Wildcats Over Casablanca (8-Nov-42)

Background: Along with the US Western Task Force came the air support for the landings, supplied by the aircraft of Air Group.  Most of this force was supporting the Central Attack Group – the Ranger Air Group, and aircraft from the escort carriers USS Suwannee, Sangamaon, and Santee.  The RAG’s job was to neutralize the two largest air bases in Morocco – Port Lyautey and Le Cazes outside Casablanca.  The Western Task Force landed appeared suddenly over the horizon from the Atlantic on the same morning that the Central and Eastern Task Forces suddenly appeared off Algiers and Oran in the Mediterranean Sea.

No one was completely sure how officially-neutral but Axis-influenced Vichy would react – would they surrender or fight to the death? Their air units included veterans from France, 1940, and Syria, 1941.

The Ranger Air Group was trained, but had no combat experience.  With mingled bluster, excitement, and fear, the Ranger’s squadrons took off into the African morning to their first attack.

VS-41, the Red Rippers, targeted Le Cazes airport with some 18 F4F-4s.  When they arrived, they spotted no airborne aircraft, and proceeded to split up to strafe and bomb the Vichy bombers and fighters clearly visible about the field.  First, AAA opened up at them.  The inexperienced Americans found themselves disorganized after their first run, which left burning DB-7 bombers all over the field.

That was when the French fighters attacked, 8 Dewotoine D.520s and 14 Curtiss Hawk 75A-3s.  The French had taken off minutes ago, and were circling to form up and gain altitude when the Americans arrived.

The battle very quickly devolved into a set of small, confused, overlapping melees.  The Americans usually found themselves alone, while the French did better at keeping to pairs.

Map

Achtung Spitfire ground map.  Ignore all trees and streams.

Length

30 turns or when all F4Fs leave the melee

Set Up

On the Ground: Sitting on the ground, legitimate targets for the US player, are 4 DB-7 bombers and 2 Hawk 75A.  Set the bombers up together 1-2 hexes apart.  Set the fighters up 1-2 hexes apart. The grounded aircraft must be at least 5 hexes away from the edge of the map.

Vichy AAA: The Vichy player sets up 2 AAA positions on the ground. Each position includes a twin 13.2mm MG emplacement.  The two posts must be at least 12 hexes apart.  Alternatively toss two counters onto the map board from two feet up; put them in the hex they most fill.

Initial Aircraft Setup: Set up 2 F4Fs, one D.520, one Hawk 75A, and one other Vichy aircraft determined by die roll on the map.

1. Set up the 2 F4Fs within 5 hexes of 2530, at least 6 hexes apart.
2. Place one D.520 and one Hawk 75 on the map, selecting the facing desired. Vichy aircraft must be at least 4 hexes away from an F4F.
3. Roll 1D10 to determine the type of the third Vichy aircraft: 1-3: D.520, 4-10: Hawk 75. Place this aircraft in loose formation with the same type, at least 4 hexes away from an F4F.
4. Roll the initial facing of each F4F using the TMG chart (or use a D12 if available).
5. Roll for the altitude of each aircraft: 2.0 + (2D10-10) increments.
   (Example: DR 3+6 = 2.0+(9-10 incr) = 1.9 alt

Initial speed is 5.0. Each aircraft may select bank and attitude.

Special Rules:

1. In this series of confused melees, aircraft joined or flew out of a melee within seconds. Every 4 turns, roll a D100 to see if another aircraft joins the melee.

   DR	Add Aircraft
   01-18	No change
   19-51	add one F4F
   52-67	add one D.520
   68-83	add one Hawk 75
   84-90	add two Hawk 75s
   91-00	Roll 1 die to randomly select an aircraft to rmeove from all flying aircraft.

2. When an aircraft joins the melee:
   1. Roll 1 D10 against the TMG to select an entry direction
   2. Roll for relative height. If a positive value (higher than the fight), the new aircraft joins from that much higher than the highest aircraft in the fight; if lower, it joins that fight that far below the lowest aircraft involved (to a minimum altitude of 0.1).
   3. Place the aircraft 9 hexes from nearest aircraft in the direction selected, facing, bank, and attitude of pilot’s choice.
   4. Select initial speed by rolling 1D6 * 0.5 + 3.0.
3. When adding an F4F, roll a D10. on a 3 or less, it is (still) armed with 2 100-lb bomb.
4. If all remaining aircraft from one side leave the scenario, the scenario ends.
5. VF-41 benefited from having the time to train in the old pre-war style. For all USN pilots firing at a final deflection angle of x2 or x3, give them a modifier of -10 LH.

Additional Rules:

1. National Training Standards: VF-41 was untested, and included no one with combat experience, although they had a lot of training. Many of the Vichy pilots had experience flying in the Battle of France and Syria:
   • US Navy: Average. Roll for additional characteristics as desired. No Aces.
   • Vichy Adl'A: Good. Roll for additional characteristics as desired.
2. Initial bombload: The US aircraft start with two 100-lb bombs on their wings.  See Special Rule 3 for F4Fs added to the battle.
3. Vichy AAA: La Cazes was guarded by AAA, which was active throughout all three days of resistance.  The personal recollections of the US Navy pilots indicated that when they focused attention on either the AAA or the enemy fighters, they were often surprised by the other.

   Weapon	Crit	Max Range	0-2	3-5	6-8	9-12	13-16	19-21	22-27
   Twin Hotchkiss 13.2mm mg	3	20	10	8	5	4	3	-
   25mm Hotchkiss AA	2	25	16	12	8	5	4	3	2

Variants

Use the actual numbers, and a whole lot of space.

• Lay out an airfield on an 80 by 80 map. Include 5 AAA posts with twin 13.2 mm Hochkiss MGs, and 2 with 25 mm Hochkiss AAA cannon.
• Include two rows of seven DB-7 bombers parked on the airfield.
• The US Navy enters from the west with 18 F4Fs, all carrying 2 100 lb bombs. Start them at alt 3.0, speed 5.0, in a shallow dive, level wings. organize them into elements of 2, and flights of 4 (one of 6).
• On Turn 10, the French aircraft (8 D.520, 14 Hawk 75A-3) enter from the east edge of the board 1.0 alt higher than the highest US aircraft. They enter at any speed up to max level speed. Organize them into pairs, and flights of 4.
• On Turn 10, the parked bombers may begin to attempt to take off. The French score victory points for any bombers that fly off the map.

History

Considering their lack of combat experience, the Red Rippers did not do too badly. 6 F4Fs were shot down during this mission - 4 directly over land and two more force-landed in the sea before reaching Ranger. 16 Vichy fighters were reported downed through the day; four right on Le Cazes airfield. The others fought F4Fs and SBDs all day over the landings at Fedallah and over Casablanca harbor on the 8-Nov-04 in an attempt to interdict US airpower.

Fighting on the ground and in the air continued the next day; a cease-fire was arranged on 10-Nov-42; and a full armistice on the next day.

ADC Availablility:

• Wildcat F4F-4 was published with Whistling Death.
• The Dewoitine D.520 was published in Air Power #48.
• The Curtiss Hawk 75A-3 was published in Air Power #49.
• The DB-7 is available from Uncle Ted's.

Sources:

• History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, Vol II: Operations in North African Waters, Adm S. Morison.
• Wildcats over Casablanca, M Wordell, E Seiler, Ayling.