The Martians have invaded, time to return the favor!

The Martians have invaded, time to return the favor!

Friday, August 26, 2016

Megablitz and more: Somme enchanted evening

 
Megablitz and more: Somme enchanted evening: A couple of weeks after the Somme game reported here earlier I ran a cut-down version at the Sheffield club.  Why cut-down?  Two reasons:...

Monday, August 22, 2016

Megablitz and more: Somme day I'll find you - part 5 (the last)



Megablitz and more: Somme day I'll find you - part 5 (the last):  We left the action as the troops went 'Over the Top', confident of an artillery-wrought victory. Sadly as the Tommies approached ...

Megablitz and more: Somme day I'll find you - part 4



Megablitz and more: Somme day I'll find you - part 4:  During a final short, sharp bombardment, the troops assembled to go 'over the top'. Two brigades were deployed, each of four b...

Megablitz and more: Somme day I'll find you - part 3

 
Megablitz and more: Somme day I'll find you - part 3:  For the second air phase the RFC decided on a single recce 'plane with a heavy fighter escort.  One of the fighters was French ...

Megablitz and more: Somme day I'll find you - part 2

 
Megablitz and more: Somme day I'll find you - part 2: Or as our comrade in blogs Conrad Kinch would have it - 'The Puns of August.' Phase to of the game saw the massive British artill...

Megablitz and more: Somme day I'll find you - part 1



Megablitz and more: Somme day I'll find you - part 1: Recently I took part in a game based on the Battle of the Somme organised by Funny Little Wars author Mr PW.  It took place in a garden som...

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Saturday, August 6, 2016

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Sopwith Snipe

The Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe was a British single-seat biplane fighter of the Royal Air Force. It was designed and built by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War, and came into squadron ...
Top speed: 121 mph
Wingspan: 31′ 0″
Length: 19.85′
Weight: 1,314 lbs
Engine type: Rotary engine
First flight: October 1917
Manufacturer: Sopwith Aviation Company

Kermie Cam - Sopwith Snipe - Part 1


Sopwith Snipe 1918 WW1 Fighter


Sopwith Snipe 1918 British fighter


Bristol F. 2B Fighter

 
The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War developed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff".
Top speed: 123 mph
Wingspan: 39′ 0″
Length: 25.82′
Retired: 1930
Unit cost: 1,350–1,350 GBP (1918)
First flight: September 9, 1916
Manufacturers: Standard Motor Company, Bristol Aeroplane Company
 

Bristol Fighter F.2b - WWI Fighter


WW1 Dogfight Fokker D.VII vs Bristol Fighter F2.b


Bristol Fighter F2B


Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Airco DH.4

 
 
The Airco DH.4 was a British two-seater biplane of the First World War. It was the first British two seat light day-bomber to have an effective defensive armament. The DH.4 proved a huge success and was often considered the best single-engine bomber of the War. It was flown by a number of famous British and American aces, such as Frederick Cotton and Charles Bartlett.

Macchi M.5

 
The Macchi M.5 was an Italian single-seat fighter flying boat, designed and built by Nieuport-Macchi at Varese. It was extremely maneuverable and agile and matched the land-based aircraft it had to fight.

The M.5 was operated by five Italian maritime patrol squadrons as a fighter and convoy escort. By the end of World War I, these aircraft were flown by both United States Navy and United States Marine Corps airmen. The three versions of the airplane proposed include the model flown by the Italian ace Domenico Arcidiacono, an American plane flown by Willis B. Haviland and a captured Austrian plane piloted by Friedrich Welker.

Monday, August 1, 2016

Sopwith Triplane

The Sopwith Triplane was a British single seat fighter aircraft designed and manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company during the First World War. It was the first military triplane to see operational service. The Triplane joined Royal Naval Air Service squadrons in early 1917 and was immediately successful. It was nevertheless built in comparatively small numbers and was withdrawn from active service as Sopwith Camels arrived in the latter half of 1917. Surviving Triplanes continued to serve as operational trainers until the end of the war.

WW1 Sopwith Triplane (The Tripehound)


Sopwith Camel (Elwood)

The Sopwith Camel was a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft introduced on the Western Front in 1917. Manufactured by the Sopwith Aviation Company, it used a rotary engine, and had twin synchronized machine guns. Though difficult to handle it offered very good maneuverability to an experienced pilot. Camel pilots were credited with shooting down 1,294 enemy aircraft, more than any other Allied fighter of the conflict. It also served as a ground-attack aircraft, especially towards the end of the war when it had become outclassed in the air-to-air role. The main variant was the F.1 but dedicated variants were built for a variety of roles including the 2F.1 Ship's Camel for carrier operations, the Comic night fighter, the T.F.1 trench fighter armored ground attack aircraft and as a two-seat trainer.

Sopwith Camel 1917 WW1 Fighter