BATTLE OF BRITAIN - Umpires Background Notes …

1 BATTLE OF BRITAIN - Umpires Background Notes What General Weygand called the BATTLE of France is over. I expect the BATTLE of Britainis about to begin . Churchill are a duty controller, 11 Group, it is the summer of 1940. Your aim is the DESTRUCTIONOF ENEMY BOMBERS (Fighter Command Tactical Memorandum Number 8, June 1940).Now clearly 11 Group, covering London and the South East, will bear the brunt of the BATTLE . 12 Group is our second line of defence and covers the industrial Midlands, while 13 Group coversScotland and the North and 10 Group the West of from the RDF chain goes to Fighter Command HQ at Stanmore, and is passed toGroup at Uxbridge, which also gets sightings from the Observer Corps. Group controllersscramble the necessary squadrons and sector controllers guide our chaps to the has been tried and tested.

2 It works. So don t blame the system if you re no Group Controller 11 Group was Wing Commander Lord Willoughby de were seven sector stations - Debden, Hornchurch, North Weald, Northolt, Biggin Hill,Kenley and Tangmere, each with three squadrons, which could fly from a number of satellitestations. In practice a sector controller (a squadron leader or wing commander) could managetwo squadrons, subordinate controllers assisted. At the height of the BATTLE fo BRITAIN all 21squadrons would be in action. On 2nd September 1940 following German bombing there twosurviving sector airfields, Kenley and TangmereThe RDF stations were Ventnor, Poling, Pevensey, Rye, Dover, and Dunkirk (Kent). Therewere a total of 21 Chain Home and 30 Chain Home Low of the stations attacked (out of five total) were off the air after bombing, but hadbeen patched up by early evening, with only Ventnor off the air long doubted there was any point in attacking radar bombed again, and of air for 7 stations out due to electricity cutRDF information sent simultaneously from the Filter Room at Stanmore to Operations Roomsat Fighter Command, Group and Sector only looked out from coast, overland the controllers relied on the Observer try to verify information on the plotting table, from leaders of squadrons were askedto report the strength, height, course and approximate position of the enemy (the Tally Ho!)

3 System ).The player (= controller) does not move pieces on the plotting table - this is done by WAAF plotters, failing which the umpire will do governing principle is that a sufficient strength of Fighters must be assembled at therequired height over a given place where it can intercept the oncoming enemy raid and break itup before it can reach its is general agreement that the principle of employing Standing Patrols is impracticableowing to its wastefulness. To keep a sufficient strength of Fighters always in the air to guardour shores from any attack would be beyond the powers of the biggest Air Force 1the Fighter Force is therefore kept on the ground in the interests of economy of effort, and onlyordered off the ground when raids appear to be WordsHostilean enemy raid - identified on the plotting table by a card showing H followed bythe raid number, the strength and the height in feetVectordirection to fly in degreesAngelsheight in 1,000 feet.

4 The RAF should attack from above the Germans, but if thedifference in height is too great (say 5,000 feet) the raid will get away. Fighterssometimes get too high because sector controllers and squadron commandersadd to the angels indicated by RDF to ensure that the fighters were above anyGerman fighters covering the bombers from aircraft (used in R/T procedure)Tally Hoabout to attackBusterfull throttleLinerCruising speedBogeyunidentified aircraft, shown on the plotting table by the letter X Pancakeemergency landing, sometimes come home and landThe plotting table is marked with the 11 Group area and shows the adjoining groups. Three raid forming up boxes over France Three channel boxes Three Chain Home boxes - each with an RDF station - Ventnor, Rye and Dover Six airfields: Tangmere - base of 203 and 602 squadronsKenley - base of 64, 85 and 253 squadronsBiggin Hill - base of 32, 603 and 610 squadronsHawkinge - base of 501 squadronManston - base of 74 squadronHornchurch - base of 54 and 653 squadronsLondon Duxford - base of 12 Group s Big Wing.

5 Middle Wallop (for 10 Group) The board has a compass rose showing vectorsThe Tote Board shows the readiness state of the squadrons on the ground (showing available (20 minutes) at readiness (5 minutes) and stand-by (2 minutes). Squadrons werescrambled from standy. by or advanced readiness . Each squadron has a marker (in red onwhite) for the plotting table (F = Friendly).An abacus records RAF pilot s claims of possibles , probables and confirmed kills .Hostile Cards (16, numbered 15 to 29, with two 24s, plus 10 blanks, of which normally have 8in play) show:H raid number (black on yellow)strength 10+ to 100+ (black on white) (change the strengths to allow a few 150+s andreduce the lower numbers, though the odd 10 should still be in the 12 to 20,000 feet (white on black)Page 2 The turn counter records the progress of the game which lasts four turns - At the height of theBattle of BRITAIN the Luftwaffe could mount four heavy raids, a total of about 1,500 sorties, August most fighting was between 12 and 20,000 feet.))

6 109s could fly at 34,000 feet,Spitfires practical ceiling was 30,000 German fighters back above bombers, at 20 - 25,000 feet. Bombers usually at13,000 feet, with some bombing from 4,000 Luftwaffe pattern bombing from 20,000 feet. Biggin bombed from 12,000 feetand Kenley from 15,000 Germans flying higher than usual, 16 to 20,000 feetBombers at 16 to 20,000 feetPlaying pieces move along tracks between locations. Events occur at raids are put on the plotting table over France (details facing the controller ifRDF working, otherwise facing away).2 The controller makes the hand of Angels Cards up to five. Cards may bediscarded or played at any appropriate time except after the Tally Ho! or Bomben aufEngelland dice are Set: Tea, Sir, bit gritty I m afraid Foster, you are an inspiration.

7 Remind me to have youpromoted - repairs any installation Put that cigarette out, the mains are gone, can t you smell gas? Don t you yell at meMr. Warwick - repairs an airfield Don t any of you Jerries talk English? Corporal Sir Where are you taking thosevultures? Officers to the mess, NCOs to the guard room sir , Like hell you are,they are responsible for all that, get them to clear it up But what about theofficers sir? Give them a bloody shovel - repairs an airfield The station commander ordered every available man and woman on to the job orrepairing the aerodrome surface and by four o clock there was not a hole to beseen . Repairs an Group lends a hand (this turn only), roll 1D6, 4, 5 or 6 = Big Wing scrambles fromDuxford - 19, 242 and 310 (Czech) squadrons; 3 = 19 and 242 squadrons, 2 =only 19 squadron takes off in time, 1 = nothing gets to 11 Group lends a hand (this turn only), roll 1D6, 4, 5 or 6 and scramble 611 and 302(Polish) squadrons from Duxford , 1, 2 or 3 only 611 squadron available10 Group lends a hand 609 Squadron scrambles from Middle Wallop, this turn only10 Group lends a hand 238 Squadron scrambles from Middle Wallop, this turn onlyY Service - signals intelligence predicts size of German raids.

8 Information replacesdamaged RDF stations this turn onlyAnti-Aircraft Command - Luftwaffe bombers need a 6 to hit target this turn onlyBalloon Command - Luftwaffe bombers need a 6 to hit London this turn only Achtung, Schpitfeuer! - add 1 to Tally Ho! dice Never fly straight and level for more than 30 seconds in the combat zone - play beforedogfight to prevent RAF losses Beware of the Hun in the sun - play before dogfight to prevent RAF lossesPage 3 You can teach MONKEYS to fly better than that - play before dogfight to prevent RAFlosses Easier to hit than a barn door - add 1 to Tally Ho! dice Its like shooting rats in a barrel - add 1 to Tally Ho! dice He who has the height controls the BATTLE . He who has the sun achieves surprise. Hewho gets in close shoots them down.

9 Add 1 to Tally Ho! (Canadian) Squadron becomes operational - exchange for a produced by shadow factory at Castle Bromwich, Birmingham - restore asquadron to operational statusSpitfires produced at Supermarine factory at Southampton - restore a squadron tooperational status73 Squadron transferred from 12 Group, exchange for a non-operational Squadron transferred from 12 Group, exchange for a non-operational Squadron transferred from 12 Group, exchange for a non-operational (Polish) Squadron becomes operational - add a new RAF squadron312 (Czech) Squadron becomes operational - add a new RAF squadronCivilian Repair Organization - restore a squadron to operational status (the CROprovided one third of new aircraft by cannibalising wrecks).

10 Spitfire Funds - restore a squadron to operational statusPilots convert from Fleet Air Arm - restore a squadron to operational statusPilots convert from Fairey BATTLE squadrons - restore a squadron to operational statusPilots convert from Coastal Command - restore a squadron to operational statusPilots convert from Army Air Co-operation squadrons - restore a squadron tooperational statusPilots transferred from 10, 12 and 13 Groups - restore a squadron to operational statusLet us therefore brace ourselves to our duties and so bear ourselves that, if the BritishEmpire and its commonwealth lasts for a thousand years, men will say, This wastheir finest hour . (Churchill ). + 3 to Tally Ho! dice or repair - One squadron may make an extra move to intercept a controller scrambles fighters at stand-by and detail the squadrons to raids orto patrol, preferably using the appropriate code words, for example: 43 squadron scramble or Put up 222 and 653 squadrons to intercept hostile 36 (the umpirewill take the marker off the Tote Board and put it on the Plotting Table).