Starting a new game series: Wing Leader Victories

I've had Wing Leader in my "to play" pile for so long that GMT has brought out not only a sequel and four battle packs but a whole new edition. So when I finally decided I was goign to stop looking at it and start playing it, the first thing I had to do was go through the very clear page of "what to keep/what to throw out" instructions that came with my second edition update kit.

So I read through the basics and figured I'd play the first scenario, keep the rulebook handy, and learn as I go. Not perhaps the best approach with a complex LB-W game, but I had fun and it kinda worked.

Scenario 1 is a pretty basic learning scenario. Two squadrons of Japanese Ki-21 bombers go drone,drone,drone across the map to their target, drop bombs, then flip around and drone,drone,drone home, trying to ignore two flights of pesky American Volunteer Group P-40s zooming around them like gnats.

I have a slew of photos I took as I walked through the scenario, but suffice to say it was a pretty mild encounter.

The AVG pilots weren't able to attempt tallies on Turn 1 (too far apart), missed their tallies on Turn 2 (really bad rolls), and so had to circle and try to tally the bombers as they flew past (which they managed).

They pursued the bombers toward the target, inflicting and taking a single straggler result along the way.

The IJAAF crews dropped their bombs (which sailed wide of any meaningful targets), and as they turned for home, the P-40s inflicted another straggler (on the same sqn, bumping it up to a loss) and a loss.

The next turn, they inflicted another straggler, which disrupted one of the Japanese squadrons. But the sheer effort of chasing the multitude of bombers across the sky was so exhausting and the pilots so unused to formation flying that they were scattered far and wide (translation: they both rolled a disruption and being mere flights thus broke). Reluctantly, AVG commander Dupoy, seeing his planes spread all across the Burmese horizon, radioed both flights to return to base.

Pointswise, the AVG had downed two bombers, lost no aircraft, and the IJA bombs landed nowhere damaging, but expectations were so high for the fighters against the unescorted bombers that Col. Chennault tore strips off the flyers in the AAR. "You should have downed them all!" he roared, "Tigers? We should call you pussycats!" The chastened Tigers determined to do better next time.