By Michael Lane

Another Battle of Britain aerial combat as Douglas Baldwin, the doughty Brylcream Boy of the dogged RAF, led his fighters up to oppose the bombers of Luftflotte 2 as they droned over Southern England in an attempt to knock out the RAF Secton Station at Kenley and to attack Croydon Aerodrome.

I regret to say I took the role of the dastardly Hun, this time bringing eighteen Dornier Do 17Z bombers in two Staffel while two dozen Messerschmidt Bf 109E “Emil” fighters flew as escorts. Would they be enough? I wondered.

Well the Brylcream Boys brought twelve Supermarine Spitfire Mark I, twelve Hawker Hurricane Mark I and six Boulton Paul Defiant fighter aircraft to the fray. The Spitfires and Defiants had been scrambled from RAF Biggin Hill while the Hurricanes were based at Kenley itself and rose to meet the one Staffel of fighters and one Staffel of bombers I sent to attach their home airfield.

It was quite a fight with both Bf 109’s and Hurricanes plummeting earthwards but then the Hurricanes got into the Dorniers and they too started to head earthward trailing smoke as the RAF boys tore up their formation. It was such that four bombers were lost in short order.

The other Bomber Staffel reached Croydon before the fighters from Biggin Hill could get there and proceeded to bomb the Aerodrome. All nine Do. 17Z bombers dropped their cargo of death and destruction. However only two gained meaningful hits while one was shot down.

My escorting Staffel of Bf 109 fighters had attempted to intercept the approaching Spitfires and Defiants, delaying them briefly and again many fighters, both British but especially Germans fell from the sky. Then sufficient Defiants and Spitfires reached the bombers departing Croydon and shot down another five bombers. It was mayhem all over Surrey with aircraft crashing to the earth in great numbers. Both sides losses were dreadful, neither side would want to renew the fray for a while.

Well what did learn? We had used the “Wings at War” “Scramble for Britain” air rules once again, though it was Mike’s first foray using the rules. I must say, somewhat ruefully, that he soon caught on! We found tight turning Spitfires and to a lesser extent Hurricanes were better able to get on the tail of my Bf 109 fighters. Their advantage in making reverses was insufficient to get around on the tail of the Brylcream Boys involving as it does a dive and climb back up to engage the enemy fighter.

I do wonder if damaged or out of ammunition fighters should be so easily chased and shot down by their opponents. The accounts of dogfights I have read suggest that an opponent who broke off the fight usually got away and it was only the few who were doggedly pursued were memorable enough to record. I can see a local amendment being used in future.

Nevertheless it was a cracking game.