colorado military historians...from home defense) all flew the very familiar raf se5a. as they moved...
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NEWSLETTER
XIX, No. 6 June 2018
COLORADO MILITARY HISTORIANS
WEST WARS 2018
WEST WARS 2018 IN PICTURES
Dan Gurule’s Gunboat To the Rescue
Bill Daniel’s Survival of the Fittest
Jeff Lambert’s Campaign on the Grim: The Sultan of Swat
Dave Newport’s Vietnam: Status Red Chicken
John Brown’s Big Battle DBA Tournament
Dave Newport’s On the Road To Bastogne
John Owen’s Encounter In the Deep Freeze
Nate Forte’s WWII Aerial Combat
The Dykman Brothers’ Western Shootout
CMH Founding Member Ed Meyers with Pat Harvey. Will he buy the book?
Dave Newport the fittest award winner
Jeff Lambert’s May 2018 Report on the WWI Aerial Combat Campaign
May 26, 1918: The German Spring Offensive has petered out with no breakthrough and very little ground gained. The Allies have finally been joined by the Americans, who have begun their own offensive in the Belleau Wood area near the French lines. Things look desperate for the Germans. Even in the air war, the new and (by far) superior aircraft arriving at the front from Germany's air industry are not making up for their lack of numbers. The dogfight from this last Friday gives an example--
A German flight was led over No Man's Land by Lt. Skelly flying a Siemens-Schuckert D.III. His wingman was the fast-rising Lt. Wharrier, also flying a Siemens-Schuckert. Lt. Stuart rounded out the threesome in Fokker's newest fighter, the fearsome D.VII. All of these fighters have tremendous flight characteristics and combat ability, particularly the very high ceiling and climb rate of the Siemens.
The Germans were patrolling the front when they were spotted by a British patrol led by Lt. Lambert. Lambert, Lt. Irons, and Lt. Forte (newly returned from Home Defense) all flew the very familiar RAF SE5a. As they moved to engage the German patrol, a SPAD XIII flown by Lt. Hunt (reassigned from instructor duty to the front) saw the fight brewing and eagerly joined in.
The superior climb and ceiling of the Siemens at first gave the Germans an edge, but Lambert ignored them and signalled his flight to engage the Fokker. Lambert got in the first punch and damaged the Fokker, but was in turn wounded by the covering fire from Wharrier. Meanwhile, Irons was also wounded by Skelly. This left Forte and Hunt on their own as the wounded made their escape to British lines. The Germans could not capitalize, despite Hunt suffering a jam which rendered both Vickers inoperable. Forte used up all the ammo in his drum-fed Lewis and retired to a safe distance to reload, when Lambert and Irons returned to the fight all patched up and ready for another go.
This time, Lambert got a bead on Wharrier and sent the German diving for his own lines, with critical damage to the Siemens-Halske rotary and the wings. Wharrier also returned, but not before Skelly damaged Lambert so badly that the British ace fell into a spin. Falling from seven thousand to three thousand feet, Lambert finally managed to arrest his spin and engaged Stuart's Fokker. While Lambert was spinning, Irons and Forte
had wounded Stuart and shot out his Mercedes engine, forcing him into a glide. When Lambert regained control, he found himself with an easy shot at Stuart and destroyed the Fokker's tail. Even wounded, though, Stuart managed to escape his crippled plane and took to the parachute which German pilots have increasingly been carrying.
By now, all of the pilots engaged noticed their dwindling fuel supplies and prudently turned for home. Only the fate of Stuart remained to be determined. It was learned through the reports of the British infantry in the sector that a German pilot had parachuted to the ground near their lines-- a patrol was sent to capture him. Lt. Stuart, wounded and attempting to evade the patrol, fired a full magazine from his Parabellum pistol but was then cut down by a volley from the British patrol. He was buried near the remains of the chapel of St. Michael.
Here are the campaign standings as of May 26:
SKELLY 1728(117) LAMBERT 1048(512) IRONS 882(591) FORTE 776 (527) HUNT 756 (679) WHARRIER 595 (580) MANLEY 466 (155) MARSTON 336 (253) MARTINEZ 335 (243) BEAUGARIN 283 (67) STUART 280 (93) CAVER-BOYD 263 (88) HOWELL 195 (65) CROWN 180 (63) FRAKES 178 (59) CASTELETTO 125 (42) GOWEN 100 (100) WAITE 56 (56) HOLMES 45 (45) HERSCH 38 (13) WEBER 36 (36) VELTRE 33 (33) JOHNSON 28 (28)
UNIT OF THE MONTH (Not Sponsored)
Member Name Scale Manufacturer Era Unit
Jeff Lambert 15mm Battlefront WWII Italian medium tanks Carro Armato M14/41
Jeff Lambert 15mm Battlefront WWII Italian medium tanks Carro Armato M11/39
Dave Manley 28mm Firelock Games 17th & 18 Century
La Venganza de los Espanoles
Terry Shockey 15mm Irregular WWI Bulgarian Cavalry & Infantry
GAME OF THE MONTH Total Escape Games Sponsor
*Denotes this month’s winnerEach month CMH members host games at the monthly meeting. This award is for the effort put out by the host.
Member Name Scale Era Rules Description
John Brown 15mm Ancients BBDBA Tournament
Dave Newport* 15mm WWII Tactical Combat On the Road to Bastogne
John Owen 1/2400 WWII Homegrown Encounter In the Deep Freeze
CMH June Scheduled EventsThis table shows what events are scheduled for CMH. Next months Friday
Night Fights (FNF) and the monthly meeting (MM) are listed. It is recommended to schedule your game for future meetings and will appear on this page.
TEG - Total Escape Games 6831 W. 120th Ave. Suite C Broomfield CO 80020 www.totalescapegames.comFNF (TBD) may or may not occur due to a lack of a scheduled host/location.
COMING EVENTS:
July 8: CMH-CSGA Smackdown 2018July 12-15 Historicon Lancaster PA
ELECTION RESULTS:
The following were reelected:
President: Nate ForteVice-President: Jim RairdonSecretary: Terry ShockeyTreasurer: Larry IronsHistorian: Doug Wildfong
Date Meeting Location Start Time
June 1 FNF TEG 7PM
June 8 FNF TBD 7PM
June 10 MM Baker Rec Center 12-5PM
June 15 FNF TBD 7PM
June 22 FNF TBD 7PM
June 29 FNF TBD 7PM
Colorado Military Historians, Inc.
Colorado military Historians (CMH) is a non-profit organization whose purpose is to promote historical wargaming and the study of military history. Founded in 1965, CMH meets monthly on the second Sunday of the month, except in May when it is deferred to the third Sunday. The meeting starts at noon at the Baker Recreational Center, 6751 Irving Street ( just a few blocks west of Federal Blvd), Denver CO. The club also hosts gaming at least one Friday night a month, called “Friday Night Fights” (FNF) at 7 PM. FNF will be held at several various locations. See previous schedule or view the website for latest information.
CMH maintains ties with numbers local, regional and national groups to help promote the hobby. CMH is governed by member-elected officers who serve on the Board of Directors (executive board). Terms are one year, with elections held at the May meeting. New members are accepted after attending three CMH functions and a vote of the membership. Dues are $45.00 per year, payable in January. Members wishing to receive a snail-mail newsletter subscription must pay an additional fee of $15.00 per year. Authors retain ownership of articles and graphics published. CMH reserves the right to edit or reject submissions to the newsletter.
One year Adult Membership: $45.00Half year Adult Membership: $30.00
(For NEW members who join after June 30)Family Membership: $45.00 (one Adult and any number of offspring)Student Membership: $25.00 (16 to 22 years old)
CMH Newsletter
The CMH Newsletter is a monthly newsletter published by the Colorado military Historians. Views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of all CMH members.
Mailing Address:Terry Shockey13160 Garfield Dr.Thornton CO 80241-2106
email: [email protected] Site: www.cmhweb.org
Editor/Layout: Terry Shockey
Next Issue: July 2018
2018/2019 CMH Board Members
President: Nate [email protected]
Vice-President:Jim [email protected]
Secretary:Terry Shockey(See above)
Treasurer:Larry Irons303-883-2146
Historian:Doug [email protected]