Target Locked On: MiGs over Laos

Vietnam, 1967: 

2nd deployment of F-104C Starfighters was about to end. The Starfighters of the 435th TFS had flown 5306 combat sorties for a total of 14.393 hours of flight. Flight leader LtCol. Jack McNeill and his wingman Maj. Harvey Ross III were on patrol over Laos to cover the retraction of their squadron. They were the last pilots to leave the theatre. McNeill, call sign "Badger", was a Korea veteran with one confirmed kill, then flying the F-86 Sabre. He kept flying to retain his license, but usually hardly left Asian ground any more. Therefore his piloting skills had a bit of declined. His sidekick was an ambitious young Major whose abilities were excelling his own. Both were doing their job now at noon with the sun high above them and clear sight in every direction. 

Briefing:

It is the fall of 1967, and the F-104 Starfighters have been gradually withdrawn from their base at DaNang over the past few months and replaced by the much more efficient F-4s. The few remaining F-104s are sent out at dawn Nov. 2 to fly an air patrol mission on the border with Laos. Increased VPAF air activity has been detected there in recent weeks. Intelligence reports indicate that a delivery of Chinese-made MiG-19 fighter aircraft to the VPAF is expected. So caution is advised, the USAF does not want to lose any F-104s in their last mission in Vietnam.

Debriefing:

Starfighter pilots 'Badger' and 'MacKenzie' were about to head back to base from an uneventful patrol when two MiGs appeared.

'MacKenzie' approached the enemy aircraft at a hell of a pace, which broke left, toward the F-104, without disbanding their tight formation. But the Starfighter was far too fast for a clean shot from the MiGs and sped past the noses of the two Reds in the blink of an eye.
'Badger' took advantage of this distraction to pounce on the inexperienced MiG wingman coming from 3 o'clock. Although he failed to switch his Sidewinder on target, the unguided missile fired struck the MiG and the devastating explosion tore apart the fighter's right wing. Lt. Huanying didn't stand a chance. Whether due to damage to the aircraft or severe injuries to the pilot, the ejection seat failed to deploy.
Only a few seconds later, the remaining MiG pilot Ivanovich realized the hopelessness of his position against the two Americans and disappeared into the nearest cloud cover.

Final result:

USAF 3 Victory Points (Michi)

VPAF 0 Victory Points (Doc)

 

Conclusion:

Our first game with TLO was a complete success. The rules are clear and easy to learn. The complexity is significantly reduced in favor of playability, without losing sight of the essential elements of air combat. Flight altitudes, flight maneuvers, fuel consumption, weapon systems, and the different characteristics of the aircraft used are all included. The restriction to easy-to-use D6 dice mechanisms benefits the flow of the game, and pilot skill checks as a key element of each turn convey the importance of individual flying skills in the cockpits. All of this more than accommodates the cinematic style of play we love.

 

Epilogue:

Flight leader LtCol. Jack McNeill and his wingman Maj. Harvey Ross III safely returned to base after their final patrol. They were the last pilots of their squadron to leave next day. McNeill, call sign "Badger", could book another kill, confirmed by his wingman "MacKenzie". Although he was usually doing only office jobs on the flight base, he became a hero to his comrades due to that one single lucky shot. 

In fact it was the Major who had been the really heroic daredevil heading for the MiGs at Mach 1.5 and setting the trap. But isn't it exactly what a sidekick is for?