Down in Flames: Air Umbrella Over Dunkirk
Down in Flames: Air Umbrella Over Dunkirk Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Campaign Sequence of Play
- Draw Action Card to determine Target
- Each Player secretly selects one Resource
- Players reveal Resources selected
- Conduct Mission
- Determine Victory Points
- Determine Air Group Performance at the end of 6 Missions
Resources
German Resources
- L/W Bf-109E, Old Destroyer
- L/W Bf-109E, Overloaded Ships
- L/W Bf-110C
- L/W Bf-109E, L/W Bf-110C
- Flak Guns
- Tight Formations
British Resources ¹
- L/W Spitfire I
- L/W Defiant, Expert Seamanship
- L/W Hurricane (Underwood)
- L/W Spitfire I, L/W Hurricane
- Appeal from Churchill
- Clouds Over Target
Missions
| Action Card | Target Type | Aircraft ³ | Turns |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ace Pilot & Half Loop | Ground Forces | 2 Blenheim Mk I | 8/7 |
| Barrel Roll & Full Throttle | Freighter ² | L/W Ju-87B | 8/7 |
| In My Sights (1B) | Destroyer ² | 2 Ju-88A | 8/7 |
| In My Sights (2B) | Docks | 2 He-111H | 8/7 |
| In My Sights (3B) | Dogfight | L/W Bf-109E, L/W Hurricane | 6 |
| Maneuvering | Small City | 4 He-111H | 8/7 |
The superscript footnote markers (²), (³), (⁴) and (¹) are printed on the sheet without separate text of their own; they are reproduced as printed.
New Resources
Appeal From Churchill
Draw one card to determine which aircraft (if any) are received.
| Action Card Drawn | Resource Aircraft |
|---|---|
| In My Sights/ Out of the Sun | L/W Hurricane |
| Maneuvering | L/W Spitfire I |
| Ace Pilot | L/W Hurricane, L/W Spitfire I |
| Any other card | Nothing |
Double the VP the German player receives for damaging or destroying aircraft received through this resource.
Expert Seamanship
If the target is at sea, reduce the effects of all non-Saturation bomb hits as follows: Vital becomes Direct, Direct becomes Hit, Hit remains Hit.
Old Destroyer
All Direct hits cause 1 extra point of damage. May only be used against a Destroyer target.
Overloaded Ships
The German player receives 5 extra VP for sinking a naval target.
Clouds Over Target
The page scans do not contain a printed rule for this resource beyond its name in the Resources list. It is listed here as printed and is not transcribed further.
Special Defiant Rules
-
If the first In My Sights or Out of the Sun card played by a Defiant Leader during a Mission is played against a German Fighter, the Fighter may not respond to THAT IMS/OOTS card.
-
When a Defiant Leader attacks a Formation aircraft it uses its Gunner rating. The rating is NOT increased by 2 as a Burst rating would be. It can be increased by playing Maneuvering and Half Loop cards.
Mission Notes
-
British Fighters may not begin a Mission at Very Low or Low altitude.
-
Draw an Action card before choosing Resources. If the card is Blue-bordered the target is at sea, otherwise it is at the mole. Do NOT apply the normal penalty for Saturation Bombers attacking naval targets if the target is at the mole.
-
Medium Bombers may begin the Mission at Low or Medium altitude. Light Bombers may begin the Mission at any altitude except Very High.
-
Treat as Patrol aircraft for VP awards.
Air Group Performance
Compare the German VP and British VP accumulated over the 6 Missions to find each side's Air Group Performance level.
| German | Net VP | British |
|---|---|---|
| Outstanding | 41 or More | Appalling |
| Excellent | 21 to 40 | Dismal |
| Good | 0 to 20 | Bad |
| Historical | -1 to -15 | Historical |
| Bad | -16 to -30 | Good |
| Dismal | -31 to -45 | Excellent |
| Appalling | -46 or Less | Outstanding |
Supply Depot (Logistical Target)
Top Secret. The Supply Depot target is rated by its Damage Points. Damage Points by hit type:
| Miss | Hit | Direct | Vital |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
Area: 1. Target: 2.
| Status | Damage Points | Victory Points |
|---|---|---|
| Untouched | 0-1 | 0 VP |
| Damaged | 2-3 | 2 VP |
| Disrupted | 4-6 | 4 VP |
| Out of Operation | 7+ | 7 VP |
Module Note
All previous European theatre Down in Flames campaigns that have appeared in C3i have required the ownership of Rise of the Luftwaffe and/or 8th Air Force, the first two games in the series. Unfortunately, both of them are now out of print. What we have done with Dunkirk is to expand the number of aircraft included with the module so that this campaign only requires that players own Zero!. What you will need from Zero!, besides the rules, Action Cards and charts, are some of the targets and the two Blenheim I Medium Bombers. Everything else has been included in this issue.
Moreover, this module and its aircraft will be used as the base for further early war ETO campaigns such as Poland, Norway, France and the Battle of Britain. Those campaigns will include the additional aircraft, targets, etc. needed to play the campaigns when combined with this module and Zero!.
Note that the Ju-87B, Do-17, Ju-88A, He-111H and Bf-110C have different ratings than those in Rise of the Luftwaffe. These are now the "official" ratings and should be used in any campaigns involving these aircraft types.
Finally, lack of counter space has forced one change in the Down in Flames rules. In this campaign players do not draw for Skilled Pilots. The only Skilled Pilot used in Dunkirk is Underwood, who appears as a resource and whose counter is printed with the article on the campaign in this magazine. If you purchased this module separately from C3i #17, Underwood flies Hurricanes and has the "P" skill.