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Airpower is abstracted in the EFS system. There are no airfields. Airpower is allocated per map according to the
scenario allotment. Each player gets "air units" that are differentiated by the predominant plane model in that
group of planes the counter represents. They are also marked with the predominant type of plane they are, either
Fighter (F), Fighter-Bomber (FB), or Bomber (B). For air units to actually go on the map to do something, they
need to be in a
"ready" state. There are four states an air unit can be in : "Destroyed", "Damaged", "Flown", and "Ready".
Generally you try to get your air units up into the Ready box so that they can fly onto the map and do missions.
The missions your air units can participate in are Interdiction (German only) or Combat Air Support. Planes
can also do combat against each other, although this isn't strictly termed a "mission", more like an "accident
on the way to do a mission", or "guess who I ran into on my way to the mission". There are no Combat Air Patrol
or Bombardment missions in standard EFS (although there are some special bombardment rules available for AGN that I
don't cover here). The Air Combat Table is a simple ratio table. For example a German Bf109 with
a combat rating of 3 going up against a Pe-2 with a rating of 2 will roll on the +1 column. If the Pe-2 can
fire back, it will be on the -1 column.
Note that there are "advanced" air rules available. This page does not cover those, it only gives an
overview of the standard
EFS air rules.
| AIRCRAFT UNIT INFORMATION |
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Air units do not have steps. They may get damaged, or get eliminated due to combat or flak. Since each air unit
counter represents 40-80 planes each, it isn't practical to track single airplane losses. What is represented
when an air unit is damaged or destroyed is really the attrition air units suffer through a series of missions.
Replacements or reinforcements of air units do not come often for either side. They may come in on the setup chart
during later turns in a scenario, or, for the Soviets, they may get an air replacement through a good roll on the
Replacements table.
In EFS the Germans have what can be considered "Air Superiority". They can
pretty much do any mission they want, while the Soviets have to be careful. If the Soviet player is aggressive
and eager to go "toe to toe" with German fighters every turn, the Soviet Airforce will be extinct by the
middle of the scenario. But the Soviet should not be so timid as to never "go to air" for fear of losing air units.
The correct path is somewhere in the middle. Often enough so the German player never gets too confident
and sends bombers out without fighter cover, and to get the German player to always hold back aircraft to counter
any Soviet combats. Note that the Soviet sometimes gets to replace lost air units through the Replacement Table,
while the German doesn't, so a air unit loss isn't "as bad" to the Soviet as it is to the German. Once a German
player loses, say, a valuable Ju-88 - thats it! Its gone for the rest of the game. Its customary for the German
player to sink into his seat and mumble a German curse when this happens.
The air combat table is a simple ratio table that favors of course the higher columns,
but even at -3 the Soviet can get a good result.
Each air unit that is in the Ready box can do 1 mission in a turn. German units can do Interdiction and Combat Air
Support (CAS). Soviets can do CAS only. A maximum of three air units may
participate in a single CAS or Interdiction mission, and a single hex can only be the target of one Interdiction
mission or a CAS mission (per player) per phase. There can be "two" CAS missions to the same hex, provided its a
German CAS Mission and a Soviet CAS Mission. There are no range considerations (except for some scenarios with special rules).
Air units sent on a "Mission" may end up foregoing the mission to do air combat.
Typically a German player will send one or two bombers for CAS with a fighter or two to provide "cover" for
the bombers in case enemy fighters show up. If no enemy fighters show up, then the fighter, if it has a CAS
rating, can participate with the bombers in the CAS mission.
A Interdiction Mission is an attempt by the German player to increase movement costs for the Soviet player in a
hex and its surrounding 6 hexes, and to decrease the command points of Soviet Headquarters.
A CAS Mission is an attempt to provide favorable die roll
modifiers to a ground combat. Both sides may attempt CAS Missions to any hex that has a Declared Combat marker
on it. Of course both players may decide to do CAS on the same hex (which happens often).
The Soviet player can oppose German Interdiction missions by sending fighters to the Interdiction Mission hex
in hopes of causing air-to-air combat.
A player may do "CAS" with the only real purpose of provoking air-to-air combat. This can happen if, for example,
the Soviet player sends two MiG-3 units (with no CAS ratings) on a CAS Mission solely to oppose the enemy's
CAS Mission to the same hex. And since you're allowed up to three air units on a mission, you can send a mix
of fighters and bombers - the bombers to do CAS and the fighters to provoke (or defend against) air-to-air combat.
The phasing player always places air units face down on mission hexes first. Then the non-phasing
player can make a decision to send CAS missions or oppose Interdiction Missions. In the case of Interdiction
Missions, the Soviet player can
only send air units to the mission hex declared by the German player in an attempt to do air-to-air combat.
In the case of CAS, the non-phasing player can send units to any hex with a Declared Combat marker on it (which
may or may not have enemy planes doing CAS on it too). If you only want to attempt air-to-air combat to try to
get the enemy to abort on CAS, then you could just send fighters to Declared Combat hexes with an enemy CAS
Mission on it - basically a CAS Mission with no bombs.
When players send air units to the same hex, air combat may occur. The phasing player rolls on the
Air Initiative Table to find out if there is air-to-air combat, and if so then which side gets the "initiative".
When the players are ready, both sides turn
over the air units from their hidden sides to their info sides. Then the players must decide which air units
are "Mission" units, and which will conduct air-to-air combat - the so-called "firing" units. Bomber "B" air
units MUST be "Mission" units. Fighter "F" and Fighter-Bomber "FB" air units can be freely assigned as "Mission" units
or "Firing" units.
The phasing player always makes the decision first.
Units that become "firing"
units basically abort on whatever mission they may have been planning, and become capable of firing upon
enemy planes. Air units that remain Mission units cannot fire back during
air-to-air combat, but may be fired upon by enemy firing units.
Air Combat Determination
| Roll on Air Initiative Table |
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Axis Local
Tactical Advantage |
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Soviet Local
Tactical Advantage |
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Surviving firing units go to Flown boxes.
AA Fire is conducted against surviving mission units, if AA Fire is available.
Surviving mission units conduct their mission.
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| No Air Combat: |
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1) All firing air units return to Flown box.
2) Mission units continue
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| Initiative or Local Tactical Advantage: |
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1) Player who has the Initiative or Local Tactical advantage selects which
friendly air units attack which enemy air units. All enemy firing units must be
engaged by a friendly firing unit before attacking any mission units. If there are
any left over friendly firing units, they can gang up on any enemy air units.
Air units that are attacked by more than one air unit can only fire back at the
first one.
2) If player has Local Tactical Advantage, then they get a "free" attack round.
If the player has any firing units still in the battle, then they can select new
targets and fire at them. The enemy cannot fire back in this round.
3) All firing air units return to Flown box.
4) Surviving Mission units continue.
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Air sequence example
It is the Soviet turn, and the Soviet player has flown a CAS mission to a Declared Combat hex.
The Soviet player has sent two bombers and a fighter on this mission.
The German player decides to send a CAS mission also to the same Declared Combat hex.
The German player has sent two fighters.
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The Soviet decides to make the I-153 a "firing" unit, and the two bombers have to be "mission" units. ("B" types
always have to be declared "mission" units).
The German decides to make both his units "firing" units.
The Soviet player rolls on the Air Initiative Table.
Unfortunately for the Soviet player, he rolls a 1, which gives the Axis a result of
"Axis Initiative, Axis Local Tactical Advantage"
The German player has the initiative, so the German gets to assign who fights who. The Bf109
is assigned to attack the I-153 firing unit (firing units must be attacked before mission units).
The Bf110 is assigned to attack the IL-2 bomber.
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The first combat the German player decides to do is the one between the Bf109 and the
I-153. The Bf109 has an Air Rating of 4. The I-153 has an Air Rating of 1.
The German rolls on the +3 column of the Air Combat Table. The roll is a 4 - the I-153
is Destroyed. The I-153 gets to fire back (air combat is simultaneous). The Soviet player
rolls on the -3 column. The I-153 gets lucky and rolls a 1 - the Bf109 is Aborted.
Now the German player goes to the next combat. The Bf110 has an Air Rating of 2. The
IL-2 has a Air Rating of 1. The German rolls on the +1 column. The roll is a 5 - the IL-2
is Aborted. The IL-2 cannot fire back as it is a "Mission" unit.
The Bf109 goes back to the Axis Flown Box. The I-153 goes to the Soviet Destroyed Box. The IL-2 goes
back to the Soviet Flown Box.
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If the Air Initiative roll had only been Axis Initiative, then the Bf110 would also go back to the
Axis Flown Box. However, the result was Axis Initiative, Axis Local Tactical Advantage. So the
Bf110, since it did not get hit by any result on the Air Combat Table in the first round, can now
continue on and attack another enemy air unit. So the Bf110 now attacks the SB-2. The SB-2 cannot
fire back, regardless if it is a Mission or Firing unit.
If after this attack the SB-2 survives the attack with no result, then it can continue on with its mission.
The Bf110 goes back to the Axis Flown Box after this second round regardless of what the result is.
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Surviving Mission Units have to survive AA Fire (sometimes called the inaccurate, but shorter, term "Flak")
before they can accomplish their mission. AA Fire can occur if there are qualifying enemy ground units in
either the hex the Mission Units are doing their mission on, or in any of the 6 surrounding hexes. Both Axis
and Soviets can fire AA Fire in either player turn.
To qualify for AA Fire -
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Axis:
Any Axis ground units, except cavalry units and non-AA units with a No Zoc band (a yellow band across the top
of the counter).
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Soviet:
All Soviet divisions except cavalry. Even divisions with step losses still qualify.
All Headquarters, activated or not.
AA units
Naval units, except flotillas.
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If a player qualifies for firing AA Fire, then the player gets ONE shot at each Mission Unit (regardless of the
number of qualifying AA Fire units). Note the important
drms on the AA Fire Table. Air Units that get a result, even if it is only an Abort, fail to do their mission.
A successful Interdiction Mission causes the target hex and the surrounding 6 hexes to become affected by Interdiction.
Place an Interdiction Marker on the hex. Interdiction can be level 1 or level 2, depending on how many Interdiction
hits came through on the mission. No more than 2 interdiction points can affect a hex. Interdiction does not cause
step losses in EFS, but rather models the nuisance effects of interdiction. Interdiction forces the enemy to be more
cautious in movement, and interferes with the ability of Soviet Headquarters to operate normally.
Interdiction Effects
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Each interdicted hex costs flotillas 4 movement points.
No Air Transport can begin or end in a interdiction hex.
Each interdicted hex costs 12 rail movement points.
Soviet HQs have thir command value reduced by the interdiction level. (Note - they can walk out of the interdiction zone during the movement phase).
Only armored trains can begin rail movement in a Interdiction Hex.
Interdiction hexes do not affect normal movement, except that Strategic Movement cannot begin or pass through
an interdiction hex.
Interdiction does not affect Combat.
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Successful CAS missions contribute their total CAS rating to the combat drms.
If both players have successful CAS missions on a combat, then figure the net CAS result.
Note that while Soviets are restricted
in how many artillery units can participate in a combat, there is no restriction on how many Soviet air units
can contribute in a CAS mission, other than the maximum 3 air unit limit on a mission in a hex. Also remember that the
maximum drms that can be applied to a combat are +3 or -3. CAS values are not affected by terrain or weather.
Axis aircraft in EFS
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Junkers Ju-87 "Stuka"
The Stuka divebomber was probably the most distinctive airplane used during WW2.
A heavily armoured two-seater, the plane was slow and lacked maneuverability, making it vulnerable to enemy fighters,
but it was a very accurate bomber. There were various versions developed of this popular aircraft
throughout the war.
A very effective bomber when there were no enemy fighters around
to attack it, which was often the
case on the Eastern Front in 1941.
Website on the Ju-87
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Dornier 17Z "Pencil"
Originally designed as a passenger/mail aircraft, the Luftwaffe selected it as a fast light bomber.
Before the war the Do-17 was fast enough to outfly most fighters, but then newer fighters
that appeared by 1940 could catch it. It suffered terribly in the Battle of Britain.
Production of the Do-17 series ended in 1940, but the planes
continued in service throughout the war.
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Heinkel He 111
Originally a twin-engine passenger aircraft, a powered up version was made for the Luftwaffe. It performed
well in the Spanish Civil War, and entered WW2 as the main Luftwaffe bomber.
It did poorly in the Battle of Britain, and the designers, handicapped by engine limitations, could
not sufficiently improve on it. The Ju-88, a superior bomber, then started to roll off the production lines
in significant numbers and production of the He 111 fell off.
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Junkers Ju-88
The designers of this advanced twin-engine fast bomber included two American engineers, who were hired to help with
advanced structural techniques.
It was chosen for development by the Luftwaffe in 1935 as an advanced fast bomber,
but due to poor project management was not produced in significant numbers until 1940.
It was an excellent aircraft, fast, easy to fly and manueverable, but was cramped inside for the crew.
It could carry a relatively heavy bomb load, with bombs carried internally and attached under the wings.
Various versions were produced throughout the war, including night-fighter versions.
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Messerschmitt Bf 110
A heavy twin-engined plane, used variously as a fighter, night-fighter, fighter-bomber, bomber-interceptor,
and escort fighter. Although not exceptional as a fighter, it's size and power enabled it to have
impressive armament, including oblique firing cannons able to aim at targets above it.
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Messerschmitt Bf 109
The main Luftwaffe fighter, the Bf 109 exhibited excellent speed and manueverability.
Seeing combat in the Spanish Civil War, the popular 109 was continously improved, with the model "E"
starting mass production in 1939, and about 2000 were in operation in 1940.
The only other fighter
that could successfully engage the 109 on more or less equal terms was the British Spitfire. Soviet
fighters fared poorly against the 109.
Website on the Bf109
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Soviet aircraft in EFS
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Tupolev SB-2 Katiuska "Little Katie"
Entering service in 1936, this twin-engine medium bomber was obsolete by 1940. Short ranged and capable
only of small bomb loads, they were easily shot down and needed fighter escorts to survive missions. It has
the dubious distinction of being the most shot down plane of WW2.
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Tupolev TB-3
The large four engine TB-3 started service in 1932. There were many versions and experimental prototypes
developed, probably driven by the Soviet government's desire to impress the world. It could carry a bomb load
of 1000 kg. but only at a speed of 200 km/h. In 1941 it was used
in desperation as a bomber, and many were shot down. It proved to be a big fat easy target
for enemy fighters, and the surviving planes were eventually transferred over to transport and paradrop duties.
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Ilyushin DB-3 "Bob"
1500 of these twin engine bombers were constructed between 1936-1939. Its construction, using tubes and U-beams,
required significant amounts of labor. A good bomber for the 1930s, it was a useful workhorse, if not
particularly outstanding, in 1941. In 1942 an improved model using more
modern construction
techniques and less labor was designated the IL-4.
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Sukhoi SU-2
The SU-2 entered service in 1940 as a light bomber, after a tumultuous series of design changes. Even during its main production period of 1940-41, changes continued to be applied
to the aircraft, including various engines and armament layouts. It was built out of a combination of metal and wood. The plane suffered badly against
German fighters, and production was halted in 1942. About 900 of the planes had been built.
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Petlyakov Pe-2
A fast twin-engine bomber, the Germans often had difficulty catching up with this plane. Pilots of the Pe-2
found the plane a bit tricky to control, but once they became used to it they could give the German 109s
a hard time. The Soviets, recognizing the worth of the Pe-2, put in extra effort to train Pe-2 pilots,
including making a two-seater training version to help keep new pilots from crashing.
Website on the Pe-2
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Ilyushin-2 Shturmovik
The Ilyushin-2 Shturmovik ground-attack aircraft was one of the best aircraft designs of the war.
Designed in 1938, it entered production in 1941. It was well armed with twin 7.62 machineguns, 8 rockets under
the wings, and bombs in the bomb bays, and given exclusive access to the best aircraft engine
produced by the Soviets (killing off the MiG-3 production lines, which needed that engine).
It was well armored and sustained damage well. After the shock of German invasion, Stalin issued
urgent orders to immediately ramp up production of the IL-2.
Website on the IL-2
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Polikarpov I-16 Ishak "Rata"
Aircraft designers Dmitri Grigorovich and Nikolai Nikolayevich Polikarpov labored in prison
to develop a new Soviet fighter in 1933. The result, a very short plane with alarmingly dangerous stability problems,
proved to be a very capable fighter with a well trained pilot. By 1941 it was the main Soviet fighter.
It was no match for the Bf109, but because of the efficiency of production of this plane in 1941
and the desperate need for fighters, production continued into the war, with over 8000 made. Due to the structural
strength of the Rata, pilots began using the Rata for ramming German planes, a tactic the Germans found very disconcerting.
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Polikarpov I-153 Chiaka "Seagull"
Developed in 1933, this bi-plane was very manueverable and actually quite fast for a bi-plane, and improved in a 1939 Chiaka version.
But it had limited ceiling, and the pilot had a very limited view.
The age of the monoplane had come and the bi-plane lost its standing as a viable fighter. Production was discontinued
at the end of 1940.
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Yak-1
With an emphasis on simplicity, the small and nimble Yak-1 suffered from light armament. Early versions that
were produced in 1940 had various problems, but the plane was constantly improved and in 1941 it was fitted with
a better engine and modified weaponry. The best pilots were assigned to Yaks, who were able to make
the most out of the performance of the little plane with a single machine gun. Although it could carry
bombs under the wings, it usually didn't since its performance was poor with the added weight.
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MiG-3 (Mikoyan-Gurevich)
German Bf109 pilots were shocked when they ran into the new MiG-3 fighter in 1941. Powered by an inline
engine, the MiG-3 was very comparable to the Bf109. At lower altitudes and slower speeds, the Bf109
held the edge in manueverability, but at higher altitudes and higher speeds the situation
reversed, and the MiG-3 became the superior fighter. However, the air war in the East was primarily
a low altitude affair since most air missions revolved around ground support, and the Bf109 maintained
a favorable kill ratio against the MiG-3. In late 1941, Stalin killed the MiG-3 production effort
by ordering that the advanced engine used by the MiG-3 be diverted 100% to the IL-2 bomber.
Attempts to use a radial engine for the MiG-3 were not successful.
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