Battle Report, Early Summer 1915This turn, both sides focus on aerial reconnaissance and roll out equipment to enhance their planes’ capability in that role. The newly renamed Kolechian Peoples’ Air Force issues
Lvoc Cameras to their Feather pilots. It’s a handheld glass plate camera, which requires manual loading of the plates for each shot taken. Kolechia also refits some of their Feather-1914 scout planes with
ailerons, greatly improving their roll rate and control over the old wing-warping technique.
On the other side, Verusa introduces a radically new platform for aerial reconnaissance. Well, new for Aurelia anyway, it’s a hot air balloon named the
Sky Eye. The Sky Eye has room in its basket for a crew of three: two observers and one engineer/telephone operator who makes use of the in-built telephone to communicate to the ground. A single prototype squadron of these balloons has been sent to the Central Plains front. The balloon-borne observers, along with regular pilots, mechanics, engineers and even the mess chef have also been given
“Barnson’s Bird-Watching Essentials”: a set of gear that includes high-quality binoculars, sketchpads, drafting pencils, and a copy of “Barnson’s Guide to the Birds of the Grand Lakes”. They also rename themselves the Verusan Sky Crusaders, a name that quickly raises inconvenient questions from the kingdom’s religious minorities. These concerns are assuaged when air force officials reassure them that the crusade in question is a crusade to drive the filthy Kolechians from the skies, and is in fact inclusive of all religions (provided they’re Verusan).
Both sides have also unveiled new insignias. Kolechia’s also comes in a
fancier version for official use. It’s a tough decision, but ultimately
Verusa wins +2 PP for a more ‘aggressive’ insignia.
The Northern Mountains:In the mountains proper, the frontline remains nearly unchanged. Small glacier-fed streams appear as the weather warms, but conditions remain about the same for troops deployed here. A Kolechian patrol takes the opportunity to plant the Republic’s flag on the peak of Mt Koldova.
At lower altitudes, fighting in the highlands continues. Both sides have deployed an extra squadron of reconnassaince planes here; Kolechian pilots lean out the side of their cockpits and snap photos of the trenches below with frosty fingers. It’s a lot easier than trying to draw the enemy trenches on a map, and faster to boot, even accounting for the need to change plates after every shot, which isn’t easy in the cramped cockpit. By contrast, Verusan pilots don’t make much use of their issued binoculars, although the sketchpad and pencil do see use. It’s simply too troublesome to hold the binoculars with one hand and draw with the other – the pilots prefer to simply fly closer to whatever it is that they need to see.
Air-to-air combat sees its first kill, as a Verusan pilot, inspired by the new insignia, ties his sabre to his prop and rams a Feather-1914 pilot clicking away on his camera. Both planes fall smoking from the sky, and neither pilot survives. Verusan aviators are firmly reminded that the outcome of a mid-air collision between the Rhino and Feather-1914 planes is entirely unlike that of a real rhino-feather collision, and no further ramming occurs. It doesn’t really work after the first time anyway – Feather-1914s are equal in speed and can evade ramming attempts, provided the pilot isn’t distracted by his camera. Those planes with the new ailerons are nimble enough to dodge the Rhinos up till the very last moments regardless.
The two Kolechian squadrons here photograph about a sixth of the frontline at crucial points, but that is enough to provide the army with sufficient intelligence to launch offensives at two key weak points, and Verusan troops retreat from their trenches for fear of getting outflanked. By contrast, the two Verusan squadrons barely manage to survey a tenth of the front, and with much less detail than their Kolechian counterparts.
The Central Plains:In this region, the Sky Crusaders have deployed a squadron of prototype Sky Eye observation balloons. The balloon squadron, Rook 1, is only mildly useful for reconnaissance, being immobile and tethered over Verusan lines. Rather, they find a role as artillery spotters, using their binoculars to report the fall of shot of artillery batteries and directing them for more effective fire. This role proves so important that the observers soon fold away their maps and wooden boards, in favour of continuously using their binoculars. The lone artillery battalion benefiting from this spotting is so successful that it forces the Kolechian army back, creating a noticeable salient in the frontlines centred along the Demisonne-Dreidansk road. Photographic intelligence from the Kolechian squadron here is unable to blunt the Verusan advance.
The tussle in the air continues, with slightly more pilots taking up weapons and firing at enemy planes which they encounter. For the most part, pilots prefer to wield pistols borrowed from the airfield guards, which are less cumbersome, and used more to scare off encroaching planes than actually shoot them down. A Kolechian pilot comes across a Sky Eye balloon and unloads his entire magazine into the balloon’s envelope from above, to little effect. He shoots it with his camera instead, before being chased away by a Rhino. Overall, negligible amounts of planes are forced down by either side, and no attacks are made on the airfields. Verusan aerodrome guards begin writing their own appendix to Branson’s Guide, including illustrations of the rare Koldan Kingfisher.
In the densely wooded Cranve Forest, Kolechian cavalry achieve a breakthrough and manage to force the Verusan lines back generally. Further to the southeast, a Verusan motorcycle company makes a breakthrough of their own, advancing further down the little alley of non-forest land by the Midako border.
The Southern IslandsSome cajoling has gotten a navy admiral to share his maps of the situation here. This map shows Okinso Island, the ‘shared’ island where most combat is occurring. The Verusan island of Malmere is just a short distance to the north (in fact you can see its southern tip north of Runisu Isle, which is also part of the Kingdom), while the Kolechian island of Koldamar is a ways to the west, across the Straits of Midako, which is the main entrance to the Sea of Midako.
Kolechian ships generally transit the waters to Kodemo and Rutawice in large, escorted convoys carrying supplies and troops. In contrast, Verusan vessels dash across the comparatively shorter distance from Malmere in smaller groups that are only occasionally protected, landing at Basselton and Nadeka.
In the recent months, a combination of Kolechian army and marines has made a strong push along the Kodemo Trail, the only major road crossing the island’s border. They now stand poised to threaten the vital crossroads outside Basselton. However, Verusan admirals are confident that they can defend the junction with naval gunfire in support, and point to the general advance of Verusan troops across the island’s highlands as proof that they will soon be able to threaten the relatively isolated city of Mizogorod.
The Outside World:The Great War continues in Europe. HMS Formidable, a Royal Navy battleship, is sunk by a German U-boat on the first day of the year. The United States Coast Guard is formed as a branch of the military by an act of Congress. Russian forces defeat the Ottomans at the Battle of Sarikamish, and the British draw up plans for a campaign in Gallipolli. The Corpo Aeronautico Militare is established as a branch of the Royal Italian Army. Two German Zeppelins make the first successful raid on the United Kingdom, dropping several bombs and killing four.
It is now the Design Phase, Late Summer 1915.
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Topic: Knights of the Skies: an Arms Race Game - Early Summer 1916 (Read 14583 times)