FOW PRIMER: Aces Over Europe
Aircraft in Flames of War have simple rules with complex implications. We’ll go over the ups and downs of aviation in this installment of the Primer.
Aircraft share a lot of capabilities with artillery bombardments, but don’t be fooled. There are some ways in which they excel the capabilities of artillery costing much more than they do.
Aircraft can go where artillery cannot. Basically this means that you don’t need observation of a target to bomb it with aircraft. The implications of this are great, however; massing tanks behind a hill, hiding infantry in a forest, or consolidating a depleted assault unit into a smoke bombardment are all good tactics that will burn you if the enemy has aircraft. The British Tommies in the image near the end of this article thought they were safe!
Aircraft have an easier time of some things than artillery does. The rules are very specific about what it means to be concealed from Aircraft; foxholes will not do it and neither will smoke! And if you can’t be concealed, you can’t be Gone to Ground either.
Planes generally carry better weapons for the price tag than artillery does. This means some units ordinarily unconcerned by artillery suddenly must avoid bunching up.
Aircraft provide you with what is frequently called a “ticking clock”. This means that, as a defensive force, you have an asset that will compel your attacker to try and decide things quickly instead of picking you apart at leisure. Aircraft are in some ways a better ticking clock than artillery, because they can never be neutralized totally!
Lastly, for the Axis Powers, aircraft provide the only real method of neutralizing the Allied Air Observation Post.
Why Not Use Aircraft?
The most frequent mistake players make when selecting aircraft is doing it without considering the needs of their force. Aircraft do excellent service when forces need a ticking clock (see above) and can put the hurt on enemies that rush themselves. On the other hand, aircraft will perform very poorly in an aggressive force that is the one on the clock, or in a force that cannot punish the enemy for simply parking 9″ away, within wave-off distance.
Aircraft are the most unreliable system in the game bar none (except, ironically, for self-defense AAA); if you are expecting massive carnage or a pin on the enemy artillery battery right when you need it, look elsewhere. Aircraft are very inconsistent performers and earn their keep as much by modifying enemy behavior as they do by actually inflicting damage.
The other major reason to eschew aircraft is that they are not counted as a platoon when deploying. Some advantages can be gained from having certain numbers of platoons for deployment in a force, and forces that struggle with that often cannot afford to take aircraft.
Do I Need Anti-aircraft Artillery (AAA)?
Almost universally, no you do not. Getting within wave-off distance is an excellent (free) defense against enemy aircraft, as is spreading out. The only exceptions are forces with very high-value targets that tend to do poorly up close and personal with the enemy – ie, things worth bombing singly that don’t want to be within wave-off distance. An example of such a unit would be a Jagdpanther platoon or 5.5″ artillery battery.
In these cases AAA is a legitimate buy, but even then only weapons with Firepower rated 4+ will do the job against Flying Tanks, and since these are very common planes, it’s worth doing the job right.
Aircraft are a very controversial part of the Flames of War ruleset. Do you think they are worth it? Why or why not? Also, if you are interested in a FoW Primer on a particular topic, by all means ask!
