

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Ethan Wins 2nd Indy Crown at 35th Armistice Day ~ Restored Original Footage of 11/11/18 ~ Venue Set for New Year's Day, Nov 18 Gaming Wrap Up

11/19/2023

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Volume 35, Number 9

Ethan Wins 2nd Indy Crown at 35th Armistice Day

The Indy Squadron celebrated the 35th Anniversary of its marquee event, the Armistice Day Fits Tournament, in grand style during gaming on November 18, 2023 at Nelson Skinner's home in Lewisville, Indiana. Bratwurst, chips and dip, hot dogs and a host of snacks were served all day as a relatively small group of five gathered to determine the Indy Squadron champion.

This event was unique because the contestants unanimously decided to fly single gun fighters exclusively. The purpose was to slow the game down and help the outnumbered team balance the scenario while at the same time preventing newcomers from paying too high a price for a single mistake in combat.

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2023-34 Victory Medals Unveiled ~ Your Chance to Win Just Got Better ~ DH4 Bomber Original Footage

11/16/2023

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Volume 35, Number 8

2023-24 Victory Medals Unveiled

Continuing our recent trend of using original, antique medals for the Armistice Day Fits Tournament, the 2023-24 Victory Medals will be 1950-1970 versions of the Navy and Marines Good Conduct Medals. The engraving has been done by laser for the first time ever, which makes a much nicer presentation. See the photo log below to study each of the new Victory Medals, the first of which will be given away this weekend to the new Indy Squadron champion.

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Shepherd Boys Smoke Balloons ~ Authentic Film of Balloon Busting ~ Frank Luke Film Update

10/29/2023

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Dory ponders gun jams while the train rattles on.

Volume 35, Number 7

Shepherd Boys Smoke Balloons
Game Update for October 28, 2023

Jonathon, Dory, Benjamin and Stephen were on hand for the first of three games in Lewisville, Indiana last Saturday. The first game matched Dory and Jonathon's Albatros DIII's against the Sopwith Pups of Benjamin and Stephen. The bomb-laden Pups were tasked with stopping a German supply train from reaching the front. Rather than attack the train directly, the Brits chose to stop it by bombing a bridge in its path.

The Albatri had an early opportunity to knock Stephen's Pup out of the game but failed to capitalize when both of Dory's machine guns jammed in a single turn and Jonathon's Albatros missed completely. Things got even worse for the Germans when Ben's Pup scored a critical engine hit in Jonathon's Alb, forcing a compression loss and crippling him for the remainder of the game.

With the Albatri unable to mount an effective defense, the Pups were able to knock out the bridge, stop the German train from reaching the front and win the scenario.

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Rick Wins RBF XXXIV ~ April 22 Gaming Report ~ Rick Wins Society Open ~ Movie Producers Express Interest in THE STAND ~ A Pair of Aces and a Trey

5/13/2023

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Volume 35, Number 5-6
Double Issue

Rick Wins RBF XXXIV, Charles Joins Squadron

The Indy Squadron celebrated 34 uninterrupted years of Red Baron Fight history on April 22nd by re-enacting Manfred von Richthofen's last dogfight yet again. For the first time since 2014, this year's event matched up Camels against Triplanes with no Albatri in the field.

Fokker DrI Triplanes - Ethan Skinner, Dory Oda, Bob Meister
Sopwith Camel 150's - Charles Teague, Stephen Skinner, Rick Lacy

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News & Notes for Red Baron Fight XXXIV ~ Flying the Fokker DrI at Dawn Patrol Rendezvous 2022

4/20/2023

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Volume 35, Number 4

News & Notes for Red Baron Fight XXXIV

As the winner of the Whosyercon Open earlier this month, Ethan Skinner is now the only person capable of earning the Indy Squadron Triple Crown (winning the Whosyercon Open, Red Baron Fight and Armistice Day Fits Tournament in the same year).
Dory Oda is the defending Red Baron Fight champion and she will be gunning for her third career RBF title this weekend.
2021 RBF co-champ Stephen Dale is working in Kentucky this weekend and will be unable to pursue his fourth Silver Goblet.

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Ethan Nets First Open Title at Whosyercon ~ April 7-8 Gaming Report ~ House Rule Update ~ Original Mercedes DIIIa Engine in Fokker DVII

4/9/2023

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The Top 3: Rick, Ethan, Nate

Volume 35, Number 3

Ethan Nets First Open Title at Whosyercon

With a squadron championship and two Red Baron Fight Silver Goblets already in the bank, Ethan Skinner has won all of Indy's three major events after scoring his first Whosyercon Open title last weekend. The game featured a mixed bag of Italian Front fighters in a five-player scenario:

Italians:
Rick Lacy, Ansaldo Balilla
Stephen Skinner, Ansaldo Balilla

Austro-Hungarians:
George Henion, Oeffag Albatros DIII 153
Ethan Skinner, Phonix DII
Nate Pantinas, Berg 185

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SE 5's Destroy Balloon Train ~ Feb 18 Gaming Report ~ 100 Year Old SE 5a Flies Again ~ Book: Military Aviation of the First World War

2/19/2023

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Volume 35, Number 2

SE 5's Destroy Balloon Train

Jonathon Shepherd designed a fun and unique mission for the Indy Squadron featuring a German train carrying supplies for balloon units at the front. Jonathon, Benjamin and Ethan flew SE 5's (not SE 5a's) carrying four bombs each, opposed by Rick, Bob and Stephen in Albatros fighters.

The German flight struck first, with Rick and Stephen's Albatri attacking Benjamin's SE 5 from top and bottom. Benjamin's airplane took 18 total hits, his pilot was wounded and his engine caught fire. Things only got worse when his pilot passed out and crashed to his death and Bob's Albatros pilot scored a 9-hit burst in Ethan's SE.

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NEXT GAMING DAY:
May 17, 2025
Red Baron Fight XXXVI
Lewisville IN

Reigning Champions

Armistice Day Fits Tournament
Rick Lacy

Red Baron Fight
Rick Lacy

Whosyercon Open
Stephen Skinner

2025 Calendar

January 1
Official gaming
Indianapolis IN

February 8
Official gaming
Lewisville IN
11 am

April 2-5
Society Mini Con
Comfort Suites Milwaukee

April 18-19
Whosyercon Open
Indianapolis Marriott East

May 17
Red Baron Fight XXXV
Lewisville IN
12 noon

September 6
Official gaming

October 4
Official gaming

November 8
Armistice Day Fits Tournament
Lewisville IN

December 6
Official gaming

January 1, 2026
New Year's Day gaming

ISD Staff

Treasurer:
Ethan Skinner

Editors Emeritus:
Brian Halberstadt
Terry Phillips

Editor-in-Chief:
Stephen Skinner

All content is copyright IndySquadron.com/Indy Squadron Dispatch, 1989-2025, and may only be used or reprinted by permission.

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