Big Week

Version 12
Make sure to hit refresh on your browser to make sure you have latest version.

Sections

• Date and Time
• Setting
• Main Rules
• Map
• Victory Conditions
• Allowed Targets
• Allied Order of Battle
• Axis Order of Battle
• Timing Table
• Moving Around Pilots
• Items of Note
• Settings
• CM Items
• References
• Credits
• Change Log

Date and Time

• Battles on the following dates in Special Events 2 arena:
  • June 3
  • June 10
  • June 17
  • June 24
• Show-Up Time (arena is locked after Show-Up Time) is 3 pm Eastern, noon Pacific, 8 pm London, 7 pm GMT.
• End of hostilities is nominally at 6:30 pm Eastern, 3:30 pm Pacific.  (The CM will call "end hostilities" as close to this time as feasible, given various other duties.)

Setting

On October 14, 1943, the US 8th Air Force launched 291 B-17 Flying Fortresses to attack the ball-bearing factories near Schweinfurt.  26% of them did not return.  Of the 291 bombers, only 33 of them returned without damage. 

It was named "Black Thursday."

If the 8th AF continued in this fashion, it faced extinction within a month.

As a result, Black Thursday was the end of 8th AF bombers attacking Germany without fighter escort all the way to target.

Now, it is February, 1944.  The 8th AF has gotten drop tanks for its fighters, greatly extending the range of its P-47's to suppliment its long-legged P-38's and new P-51's.  The game has changed.

Now, it's the 8th AF's turn to try for a killing blow against the Luftwaffe.

Now, it is time for . . . Big Week!

The strongest, best-escorted effort the 8th AF has ever mounted, against a Luftwaffe that just dealt murderous losses to the 8th.

In this Scenario, we will see which side prevails in this fight to the death.

Main Rules

• General:
  • Everyone including CO's, please follow instructions from game-day CM's, or you can be ejected from the arena.
  • Please follow instructions from your commanders, or you can get reassigned or ejected from arena.
  • Bombers must take off whenever possible with formations and not intentionally lose drones.
  • Please read "Victory Conditions" section below.
  • If you need back into the locked arena, type ".p brooke let me in" into any text buffer, then try to get in even if arena says it is locked.
• Lives:
  • Pilots get two lives.
  • You use up a life if you die, crash, ditch, bail, or exit your plane with anything other than a "landed successfully".
  • You can man a gun at any time (for bomber or ground gun), and deaths in guns don't count to your life total.
• Altitudes:
  • Bomber max alt is 24k.
  • Bomber minimum alt is 18k, except for landing or if damaged.
  • Fighter max alt is 34k -- do not fly above 34k at any time.  There will be a thin layer of cloud at max alt (to help you realize if you go above max alt) and dot radar at max alt (to show people if you violate max alt).
• Movement restrictions:
• Axis planes may not enter column 6.  Radar will be set up to show violations if axis enters column 6.
• All allied bases are off limits to attack.  All allied bases are in the Axis No-Fly Zone.
• Any bombers that are east of column 6 after the call of "end hostilities" will be counted similarly to being shot down.  This will be implemented by turning on dot radar shortly after end hostilities, counting number of bomber icons that show up east of column 6, and multiplying by 3 to get number of kills.
• Each bomber group must fly as a group (i.e., go to and from the same targets together, although they can target different factories), unless damaged, separated under attack, or a pilot is launching late.  But the two groups can work independently and go to completely different target areas if they want.
• Luftwaffe forward fields:  Only 8 of your fighters may may use forward fields (a130, a35, and a44) for early takeoff.  After 3:45 pm Eastern (12:45 pm Pacific), you may use these fields however you see fit.

Map

Victory Conditions

If the allied side fails to do this in the frame, it will get no points at all for that frame:

• Bomber groups must Attempt at least two bombing Missions.
• "Attempt" means to bomb a target or die trying.
• One "Mission" is launch, travel toward one or more target areas, and land back at a base if still alive.

Points in a frame:

• Axis starts with 24 points (if allies have 16 bomber pilots, or 1.5 x (number of allied bomber pilots) if they don't have 16).
• Allies start with 0 points.
• Each side gets +1 point per kill.
• Allies get 0.2 points per object destroyed.

Each frame will be scored separately, with victory going to the side with the most points.  The final winner is the side that has won the most frames.

Allowed Targets

The allies may bomb factories at Brunswick (v70), Gotha (v81), Magdeburg (v71), and Kassel (a72).  Nothing else is a target or will yield points (i.e., please do not bomb objects on fields, bases, towns, or cities).

Allied Order of Battle

23 Fighters, 16 Bombers (but can move up to 4 bomber pilots into P-47's if desired), 39 total

Available bases for fresh takeoff:  a56, a57, and a59 air spawns.  You can rearm/refuel and land at any friendly base.

Axis Order of Battle

34 Fighters (0.87 of allied total aircraft)

Available bases for fresh takeoff:  a130, a35, a44, a69, a72, a9, and a142.  You can rearm/refuel and land at any friendly base.

Timing Table

Show-Up Time is noon Pacific.

Luftwaffe takeoff is approximately at 12:23 pm Pacific.

US air launch is approximately at 12:35 pm Pacific.

Luftwaffe forward fields unrestricted at 12:45 pm Pacific.

End of hostilities is approximately at 3:30 pm Pacific.  US bombers must be in "Axis No-fly Zone" at this time.

Moving Around Pilots

CO's may split fighter groups up into separate flights and send them on separate missions as they see fit.

CO's may assign walkons as they see fit up to the limit of slots available.

CO's may move registered pilots to different aircraft if the registered pilots are willing.  But if a registered pilot wants to keep the plane he is registered for, he must be allowed to stay in that plane.

Items of Note

Be aware of fuel management.  The P-47D-11 does not have the range of a P-51 or P-38 -- and P-47 pilots might need to have a care regarding reduction of RPM on the way to and from target.  Fortunately, the P-47 gets large amounts of fuel savings from RPM reduction.

Ammo factories will yield many fewer objects per bomb run than the other factories, because the ammo bunkers in them are very spread out.  Keep that in mind when deciding on what targets you choose to go after.

Destroyed objects stay down for whole frame.

Check out the radar settings described in "Settings" section.  Note lag on radar update rate to account for lag in reporting to units.  The enemy can be ahead of where you see counters.  Keep that in mind when plotting your intercpets based just on counters and not fresh scouting reports.

Also, Luftwaffe planes can give off sector counters when you get close to the no-fly zone but aren't in it yet.  If exact radar boundaries are important to you, draw them on a map based on radar radius and location of allied bases to know exactly.

USAAF, please be aware of these two time-management aspects.  First, your bombers need to Attempt two Missions.  You have time to do that, but not an enormous amount.  Please estimate your timings so that you aren't caught off guard by how the timings work out.  Second, please keep in mind that it is possible (but not guaranteed) for a forward group of up to 8 Luftwaffe fighters to get close to the border of the no-fly zone by the time you launch.

Luftwaffe, please be aware that the USAAF fighters climb faster than the Luftwaffe fighters at very high alts.  You have time to get to high altitude, too, but not an enormous amount of time.  Also, at high alts, a climb speed of 175 mph indicated becomes a much higher true airspeed, so planes can cover a long distance while climbing to 34k.

There will be clouds, and it is unlikely but possible that one might drift over a target just when a bombardier is trying to aim.  You might be able to see through clouds enough even if they are in the way, but if not, you might need to develop secondary targets if that were to happen.

Settings

Disabled weapons

Disable the following.

• P-38J:  rockets, bombs.
• P-47D-11:  rockets, bombs.
• P-51B:  rockets, bombs.
• Bf 109G-6:  rockets.
• FW 190A-5:  rockets.
• FW 190A-8:  rockets.
• B-17G:  all bomb types except 500 lb.

Details

Terrain. germany

Clouds. Some cumulus clouds here and there.  Thin layer of cirrus at 34k.

Radar and Sector Counters. Update rate is 3 minutes, to model lag in communication to units.  No radar or sector counters below 1000 ft.  Enemy sector counters above 1000 ft.  Radar (i.e., "dot dar") at 34,001 ft for everyone everywhere -- so you see if someone goes above 34k.  Axis sector-counter coverage throughout; allied sector-counter coverage approximately in column 6 and west of there.  More precisely, allied radar is 42 mile radius from allied bases not in column 6.

Ack: Turned down from Main Arena default (so puffy ack isn't as deadly).

Objects:  Destroyed objects stay down for whole frame.

ArenaFlags = 13358
BomberWarningRange = 52,800
CommunicationFlags = 3
CountryChangeTime = (no changing of countries once started)
DownTimeMult = 200
ExitWhileMoving = 508
FighterWarningRange = 31,680
FlightModeFlags = 5248
FuelBurnRateMult = 1.0
GroundAutoLethality[Armored] = 0.15
GroundAutoLethality[Hard] = 0.15
GroundAutoLethality[Soft] = 0.15
RadarAlt = 34,001
RadarMode = 410 (tower friendly, tower enemy, disable friendly counters, counters above radar, range-based counters)
RadarUpdateRate = 180
SectorCounterAlt = 1000
SectorCounterRange = 221,760 (42 miles)
TowerBasedRadarRange = 221,760 (42 miles)
StratFlags = 1

Bomb hangar, hardness = 125
Ftr hangar, hardness = 125
Veh hangar, hardness = 125
Town, hardness = 125
City, hardness = 125
Bunk radar, hardness = 125
Bunk ammo, hardness = 125
Bunk fuel, hardness = 125
Bunk barr, hardness = 125

.det f31rdr 1; and same for 39, 131, and 43.  This makes sure allied radar coverage doesn't extend from those forward bases.

CM Items

MOTD.

Welcome to the Scenario "Big Week"!

To play, please show up at 3 pm Eastern on Saturday.

If you are not registered, you are welcome to play,
but please stay in country Rook until you are assigned
to a side.

Pilots get two lives.

You use up a life if you die, crash, ditch, bail, or exit
your plane with anything other than a "landed successfully".

If you need back into the locked arena, type ".p brooke
let me in" into any text buffer.  Then try to come in
even if the arena says its locked.

References

The Men Who Killed the Luftwaffe, by Stout.

USAAF Chronology, from http://paul.rutgers.edu/~mcgrew/wwii/usaf/html/Feb.44.html

Yenne, Bill. Big Week: Six Days that Changed the Course of World War II (Kindle Location 4703). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Hammel, Eric. The Road to Big Week: The Struggle for Daylight Air Supremacy Over Western Europe, July 1942 – February 1944 (Kindle Location 6182). Pacifica Military History. Kindle Edition.

The Luftwaffe Data Book, by Price.

Caldwell, Donald. JG26: Top Guns of the Luftwaffe (Kindle Location 4059). Frontline Books. Kindle Edition.

Credits

Scenario design: Brooke, Swareiam, and Scenario community, drawing from "Battle Over Germany" scenario design by Fencer.

Game-day CM's:  Brooke and Swareiam.

Allied CO:  SlipKnt

Axis CO:  Serenity

Change Log

This section mentions the changes in each version, so that when changes are made to this document, people don't need to read the whole document to find out where the changes are.

Note on terminology: In this section, "Clarified" has a very precise meaning. If a rule is listed as being "Clarified", it means that the rule and its intent is not being changed but that the explanation herein is being improved to make the rule and its intent more clear. Rules are sometimes clarified during a scenario based on player questions or misunderstandings about wording.

v1, 4/6/2017
-- First draft.

v2, 4/8/2017
-- Added some pictures.
-- Added "Setting" section.
-- Added no-fly zone to map.
-- Adjusted radar range from 50 to 42 miles (so allied radar does not reach much from col 6).

v3, 4/9/2017
-- Change 357th to 354th.
-- Change 355th to 4th FG.
-- Eliminated a group and added its members to other groups, to make more groups with 8 pilots in them.
-- Increased proportion of 190's (40% more than BOG, frame 1).

v4, 4/9/2017
-- Changed max alt for bombers from 25k to 24k.

v5, 4/19/2017
-- I/JG 1 goes from 8 A-5's to 4 A-5's.
-- I/JG 26 created that has 4 A-8's (to account for use of A-7's with 30 mm cannon in Big Week).

v6, 4/22/2017
-- Added The Luftwaffe Data Book, as reference.  Our ratio of 190's/109's is about same as Luftflotte Reich in May, 1944.
-- Added JG 26:  Top Guns of the Luftwaffe, as reference.
-- Showing SlipKnt as allied CO.  Thank you, SlipKnt!

v7, 4/23/2017
-- Serenity has stepped forth as the axis CO.  Thank you, Serenity!

v8, 4/26/2017
-- With the addition of the FW 190A-8, forgot to give its weapon restriction (same as A-5, no rockets).  Corrected.

v9, 4/30/2017
-- Due to parts of registration filling quickly, added one bomber to each BG and one 190 to I/JG 1.  Axis CO can switch that to adding one 190 to I/JG 26 instead if he wishes.

v10, 5/5/2017
-- Updated the scoring offset for the two added bombers.  Still is 1.5 points per bomber formation like before.
-- Added hardness settings for city, town, and base objects (all nearly indestructible).
-- Added Timing Table, for list of times for various events during frame.
-- Let Luftwaffe launch earlier than allies, to account for air launches and large advance notice Luftwaffe had.
-- Restrict early launch at Luftwaffe forward fields to preclue whole LW being at USAAF air launch at start.
-- Added Hanover as a Luftwaffe takeoff field.
-- Added lots of notes to "Items of Note".
-- Put in final DownTimeMult.

v11, 5/20/2017
-- Reduced number of pilots on each side according to how registration is going.
-- Side ratio remains the same (0.87 axis:allies).
-- Allies now have higher proportion of bombers, but if they want proportion of bomber to be same as before, they can move up to 4 bomber pilots into P-47's.

v12, 6/3/2017
-- During setup for frame 1, discovered radar settings error.
-- Correct radar settings now listed above.

Comments for future:  make no-fly zone so that Luftwaffe fighters cannot enter it until after 1 pm Pacific.  After that, it is a zone where bombers cannot be attacked, but fighters can be pursued and attacked.