Aeronef Over The Aegean

Ezekiel Hartman (Order #9044317)
AERONEF OVER THE AEGEAN (pdf edition)
TELEGAM AEROFLOTTE KUK + intersection of the Tsars domain, Austro-

BUDAPEST 14 04 90 STOP + Hungarian territory and the Ottoman Empire
was a nexus of instability fuelled by long
SECTOR B AIR FLEET COMMAND standing ethnic and religious differences as
REPORTS PASSENGER AEROSTAT ST much as foreign policies.
NICOLAE ATTACKED AND DESTROYED
STOP + TURKISH AEROSTAT As a result, minor raids, clashes and punitive
RESPONSIBLE BORDER VIOLATION expeditions were frequent, punctuated by
STOP + LOCAL AEROFLOTTE UNABLE periods of more focused military campaigns.
TO INTERCEPT TURKISH VESSEL
BEFORE BORDER STOP + WRECK ST The small scale of these actions may not have
grabbed world headlines, but this did not make
NICOLAE LOCATED STOP + NO
them any less vivid to those involved and more
SURVIVORS STOP + MESSAGE ENDS
than a few long standing feud made for bitter
STOP +
enemies.
Introduction Aeronef Over The Aegean: Wrath of the

Syren depicts such a situation outside a period
In comparison to the, often tumultuous, of major hostilities.
clashes over Western Europe and the Atlantic,
tensions in South Eastern Europe did not gain
international attention. Nevertheless, the

In his castle in his native city of Timisoara,

Baron Lantoz stared vacantly at the far end of
the Great Hall, unmoving and unresponsive
while his Chamberlain pondered worriedly from
the dim corner. The master had been thus
since the news of his familys death two months
ago, barely eating and unresponsive to all. The
murder of his beloved wife and infant son by the
thrice-damned Turks had broken this strong
and proud man. Now he barely acknowledged
even the presence of his loyal advisors and
subjects.
The Chamberlain heard his Lord take a deep
breath of air as he raised his head and looked
about the Great Hall. Those great eyes The three scenarios provided will present
focused upon him, burning now with steely different challenges to both players: The
determination. Hungarian player must preserve his ship and
crew from one battle to the next, choosing
Enough idleness, we have sat here long
which engagements to pursue and which to
enough lamenting like old women Lantoz said,
avoid. The Turkish player must battle through
his deep bass voice echoing through the Hall
some deliberately unbalanced scenarios
with a purpose not heard in months.
initially, keeping an eye on the overall picture.
There is much to be done. Dispatch an envoy The scenarios themselves are short with limited
to Professor Vanvlak's secret island factorium numbers of vessels, enabling players to resolve
and invite him here. I have a proposition for this mini-campaign in a single evening
him that he will find most profitable. Summon
the local Aeroflotte commander and my military Good Luck and Good Hunting!
counsel. I wish to discuss the preparedness of
my men and their readiness for battle And 'It was the 3rd Turkish Akinji Squadron that
bring me my Master of Spies. conducted the raid, my Lord', the spy hissed
quietly to the Baron. 'Under the command of
Staff scurried to do their Lords bidding, Carpik Pasha, an ruthless man formerly with
surprised at the sudden change in demeanour good connections to Sultan. It is likely that he
and newfound energy. A smile crept onto the aims to rebuild his military reputation and
Chamberlains face as his looked upon his influence after falling from favour three years
Lords resurgent fervour: ago. Our men could not ascertain his current
location, but it is known that he hails from the
May God have mercy on his foes, he thought,
city of Ayvacik near the Dardanelles.'
for this Man will surely have none, now he is
reawakened to a purpose.
'Then it is there that we shall proceed first. A
Aeronef Over The Aegean: Wrath of the few bombs should loosen their tongues. What
Syren is a mini-campaign of linked Aeronef news on the Turkish fleet dispositions and
scenarios following the adventures of Baron border defences?' Lantoz asked.
Lantoz as he takes his flagship, the Syren, on a
mission of vengeance for his slain family. The 'Nothing unusual, my Lord. I have passed the
goal of the Hungarian player is to win the final details to your aides' the spy replied.
scenario. The Turkish players objective is to
prevent this by whittling down the Syren 'You have done well and have my thanks' the
throughout the scenarios and destroying or Baron dismissed the hooded man, considering
capturing her. the new information. His contacts at the

Admiralty could not assist him in this Syren has also been fitted with external torpedo
endeavour, despite his frequent requests. tubes which give her a single salvo of aerial
While disappointing, he quite understood their torpedoes as described in the Aeronef
difficulties after the near-disastrous losses Captains Handbook. These external tubes
against the Russians two years ago. Allocating cannot be reloaded during the campaign
some of the precious and hard-pressed record their expenditure when fired.
remnants to a dubious and unauthorised raid
was beyond the realms of either friendship or Under the determined and obsessive Baron
duty. But Baron Lantoz was a resourceful man Lantoz the Syren will never strike her colours
and had an alternative approach in hand. and will fight to destruction, regardless of the
odds.
Special rules
Damage, refits and repairs
The following special rules are in effect for the
Wrath of the Syren mini-campaign. All damage to the Syren is cumulative from
scenario to scenario. However, knowing the
The Syren: the Syren is an extensively difficulty and prolonged natured of his blood
modified Austro-Hungarian battle cruiser, quest, the Baron has embarked additional
refitted by the brilliant yet obsessive Professor supplies and repair stores in the Syren. In
Vanvlak, and powered by an unusually large between scenarios, he may repair d6+3 hull
quantity of R-matter. Her stats are: boxes (including the associated weapon and
engineering stats) and may keep the result
Class Hull Gun Bomb Speed Turn Crew secret until the next scenario. Crew casualties
cannot be recovered.
2(M) 28 15 6 15 2 6

Optional rules successful. Your conduct has been honourable

thus far but be under no illusions - I will leave
The following optional rules may be appropriate instructions so that should you
implemented at player discretion: betray us, you will not live long. The cold steel
in his eyes matched the rows of Syrens guns
Turn Sequence: flying units conduct all and the professor with a shiver and an inkling of
movement and shooting in one phase. The two the conviction of this driven man.
phase movement sequence no longer applies.
Scenarios
Movement and distances: all flying units
movement distances should be treated as being The following scenarios making up the mini-
in inches not in centimetres. Shooting range is campaign should be played in the order below.
12 inches not 30cm.
Full speed ahead
Three months later, Syren lay tethered to the
floating dock, her hull, upper-decks and masts Situation: The Syren must force her way
swarming with activity as the last of refit across the border and into enemy territory,
modifications were made. Banks of turret- through a Turkish escort squadron. The Turks
mounted galvanic cannon lined the decks must inflict as much damage as possible while
where the standard rocket launcher had been trying to exit at least one vessel to warn the
removed. Her sleek hull strained against the Admiralty.
moorings which held her fast, testament to the
skill of the fitters and the brilliance of the man 'Approaching the frontier, Sir. Wind steady at
who oversaw the work. Baron Lantoz turned to 15 knots from astern, negligible cloud.
the Professor on the dock next to him. Estimate 12 minutes to crossing the Turkish
border' the Navigator called from the
I am impressed Professor, your skills and that charthouse.
of your team are evident. I am eager to
complete the trials and test her against my Baron Lantoz acknowledged the report briskly
enemies. Does the work progress on as he continued to scan the skies for the
schedule? enemy. He could feel the presence of this
Executive Officer close behind him, also looking
It does indeed, Baron the thin man rasped intently for the enemy. Interception by a strong
from beneath a knurled forehead and thick Turkish flotilla at this point could stop this
glasses. I have used the existing hull structure mission before it had begun, and the Syren's
as the basis but the weaponry and fire control modifications were as yet untested in battle.
systems have been upgraded and retrofitted. The whole crew was tense and alert.
There was insufficient time to replace the
engineering configuration but I have overhauled
the quadruple-expansion system to improve
efficiency by nearly twenty percent. With the
addition of the torpedoes she has firepower
equivalent to a Battleship and the extra R-
matter gives her a Cruisers speed. She will be
ready as promised. Which, ahem, brings us to
the matter of payment-?
Indeed Lantoz cut him off. I will honour our

agreement, providing you with the additional R-
matter from my family vaults for your
experiments, once the trials have proved

their ocular devices on the bearing indicated. A

Turkish escort squadron swam into view, slowly
patrolling their station at slow speed. The
Syren hadnt been seen yet, but that wouldnt
last long. In the good visibility conditions, there
was no way they could get around them without
being seen.
Lantoz clenched his fists tightly, eager to get to

grips with the enemy. 'Straight at them
Navigator. Gunnery officer, remove those ships
from our path if you please! It would be best if
'What do you think are our chances Sir?' the none escaped to tell their masters that we have
Exec asked in a quiet voice so that no other arrived...'
would hear him. 'Without the concealment of
cloud cover...' Hungarian Force: The Syren at full strength.
'Good I think' the Baron answered deliberately Turkish Force: Recon Flotilla: 2 Assari
in a loud voice; he wanted his whole bridge Shaevket class aerostat destroyers and 2 Keyk
team to hear him. class patrol aerostat.
'Admiralty directives might prevent Admiral Terrain: The battle area is the Turkish frontier,
Davanck from directly supporting us, but that otherwise the ground terrain is relatively
old rascal owes me a favour or two. At first light unimportant.
this morning he commenced a diversionary
push towards the Turk's naval base to the West Set Up: The Syren enters the battle area from
with two battle flotillas . Then there is the hefty the northern edge at up to half her maximum
bribe I paid Sarmenkov to make a rather visible speed. The Turkish force commences in their
demonstration with his eastern squadron. That patrol station in the centre of the board, in any
Russian bastard may not love us, but he hates disposition at a speed up to a maximum of
the Turks more. Plus I know about his little Speed 4.
indiscretion with the Tsar's third cousin last
summer, which he was rather eager to keep Objectives: The Syren must exit the southern
quiet. Between them they should get the Turks' edge of the table. The Turkish player is
attention and distract some of the Turkish attempting to inflict the maximum possible
forces. The information from our contacts in the damage upon her. If the Turkish squadron can
Bulgarian underground has also been useful exit one unit off the eastern edge of the battle
their movement appreciated my generous area, the alert will be raised at Sector fleet
donations of weapons and ammunition command and additional forces will be available
supplies. Now its up to us to push through.' in the next scenario.
Lantoz looked around at his Exec. 'And if we Without Mercy!

find any Turks in our way then I guess we'll test
our new guns sooner than we thought eh?', he Situation: Not knowing the exact location of his
said grinning through his immaculately groomed nemesis, the Baron intends to attack Pasha
beard. His confidence was infectious, as he Carpiks home city of Ayvacik to extract the
had intended, and his men returned his smile necessary information. Unprepared for such
with chuckles. an attack on an otherwise strategically
unimportant target, the Turks scramble a
A call from the masthead lookout immediately defensive force and an escalating engagement
caught everyone's attention and they trained ensues.

The Bombardier has prepared all ordnance for Turkish Force: As the Syrens appearance
the bombing run, my Lord the Executive Officer over Ayvacik is a surprise, the Turkish player
reported. Baron Lantoz looked across at him starts with no forces. Instead, roll for
from the command chair on Syrens bridge, reinforcements on the following table each turn.
'Very good he said. If the Turkish player exited at least one unit in
scenario one, add one to the die roll each turn.
Assuming current conditions are maintained,
we will be over the target at first light and attack Die Turkish Reinforcement
from seaward out of the dark western sky. That Roll
will help us achieve surprise and sow maximum 1 No reinforcements available this
panic and disruption, Lantoz said carefully as turn.
he looked up into his Execs unconvinced face. 2 No reinforcements available this
turn.
This is nothing they havent done to us before 3 A squadron of six Kindjal class
Number One, this is no time to be squeamish aeroplanes.
he said in a wooden voice, he face hard. 'We 4 War Balloon place in any position
will target only the centre of town where the over Ayvacik.
municipal buildings are located and where only 5 1 Assari Shaevket class aerostat
the elite and corrupt live. They will provide me destroyer
with the information I require or burn with their 6 War Balloon Turkish player may
city. This is a measure of vengeance for all place in any position over Ayvacik.
those innocents who have died in border raids 7 A pair of Yarhisar class fast
on our own villages and towns. Today some of torpedo aerostat.
them will be avenged!
Terrain: The key districts of the city of Ayvacik
The Exec remained silent. After a brief pause are represented by 10cm x 10cm area in the
the Baron went on in a steely voice. Have the centre of the board. The area around it is
Bombardier recheck all weapons and ensure housing and surrounding terrain, which is
they are set to maximum yield. I dont want any otherwise unimportant.
defects tomorrow morning. When Syren strikes
at our enemies, it will be exactly as they Set Up: The Syren enters the battle area from
deserve: without mercy. the North at Speed 10. Unless otherwise
specified, Turkish reinforcements arrive from
Hungarian Force: The Syren with cumulative either the East (1-2), South (3-4) or West (5-6)
damage from the first scenario, subject to any at any desired Speed.
repairs.
Objectives: The Syren must inflict 6 points of
damage on the city, at which point the local
mayor will provide the necessary information,
and depart any board edge. Should less
damage be inflicted upon the city, the Syren
must return the next day to try again. Syren
may disengage at any time, a valid stratagem
should Turkish reinforcements arrive
unexpectedly. She may then return in the
following days after shaking off her pursuers.
Blood Oath
Having discovered that Carpik Pasha is based
at the coastal city of Konak, the time is ripe for

a final showdown between the battered but watch. Lead enemy cruiser approaching
determined Syren, and the Turkish squadron maximum range Sir, the acting Exec reported.
commanded by the murderer of the Baron's
family; Carpik Pasha. The Pasha has been Ignore her, I want the Pasha under our guns
ordered to intercept and stop the Syren's immediately. Brings all operable weapons to
destructive deep raid. bear on the Turkish flagship and open fire! the
Duke spat.
Baron Lantoz stood on Syrens bridge, the wind
blowing through windows shattered previously As Syrens guns began to speak again, possibly
by Turkish gunfire. The hull had developed a for the last time, he muttered. From Hell's
series of odd rattles and lurches as her two heart, I stab at thee; For hate's sake, I spit my
remaining engines struggled to provide last breath at thee.
maximum power as the Duke drove her into
engagement range of the enemy Hungarian Force: The Syren with cumulative
damage, subject to any repairs.
The Gunnery Officer was at the other side of
the bridge. No, the Executive Officer, he Turkish Force: 3rd Akinji Squadron: one Turgut
reminded himself, acting in that capacity since Reis cruiser (Flagship) and two Muin-I-Zaffer
his Exec was disembowelled by a shell splinter class aerostat cruisers.
two days ago. A reddish stain on the deck
remained where the exec had stood his last Terrain: The ground terrain is relatively
unimportant and is a 'floating' battle area.

Set Up: The Turkish force enters the Southern time to confirm the dogs death himself but had
edge in any formation at Speed 8. The Syren spies out looking now. Lantoz brought himself
enters from the northern edge at Speed 12 (or back to the present, directed his visitor to a
at maximum speed if less than 12). chair and listened to the haughty accent of the
Imperial court.
Objectives: If the Turkish flagship (with the
Pasha is onboard) is destroyed, the Baron wins My Lord, his Majesty sends his compliments
the scenario and the campaign. If the Turkish and admiration for your recent notable
force disengages contrary to Admiralty orders, achievements. Naturally, he cannot formally
the Hungarian Player automatically wins. Any recognise them for diplomatic reasons.
other result is a Turkish campaign Victory. However, his Majesty has directed the
Admiralty to release vessels from the reserve
Epilogue fleet to your command. Your Squadron will be
ready on the first day of Spring to initiate further
The Baron looked up with his one remaining raids upon Turkish territories.
eye and beckoned for his richly dressed visitor
to approach. His wounds pained him at night Lantoz replied in his deep voice. His Majesty's
and he would always need the cane, but the fire pleasure is of more value to me than medals. I
of vengeance achieved warmed his soul. He am honoured and delighted with the opportunity
thought back to his last view of the Pashas to press our advantage against the enemy. His
flagship on fire as it disappeared beneath the family may have been avenged but he had
cloud layer. He regretted that he had not the
8

acquired a thirst for Turkish blood and yearned due course he served in the local militia
to spill more... Regiment on border duties where he saw the
result of banditry and lawlessness all too often.
Campaign options Later, he transferred to the k.u.k Aeroflotte
where he served in the aeronef fleet. But whilst
Players should feel free up to upgrade the he performed well in military service, he had no
Syren and her adversaries as required. For love for it and after an appropriate time he left
example, Upgrading the Syren to a battleship the service to oversee civic improvement
class vessel with appropriate statistics, would projects in his home country. When his father
make her more resilient. Accordingly, the initial died and the hereditary title was passed to him,
scenario should have additional reinforcement he stoically assumed the mantle as Lord of
in the shape of a Muin-I-Zaffer class aerostat Timisoara and reoccupied Muniade Castle in
cruiser, and Carpik Pashas flagship should be his father's stead. He continued to strive to
upgraded to a Sultan Selim class battle cruiser. improve the quality of his subjects' lives and
was delighted to start a family with his young
Another alternate campaign approach would wife, a distant cousin of the Prussian Prince.
see Baron Lantozs influence gain additional Then one day he received a telegram reporting
support from the Admiralty, and form a the death of his wife and son and his life turned
Squadron comprising of the Syren and a pair of upside down...
Honved class destroyers as escorts:
Carpik Pasha was only
Class Hull Gun Bomb Speed Turn Crew
child of a British economist
and merchant who
3(M) 16 9 3 16 3 4 emigrated to Turkey in
1832 and rose to
The Destroyers will accumulate damage prominence for his support
between the scenarios as per the Syren to the Sultan during the
campaign rule. However, they cannot repair Crimean War. As a
damage between scenarios, as the Baron will consequence, the son
prioritise all his repair efforts on the Syren. The enjoyed a pampered
Baron can decide to scuttle a crippled childhood growing up in
Destroyer between scenarios should he wish, Constantinople, though he was prone to cruelty
and transfer the residual crew to the remaining towards those he saw as his social inferiors.
ships of the squadron. He attended a Prussian academy and there
both escalated his social bullying and became
interested in aviation. Entry to the Naval
Personae dramatae Academy followed and while his early career
Baron Lantoz was born demonstrated skill, it was his fathers influence
into a noble family of the that was responsible for rapid promotion and
Hungarian Monarchy and choice assignments. Shortly after his fathers
was brought up with a death, he took command of an aeronef
distinct sense of battlecruiser in the Central Fleet. He was put in
community responsib- charge of an independent squadron where he
ility. Wanting to ensure most effective, if overly bloodthirsty, in raiding
that the young man Russian territory. International calls for his
understood the cashiering from international press went
intricacies of the racial unanswered, but he was reassigned to a
and religious mixes that backwater area on the Austro-Hungarian front
inhabited a region in would one day inherit, his with second-rate ships. There he has
father sent him not to a noble school in the languished for over three years, raiding without
Imperial capital, but to a local private school. In mercy as he takes out his frustrations on both

military and civilian targets and tries to redeem located. However, the further from the Sultans
himself to the Sultan and the Turkish Admiralty. palace the province was situated the less notice
the governor took of any Imperial edicts.
Ottoman air fleet Elaborate claims were made of the size of local
forces maintained and the expenses levied as a
result to the ministers of the Sultan whilst the
actual situation was one of abject corruption
and disorganisation. A vessel described in an
official report as a first rate patrol aerostat, fully
crewed and maintained would usually translate
into a crudely converted worn out merchant
vessel, indifferently armed and manned. The
subsequent efficiency of the aerial assets of
any given province was therefore very much at
the whim and resources available to the
governor in question. In order to correct this
state of affairs it became customary to
periodically send an aerial squadron from
Istanbul to show the flag and to impress the
locals with the Sultans power with the added
Background and history bonus of ensuring the loyalty of regional
governors.
The development and evolution
of the Ottoman Air Fleet under The border province of over which much of the
the guidance of Kerim Keyk is a action detailed in this campaign took place, was
well known story and will not no exception to the usual shambles present on
therefore, be repeated here. Under Keyk the the frontier despite the governor being
small but effective Ottoman Air Fleet was well unusually air minded in his outlook. His interest
within the financial and industrial capability of in matters aerial however, only extended to how
the Empire and as such, served as a model of much he could sell letters of marque to the
organisation and efficiency to the other, more various privately owned aerostat registered
traditional arms of service. within his territory (by Ottoman law all aerostat
had to be registered and taxed according to
As the newest and most modern service in the size). He also engaged in the lucrative business
Ottoman war machine the Air Fleet, so carefully of taking a percentage of any raided plunder
and painstakingly built up by Keyk; was always collected from the vessels notionally under his
very much in the public and the Sultans gaze. jurisdiction. Raid and counter raid across the
This of course meant that the main bulk of the border was very much a way of life in the region
service certainly the best equipped vessels and this was one of the reasons that the Sultan
was located in and around Istanbul under the would routinely despatch a trusted envoy
ever watchful eye of the Sultan. On the frontiers (usually backed by a detachment of loyal
of the Empire however, it was a very different troops) to reassure his subjects that the power
matter. of the Sublime Porte was never far away. The
Governor was fortunate in having Pasha Carpik
The aerial situation on the various frontiers of as his military attach (Carpik was also astute
the Ottoman Empire could best be described as enough to know when to look the other way at
organised chaos. The Ottoman Air Fleet was some of the governors more blatant examples
theoretically represented by varying numbers of of creative accounting for a small
requisitioned civilian aerostat manned by the consideration; such were the wheels in the
Sultans aeronauts, but built and maintained by Ottoman empire oiled) and when the squadron
the governor of the province in which they were sent from Istanbul under the command of
10

Mustapha Sadik; one of Kerim Keyks most Deniz, the Hisaronu and the Side. These
trusted officers, arrived he could have been vessels accompanied four merchant aerostat
forgiven for thinking that all was well. Events laden with supplies for the air fleet as well as
were to prove otherwise in a quite unexpected munitions for the border garrisons. Included in
way. this in convoy were four war balloons designed
for air defence in key areas.
As mentioned above it was customary in the
Ottoman Empire, as indeed elsewhere, for A detachment of Yarhisar fast torpedo aerostat
aerial commands to be sent on a flag showing the Gumbet and the Altinkum - was also en
exercise across the length and breadth of the route to join the squadron but had been delayed
empire and so Sadik and his squadron was due faulty condensers in one of the engines of
thus engaged at the time of the Syren incident. the Gumbet. The governor was also able to call
Indeed, their deployment to the province some upon a variety of privately owned civilian
weeks beforehand was to have a major impact aerostat to be used as armed auxiliaries should
on the action that followed. the need arise subject to the appropriate
financial recompense from the coffers of the
The squadron at the disposal of Sadik Sultan. Sadik was mildly amused to discover
consisted of the aerostat cruiser Muin-I-Zaffer, that upon his arrival most of the locally owned
a pair of Assar-I-Shevket aerostat destroyers as aerostat were inexplicably, and without
escort the Bodrum and the Sarigerme - and exception, temporarily unserviceable.
three Keyk class patrol aerostat the Olu
11

Pasha Carpik had originally been sent in

disgrace to the Anatolyia province of to act as Abdul Aziz class aerostat battleship
the governors military attach as, it was
reasoned, he would be far enough away from
the Sultan to avoid finding himself tied in a sack 1(D) 20 14 4 6 1 8
and dumped in the Bosphoros for his part in the
recent attacks against Russian territory He was
well versed in the military arts and was
outwardly delighted to be offered a command
alongside Sadik when the first inkling that
something was afoot over the frontier.
The governor was insistent on this command

decision probably because he knew that
Carpik could be trusted to keep Sadik away
from anything that the Sultan would be likely to
take a dim view of.
So, to the public gaze the news of this

command arrangement appeared to be in the Sultan Selim class battle cruiser
best interests of the province.
Inwardly however, Carpik seethed with 1 24 12 4 13 2 8
indignation at this affront to his honour and
professional abilities. He had been
commanding aerial squadrons when this Sadik
was a mere midshipman. He quietly resolved to
do something about this state of affairs and
although nothing could be proven at the
subsequent court of inquiry (convened after the
Syren affair had ended at he insistence of
Kerim Keyk himself), his close proximity to the
body of Sadik at the foot of the stairs in the
governors castle with a broken neck was
incriminating, to say the least.
The governor then had no choice but to pass

command of the squadron to Pasha Carpik who
immediately hoisted his flag in the Muin-I-Zaffer Turgut Reis class cruiser
and ordered the vessels to take up patrol Class Hull Gun Bomb Speed Turn Crew
positions in anticipation of enemy action.
3 15 10 0 15 2 4
Ruthless and self serving Carpik may have
been, but he was also a first rate commander.
Vessel statistics
These statistics are by Brigade Models, and
correspond with their excellent line of Turkish
aerial craft. Graphic stats cards are available
through their website at:
http://www.brigademodels.co.uk/Gaming/
12

Muin-I-Zaffer class aerostat cruiser Keyk class Patrol aerostat

Class Hull Gun Bomb Speed Turn Crew Class Hull Gun Bomb Speed Turn Crew
3(D) 12 10 0 14 2 4 5(DM) 2 1 0 12 3 1
Assari Shaevket class aerostat destroyer

4(D) 8 6 2 12 2 2 War balloon
4(D) 5 6 0 0 0 2
Gemlik class frigate

5(D) 8 6 0 18 3 1
Yarhisar class fast torpedo aerostat

Kindjal class aeroplane
5(D) 4 0 0 15 3 1
6 3 1 0 24 5 NA
Special rules: 4 x aerial torpedo salvo
13

Alternate design philosophy the Assari Shaevket destroyer and the Keyk
class patrol aerostat. All were destined to see
Kerim Keyk was first tasked with the much service and the basic soundness of the
construction of an Ottoman Air Fleet after the respective designs was ably demonstrated by
successful voyage of the Maleesh and his initial the radical changes applied as a result of the
plan was fairly modest in scope. He reasoned war against the Balkan League.
that it would take some time before the
appropriate skills in airship construction had As built, all of Keyk's designs were heavily
been acquired by Turkish engineers and so he bomb armed for their size, at the expense of
concentrated on smaller designs, utilising guns. These vessels were easily able to be
where possible existing civilian designs and modified to gun carrying types with little or no
foreign acquisitions. effect on the speed or handling capability.
As planned, the fleet would consist of small The Keyk class patrol aerostat was particularly
patrol aerostat, some larger destroyers and a successful as it was easy to fly, maintain and
small number of cruiser types - primarily for flag required a small crew - all important
showing or as squadron command vessels. considerations for a fledgling force belonging to
an impoverished Sultan.
After much trial and error the final designs
coalesced into the Muin-I-Zaffer class cruiser,
14

The Air Fleet as designed was an effective Abdul Aziz class aerostat battleship
force, well trained and capable in its roles of
tactical strike and patrol. However, the Sultan
wanted bigger and better vessels and so 1(DM) 20 8 16 6 1 8
foreign builders were courted and the Abdul
Aziz class aerostat battleship was acquired,
Muin-I-Zaffer class aerostat cruiser
along with the Yarhisar Fast Torpedo aerostat.
These were of an Italian design by the 3(DM) 12 12 4 10 2 4
renowned aerial architect - Count Guilio
Compostelli. Keyk was able to ensure that his
philosophy of having a bomb first, guns second Assari Shaevket class aerostat destroyer
approach was carried out (much to his relief as Class Hull Gun Bomb Speed Turn Crew
finding the huge crew required for a battleship
4(DM) 8 4 6 12 2 2
was a major problem - there simply was not
enough trained crew to go around) on the Abdul
Aziz by the simple expedient of showing the Keyk class Patrol aerostat
Sultan just how many bombs she could carry Class Hull Gun Bomb Speed Turn Crew
and the effect on a enemy target.
5(DM) 2 1 4 10 3 1
The fast torpedo aerostat quickly caught the
imagination of the Sultan and the public as they All other details remain the same.
sped about the sky over the capital and very
soon became the arm of service that all aspiring - Fin -
air commanders wanted to be assigned to for
their obvious dash and gallantry. Written by: Paul OGrady and David Crook
Miniatures: Brigade Models and David Crook
The final part of the Ottoman Air Fleet to be Photos: Steve Blease and Tony Francis
considered was the German influence. Under Artwork: Thom Truelove
the auspices of an invitation by the Sultan the Published by: Wessex Games
Germans, under the renowned aeronaut Otto
Von Durbar, were invited to observe the new air AERONEF OVER THE AEGEAN, all rules, text, graphic and photos are
Wessex Games 2010. All rights reserved. No part of this publication
fleet being put through its paces and to discuss may be produced in any form or by any means without the prior
terms for an ambitious and top secret building permission of the publisher.
program.
Also to be discussed was the Turkish

acquisition of second-hand German aerial
assets and the technical support to accompany
it. The Sultans aerial aspirations went much
further than Kerim Keyks and, not for the first
time, the capricious nature of the Sultan
overturned the designs and plans so carefully
nurtured by his more able officers.
In this case however, both the Sultan and Kerim

Keyk were unprepared for the dramatic voyage
of the Syren.
To implement this alternate design philosophy,

modify the statistics above as follows:
15

16

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Ezekiel Hartman (Order #9044317)