Air Battles in Miniature: A Wargamers' Guide to Aerial Combat 1939-1945 (1978)

Most youngsters play at 'dogfights' with model aircraft clenched in their hands, but this form of play does not even attempt to simulate reality. The adult wargamer requires something rather more sophisticated but, until now, the major problem has been recreating the third dimension. Happily, thanks to Mike Spick's unique system, the problem is now resolved for all time. In these pages you will find data and proven playing rules enabling you to fight an individual combat between, say, a Spitfire and a Bf 109; a multi-fighter melee;the interception of a wave of bombers; a dive-bomber attack with a Stuka; a valiant 'Stringbag' attack on a battleship; a bombing raid; or even a kamikaze attack if you feel so inclined! The book includes playing suggestions, in fact, for all forms of aerial combat during World War 2, including night fighting with radar; scenario suggestions for aerial campaigns using a miniature 'ops room'; and ideas for solo games. Included in the text are extensive data tables giving necessary facts on dozens of representative aircraft types of all main nationalities, and you can control your own aircraft from take-off to touch-down, climbing, diving, looping, firing your machine-guns or cannon and, hopefully, sending your opponent down in flames. Although aerial wargaming must, of necessity, be more complex in some ways than straightforward land battles, the author's lively style makes this book a pleasure to read. —description from the publisher The only thing exactly like fighting against a Messerschmitt 109 with a Spitfire I in 1940 is fighting against a Messerschmitt 109 with a Spitfire I in 1940 . . . Nevertheless, [this] air combat simulation probably comes as close as any game can to giving the 'feel' of what air combat is really like. —quote from the foreword 160-page illustrated hardback book with color dust jacket. The major chapters include principles of Flight; Combat flying, aerobatics, and tactics; Compromise and the needs of wargaming; Observation; Aerial gunnery; Air-to-ground and ground-to-air; The table-top game; Large-scale air warfare; Campaign details; and Simulating night fighting. Statistics are provided for various World War II fighter and bomber aircraft fielded by Britain, America, France, Russia, Germany, Italy, and Japan. —user summary