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Campaign Overview
Down In Flames campaigns allow you to fight some of the exciting air offensives of WWII.
Click here for an After Action Report from the Solomon Islands Campaign!
At the start of a campaign each player is given a group of aircraft and their pilots. The aircraft and pilot skill levels are based on the historical campaign being played. These are the only resources you have during the campaign. Your goal is to score victory points each mission, and have more victory points than your opponent at the end of the campaign.
Each campaign is divided into Days, and the strategic map is divided into Regions. At the start of each day, the computer selects a target for each region from each region’s individual list of possible targets. The type of targets available for selection, and the chance of each being selected is based on the campaign.
Each target is rated with 2 numbers. The attacker must drop bombs equal to the first number, or else the defender scores that number of victory points for the target. If the attacker drops bombs equal to the second number, then he gets that number of victory points for the target. If the attacker drops bombs that are equal to, or greater than, the first number, but less than the second number, neither player scores points.
For example, a Troop target is rated with a 1/4. If the attacking player drops 0 bombs the defender will score 1 point. If the attacker drops 1 to 3 bombs, neither player will score points. If he drops 4 or more bombs, the attacker will score 4 points.
Each bomber is rated for how many bombs it drops when both undamaged and damaged.
Both players then secretly and simultaneously allocate 0, 1, 2 elements to each region. This is a vital part of the campaign due to pilot fatigue. Every time a pilot flies a mission he incurs Fatigue Points. He incurs additional fatigue if he is damaged or shot down. As a pilot’s fatigue points mount, he starts to suffer penalties to his skills. If a pilot sits out for a day, his fatigue points are significantly reduced.
Once you have allocated your aircraft to the different regions for the day, you click the “Execute” button and hope for the best! When both players have clicked the execute button they are ready to resolve the battles for the day.
You and your opponent get to play through each battle for the day. When all the battles are resolved, the game advances to the next day. Most campaigns are 4 to 6 days long.
The following is a quick overview of some of the available campaigns (new campaigns are being added continually as part of the free update system):
This campaign is not meant to simulate any specific battle, but to place an overview of bombing and oceanic operations by the British and German air forces and navies in 1941. Whether it is hunting for a Wulfpack or protecting vital German ports and cities, your job as the campaign commander is to protect your vital assets and eliminate the enemies ability to defend.
While the Germans have proven pilots, the British have been battle hardened after the Battle of Britain and are now on the offensive. Can you protect the Reich, or do you seek to destroy it? Its up to you to chart what course the war must go. Good luck!
Player Notes:
A few of the planes have increased ranges. You should use these planes wisely. If they die you wont be able to provide support for missions to certain regions.Campaign Length: 6
Territories: 6 (Arctic Ocean, United Kingdom, North Sea, Norwegian Coast, Denmark, Holland)
Targets: Submarine, Battleship, Carrier, Cruiser, Destroyer, AAA, Airfield, Radar, Patrol, Troops, Port, Factory, Submarine Pen
Order of Battle:
Britain: Hurricane II (x2), Spitfire I (x2), Spitfire V (x2), Hurricane I (x1), Swordfish (x2), Lancaster Mk I (x1), Wellington III (x7)
Germany: Bf-109E (x4), Bf-109F (x2), Bf-110C (x2), Ju-87B (x3), He-111 (x3), He-177 (x2)
The American Volunteer Group or better known as the Flying Tigers are most likely the most effective aerial combat squadron in the annuals of war. Recruited by the Chinese government to try and halt the Japanese onslaught, the AVG achieved an unheard of kill ratio of 40-1.
Based out of Kunming, the AVG was tasked with protecting the Burma road and did so with sparkling results. Led by a soon to be famous American, Claire L. Chennault, who later led the famed 14th Air Force, the Flying Tigers built a small rag-tag band of pilots, including the infamous Gregory "Pappy" Boyington into a group that was vastly outnumbered but never defeated.
Campaign Length: 4
Territories: 4 (Kunming, Burma Road, Thailand, French Indo-China)
Targets: Troops, Sweeps, Airfields, Patrols, Convoys, HQ's
Order of Battle:US: P-40B (x5), Buffalo I (x2)
Japan: Ki-43-I (x6), Ki-27 (x2), B5N2 (x1), G4M1 (x1)
The Battle of Leyte Gulf was without a doubt the greatest sea battle to ever take place. Taking place at distances of up to 1000 miles, the battle was comprised of 4 major actions where more surface ships were involved than any other battle in the history of naval warfare. The blow the Americans inflicted was one Japan would never recover. Japan receives 2 times the points.
Campaign Length: 9 TurnsTerritories: 8 - Luzon, Japanese Fleet, 3rd Fleet, Samar, Sulu Sea, Minoro, Borneo, Mindanao
Targets: sweep missions, airfield, patrol missions, destroyer, cruiser, carrier, battleship
Order of Battle:
US: F4F (x4), SBD-3 (x6), P-38L (x2), P-47D (x1), P-51D (x1), F4U-1B (x4) B-17F (x1), B-25C (x2)
Japan: B5N2 (x4), G4M1 (x2), A6M5 (x7), K-61-I (x3)
Operation Marita was the last part of the German offensive in the Balkans. The German occupation of this region did protect the German Southern Flank for Operation Barbarossa. The real goal was to strike Crete, which was to begin shortly after. The operation was even faster in terms of the employment of the blitzkrieg tactics made famous in Poland and France. Much of this was due to the Greek and Yugoslavian armies' lack of training and equipment. But a resounding success none the less. The operation also was to be another amazing escape of British forces from the island while being pursued just as had happened in France and later in Crete. British forces receive 2X the points.
Campaign Length: 3 TurnsTerritories: 4 - Mt. Olympus, Kavala, Central Greece, Athens
Targets: troops, patrol missions, AAA, HQ's, railroad, airfield, destroyer, freighter, city, port
Order of Battle:
Britain: Buffalo I (x2), Hurricane I (x3), Gladiator II (x2), Swordfish (x2)
Germany: Bf-109E (x3), Bf-110C (x1), Bf-109B (x3), Ju-87B (x3), He-111 (x1)
When you think of island paradise, Malta is one of the most beautiful of all islands in the world, but in World War Two, Malta was one of the most contested pieces of real estate on the planet. The Germans formulated a plan called Herkules to rid the threat of British based fighter aircraft being able to hinder the supply of Rommel's Afrika Korps. In what was thought to be a short campaign, the Germans ended up dropping more tonnage of ordnance on the small island than they had done in the London Blitz. The British - knowing that to lose this as a viable base from which to strike would be disastrous - rushed to the island the brand new Spitfire V and stopped the Germans from achieving their goal.
Campaign Length: 8 TurnsTerritories: 4 - Valletta, Ta Qali Airfield, Luqa Airfield, Hal Far Airfield
Targets: freighter, supplies, port, industrial complex, submarine pen, city, patrol missions, sweep missions, airfield
Order of Battle:
Britain: Hurricane II (x5), Spitfire I (x2), Spitfire V (x6)
Germany: Bf-109E (x2) Bf-109F (x3), Bf-109G (x2), Bf-110C (x2), Ju-87B (x4), He-177 (x4)
Germany's biggest and last airborne operation of the war was tasked with assaulting and taking control of the vital Mediterranean island of Crete. Preceding the aerial assault was the Luftwaffe's VIII Fliegerkorps with over 700 planes softening up the island and attacking Britian's Aegean fleet. The German victory was very costly but secured a vital base of operations that lasted until the end of the war. Britian receives 2x the points. Includes the new plane: Brewster Buffalo
Campaign Length: 6 Turns
Territories: 5 - Northern Hanion, Southern Hanion, Rethimno, Irakliou, Lasithiou
Targets: carrier, destroyer, AAA, patrol missions, sweep missions, airfield, troops, HQ's, supplies, city, factory
Order of Battle:
Britain: Buffalo I (x1), Hurricane I (x6), Gladiator II (x3)
Germany: Bf-109E (x5), Bf-110C (x2), Bf-109B (x1), Ju-87B (x6), He-111 (x3)
The Battle of Britain started in July of 1940 and ended in October of that same year. Germany had captured France and was looking to complete the invasion of Europe with the capture of England. Before the cross-channel amphibious assault could happen, England needed to be weakened, and the Royal Air Force needed to be destroyed. For four months, the heroic men of the Luftwaffe and Royal Air Force fought for control of the skies over England in a battle that would alter the course of WWII.
Campaign Length: 5 turns
Territories: 5 – London, Edingburgh, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Dover
Targets: factories, cities, airfields, railroads, freighters, ports, cruisers, supplies, patrol missionsOrder of Battle:
United Kingdom – 4x Hurricane I elements, 6x Spitfire I elements
Germany – 4x Bf 109 Emil elements, 3x Bf 110C Zerstörer elements, 4x He-111 bomber elements, 3x Ju-87b Stuka bomber elements
Click here for an After Action report from the Solomon Islands Campaign!
The Solomon Islands campaign began with the shore assault of US Marines on Guadalcanal in August of 1942. The US “Cactus Air Force” was able to begin flying missions from Henderson airstrip later that year. During 1943, the US slowly worked its way westward along the chain of islands until only Rabaul remained in Japanese control. 1943 saw many pitched air battles as the American and Japanese air forces battled for control of the Solomon Islands.
Campaign Length: 4 turns
Territories: 5 – Rabaul, Bougainville, Munda, Santa Isabel, Guadalcanal
Targets: airfields, freighters, ports, troops, supplies, destroyers, cruisers, patrol missions,
Order of Battle:
Japan – 3x A6M2 Zero elements, 1x A6M5 Zero element, 3x B5N2 Kate bomber elements, 2x G4M1 Betty bomber elements, 1x Ki-43-I Oscar element, 1x Ki-61-I Tony element
USA – 1x B-17 Flying Fortress bomber element, 1x B-25C Mitchell bomber element, 4x F4U-1B Corsair elements, 2x SBD-3 Dauntless bomber elements
The Battle of Midway took place in early June of 1942 around the small island of Midway in the middle of the Pacific. Japanese carrier-based aircraft battled American carrier-based and land-based aircraft in a vital battle for control of the Pacific Ocean. The "x2 Carriers" are worth twice their normal number of VPs.
Campaign Length: 4 turns
Territories: 5 - Northwest, Northeast, Southwest, Southeast, Midway IslandTargets: cruiser, destroyer, carrier, carrier (double value), patrol missions, freighter, supplies, troops
Order of Battle:
US: F4F (x4), SBD-3 (x4), B-17F (x1)
Japan: A6M2 (x4), B5N2 (x4)
1944 saw the art of aerial warfare taken to undreamed of heights in the bright blue daylight skies of Europe. For twelve months the Mighty US 8th Air Force sent wave after wave of bombers into the sharp teeth of Germany’s Luftwaffe. Both sides brought in hard earned years of experience in aircraft design, tactics, and pilot skills. Now, the fate of Europe hangs in the balance as these two giants clash at four hundred miles an hour, many miles above the earth.
Campign Length: 8 Turns
Territories: 7 - Bremerhaven, Berlin, Paris, Munich, Dijon, Cologne and Marseille
Targets: airfield, city, factory, port, submarine pen, supplies, sweep missions, industrial complex, railroad
Order of Battle:
Allied: P-38L (x3), P-47D (x2), P-51D (x3), Spitfire XIV (x2), B-17F (x5), B-25C (x3)
Germany: Fw-190A (x7), Bf-109F (x2), Bf-109G (x5), Bf-109K (x4)
The evacuation of British troops from the beaches of Dunkirk is one of the legendary events of the war. In late May of 1940 over 300,000 British troops stood with their backs to the English Channel as the German army continued to advance against them. Over their heads a swirling air battle developed as the Luftwaffe attempted to bomb the beaches and sink the ships sent to evacuate the troops back to England.
Campaign Length: 3 turns
Territories: 2 – English Channel, Dunkirk
Targets: troops, supplies, freighters, destroyers, patrol missions
Order of Battle:
United Kingdom – 3x Spitfire I elements
Germany – 3x Bf-109 Emil elements, 2x Ju-87b Stuka bomber elements
The Japanese invasion of Singapore began in December of 1941 an ended in March of 1942. The Japanese attacked with unexpected fighter and bomber strength and the daily bombing attacks on the airfield and troop positions soon wore down the Commonwealth defenders. It was also during this time that the Japanese launched a massive air attack, and sank the British “Force Z” that consisted of the battleship Prince of Wales and the battlecruiser Repulse.
Campaign Length: 3 turns
Territories: 2 – Malaysia, Singapore
Targets: patrol missions, airfields, cruisers, freighters, battleships, troops
Order of Battle:
Japan – 1x A6M2 Zero element, 1x B5N2 Kate bomber element, 1x G4M1 Betty bomber element, 1x K-27 Nate element, 2x Ki-43-I Oscar elements
United Kingdom – 2x Hurricane I elements, 1x Hurricane II element
