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Can we make the prototype now, or is that choice only allowed on the one turn we get 50% progress?

You can make the prototype squadron at any point past 50% progress.

Design Phase, Early Winter 1915

Squire 4 and Rook 1, 2, 3 have all reached Rookie experience level. There is a new Ace, Alderic, in Squire 2.

In the north, the army generals are furious that the Sky Crusaders have withdrawn all forces. With the support of their balloons and photoreconnaissance, the Kolechians are making great advances toward Demisonne, threatening the supply lines toward Dreidansk. If air cover is not provided, the retreat could become an all-out rout.

In Dreidansk, recent bombing efforts have won you the praise of the generals there, as well as some prestige from correspondents covering the war effort. They will soon be advancing onwards to Estwice but are worried about the threat to their supply lines from Demisonne. Opinion is split as to whether to push onwards or invest more in the defensive lines around Demisonne. In any case, the planners estimate Estwice could be reached in the coming months if the current rate of advance is maintained.

On Okinso, the army and navy are appreciative of the squadrons deployed there. They do request that the planes there be given cameras and diverted to support the Mizogorod offensive, which should be reaching the city in three or four months’ time.

High command has increased your budget by 3 PP, as the country devotes more factories to war.

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Battle Report, Late Autumn 1915

Neither air force made much public progress this turn, but the Verusan Sky Crusaders did more than their counterparts. Kolechia fixed their Feathers’ Foster mounts to return to the top position by spring, obviating the need for pilots to stand up and possibly fall out when reloading their guns. Verusan engineers upgraded their planes with two accessories: the Mk.1 "Bottled Fury" Bomb, which is a 75-pound high explosive bomb with fins, and the Hawk Eye Camera, an infinity-focus glass plate camera with a dedicated mounting, which aims the camera downward through a hole in the cockpit floor. Oh, and they’ve upgraded their pilots with shiny badges, giving them a sense of pride and accomplishment.

The Northern Mountains

The snows begin to coat the mountain ridges – up to several feet deep in places. Troops defending the mountains begin to dig their winter encampments, and little combat occurs across the ridges.

In the highlands, the snowfall is lighter, and fighting continues at the normal pace. After the fall of Derboise, the Sky Crusaders have taken the drastic step of removing all their squadrons posted to this front, both planes and balloons. The Kolechian squadron so tasked has gained complete air superiority over this front but doesn’t actually score any further kills of enemy aircraft.

With their Hykib observers carrying artillery spotter equipment, the Kolechian artillery is deadlier this month. Equipped with binoculars, they can accurately direct fire at longer distances than before. Some Hykib observers pass around tips on how to remove the sextant from the compass without damaging the latter too much. Often, the sight of a couple of Hykib balloons a few miles distant is enough to induce the Verusan troops to withdraw from their defensive positions.

These defensive positions are in turn quickly identified by aerial photoreconnaissance from another squadron of Feather-1914s with their Lvoc cameras. With balloon and plane squadrons operating in concert, the speed of the Kolechian advance is limited more by the rate at which artillery can be relocated than by Verusan opposition. The Verusan troops retreat along the road to Demisonne at a speed just short of a rout. Defensive lines to the north are somewhat more successful, owing to the more difficult terrain and the fact that the Kolechian army is more focused on pushing toward Demisonne.


The Central Plains

In a complete reversal from the previous months, this turn sees both sides pouring in forces in the battle for Dreidansk. Elsewhere on this front, the lines in the Cranve Forest and further southeast see no great changes.

In defense of Dreidansk, the KPAF are flying a squadron of Feathers for air superiority and another for photoreconnaissance, with a squadron of Hykib balloons for artillery spotting. Against this, the Sky Crusaders have brought four squadrons of Rhinos and two of Sky Eyes, outnumbering the defenders two-to-one.

The flashiest contribution to this battle is the Sky Crusaders’ new Mk. 1 “Bottled Fury” bomb, dropped by hand from a squadron of Rhinos. 75 pounds of high explosive are an order of magnitude more powerful than the old Beehive grenades, which more than makes up for the fact that each plane can only carry two of them. What’s more, the Verusans are no longer limiting themselves to bombing artillery positions – all defensive positions are fair game. After a few fortified townhouses are shattered by repeated bombing raids, the Kolechian defenders commit to a more fluid defense, abandoning the illusory safety of holing up in buildings in favour of moving between multiple strongpoints, and some positions are captured by Verusan soldiers uncontested.

Many attempts are made by the KPAF to shoot down the bombers, but they are mostly stymied by the squadron of Rhinos acting as escort. Rhinos carrying “Bottled Fury” bombs are unarmed, slow to turn, and would be easy targets for Feather-1914s, but the unencumbered Rhinos are capable of fighting them off on equal terms. There are losses among both Feather and Rhino squadrons, but not enough to impede the bombing effort. From these battles, a Verusan pilot is the first in this war to make it to five kills and achieve Ace status – the pilot Alderic shoots down his fifth Feather-1914 when the enemy pilot ignores him to down one of the bombers.

The KPAF doesn’t find much success in shooting down Sky Eyes either – the Sky Crusaders have another squadron of Rhinos dedicated solely to protecting these balloons. It simply takes too much time for a Feather to finish shooting down a Sky Eye before a Rhino dives down from above. Losing a Feather in exchange for a Sky Eye isn’t a favourable exchange given the current numbers, but the KPAF sometimes tries it anyway to throw a wrench in Verusan artillery operations. However, the recent partnership with the artillery corps means that the Sky Eyes are operating at improved effectiveness, and the artillery barrages continue mostly as normal.

The same can be said of the Hykib balloons. Although the Verusans have a squadron tasked to shoot down balloons, this squadron is also the one equipped with the all-precious Hawk Eye Cameras. The belated introduction of aerial photography to Verusan command is nevertheless very effective, and demand for aerial photoreconnaissance of enemy lines and supplies quickly outweighs the need to shoot down enemy balloons. However, the fact that both taskings are still nominally assigned to that squadron hampers their effectiveness. This is in contrast to the Kolechian squadron, whose pilots happily snap away on their Lvoc cameras, seemingly forgotten by enemy planes.

Overall, superior artillery spotting and bombing efforts by the Sky Crusaders are instrumental in securing the fall of Dreidansk. The Kolechian army retreats but is able to fall back to a prepared defensive line along the road to Estwice.


The Southern Islands

The Sky Crusaders have deployed an extra squadron of Rhinos here for aerial reconnaissance. Along with the support of Sky Eye balloons who call in naval fire support, the Verusan army is able to push the Kolechians back up the Kodemo Trail, lessening the threat of encirclement of Basselton. However, the squadron here lacks Hawk Eye cameras to make their sorties effective, and as the fighting proceeds up the ridge, naval fire support will be out of range, lessening the effect of the Sky Eyes. The thickly wooded terrain of the islands mostly limits artillery to the major roads, as few minor roads exist.

To the south, the Verusan advance continues, but is somewhat hampered by the appearance of a Kolechian cruiser squadron which carries out shore bombardment. The ships are too big to make the transit into Lake Mizogorod though, and Verusa captures more territory on the shores of the lake.


The Outside World:

The Imperial German Navy carries out its first airship raid on London, killing seven. China agrees to the Twenty-One Demands made by the Empire of Japan, furthering their economic dominance in Manchuria. A Zeppelin is destroyed in air-to-air combat for the first time over Ghent, Belgium by a pilot dropping bombs. The Allied forces make slight advances with heavy casualties at the Second Battle of Artois but fail to break the German lines. The RAF does see increased effectiveness against German planes owing to their new Foster mounts. The Gallipolli campaign enters a period of stalemate as well, after an Ottoman counteroffensive fails to retake Anzac Cove.

Event: Neither side has opted to send engineering assistance to the Germans, who leave in a bit of a huff once news of the successful raid on London arrives.

It is now the Design Phase, Early Winter 1915.

As a quick reminder, you still need to agree whether to accept or reject the artillery captain's proposal. Also, Jerick's plan might need to specify where Squire 1 and 5 are going to be.

Verusa Revision Phase, Late Autumn 1915

Quote from: Revision

Verusan Knight of Flight Badge

Verusan are well-reknown for their daring and brave acts, and such feats of heroism should be accurately rewarded in the skies.

The Verusan "Knight of Flight" Badge (aside from rolling nicely off the tongue) is awarded to pilots who have demonstrated considerable heroism in combat rising above and beyond the call of duty.  The badge is ranked according to the pilots contribution to the war effort and the nature of the selfless act of heroism.

KoF 3rd Class is awarded to pilots who have prevailed against uneven odds, demonstrated brave or daring feats, or otherwise acted in a manner which deserves recognition.  This can include rescuing a besieged wingman, defending troops on the ground from attack, or any other inspiring deed which accurately reflects Verusan values.

KoF 2nd Class is awarded to those who have overcome poor odds, performed remarkable feats of heroism, or otherwise contributed to the war effort in ways that exceed what is normally expected of Verusan airmen.  This award is given to those who represent what all Verusan soldiers strive to be, and would be an award befitting an Ace pilot.

KoF 1st Class is the highest honor attainable by Verusan airmen.  It is to be awarded to those who have overcome impossible odds, performed unbelievable feats of heroism, or otherwise contributed to the war effort in ways that have changed the course of the war.

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While our pilots are distracted, we quietly make the Emu cheap.

Efficacy: 1

A series of “Knight of Flight” badges are designed to reward pilots for feats of heroic airmanship, which are actually a cover for the engineers to work on the Emu cheapening unimpeded. It works well for a while, as the pilots are occupied discussing what exactly should constitute sufficient bravery for each class of award and boasting about how much shiner their dress uniforms are about to become.

Although the pilots may be placated for now, a new source of opposition to the Emu being cheaper has arisen. It seems that contracts for the carved Emu heads were sent out as part of the shift toward mass production. When letters are sent out to cancel these contracts, the Verusan Association of Artisanal Woodcarvers (VAAW) immediately creates an uproar, hiring lawyers to delay the cancellation in a mess of legal red tape.

Amidst this mess, a small team of engineers announced they’ve managed to integrate the Bolt Machine Gun into the Emu design natively and struck a deal to have these machineguns purchased in bulk for this purpose. Future squadrons of the Emu will not need machineguns purchased separately.

Quote from: Bomb

Mk.1 "Bottled Fury" Bomb:
Based on the knowledge for creating our artillery shells, the Bottled Fury uses the same explosive and impact fuze but with a much thinner shell. Since we won't be firing them out of a cannon, they don't need a thick shell like artillery shells do, and it also doesn't have a brass casing or propellant powder. Instead it has a metal bomb casing just thick enough to handle safely and create metal fragments on detonation. As a consequence there's a lot more room for explosives. We will aim for a weight of 75lbs, which should be much deadlier than an 85 pound artillery shell.  An "X"-shaped set of fins help the bomb fall more aerodynamically.

The bomb comes with a mounting bracket - essentially four padded arms and two hooks that will hold the bomb securely and steadily during flight.  The hooks deactivate through the flip of a lever in the cockpit.  This mounting can be attached under the fuselage of any of our aircraft, with the cost of the mounting figured into the cost of the bomb.

Efficacy: 4

The “Bottled Fury” is Verusa’s first purpose designed air-dropped bomb. Revised from the earlier M1905-5.2 Shell, it forgoes a thick casing, primer and propellant powder in favour of more high explosive. A set of fins helps to orient and stabilise the bomb in freefall. In preliminary tests, the “Bottled Fury” is noted to “make a hell of a bigger boom” in the words of Verusan engineers, as compared to the earlier Beehive grenades, and its impact fuse instead of timed one removes the need for bombing planes to fly at extremely low altitude. There is a slight fragmentation effect generated from the metal casing, but the bomb is not really optimised for this purpose.
A Rhino might be able to carry two of these, while an Emu could carry up to four in its current configuration, with corresponding losses in performance due to the added weight. Specialised bomb mounts were not developed for lack of time, and pilots will carry these bombs along in their (rather cramped) cockpits for now.

Mk.1 “Bottled Fury” Bomb: Verusa’s first purpose-designed bomb! A 75-pound high explosive bomb, which is equipped with fins to stabilise it when dropped. Creates a slight fragmentation effect when it explodes. Cost 1 PP.

Hawk Eye Camera

Apparently our instructions to our engineers weren't specific enough.  They are to return the purchased cameras to the shop, and to exchange the camera citing "national security reasons."  They are to instead obtain a large lens, short exposure time, fast shutter camera.  The focal length should be fixed at infinite.  As the final intent is to mount the camera on/in an aircraft, the camera and film platen can weigh up to 30 pounds.  Having purchased the appropriate commercial system, develop a crude means to stabilize the system inside the cockpit by bolting it steady to the pilot seat and floor plate.  Cut an appropriate sized aperture in the cockpit floor, allowing for overhead photography for mapping purposes.  Sturdily affix a pipe along camera to act as a crude viewfinder at altitude.  Include a padded satchel capable of holding several film platen.

Efficacy: 6

The storeowners point out their ‘no-return’ policy but are quick to change their tune once the prospect of a new camera contract is raised. After intense but short negotiations, the specifications of the Hawk Eye Camera are agreed upon, being much more amenable to aerial photography. The Hawk Eye is a glass plate camera fixed at infinity focus with a rapid shutter speed, able to resolve much smaller objects on the ground than the previous Vodak cameras. It comes with a nice knitted bag for the pilots to hold the glass plates.

Effort is also put in to develop a fixed mounting for the Hawk Eye, rather than having the pilot lean out of the plane to take pictures by hand as the Kolechians do. The final mounting system is located right between the pilot’s legs in the cockpit, with the camera taking photographs directly downward from a hole cut in the bottom of the aircraft. A crude viewfinder, which is essentially a pipe for the pilot to see what’s directly below him, is also included. A few engineers passive-aggressively leave pictures of rhinos and hawks around the offices to protest this further naming inconsistency.

Hawk Eye Camera: A fast shutter glass-plate camera, set at infinity focus for aerial photoreconnaissance. Requires the pilot to change the plates after every shot and is mounted to take photographs through a hole in the bottom of the cockpit. Cost 1 PP.

Aircraft equipped with this system will be designated with a ‘-P’ suffix (you can change this to something else if you like). Due to the fixed mounting system modification, you will have to pay an additional 1 PP if you want to shift this camera from one squadron to another.

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It is now the Production & Deployment Phase, Late Autumn 1915. You have 12 production points remaining and 1 die banked to the next turn.

Verusa is Verusan. The filthy Kolechians claim that Verusa is the bastard offspring of a combined French-Greek colonization effort a couple centuries ago, but they're just trying to justify conquering our bit of the continent.

Kolechia Revision Phase, Late Autumn 1915

(I’m assuming your side doesn’t want to enter any dice for this turn’s bonus!)

Quote

Advanced Foster Mount

This advanced version of the Foster mount replaces the awkward crank with a decent spring that pushes the gun back into position. This allows the pilot to remain seated during the reloading procedure. An elastic can be utilized to strengthen the spring, or weaken it as convenient for each pilot.

Efficacy: 4

The Foster mounts on the Feathers are upgraded with springs and elastic cords to return the gun back to the forward position once the pilot has finished whatever he’s doing. Without the need to stand up to reload, the Feathers should be slightly more effective in a dogfight.

Fix the Sync Gear:

With the gearing itself simplified, we can improve the performance of the gear system. Focusing on the propellor timing, we will get the timing as precise as possible. If possible, we will improve the jamming issue.

Efficacy: 4 (4, 2)

The instructions for improvement are vague, but the engineers set about the task of improving the synchronisation gear with vigour. After much calibration work is done, they’re happy to report that bullets strike the propeller far less often – a pilot might be able to fire two entire belts before the blades are in danger of snapping off, which should be enough for most missions. The jamming issue remains unfixed, as is the reduction in rate of fire as compared to a ‘free-firing’ Type 11 LMG.

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It is now the Production & Deployment Phase, Late Autumn 1915. You have 12 production points remaining.