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Fortress Europe Rules

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Blitz Week - a Fortress Europe Campaign

On June 14th, 1943, the US 8th Air Force and RAF Bomber Command were directed to begin attacks on German fighter and aircraft industry under the name Operation Point Blank in an effort to destroy the Luftwaffe’s ability to defend against the future invasion of France. The US 8th Air Force, which had been flying B-17 missions into occupied France since September of ‘42, and Germany since January ‘43, continued to launch precision daylight attacks while RAF Bomber Command would attack by night. 

Capitalizing on clearing weather over the continent in late July, General Ira C. Eaker mobilized the 8th Air Force for the heaviest and deepest attacks on the German war machine to date. Beginning on July 24th with the first ever 8th Air Force Mission to Norway, it continued nearly every day till July 30th, taking only one rest for the heavy bombers on July 27th. On the 25th, RAF Bomber Command and the 323 B-17s of the US 8th AF tag teamed Hamburg shipping yards and diesel engine works. The following day on the 26th 303 B-17s attacked the Nordhafen Rubber and Continental Gummi-Werke facilities in Hannover as well as the Hamburg Uboat yards.

After a brief one day break, the 8th Air Force launched 302 Forts on the 28th for the Fieseler components works at Kassel and made the deepest attack into Germany so far at the Oschersleben assembly plant. On the 29th, 249 B-17s attacked the ship yards at Kiel and the Heinkel assembly plant at Warnemünde. On the final day of the assault 186 B-17s returned to Kassel for the Bettenhausen and Waldau Fieseler works.

Weather for the last day of July was good, but the B-17s rested. The most intensive period of operations to date for the US 8th Air Force had come to a conclusion. They began the operation with nearly 330 available B-17s and their crews and in one week were reduced to below 200. Approximately 100 B-17s had been lost or written off and the equivalent of nearly 90 total crews were missing, killed or wounded in the same time period. Several medals for bravery were awarded as well as one Medal of Honor to Co-Pilot John C. Morgan of the 92nd Bomb Group for piloting his crippled bomber home after the pilot was killed. 

Along with the first 8th Air Force raid to Norway, some other notable firsts were recorded during Blitz Week. The first known recorded success of the Luftwaffe’s BR 21 rocket mortar was seen on the July 28th mission to Oschersleben. A B-17 of the 385th BG took a direct hit from the rocket fired projectile, broke up and crashed into two other bombers in the formation. Another first for the 8th Air Force was for the escort fighters when 4th Fighter Group used external fuel tanks on their P-47s, allowing them to be the first 8th AF fighter group to penetrate German air space. 

The success of Blitz Week was measured in the losses to German war industry, particularly the Continental Gummi-Werke which suffered a 25% loss for several weeks. Several targets took direct hits like the Heinkel assembly plants at Warnemunde and Oschersleben causing an estimated loss of one months production, or 50 Fw 190s. The results proved that the bombers could deliver critical blows to German targets, but also showed that it was costly on men and machines. It also carried with it the disheartening reminder that most of the fighter production was still untouched and further inside the Reich, well beyond the range of the P-47 escort.

The Fortress Europe Blitz Week Scenario sets the stage for the first real 8th Air Force sustained assault on Germany. Pilot a Flying Fortress deep into German air space, escort them in a P-47 Thunderbolt, or try to stop them in a Luftwaffe interceptor!

When? Where?

JULY 11th, 18th, 25th - 2200 EST - 1900 PST - UTC 0200 - SEA2

REGISTRATION OPENS: ---

Available Squadrons/Units

BLITZSET

 

General Rules

  • No Aircraft are to cross North of the Horizontal 20 Grid Line on the map.
  • Logs will close at T+180 - All aircraft are expected to be down and towered out.

Allied (USAAF - US 8th Air Force) Rules

  • Human B-17 formations must form on and travel with AI formation.
  • Human and AI B-17 formations must not exceed 25,000 feet.

Axis (Luftwaffe - Luftwaffenbefehlshaber Mitte) Rules

  • Axis Pilots may not cross West of the Vertical 3 Grid Line.


Launch Windows / Spawn Rules / Active Airfields

  • Flight will be opened every 60 minutes for 10 minute intervals. (T+0, T+60, T+120)
  • Human B-17 formations may not spawn from A4 NORTH airspawn.
  • A6 Air Spawns will open for Allied Fighters at T+60 and T+120.
  • Downed Bomber Pilots and Downed Allied Fighters may spawn into AI Bombers until AI Bombers are exhausted. Contact CM for Bomber Request.
  • Allied Active Airfields are A4 (T+0) and A6 (At T+60 and T+120)
  • Axis Active Airfields are any airfield in Germany and Denmark.

 

Objectives

The Allies will have a target area with 3 targets in each frame. One of those targets in that area must be hit every frame. Once that target is attacked it is removed from the list and no longer available as a target. Some targets are overlapped in different target areas, if a target is attacked in Frame 1 or 2, it cannot be attacked again.

FRAME 1

  • Kiel Troop Strat - 13.16.4  (124 Objects)
  • Hamburg Ammo Strat - 14.14.1 (102 Objects)
  • Warnemunde Fuel Strat - 17.16.1 (157 Objects)

FRAME 2

  • Hamburg Ammo Strat - 14.14.1 (102 Objects)
  • Hannover Troop Strat - 14.12.1 (124 Objects)
  • Oschersleben Troop Strat - 16.11.7 (124 Objects)

FRAME 3

  • Hannover Troop Strat - 14.12.1 (124 Objects)
  • Oschersleben Troop Strat - 16.11.7 (124 Objects)
  • Kassel Fuel Strat - 13.9.9 (157 Objects)

COMBINED TARGET AREAS

Scoring

  • Strat Objects not destroyed by the Allies are awarded to Axis.
  • Only human piloted B-17 and drones will be counted as safely landed.

Walk-Ons

Walk-ons may be added to squad rosters where a vacancy appears. If all squads are filled to capacity, Walk-ons may continue to be added to the bomber group with a maximum of Aces High Squad Limit (32). 

If a Walk-on appears late, they are allowed to assume the command of an AI bomber if they get in proper bomber uniform and request a bomber from the CM.

Settings

Terrain:  RHINLAND

Icon Range – 3.0K ICONS

RADAR – Friendly Dot, Enemy Dar Bar

External view for bombers (F3) - On

Friendly Collisions - Off

Enemy Collisions - On

Kill Shooter - ON

Fuel - 1.0

Ack – 1.0

Formations - Enabled

Bombsite calibration – Auto Calibration (MA Stanadard)

Stall Limiter - Enabled

Visibility - Default

Object Downtime – full (200)

Object Hardness – Default

Winds – None

Design: Nefarious

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