Korean War (1950-1953)

The Korean War (1950-1953) wikipedia

Koreawar.zip

All scenarios in one zip file (updated 1/10/10)

Namsi1a.btl

23 October, 1951: Black Tuesday: The raid on Namsi airfield

A bombing raid consisting of 8 (or 9, depending on the source) B-29s was dispatched to pulverize Namsi air field in North Korea. The B-29s were accomapied by large formations of 34 F-86 Sabres flying top cover and 55 F-84 Thunderjets flying close escort. As they approached Namsi, about 100 MiG-15s (consisting mostly of Chinese and North Korean pilots) attacked and boxed in the F-86 cover. The B-29s were left with only the F-84 close escort for protection. About 50 MiG-15s, flown mostly by Soviet pilots, then attacked the B-29s from high altitude. 3 B-29s were shot down and the nearly all of rest damaged. One F-84 was shot down, and 4 MiGs claimed destroyed. This fight was nearly the death knell of the US strategic bombing effort in the Korean War.

Since B-29s are not modeled in FC2, I have substituted the Tu-16 (with minimal fuel) for the B-29. This scenario works best played as a two-player game, but if played as a single player game, the AI flying the Soviet side gives the best results. If the AI plays the US Air Force side, the AI will tend to accelerate the Tu-16s to a high speed and maneuver them in circles if not pursued by fighter aircraft.....not exactly historically accurate! If a human player is flying the US Air Force side, the bombers (Tu-16s) should stay at ~27-30% throttle and as close to 300 mph as possible, to simulate the B-29s more accurately.

In this version of the battle (Namsi1a.btl), all of the MiGs are just approaching the bombers in one large formation from a long distnace. In the actual battle, the MiGs dispersed and were given free reign to attack from whatever position they liked. See Namsi2.btl for an initial setup more like what likely happened as the MiGs began their attack runs.

Sources: Crimson Skies, the Air Battle for North Korea by John R. Bruning, Jr. and The World's Greatest Fighters by Robert Jackson,

Namsi1b.btl

23 October, 1951: Black Tuesday: The raid on Namsi airfield

A bombing raid consisting of 8 (or 9, depending on the source) B-29s was dispatched to pulverize Namsi air field in North Korea. The B-29s were accomapied by large formations of 34 F-86 Sabres flying top cover and 55 F-84 Thunderjets flying close escort. As they approached Namsi, about 100 MiG-15s (consisting mostly of Chinese and North Korean pilots) attacked and boxed in the F-86 cover. The B-29s were left with only the F-84 close escort for protection. About 50 MiG-15s, flown mostly by Soviet pilots, then attacked the B-29s from high altitude. 3 B-29s were shot down and the nearly all of rest damaged. One F-84 was shot down, and 4 MiGs claimed destroyed. This fight was nearly the death knell of the US strategic bombing effort in the Korean War.

Since B-29s are not modeled in FC2, I have substituted the Tu-16 (with minimal fuel) for the B-29. This scenario works best played as a two-player game, but if played as a single player game, the AI flying the Soviet side gives the best results. If the AI plays the US Air Force side, the AI will tend to accelerate the Tu-16s to a high speed and maneuver them in circles if not pursued by fighter aircraft.....not exactly historically accurate! If a human player is flying the US Air Force side, the bombers (Tu-16s) should stay at ~27-30% throttle and as close to 300 mph as possible, to simulate the B-29s more accurately.

In this version of the battle (Namsi1b.btl), all of the MiGs are just approaching the bombers in one large formation from a short distance. In the actual battle, the MiGs dispersed and were given free reign to attack from whatever position they liked. See Namsi2.btl for an initial setup more like what likely happened as the MiGs began their attack runs.

Sources: Crimson Skies, the Air Battle for North Korea by John R. Bruning, Jr. and The World's Greatest Fighters by Robert Jackson

Namsi2.btl

23 October, 1951: Black Tuesday: The raid on Namsi airfield

A bombing raid consisting of 8 (or 9, depending on the source) B-29s was dispatched to pulverize Namsi air field in North Korea. The B-29s were accomapied by large formations of 34 F-86 Sabres flying top cover and 55 F-84 Thunderjets flying close escort. As they approached Namsi, about 100 MiG-15s (consisting mostly of Chinese and North Korean pilots) attacked and boxed in the F-86 cover. The B-29s were left with only the F-84 close escort for protection. About 50 MiG-15s, flown mostly by Soviet pilots, then attacked the B-29s from high altitude. 3 B-29s were shot down and the nearly all of rest damaged. One F-84 was shot down, and 4 MiGs claimed destroyed. This fight was nearly the death knell of the US strategic bombing effort in the Korean War.

Since B-29s are not modeled in FC2, I have substituted the Tu-16 (with minimal fuel) for the B-29. This scenario works best played as a two-player game, but if played as a single player game, the AI flying the Soviet side gives the best results. If the AI plays the US Air Force side, the AI will tend to accelerate the Tu-16s to a high speed and maneuver them in circles if not pursued by fighter aircraft.....not exactly historically accurate! If a human player is flying the US Air Force side, the bombers (Tu-16s) should stay at ~27-30% throttle and as close to 300 mph as possible, to simulate the B-29s more accurately.

In this version of the battle (Namsi2.btl), all of the approaching MiGs have dispersed and are preparing to attack from multiple directions, as happened in the actual battle. See Namsi1a.btl or Namsi1b.btl for slightly earlier time frames in the battle, as the MiGs approached as one large formation.

Sources: Crimson Skies, the Air Battle for North Korea by John R. Bruning, Jr. and The World's Greatest Fighters by Robert Jackson,

Added before 4/24/11

Blesse1.btl

This scenario is adapted from the History Channel program "Dogfights: The Greatest Air Battles".

On October 2, 1952, Major Frederick "Boots" Blesse leads his 123rd mission, taking a flight of four F-86s out on a patrol deep over North Korea. Well into the mission, the other element leader develops fuel system problems and is sent home, with one of the other F-86s acting as escort. Blesse continues on the mission with the other pilot, who is very green, and ends up well into Manchuria before turning for home. On their way back into North Korea, very low on fuel, a group of MiG-15s jump them from behind, precipitating a dogfight. The inexperienced wingman very quickly gets into trouble, with two MiGs on his tail. Blesse pursues, damages one and forces the other to break off his attack. The other two MiGs, meanwhile, are following Blesse's F-86. Blesse manages to reverse on these two MiGs and turns the tables, prompting the MiGs to bug out.

Blesse2.btl

This scenario is adapted from the History Channel program "Dogfights: The Greatest Air Battles".

On October 2, 1952, Major Frederick "Boots" Blesse leads his 123rd mission, taking a flight of four F-86s out on a patrol deep over North Korea. Well into the mission, the other element leader develops fuel system problems and is sent home, with one of the other F-86s acting as escort. Blesse continues on the mission with the other pilot, who is very green, and ends up well into Manchuria before turning for home. On their way back into North Korea, very low on fuel, a group of MiG-15s jump them from behind, precipitating a dogfight. Blesse manages to drive away the four MiGs, but is now seperated from his wingman and critically low on fuel. As he made his way through North Korean air space, he has another encounter that resulted in the destruction of a MiG-15.

Box-in.btl

This scenario was adapted directly from the article "Wings Over Korea. Additional Scenarios for Flight Leader" by Roger K. Horkey, published in "The General", Vol. 26, #3. The following is quoted directly from the scenario description in that article

"The "Box-In": Korea, 1953.

During the last winter of the war, the North Koreans--aided by the Soviets--developed a strategy for dealing with the constant US Sabre patrols that effectively kept their MiGs north of the Yalu River. Called the "box-in", this strategy required careful monitoring of Sabre positions and time-on-station. Just before the Sabres would have to return to base due to fuel constraints, the Koreans would send some aircraft over the Yalu to take up positions over the Chongchun River. When the US jets headed home, they were pursued by MiGs from over the Yalu. Low on fuel and preoccupied with the MiGs behind them, many US aircraft were lost--most becoming fuel "kills", unable to reach the safety of UN-held airspace. The war ended before the Allies developed a successful counter to this tactic."

F80vm15.btl

This scenario is adapted from the Clash of Arms boardgame ....The Speed of Heat.

"First Blood! 8 November 1950

Background: A few days earlier, P-51 Mustangs performing ground support missions had been attacked by Chinese MiG-15 jets. The Mustangs got away, but the stage was set for the first jet to jet battles as the USAF began using it's F-80C Shooting Stars as top cover. On the 8th of November, F-80s of the 51st FIW were patrolling at 20,000 feet near the Yalu river. Six MiG-15s were spotted on the Chinese side climbing rapidly to 30,000 feet. The MiGs leveled off, crossed the Yalu and dove upon the American jets which turned to meet them. The MiGs made one firing pass then broke off, some diving for the safety of the Chinese border. Lt. Russell Brown, latched on to one of these diving MiGs and shot it down to score the first kill ever in all jet air combat."

F84vm15a.btl

This scenario was adapted directly from the article "Wings Over Korea. Additional Scenarios for Flight Leader" by Roger K. Horkey, published in "The General", Vol. 26, #3.

"The Roar of Thunder (Version a): Korea; January 23, 1951

In what would become one of the most impressive aerial victories in the conflict, 33 US F-84 Thunderjets returning from a ground attack mission were intercepted by 30-odd MiG-15s. Four MiGs were brought down (two by Lt. Kratt) and four damaged without loss to the US planes."

Version a is scaled-down in scope compared to the actual battle, employing eight aircraft on each side. Both sides have a radar contoller. See F84vM15D.BTL for version without radar controllers.

F84vm15b.btl

This scenario was adapted directly from the article "Wings Over Korea. Additional Scenarios for Flight Leader" by Roger K. Horkey, published in "The General", Vol. 26, #3.

"The Roar of Thunder (Version b): Korea; January 23, 1951

In what would become one of the most impressive aerial victories in the conflict, 33 US F-84 Thunderjets returning from a ground attack mission were intercepted by 30-odd MiG-15s. Four MiGs were brought down (two by Lt. Kratt) and four damaged without loss to the US planes."

Version b is the full-sized battle, with 33 US aircraft and 30 North Korean aircraft in flight at the same time. The beauty of FC2 is that you can place as many aircraft as you like under AI control. That feature may come in handy here!

Both sides have a radar controller. See F84VM15E.BTL for version without radar controllers.

F84vm15c.btl

This scenario was adapted directly from the article "Wings Over Korea. Additional Scenarios for Flight Leader" by Roger K. Horkey, published in "The General", Vol. 26, #3.

"The Roar of Thunder (Version a): Korea; January 23, 1951

In what would become one of the most impressive aerial victories in the conflict, 33 US F-84 Thunderjets returning from a ground attack mission were intercepted by 30-odd MiG-15s. Four MiGs were brought down (two by Lt. Kratt) and four damaged without loss to the US planes."

Version a is scaled-down in scope compared to the actual battle, employing eight aircraft on each side. The two sides start closer to each other than in the original scenario. This should help with detection of the aircraft of the opposing sides.

F84VM15D.BTL

This scenario was adapted directly from the article "Wings Over Korea. Additional Scenarios for Flight Leader" by Roger K. Horkey, published in "The General", Vol. 26, #3.

"The Roar of Thunder (Version d): Korea; January 23, 1951

In what would become one of the most impressive aerial victories in the conflict, 33 US F-84 Thunderjets returning from a ground attack mission were intercepted by 30-odd MiG-15s. Four MiGs were brought down (two by Lt. Kratt) and four damaged without loss to the US planes."

Version d is scaled-down in scope compared to the actual battle, employing eight aircraft on each side with no radar controllers for either side. See F84VM15A.BTL for version with radar controllers for both sides.

F84VM15E.BTL

This scenario was adapted directly from the article "Wings Over Korea. Additional Scenarios for Flight Leader" by Roger K. Horkey, published in "The General", Vol. 26, #3.

"The Roar of Thunder (Version E): Korea; January 23, 1951

In what would become one of the most impressive aerial victories in the conflict, 33 US F-84 Thunderjets returning from a ground attack mission were intercepted by 30-odd MiG-15s. Four MiGs were brought down (two by Lt. Kratt) and four damaged without loss to the US planes."

Version b is the full-sized battle, with 33 US aircraft and 30 North Korean aircraft in flight at the same time. The beauty of FC2 is that you can place as many aircraft as you like under AI control. That feature may come in handy here!

Neither side has a radar controller (see F84VM15B.BTL for the same scenario with radar controllers).

F86vm15.btl

This scenario is adapted directly from Clash of Arms Games "The Speed of Heat" boardgame.

"Enter the Sabre! 17 December 1950

Background: The MiG pilots quickly learned from their errors in November, and on several subsequent occasions after they ran roughshod over the straight-winged USAF and Navy jets. The Air Force decided it's F-80s and F-84s were outmatched so they rapidly deployed the swept-winged F-86 to Korea. The Sabres met the MiGs for the first time on 17 December when a flight of four F-86s ventured toward the Yalu. Four MiGs took off and climbed directly at the Sabres thinking they were less capable F-80s. Given the gift of a soon to be rare altitude advantage, the Americans dove into the MiGs and scattered them. Col. Hinton, the Sabre leader, shot one MiG down after a short but hectic chase drawing first blood for the F-86."

F86VM15a.btl

This scenario is adapted directly from Clash of Arms Games "The Speed of Heat" boardgame.

"Enter the Sabre! 17 December 1950

Background: The MiG pilots quickly learned from their errors in November, and on several subsequent occasions after they ran roughshod over the straight-winged USAF and Navy jets. The Air Force decided it's F-80s and F-84s were outmatched so they rapidly deployed the swept-winged F-86 to Korea. The Sabres met the MiGs for the first time on 17 December when a flight of four F-86s ventured toward the Yalu. Four MiGs took off and climbed directly at the Sabres thinking they were less capable F-80s. Given the gift of a soon to be rare altitude advantage, the Americans dove into the MiGs and scattered them. Col. Hinton, the Sabre leader, shot one MiG down after a short but hectic chase drawing first blood for the F-86."

In this version, each side has radar controllers and start detected.

Migalley.btl

This scenario was adapted directly from the Clash of Arms Game "The Speed of Heat" by JD Webster.

"MiG Alley Furballs! 1952-1953

Background: The F-86 Sabre was sent to Korea to establish air superiority at all costs. Sabre units therefore entered "MiG Alley" knowing that the MiGs, alerted by ground radar, would always meet their F-86 formations with position and altitude advantages. Despite this, and being outnumbered in nearly every fight, Sabre pilots, many of whom were veterans and aces of World War 2, scored heavily against the inexperienced MiG pilots. Though the A and E models of the Sabre were slightly inferior in performance, the MiGs still suffered losses at a 5 to 1 rate. When the improved F models of the Sabre entered the war, MiG losses nearly doubled and "MiG Alley" was no longer a place of danger to allied aircraft."