Down in Flames - Manual - PC

MANUAL
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Table of Contents
Section I - Getting Started........................................1 Section IV - Local....................................................12

Introduction Lobby
Installation Requirements Manage Pilots
Player Types Create Pilots
Quick Start Create a Game
Preview
Section II - Rules ......................................................2 Dogfight
Turn Sequence Result Window
Your Element Aircraft Stats
Your Leader Preferences
Your Wingman Updates
Actions and Reactions
The Cards Section V - Pilot Careers ........................................14
Positioning Experience Points
Targeting Skills
Altitude Medals
Wingmen Ranks
Bombers
Special Abilities Section VI - Campaigns ..........................................20
Fatigue Single Player Overview
Death Two Player Overview
Quitting a Game Campaign Lobby
Campaign Log-In
Section III - Online ..................................................8 Campaign Home Page
Registering Campaign Map
Lobby Campaign Pilots
Logon Campaign Preview
Manage Pilots Campaign Execute
Create Pilots Campaign Lobby
Lobby Chat Campaign Mission
Hot Keys Campaign Dogfight
Player Symbols Campaign Results
Create a Game Campaign Victory Points
Pre-Dogfight
Join Online Game Window Section VII - Community ......................................23
Preview Leader Board
Dogfight Discussion Forum
Result Window Website
Aircraft Stats
Private Chat Section VIII - Support ............................................23
Preferences
Aircraft Data
Updates
Tips and Tricks
Technical Issues
Section IX - Wrap-Up ............................................45

Conclusion
Credits
Section I - Getting Started Full Player: (Cost: Game Purchase)
This is a player who has purchased the game.
Introduction Feature Limits

Down In Flames (DIF) is all about aerial dogfighting. You Aircraft available All
command a Leader and his Wingman. Your Leader is your main Pilot XP limit Unlimited
guy. He's the hero. Your Wingman is your helpful sidekick. He'll Campaign games available All
get in there and help you out when he can. Your Leader and Auto update feature available Yes
Wingman form what is called an "Element". Your element always Able to join a Demo game No
stays together as a team to help each other. Able to join a non-Demo game Yes
Your goal is to shoot down enemy airplanes while not getting your Quick Start
own planes shot down in the process. Every dogfight lasts for six If you immediately want to jump right in, here's how you do it...
turns, at which point the survivors are running low on fuel and
need to return to base. Each of your turns is broken down into 1. Double-click on the "DIF" icon on your desktop.
steps. When your turn is over the next player takes his turn. This
continues until all the players have had a turn, then you get another
turn. When all players have had six turns the game ends. If you
destroy all the enemy fighters before the end of turn six you get to
go home early.
Down in Flames is based on the tabletop card game by the same 2. Click on the splash screen to continue.
name, and it remains faithful to its roots while gaining 3. You are now in the Lobby.
enhancements for play on the computer. You'll see many references
to the playing of cards, and while there isn't anything that seems to
resemble an actual playing card on the screen, this refers to the
various actions your virtual pilots will make in the course of a
dogfight. If you are familiar with the card game, make sure that
you still read through this manual, as there have been a few rule
changes.
Installation Requirements
To start, you must install the game file and have .NET version 1.1
and DirectX 9.0 installed on your computer. The game’s 4. Click on the "Local" tab and select "Create Local Game".
installation file will automatically install these packages if you do
not have them. You can also download these files from
www.microsoft.com at no charge.
Player Types
There are two types of players. Each player type has his own
- The game comes with a Leader and Wingman element created
access level to the game.
for each nation.
Demo Player: (Cost: Free)

This is a player who is using the Demo game.
Feature Limits
Aircraft available (4) Level 3 fighters
Pilot XP limit 100
Campaign games available Dunkirk
Auto update feature available No
Able to join a Demo game Yes
Able to join a non-Demo game No - You can select one of these to immediately take to the skies.
- Make sure the Response Time is "Green".
(c) 2005 • Dan Verssen Games (DVG) ~1~ Down In Flames • www.battlefront.com
-
-
Click "Okay".
The computer will select an opposing element of aircraft for
Section II - Rules
you to fight against. The opposing aircraft will be controlled
by the computer. Turn Sequence
- A preview screen will appear showing aircraft details.
Your turn is divided into 5 steps: Wingman,
Altitude, Leader, Discard, and Draw.
Wingman
Your Wingman can play cards.
Altitude
You can stay at your current altitude, climb to the next higher
altitude, or dive to the next lower altitude. Both of your aircraft
will change altitude.
Leader
Your Leader can play cards.
- Click on it to reveal the Dogfight window.
Discard
You can discard none, some, or all of your cards. The screen will
display an “<OPEN>” note for every new card you are about to
draw. You might want to discard cards that are not useful to you if
it will open up additional card draws.
Draw
Your Leader gets to draw cards.
Your Element
- That's it; you're flying your first mission! You get to command an Element of fighters
- Your element is always shown on the bottom of the screen. made up of a Leader and a Wingman.
VITAL NOTE: When you start creating pilots, it makes sense Your Leader is more powerful, but your Wingman is very useful
to generate at least 2 elements from the same nation (3 or 4 are also. Your Wingman trails to the right side of your Leader.
even better). If you have only one element, those pilots will not
be able to rest and reduce their fatigue between missions! If your Leader is shot down, your Wingman will take over the
Leader role for him and continue the battle.
Your goal is to shoot down the enemy aircraft in a 6-turn dogfight.
Your Leader
Your Leader has stats that can
be viewed in the top-right
Dogfight window. All Aircraft
have 2 sets of stats, one set for
when they are mostly
undamaged, and one set with
reduced capabilities for when
they are mostly damaged. The
two columns have the headings of "OK" and "Dam."
Airframe - This is a rating of how sturdy your aircraft is, and how
well it can take damage. The "OK" column shows how many more Actions and Reactions
points of damage your Leader's aircraft can take before being Down in Flames is based on a unique Action & Reaction game
flipped to its smoking or "Damaged" side. The "Dam." Column system. You can play 3 different types of cards: Action, Reaction
shows how many more points of damage your Leader's aircraft can and Both
take before being shot down.
If you right-click on a card name a help
Performance - When you draw cards at the end of your turn, you window will pop-up detailing what the
cannot draw a card if it would give you more cards than your card can do.
Performance rating. You can exceed your Performance rating
during your turn, for example, by diving.
Action Cards:
In My Sights, Out of the Sun,
Cards are also referred to as maneuvers. There is also a specific
Maneuvering, Half Loop
maneuver called “Maneuvering”.
Action Cards - Action cards allow your
Horsepower - A Leader's Horsepower is the maximum number of
aircraft to take an action during your
cards your Leader can gain at the end of each of your turns. Your
turn. You cannot play these cards during an opponent's turn. Action
Leader will not gain a card if it would put him in excess of his
cards allow your Leader's plane to gain a better position on an
Performance rating.
enemy Leader, adjust your Leader's altitude, attack an enemy
aircraft, or gain extra Bursts against an enemy Wingman or
Bursts - The number of Bursts of attacks your Leader can perform.
Bomber.
There are 2 types of attack cards: In My Sights and Out of the Sun.
Each card will note how many Bursts it expends to play the card.
For example, "In My Sights 1" expends 1 Burst. Attack cards also
Reaction Cards:
specify how many points of damage each inflicts if successfully Barrel Roll, Tight Turn, Ace Pilot
played. For example, "In My Sights 2:3 requires 2 Bursts to play
and will Inflict 3 points of damage. Reaction Cards - Reaction cards allow you to respond to a card
played by an enemy player. You can play them during your turn or
when the opposing player uses a card against you during his turn.
Your Wingman
Each reaction card can react to specific cards including other
Your Wingman has his own set of
reaction cards. This often leads to a chain of cards being played.
stats. Like Leaders, they have
"OK" and "Dam." Status.
Action and Reaction Cards:
Scissors, Vertical Roll
Airframe - This is a rating of
how sturdy your aircraft is, and
Action and Reaction Cards - These cards can both initiate an
how well it can take damage. The
action and react to certain other cards. This flexibility makes them
"OK" column shows how many
very powerful.
more points of damage your Wingman's aircraft can take before
being flipped to its smoking or "Damaged" side. The "Dam."
Column shows how many more points of damage your Wingman's The Cards
aircraft can take before being shot down. A list of your current cards is found in the lower right window on
your screen.
Attack - The number of cards your Wingman gets when it is his
turn to attack. Your Wingman is not limited by Bursts, he can play Each card can either initiate an action and/or counter an action that
all the In My Sights and Out of the Sun cards he is draws. is being attempted by the enemy player. The following sections
detail what each card does, how often you can expect to receive
Defense - The Defense stat is the number of cards your Wingman one, and how easy each card is to counter.
draws when he is attacked.
The cards are the heart of DIF. Here's how it works, the acting
Your Wingman does not save the cards he does not play. He always player initiates an action by playing a card. The player targeted by
draws new cards whenever he attacks or is attacked. the card then has a chance to play a card to counter. Likewise, the
first player can then play a card in reaction. This continues back
and forth until a player cannot counter. If the acting player plays
the final card, his initial action is successful. If the defending
player plays the final card the initial action is cancelled.
Scissors can only be played to initiate an action during your turn if
In My Sights (Very Common) your Leader is Disadvantaged. If the Scissors is successful, your
This is one of the ways you inflict damage on the enemy. Every In Leader will go from being Disadvantaged to being Advantaged.
My Sights card shows how many of your Bursts it expends and
how many points of damage it will inflict if successful. Scissors can counter Tight Turn and Scissors.
For example, an “In My Sights 2:3” requires 2 Bursts to play and Vertical Roll (Uncommon)
will inflict 3 hits if it is not countered. Vertical Rolls can also be played in two different ways. They can
be played to change a Leader’s altitude, or to counter an enemy
Your Leader must be Neutral, Advantaged, or Tailing, and have the card.
required number of Bursts available to play these cards. In My
Sights cannot counter any other cards. Vertical Rolls can be played to change your element’s altitude by
one level during your Leader's Attack step. If you are
There is one type of very rare In My Sights card that causes Disadvantaged or Tailed when you play a Vertical Roll to change
catastrophic damage to the enemy aircraft, such as hitting its fuel altitude, the enemy Leader must discard one extra card if he wants
tank. This is the IMS 2:Destroyed card, and if this card is not to follow you to your new Altitude.
countered the enemy aircraft is destroyed.
Vertical Rolls counter In My Sights, Out of the Sun, and Vertical
Out of the Sun (Rare) Roll.
These work just like In My Sights except they are much harder to
counter. Out of the Sun cannot counter any other cards. For those of you familiar with the card game, there has been a
change to how Vertical Roll works. We have standardized Vertical
Barrel Roll (Common) Roll to play like all the other cards. You can only play it when you
are engaged with an enemy element.
Barrel Rolls are a defensive card. They can counter In My Sights
and Barrel Roll.
Positioning
Tight Turn (Common) Positioning refers to the relative position your Leader holds in
Tight Turns are another defensive card. They can counter In My relation to an enemy Leader. Wingmen do not hold Position. You
Sights, Tight Turn and Maneuvering. can play Maneuvering, Half Loop, and Scissors cards to adjust
your Leader's position.
Ace Pilot (Rare)
Tailing - Your Leader's nose is pointed at an enemy
Ace Pilots are the best type of reactive card. They can counter any
Leader's tail. This is the best position for you. You
other card, including another Ace Pilot.
get 3 extra Bursts and his Leader cannot play In My
Sights or Out of the Sun cards against you.
Maneuvering (Common)
There are two terms in Down in Flames Online that are very close.
A maneuver (card) is any action you play against an enemy. There
is also a card called Maneuvering. Maneuvering is the specific
action that means positioning your aircraft to better attack the Advantaged - Your Leader's nose is pointed at an
enemy. enemy Leader's side. This is a good position for
you. You get 1 extra Burst and his Leader cannot
Playing a Maneuvering will change your position by one in your play In My sights or Out of the Sun cards against
favor. Maneuvering cannot counter any other card. you.
Half Loop (Rare)

Playing a Half Loop will change your position by two in your
favor. You cannot Half Loop if you are Advantaged. Half Loop Neutral - Your Leader's nose is pointed at an
cannot counter any other cards. enemy Leader's nose. This is an okay position for
you. You do not get any extra Bursts and his Leader
Scissors (Uncommon) can use his Bursts to play In My Sights and Out of
Scissors can be played in two different ways. They can be played the Sun cards against you.
to improve a Leader’s position, or to counter an enemy card.
- Your Leader can only attack the Leader that is positioned on him.
Disadvantaged - An enemy Leader's nose is - Your Wingman can attack either the Leader or Wingman that is
pointed at your Leader's side. This is a bad position positioned on your Leader.
for you. He gets 1 extra Burst and your Leader
cannot play In My Sights or Out of the Sun cards. Altitude
Down In Flames uses 5 very

broad altitude levels: Very Low,
Low, Medium, High, and Very
Tailed - An enemy Leader's nose is pointed at your High. An element’s Altitude is
Leaders Tail. This is the worst position for you. He always displayed in its black
gets 3 extra Bursts and your Leader cannot play In status bar.
My Sights or Out of the Sun cards.
Initial Altitude - Before the start

of a mission you get to choose
Targeting which altitude your Leader and
Wingman will begin at. Your Leader and Wingman are always at
Your Leader’s Position will the same altitude.
determine the enemy planes your
aircraft can attack with Action Changing Altitude - During each
cards. A yellow targeting symbol of your Leader's turns you will be
will appear by the enemy aircraft given a choice to stay at your
that you may attack. Click on the current altitude, climb to the next
yellow target of the enemy higher altitude, or dive to the next
aircraft you wish to attack. lower altitude.
Once you click on it, it will turn Effects of Altitude - You can only attack, and be attacked by
red to lock in your selection. This enemy aircraft at your same altitude.
lets you and your opponent know
the target of your attacks. Your Every time you climb one altitude band, you must select 1 of your
plane can only target one enemy cards to discard. This represents the loss of energy an aircraft
aircraft during its turn, so choose experiences when climbing. Every time you dive one altitude
wisely. band, you gain 1 extra card. This represents the energy an aircraft
gains when diving.
If your element is Neutral:
- You can attack any Neutral Leader or Wingman at your same Altitude also affects the capabilities of your aircraft:
altitude.
- You can attack the Wingman of any Advantaged or Tailing Very Low and Low - Your Leader gains +1 Horsepower.
element at your altitude. Medium - No adjustments.
- You can attack the Leader of any Advantaged or Tailing element High - Your Leader suffers -1 Horsepower and your Wingman
that does not have a Wingman at your altitude. suffers -1 Defense.
Very High - Your Leader suffers -2 Horsepower and your
If your element is Advantaged or Tailing: Wingman suffers -1 Offense and -1 Defense.
- Your Leader can attack the Leader he is positioned on and
maintain his position. Wingmen
- Your Wingman can attack either the Leader or Wingman your Unlike Leaders, Wingmen do not have a Burst limit when
Leader is positioned on. attacking. A Wingman can play all the In My Sights and Out of the
- Your Leader can attack the Wingman of the element he is Sun cards they draw. A Wingmen can play Maneuvering, Half
positioned on, or all the legal targets listed in "Neutral", but he Loop, or Scissors to improve the positioning of his Leader.
loses his position and returns to Neutral.
Attacking Wingmen - When it is your Wingman's turn to act, you
If your element is Disadvantaged or Tailed: can choose to have him attack an enemy Wingman or Leader.
receive Turret Support.
During your Leader's turn, he can also choose to attack an enemy
Wingman if your Leader has a Neutral, Advantaged, or Tailing Special Bomber Rules - Bombers are always at Neutral position.
Position. If you choose to have your Leader attack an enemy When your fighter plays Maneuvering or Half Loops against a
Wingmen, he will lose his Advantaged or Tailing Position and bomber it gains extra Bursts.
return to Neutral.
Fighter Leaders automatically get +1 Burst when attacking a Light
Engaged - When a Leader is Advantaged, Tailing, Disadvantaged, or Medium Bomber, and +2 Bursts when attacking a Heavy
or Tailed he is said to be Engaged against the other Leader. Bomber.
Wingman Protection - If your Leader has a Wingman and is Wingmen get to draw cards equal to their Offense plus Defense, -
Engaged, only the enemy player that you are Engaged against can 1 when attacking a Light or Medium Bomber. Wingmen get to
play cards against your Leader. draw cards equal to their Offense plus Defense when attacking a
Heavy Bomber.
If an enemy Leader without a Wingman is Advantaged or Tailing
another Leader on your team, you can play Position adjusting cards Bombers have a chance to play a "Spoil Attack" to negate a card
to degrade the enemy Position. played against them. You do not get to react to a Spoiled Attack.
Bombers Also, when you play a card against a bomber, the bomber has a
chance to shoot at your fighter! You can react to these attacks as
To Escort Bombers your Leader must normal. If you react to the bomber's attack, the bomber cannot
have earned enough XPs to fly second counter-react.
or third level fighters. The exact
number of XPs needed is based on the Bombers can counter-attack with "Gunner" and "Heavy Fire"
bomber to be escorted. attacks. You react to a Gunner counter-attack as if it were an In My
Sights. You react to Heavy Fire as if it were an Out of the Sun.
As part of the mission set-up, you can choose to "Escort" bombers
with one of your pilots that have gained enough Experience Points. Mission Success - The Escorting player gains XP for bombers that
The AI always controls bombers, leaving you free to either Escort end the game "Okay", and loses XP for bombers that are shot
(Protect) them, or Intercept (Attack) them. down. The Intercepting player gains XP for bombers that are shot
down, and loses XP for bombers that end the game Okay. Bombers
Types of Bombers - There are three general types of bombers: that end the mission Damaged are worth zero points to both the
Light, Medium, and Heavy. Light bombers usually look like a Escorting and intercepting players.
fighter plane. Medium bombers usually have 2 engines. Heavy
bombers usually have 4 engines. Special Abilities
Some aircraft have special abilities that are not covered in the
Bomber Status - Bombers are standard aircraft stats.
rated for Airframe, like fighters,
as well as their Turret Defense Gunners
and Turret Support Capabilities. These aircraft have a rear-facing gunner that can play In My Sights
and Out of the Sun cards against an enemy Leader that is
Turret Defense - This value Advantaged or Tailing his aircraft. Since Wingmen never hold any
shows you how many cards the position other than Neutral, this only applies to Leaders with
bomber will gain when it is Gunners.
attacked. Bombers are not as
maneuverable as fighters, so they Gunners have a Burst limit as noted. Using a Gunner’s Bursts does
play a special set of cards. For example, you will not see them not subtract from the aircraft's normal Bursts for the turn. Gunner
doing Barrel Rolls. attacks can be reacted to as normal.
Turret Support - If both bombers in an element are "Okay" (not Agility

trailing smoke), the bomber not being attacked adds its Turret
These aircraft have exceptional direction changing capabilities.
Support rating to the cards received when the other bomber is
During an Agile Leader's turn, you can play any card as if it were
attacked. Once a bomber is Damaged (trailing smoke) it is
a Scissors card.
assumed to have dropped out of formation and cannot lend or
When your aircraft is in a situation to do so, you will be prompted
with a button in the lower-right window that reads "Use Agility". When a Leader is killed, his Wingman is promoted to Leader, all
To do so, click the button, and then click on the card you want to his skills are erased and the XP spent on Wingman skills (not
play as a Scissors. Cards) are once again made available so you can buy Leader skills
for him. You will then need to create a new Wingman for your new
Turbochargers Leader.
Some aircraft perform very well at high altitudes. An aircraft with
a turbocharger treats High altitude as Medium, and Very High as There has been a change from the card game here. In the card
High. game, a Wingman would draw his hand up to the Performance of
the aircraft, minus 1. In this game, the Wingman receives his full
Fatigue draw of cards. This stops the snowballing effect of losing a Leader.
Your pilots gain Fatigue Quitting a Game

Points (FPs) every time they
fly a mission. They will gain There is always the temptation to
additional FPs when they are quit-out of a hopeless battle.
Damaged, Shot-Down, or However, this isn't in the spirit of
shot-down by an "IMS 2: the game, not to mention the
Destroyed" card. Also, as your pilot's career grows, he will gain frustration felt by your opponent.
additional FPs for each mission flown.
If you quit out of a multiplayer online game early, the other players
As a pilot accumulates FPs, his stats will suffer penalties. You can will continue to play and the AI will take over your aircraft. If you
see these penalties in the Manage Pilot window. You can reduce a quit out of a single player mission, each of your remaining pilots
pilot's FPs by having other pilots of his same nation fly missions. will go through a Bailout check, fatigue will be accrued as normal
and your pilots will gain no XP. If one or more of your pilots has
Important! For every mission a pilot does not fly his FPs will bailed out or was killed, their status will not change by quitting
get reduced. His FPs will be reduced by 15% for every mission early. There is no penalty to quitting out of campaign games.
he does not fly. A percentage of the number of XPs earned
during the mission by your other pilots will also be deducted
from his FPs.
It is best to generate 4 elements for a nation. That way, you can fly
different pilots in order to keep their FPs under control. This is a
vital decision making aspect of the game!
Death
Each time one of your pilots is shot-

down there is a 75% chance of him
safely bailing-out and returning to
base. If a pilot fails to safely bailout he
will expend his Escape Death skill. If
your pilot does not have an Escape
Death during an unsafe bailout, he will be killed.
Your pilot has a chance to regain the expended Escape Death skill
at the end of every mission he completes, including the mission in
which he lost his Escape Death. At the end of each completed
mission, he has a 20% chance to regain his Escape Death, or 33%
if he shot down one or more enemy aircraft during the mission.
When a Wingman is killed, you will need to go to the Manage

Pilots window and create a new Wingman for that Leader.
Section III - Online Logon
Before you can enter the Lobby, play an

Registering Online game, or a Campaign game, you
To register for the online portion of Down In Flames go to the must log-on. From the Session-tab, select
Down In Flames homepage at: www.downinflamesonline.com Logon and a pop-up window appears on the
Lobby window to gather your player
Click "Register" to identification information.
begin the registration
process. Enter the user name and password you created in the Registration
window. You can also activate the option to save your information
to make future logons faster. Click "Logon" after you have entered
your player information.
A list of the other players logged-on will appear in the 'Roll Call'
area on the left. Each player will have one of three icons next to his
name: Available, Away, or Playing.
Once you click “Register”, you If you want to create or manage online pilots, or fly online
will be taken to a screen to enter missions, pull down on the Online-tab. By selecting the 'Manage
your personal information. Pilots' option you will be able to create and manage your online
pilots.
You are now registered and
ready to explore the Down In Manage Pilots
Flames world!
The manage pilots window
appears as a pop-up window on
Lobby top of the Lobby window.
The lobby is the central meeting Before you can take to the air,
place of your Down In Flames you need to create your pilots.
online world. From this window Online pilots are for use in
you will create and develop your online games, and cannot be
pilots, fly into swirling used in local games. Pilots are created in Leader/Wingman sets.
dogfights, defend your bombers These two pilots will always fly together.
against hostile interceptors, and
fight desperately to get your The Online-tab is used to create and manage your online pilots. To
own bombers through to their targets. You can also initiate create a pilot, click on the 'New Leader' button.
historical campaigns to re-live some of World War II's greatest air
battles! Create Pilots
The pull-down menu-tabs located at the top of the window control The Create Pilot pop-up
all of these options. If you want to create or manage online pilots, window appears on top of the
or fly online missions, pull down on the Session-tab and select Manage Pilots window. From
"Logon" to unlock the online options. this window you create your
new Leader and Wingman. You
get to select their nationality,
names, and photos from this
window. You can also upload
your own images for your pilots. Each image is limited to 20k in
size.
Click "Okay" when you have made all of your selections. You have
now created a new pilot leader, and his trusty wingman sidekick, Create a Game
and they are ready to take to the skies!
Pull-down on ‘Online’ and
There are two additional links on the Manage Pilots window that select Single Mission, then
are used for purchasing extra skills for your Leaders and Wingmen Create Online Game from the
with the experience points (XPs) you will earn in missions. When Online-tab to create an online
you create a pilot, the pilot does not have any experience points to game.
spend on extra skills.
When you start an online game
You are now ready to fly your first mission. your game will be posted in the
Join Online Game window for other players to join. Other players
IMPORTANT: It is best to create 4 elements for the same can join your game if their total element’s value is between 75%
nation. This will allow you to cycle through your pilots and and 100% of your element’s value.
keep their Fatigue Points (FPs) in check. Pilots gain FPs when
they fly missions and this reduces their stats. By sitting-out Your element’s value is based on your pilot skills and the type of
missions flown by other pilots of their same nation, pilots have airplane they are flying. Their value will be displayed in the Create
their FPs reduced and their stats return to normal. a Game window.
Lobby Chat Your mission selections are gathered in the Register a New Game
window. On this window, you get to select the pilot you want to fly,
While you are in the Lobby, you can chat with the other players. their aircraft type, the timer length, and whether the game will be
Type your messages into the lower portion of the lobby window, 1 element against 1 element, or 2 elements against 2 elements.
and they will be displayed for all to see after you press the Enter When your pilot gains some experience points, you will be able to
key. fly Bomber Escort missions, and select from a variety of aircraft.
This is an excellent way to invite other players to join your games, When a pilot is first created, he is limited to the weakest aircraft
brag about your battles, and interact with friends. type for his nation and cannot fly Bomber Escort missions.
Hot Keys When first learning to play, start with the Green timer speed to give
you plenty of time to make your game decisions.
We have included hot keys for some of the most commonly used
functions, such as starting game, managing pilots, and so forth. Once you have made your selections, click the 'Okay' button.
These are noted on the Lobby pull-down menus.
Pre-Dogfight
Player Symbols
If you created an online game
Every player will have one of three symbols next to his name in the you will see the Pre-Game
Roll Call area. Status window. This window
shows you if any other players
The blue symbol with the star shows the person is hanging out in have joined your game, and
the lobby. If the symbol is gray, it means they are away from their some basic information about
computer. If the symbol is a yellow “DIF” it means they are their pilots and aircraft.
engaged in a battle.
If you chose a '1 on 1' game, wait until one other player has joined
your game. If you chose a '2 on 2' game, wait until 3 other players
have joined your game. The AI will fill in if there aren't enough
humans.
When you are ready to start, click the 'Start' button. The players
who join a game cannot click 'Start'.
If you click ‘Start’ before other players have joined, the other
aircraft will be controlled by the computer.
Join Online Game Window This is the window where the missions for air dominance are
played out.
When you start an online game,
the In-Game icon will appear Like real combat, in your first several missions the action will be
beside your name in the Roll fast and furious and you will no doubt make mistakes and not
Call area of the Lobby, and your notice things that you will take in at a glance in later missions.
game will be listed in the Join Don't worry about it! Unlike real combat, here, you get second
Online Game window for others chances.
to join. This window lists all
games available to join, and The large sky blue area displays the aircraft engaged in the
shows the host's name, game type, difficulty level, private game mission. Your element is always shown on the bottom of the screen
status, number of elements and the point value of the host's with red letters for your Leader and Wingman names. If you are
plane/pilot combination. playing a '2 on 2' game, your ally will also be shown in the lower
part of the screen. The aircraft you are flying against are shown on
Other players can select Join Online Game from the Online-tab to the top part of the screen.
join your game with appropriately skilled pilots. The window will
display some information about the pilots already entered into the When an aircraft is taking its turn, it animates and begins to bank
dogfight. Higher valued pilots can fly poorer planes and still join its wings back and forth. When you are in a position to select an
some dogfights, as long as the combined plane/pilot point value is opposing aircraft to attack, yellow target symbols will appear next
no higher than the host's. to the legal targets. When you select a target, the symbol will
change from yellow to red to show that your choice has been
Preview locked in for the turn.
The opposite is true when an opposing player selects one of your

At the start of every mission a Preview
aircraft to attack. At first, yellow targets will appear on your
window will appear to show you detailed
aircraft. Then, one of the yellow symbols will change to red when
information on all the aircraft and pilots
the opposing player has selected a target.
engaged in the mission.
The lower-left portion of the screen is your radio. With it, you can
Click on, or minimize this window to see the
type messages that are seen by the other players in the dogfight.
dogfight screen. You can then click back and
forth between the Preview screen and
The five-lighted buttons to the right of the radio are the turn step
Dogfight screen if you need to see the information during the
indicators. The lighted one tells you which step of a player's turn
mission.
is being conducted.
Take note, once this window appears the mission has started and
Continuing to the right are the game turn indicator and element
the timer is running on the first player's turn!
turn indicator gauges. These tell you which turn of the game is
being resolved, and which element's turn it is.
Dogfight
The long window below these shows you which card was played
by the acting player to initiate an action. Any cards played in
reaction by the player under attack, or the acting player, are
displayed in the long lower window.
To the right of these is the Timer window. Keep a close eye on this
area during your turn! When the timer bars run out the computer
will make a decision for you and advance the game. If you need to
pause the game, you can click on the Timer. Clicking the
“Resume” button will resume the game. In a multiplayer game,
anyone can click to resume the game.
The top right window displays information about the acting

aircraft, or the aircraft under attack. You can also display the
information for any aircraft by clicking on its image.
(c) 2005 • Dan Verssen Games (DVG) ~ 10 ~ Down In Flames • www.battlefront.com

Aircraft Stats
The lower right window displays major actions occurring in the
mission and the cards usable to your Leader or Wingman. This is a If you would like to see the
very important window, as your pilot's available cards will be game information for the
shown here. Cards currently available for you to play based on different aircraft, pull down on
the tactical situation, and/or by what cards have been played the Help-tab and select "View
by your opponent are highlighted in Yellow. You can gain aircraft statistics".
additional information about a card by right-clicking on it. A small
window will appear to show you what actions and reactions the You can use the pull down
card can perform. The window will also show you the percentage menu and scroll bar on the
of the deck made up of that card. "Aircraft Statistics" window to
view the data for all the aircraft
Looking at your Leader’s Cards included in the game.
You can see your Leader’s cards at any time by right-clicking on
his aircraft. A window will appear that lists your cards as either text
or graphics. Private Chat
You can initiate a private conversion with one or more other
Dogfight Chat logged-on players with the Private Chat option.
You can chat with the other players during the battle.
To start a private chat, pull down on the Online-tab and select Start
To do so, type your message into the window on the lower-left Private Chat. Once the Private Chat window appears you can select
section of the screen. Your words will be sent to the other players the players you want to chat with. An invitation will be sent to
in the battle after you press the ‘Enter’ key. them, and if they wish to join they can agree from the dialog that
appears. Likewise, you'll see a dialog if someone invites you to a
You can also type private messages that only your teammate will private chat.
see using “Team Chat”. To do so, press ctrl-t before typing your
message. If your teammate sends you a Team Chat, you will Private chat windows can be an effective way for teammates to
automatically be put into Team Chat mode. To get out of Team coordinate attacks on bombers or elements in a 2v2 dogfight.
Chat mode, press ctrl-t.
Preferences
Result Window You can set several preferences in the game. You will find
preferences in the main Lobby for lobby functions, and preferences
At the end of the mission, the in the Dogfight window for dogfight functions.
results of your battle will be
displayed. Updates
This window displays vital
Down In Flames is an ever-growing game that will see additional
information about your mission.
aircraft, skills, medals, and campaigns added in the future.
It includes the experience points
earned, how they were earned,
To receive these updates, log-on to the Lobby as normal and pull-
end of the mission pilot status, and pilot fatigue points
down on the Help tab, and select "Check for updates”. Your game
accumulated during the mission.
will check in with the central system and automatically download
any new or updated files to your computer.
An overall description of the mission outcome will also be
displayed. When you have finished looking over the information,
click on the window to continue. This completes the cycle of how
to create, resolve, and end a mission!
Click on the Result Window to close it and return to the Lobby.

Section IV - Local There are two additional links on the Manage Pilots window that
A Local game is when you are playing a game that is not being run are used for purchasing extra skills for your Leaders and Wingmen
through the Internet. This means that you will be playing against with the experience points (XPs) you will earn in missions. When
the computer’s pilots. you create a pilot, the pilot does not have any experience points to
spend on extra skills.
You can never use your local pilots in an online game, and you can
never use your online pilots in a local game. You are now ready to fly your first mission.
Lobby IMPORTANT: It is best to create 4 elements for the same

nation. This will allow you to cycle through your pilots and
The lobby is the central hub of keep their Fatigue Points (FPs) in check. Pilots gain FPs when
your Down In Flames world. they fly missions and this reduces their stats. By sitting-out
From this window you will missions flown by other pilots of their same nation, pilots have
create and develop your pilots, their FPs reduced and their stats return to normal.
fly into swirling dogfights,
defend your bombers against Create a Game
hostile interceptors, and fight
desperately to get your own To create a local mission, pull
bombers through to their targets. down on the Local-tab and
select 'Create Local Game'.
Pull-down on the Local-tab if you want to create or manage local
pilots, or fly local missions. By selecting the 'Manage Pilots' option When you play a local game, it
you will be able to create and purchase skills for your local pilots. will be a solitaire game against
the computer's built-in pilots.
Manage Pilots The computer will do its best to
select an appropriate opponent based on your pilot's skills.
The manage window appears as
a pop-up window on top of the Your mission selections are gathered in the Register a New Game
Lobby window. window. On this window, you get to select the pilot you want to fly,
the timer length, and what type of game you'd like to play.
Before you can take to the air,
you need to create your pilots. Dogfights are fighters vs fighters only, and you can choose to play
Local pilots cannot be used with 1 element against 1 element, or 2 elements against 2 elements.
online. In a 2 vs 2, the computer will control the other element on your
side, as well as both enemy elements.
The Local-tab is used to create and manage your local pilots. To
create a pilot, click on the 'New Leader' button. Bomber Intercept missions are always 2 vs 2, with you controlling
your element, and the computer controlling the other friendly
Create Pilots element, as well as the enemy fighter and bomber elements.
When your pilot gains some experience points, you will be able to
The Create Pilot pop-up
fly Bomber Escort missions, and select from a variety of aircraft.
window appears on top of the
Manage Pilots window. From
When a pilot is first created, he is limited to the weakest aircraft
this window you create your
type for his nation and cannot fly Bomber Escort missions.
new Leader and Wingman. You
get to select their nationality,
When first learning to play, start with the Green timer speed to give
names, and photos from this
you plenty of time to make your game decisions.
window.
Once you have made your selections, click the 'Okay' button.
Click "Okay" when you have made all of your selections. You have
now created a new pilot leader, and his trusty wingman sidekick,
and they are ready to take to the skies!

Preview aircraft. Then, one of the yellow symbols will change to red when
the opposing player has selected a target.
At the start of every mission a Preview window
will appear to show you detailed information The radio section of the screen is not used during local games.
on all the aircraft and pilots engaged in the
mission. The five-lighted buttons to the right of the radio are the turn step
indicators. The lighted one tells you which step of a player's turn
Minimize this window to see the dogfight is being conducted.
screen. You can then click back and forth
between the Preview screen and Dogfight Continuing to the right are the game turn indicator and element
screen if you need to see the information during the mission. turn indicator gauges. These tell you which turn of the game is
being resolved, and which element's turn it is.
Take note, once this window appears the mission has started and
the timer is running on the first player's turn! The long window below these shows you which card was played
by the acting player to initiate an action. Any cards played in
Dogfight reaction by the player under attack, or the acting player, are
displayed in the long lower window.
To the right of these is the Timer window. Keep a close eye on this
area during your turn! When the timer bars run out the computer
will make a decision for you and advance the game. If you would
like to Pause the game, click on the Timer Bar. The game will then
be paused until you click on the "Resume" button.
The top right window displays information about the acting

aircraft, or the aircraft under attack. You can also display the
information for any aircraft by clicking on its image.
The lower right window displays major actions occurring in the

mission and the cards usable to your Leader or Wingman. This is a
This is the window where the missions for air dominance are
very important window, as your pilot's available cards will be
played out.
shown here. Cards currently available for you to play based on the
tactical situation, and/or by what cards have been played by your
Like real combat, in your first several missions the action will be
opponent are highlighted in Yellow. You can gain additional
fast and furious and you will no doubt make mistakes and not
information about a card by right-clicking on it. A small window
notice things that you will take in at a glance in later missions.
will appear to show you what actions and reactions the card can
Don't worry about it! Unlike real combat, here, you get second
perform. The window will also show you the percentage of the
chances.
deck made up of that card.
The large sky blue area displays the aircraft engaged in the
mission. Your element is always shown on the bottom of the screen Looking at your Leader’s Cards
with red letters for your Leader and Wingman names. If you are You can see your Leader’s cards at any time by right-clicking on
playing a '2 on 2' game, your ally will also be shown in the lower his aircraft. A window will appear that lists your cards as either text
part of the screen. The aircraft you are flying against are shown on or graphics.
the top part of the screen.
Seeing an Aircraft’s Stats
When an aircraft is taking its turn, it animates and begins to bank You can see an aircraft’s stats by clicking on it. Its stats will appear
its wings back and forth. When you are in a position to select an in the top-right window.
opposing aircraft to attack, yellow target symbols will appear next
to the legal targets. When you select a target, the symbol will
change from yellow to red to show that your choice has been
locked in for the turn.
The opposite is true when an opposing player selects one of your

aircraft to attack. At first, yellow targets will appear on your

Result Window Section V - Pilot Careers
At the end of the mission, the All pilots begin with very little in the way of skills and glory.
results of your battle will be However, as you successfully fly missions your pilots will gain
displayed. experience, skills, and medals.
This window displays vital When flying you’ll be tempted to press the attack or to engage the
information about your mission. enemy when your energy is low. When in doubt, play it safe and
It includes the experience points live to fly another day.
earned, and how they were
earned, end of the mission pilot status, and pilot fatigue points Good luck!
accumulated during the mission.
Experience Points
An overall description of the mission outcome will also be
displayed. When you have finished looking over the information, Your pilots gain Experience Points
click on the window to continue. This completes the cycle of how (XPs) for flying missions and
to create, resolve, and end a mission! shooting down enemy aircraft. You
can spend these XPs to buy skills for
Aircraft Stats your pilots and make them more
powerful.
If you would like to see the game
information for the different Every time your pilots fly a mission they will gain a few XPs.
aircraft, pull down on the Help- Additionally, your pilots gain XP equal to the value of an enemy
tab and select "View aircraft aircraft when they Damage it (cause it to start smoking), and gain
statistics". its XP value again when they inflict the killing attack.
You can use the pull down menu XPs are also gained for successfully escorting and intercepting
and scroll bar on the "Aircraft bombers. When you successfully escort a bomber, and it ends the
Statistics" window to view the mission undamaged (not flipped to its damaged side), each of your
data for all the aircraft included pilots gains XPs equal to the bomber's value. When intercepting
in the game. bombers, your pilots gain XPs as normal for destroying them.
In addition to buying skills, your pilot's XPs also allow him to

Preferences
unlock different aircraft flown by his country. As his XPs increase,
he will be able to fly higher quality aircraft.
You can set several preferences in the game. You will find
preferences in the main Lobby for lobby functions, and preferences There are several types of skills available to your pilots…
in the Dogfight window for dogfight functions.
Skills
Updates
Once you have earned some
Down In Flames is an ever-growing game that will see additional experience points you can
aircraft, skills, medals, and campaigns added in the future. spend them on various skills.
These skills will give you an
To receive these updates, log-on to the Lobby as normal and pull- edge in combat. Remember to
down on the Help tab, and select "Check for updates. Your game adjust your tactics to suit your
will check in with the central system and automatically download new skills.
any new or updated files to your computer.
Escape Death
All pilots begin their career with 1 Escape Death. Each time a pilot
is shot-down, there is a 75% chance of the pilot making a safe
bailout. If the pilot fails to safely bailout, he will expend his Escape
Death skill. If the pilot does not have an Escape Death skill to Natural Pilot: Your pilot's aircraft can suffer 1 extra Hit before
expend, he is permanently killed. being damaged and destroyed. Base Cost 20xp
This skill cannot be purchased. Each time your pilot ends a game Target Pilot: Each time this skill is purchased for a pilot, he has a
without an Escape Death, he has a 20% chance to regain it. If he 30% chance to negate the safe bailout of a pilot he shoots down. If
shoots down one or more planes during the battle, he gets a 33% the enemy pilot does not have an Escape Death he will be killed.
chance to regain it. Cost 100xp
Cards Leader Skills

Your Leader can purchase one card that will be added to his These are skills that can only be purchased by Leaders. Unless
starting cards. Each card has its own XP cost. Your Leader cannot stated otherwise, all skills can only be purchased one time for a
have more than one of these cards purchased at the same time. pilot.
This is an expended skill. The card is lost if it is played or Aggressive: Draw 1 card if your Leader is Advantaged or Tailing.
discarded. Base Cost 50xp
Card Cost Eagle Eyes: This skill gives your Leader a chance of starting a
Ace Pilot 9 dogfight Advantaged on another Leader. Base Cost 100xp
Barrel Roll 1
Half Loop 20 Evasive: Draw 1 card if your Leader is Disadvantaged or Tailed.
In My Sights 1-Burst/1-Damage 1 Base Cost 40xp
In My Sights 1-Burst/2-Damage 2
In My Sights 2-Burst/2-Damage 1 High Performance: This pilot's aircraft has its Performance rating
In My Sights 2-Burst/3-Damage 3 increased by 1. Base Cost 60xp
In My Sights 2-Burst/Destroyed 36
In My Sights 3-Burst/3-Damage 2 Marksman: This pilot's aircraft has its Burst rating increased by
Maneuvering 2 1. Base Cost 80xp
Out of the Sun 1-Burst/2-Damage 4
Out of the Sun 2-Burst/3-Damage 7 Power Dive: Draw 1 extra card when diving. Base Cost 65xp
Out of the Sun 3-Burst/4-Damage 10
Scissors 3 Quick Reflexes: Draw 1 card when an enemy fighter selects your
Tight Turn 2 pilot as the target. Base Cost 125xp
Vertical Roll 4
Redline: This pilot's aircraft has its Horsepower rating increased
Leader and Wingman Skills by 1. Base Cost 100xp
These are skills that can be purchased by both Leaders and
Shake Him Off!: Enemy Leaders must discard 1 extra card to
Wingmen. As your pilot purchases some skills, the cost of
follow your altitude changes. Base Cost 50xp
purchasing other skills increases. The skills that are affected by
this are noted with a "Base" cost.
Starting Energy: Your Leader starts each battle with 1 extra card.
Base Cost 25xp
Draw an extra card: You can chose to draw 1 card during your
turn, or when you are attacked. The cost of each card draw is based
Stay With Him: Discard 1 card less than normal when following
on how many Extra Card Draws your pilot currently has
an enemy altitude change. Base Cost 40xp
purchased. The first card costs 4xp, the second 6xp, the third 8xp,
and so on. Each Extra Card Draw can be used once, and then it is
Zoom Climb: Discard 1 card less than normal when climbing.
expended.
Base Cost 25xp
Iron Nerves: The pilot's Fatigue Points incurred from a mission
are reduced by 20%. Base Cost 40xp
Wingmen Skills
Redraw: Draw a new set of cards during your Draw step. Each These are skills that can only be purchased by Wingmen. Unless
Redraw skill purchased costs 5xp. Each Redraw can be used once, stated otherwise, all skills can only be purchase one time for a
and then it is expended. pilot.

Anticipation: The enemy Leader that you are engaged against has
1 of his cards discarded at random each turn. Base Cost 75xp Iron Cross, Second Class
Can be awarded when your pilot shoots down an
Check Six: Your Wingman gets 1 extra card when he is attacked. enemy fighter when he went into a battle
Base Cost 35xp overmatched.
Distract Leader: The enemy Leader that you are engaged against
has his Performance reduced by 1. Base Cost 65xp Iron Cross, First Class
Can be awarded for destroying enemy bombers.
Distract Wingman: The enemy Wingman that you are engaged
against has his Defense reduced by 1. Base Cost 40xp
Extra Energy: The Wingman's Leader has his Performance rating

increased by 1. Base Cost 50xp German Cross
Can be awarded for destroying enemy aircraft and
Leader Advice: The Wingman's Leader gets 1 extra card at the bringing your leader and wingman home
start of his turns. Base Cost 75xp unscathed.
Spoil Aim: The enemy Leader that you are engaged against has his
Bursts reduced by 1. Base Cost 130xp Knight's Cross
Can be awarded for sweeping the skies of enemy
Sweep Tail: The enemy Wingman that you are engaged against has aircraft.
his Offense reduced by 1. Base Cost 80xp
Take the Lead: Allows your Wingman and Leader to switch roles
when your Leader is in a Neutral Position. Each Take the Lead skill Japan
purchased costs 10xp. Each can be used once, and then it is
expended Wounded Badge
Can be received each time your pilot ends a game
Team Work: Your Wingman gets 1 extra card when he attacks. with his aircraft on its Damage side, or destroyed.
Base Cost 50xp
Medals
Your pilots will earn medals for performing heroic acts during Order of the Sacred Treasure, Sixth Grade
missions. Each country has its own list of medals, and each medal Can be awarded to experienced pilots who shoot
has its own conditions that must be met to earn it. down an enemy aircraft.
Some of the more glorious medals will only be awarded to pilots

who have scored a minimum number of kills.
Order of the Golden Kite, Sixth Grade
Germany Can be awarded to pilots who score multiple kills
in a mission.
Wounded Badge
Can be received each time your pilot ends a game
with his aircraft on its Damage side, or destroyed.
Kaiguntou
Can be awarded for shooting down a renown
enemy pilot.
Fighter Clasp
Earned when your pilot has completed 20
missions.

United States of America
Order of the Rising Sun, Fifth Grade
Can be awarded for shooting down an enemy Purple Heart
bomber. Can be received each time your pilot ends a game
with his aircraft on its Damage side, or destroyed.
Order of the Golden Kite, Fourth Grade

Can be awarded for sweeping the skies of enemy Air Medal
aircraft. Can be awarded to pilots who score multiple kills
in a mission.
United Kingdom
Distinguished Flying Cross
Military Cross Can be awarded for successfully completing a
Can be awarded for successfully escorting mission with one or more kills, and ending the
bombers to their target. mission undamaged.
Distinguished Service Cross

George Medal Can be awarded for successfully escorting
Can be awarded for shooting down a renown bombers to their target and scoring at least one kill.
enemy pilot.
Silver Star
Distinguished Flying Cross Can be awarded when your pilot shoots down an
Can be awarded for flying a mission fatigued and enemy fighter when he went into a battle
still scoring a kill. overmatched.
Medal of Honor
Distinguished Service Order Can be awarded for sweeping the skies of enemy
Can be awarded to pilots who score multiple kills aircraft.
in a mission.
Distinguished Conduct Medal

Can be awarded for destroying enemy bombers.
Victoria Cross
Can be awarded for sweeping the skies of enemy
aircraft.

Ranks Japan
Your pilots will also have their Rank increased for successfully
completing missions. Each country has its own list of ranks. The Sho-I
ranks are listed here for each country in order from lowest to
highest.
Germany
Leutnant Chu-I
Oberleutnant Tai-I
Hauptmann Shosa
Major Chusa
Oberstleutnant Taisa
Oberst Shosho
Generalmajor
United Kingdom
Pilot Officer

Flying Officer Captain
Flight Lieutenant Major
Squadron Leader Lieutenant Colonel
Wing Commander Colonel
Group Captain Brigadier General
Air Commodore
United States of America
2nd Lieutenant
1st Lieutenant

Section VI - Campaigns goes to ‘Online’ then ‘Join Online Game’. He will see your
campaign mission and selects its row, and then clicks ‘OK’
to join.
Single Player Campaign Overview 5) The Dogfight window will appear with your names listed as
If you are going to play a campaign against the computer, here is the players. The person who started the mission clicks
an overview of the steps: ‘Start’. Play the game as normal.
6) Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each mission of the Day.
1) Go to the DIF Home Page. You can do this from the Lobby 7) Once all of the Day’s missions are resolved, go back to step
by going to ‘Online’ then ‘Campaign’, then ‘Campaign 3 through 6 for each Day of the campaign.
Home Page’. Login, select ‘Create and Play a Campaign’.
2) Select the campaign you want to play, your side, and the AI Campaign Lobby
as your opponent. You will see your newly created campaign
appear on that page. You access the campaign games
3) Click ‘select’ for that campaign. Allocate your aircraft to the from the main Lobby's Online-
various regions with their pull-down menus. Click ‘Preview’ tab. There are two sub-options:
to see how it is going, and ‘Execute’ when you are done. Play a Campaign Mission and
When you click Execute, you’ll see all the aircraft Campaign Home Page.
placements for the current Day of the campaign. You are
now ready to start your first mission. To set-up a campaign, select
4) Go to the Lobby. Go to ‘Online’, ‘Campaign’, ‘Play a Campaign Home Page.
Campaign Mission’. A Campaign Selection window will
appear, click on the row of the campaign you want to play, Campaign Login
and click ‘OK’.
5) The Dogfight window will appear with your name listed as You must login to the Down In
the only player. Click ‘Start’. Play the game as normal. Flames website using the same
6) Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each mission of the Day. username and password that you
7) Once all of the Day’s missions are resolved, go back to step normally use. Once you enter
3 through 6 for each Day of the campaign. your information, the Down In
Flames Online Home Page will
Two Player Campaign Overview appear. Click on the
If you are going to play a campaign against another player, here is 'Campaigns' link at the top of
an overview of the steps: the page to enter the campaign area.
1) One player needs to create the campaign. To do so, you go Campaign Home Page
to the DIF Home Page. You can do this from the Lobby by
going to ‘Online’ then ‘Campaign’, then ‘Campaign Home From this window you can
Page’. Login, select ‘Create and Play a Campaign’. select the specific campaign you
2) Select the campaign you want to play, your side, and enter want to play, whether you will
the username of your opponent. In the Lobby, let your play Axis or Allies, and if your
opponent know the campaign has been created. He then goes opponent will be the AI or
to the Campaign Home page and will also see the newly another player.
created campaign.
3) Both players click ‘select’ for that campaign. Both players If you are going to play against
allocate their aircraft to the various regions with their pull- another player, enter their username in the space provided.
down menus. They can click ‘Preview’ to see how it is
going, and ‘Execute’ when they are done. When both players Once your selections have been made, click Create Campaign to
have clicked Execute, they’ll see all the aircraft placements initiate your campaign.
for the current Day of the campaign. You are now ready to
start your first mission. Your new campaign will now appear on the Campaign Home Page.
4) Both players go to the Lobby. One player must initiate the You can click 'select' to start the first Day of the campaign, or
first campaign mission. You do so by going to ‘Online’, 'delete' to delete the campaign.
‘Campaign’, ‘Play a Campaign Mission’. A Campaign
Selection window will appear, click on the row of the If you already have a campaign in progress, click 'select' to view
campaign you want to play, and click ‘OK’. The other player

the current status of your campaign. message and asked to re-assign your pilots.
Campaign Map Each campaign lasts a specified number of Days. Proper pilot and
aircraft management throughout the duration of a campaign is
After clicking 'select' you will vital. During each Day of the campaign, each of your aircraft can
see this window. The be assigned to one mission.
information to the left details the
players participating in the Campaign Preview
campaign and a short historical
overview. Once you have assigned some or
all of your aircraft to regions,
The map to the right is divided you can click the 'Preview'
into named regions. Each region contains one target symbol. The button. You will then see a
Axis player attempts to bomb the blue targets and defend the red preview of where you have
targets, and the Allied player attempts to bomb the red targets and assigned your aircraft.
defend the blue targets.
This does not lock in your
Each target symbol has two numbers. These numbers note how choices. You can still change their assignments.
many Bomb Points it takes to Damage or Destroy the target. At the
end of the mission, if the attacker's bombers carry less than the Campaign Execute
Damage value in Bomb Points to the target, the target is
undamaged, and the defender receives Victory Points equal to its Once you are satisfied with your
Damage rating. If the attacker's bombers carry Bomb Points equal assignments, click the 'Execute'
to the Damage value, but less than the Destroyed value, the target button. This locks in your
is Damaged and neither player receives Victory Points. If the choices and displays both your
attacker's bombers carry Bomb Points that equal, or exceed, the assignments as well as the
target's Destroy value, the target is Destroyed and the attacker assignments of the opposing
receives Victory Points equal to the target's Destroyed value. player if he has clicked Execute
also. You might have to
A special type of target is the Patrol target. To gain Victory Points "Refresh" the web page to ensure the info shown is correct.
for a Patrol target, the side that inflicts the most damage against the
enemy aircraft is the winner. Bomb Points do not count for this If the web page "Times-out", just log-out, and log-in again.
mission type.
To play your campaign missions, return to the Lobby.
Campaign Pilots
Campaign Lobby
The lower part of the window
details your aircraft and pilot To start a campaign mission,
information. The types of pull-down on the Online-tab,
aircraft, Bomb Points, Fatigue select Campaign, and then Play
levels, and range are shown for a Campaign Mission.
each element.
To the right is a pull-down menu

for each element. Select the region you would like to assign each
element to.
Campaign Mission
When pilots fly missions, get damaged, or shot down, they
A pop-up window will appear with all the campaign games you
accumulate Fatigue Points. As their Fatigue Points increase, their
have ready to play.
stats decrease. Be sure and rest your fatigued pilots whenever
possible.
When all the campaign missions for a Day have been resolved, the
campaign will not appear on this window until you allocate aircraft
Aircraft can be limited by range and mission type. If you assign an
for the next Day.
aircraft to a mission it cannot perform, you will be given a warning

Campaign Dogfight disadvantaged nation are multiplied by this value.
If you are playing a campaign At the end of a campaign you

against the AI you can play will see a newspaper headliner
missions at any time. If you are proclaiming the result of your
playing against another player, campaign.
that player must be logged-in
and 'Join' your mission.
Campaign missions appear in
the Lobby like normal missions,
except only the players involved in that campaign can join them.
The normal dogfight window will appear and you resolve your
mission as normal. The starting Altitude is pre-determined by the
computer, and you control all fighter elements on your side.
The top-right window will contain graphics showing you which

region and target is being fought for in the mission.
Campaign missions last from 4 to 6 turns. Check your Turn

Indicator to see how many turns each mission will last.
Campaign Results
Following each mission you can

see the results on the Campaign
Home Page.
If you won the mission, your

country's symbol will appear in
the region. If the opposing side
won the mission, their nation's
symbol will appear. If neither side won, then no symbol will
appear.
Once all missions have been resolved, allocate your aircraft for the
next Day.
Campaign Victory Points
As each mission is resolved, its

Victory Points earned will be
added to the Victory Point table
at the bottom of the window.
Historically, some nations were

at a disadvantage in a particular
campaign, to reflect this we
have tried to accurately portray the forces present in each
campaign. To make each campaign playable from a game point of
view, the nations at a disadvantage are given a Victory Point
multiplier. This multiplier is noted in the campaign information
next to the campaign map. Any Victory Points earned by a

Section VII - Community Section VIII - Support
Leader Board
Your heroic online pilots might appear on the Leader board. Aircraft Data
Gloster Gladiator II - United Kingdom

Stat OK Damaged
Airframe 0-2 3-4
Performance 5 4
Horsepower 1 1
Bursts 0 0
Special Agile None
Wingman Attack 1 0
Wingman Defense 1 1
Real World Data

Name Gladiator II
Nation UK
To view the Leader board, pull down on the Online-tab, select Manufacturer Gloster
Single Mission, and then Leader board. Type Fighter
Number of Engines 1
You can adjust your search results with each of the pull down Horsepower 840
menus on the Leader board. Once you have made your new sort Weight 4,850 lbs.
selections, click on the "Refresh List" button to update the screen. Max Speed 257 mph
Number of Guns 4
Discussion Forum Crew 1
You can access the official Down In Flames discussion forum Year Introduced 1938
through the www.battlefront.com website. This area will feature
discussion threads created by the Down In Flames community. It The Gladiator was developed
will also be used to answer questions, chat, and make general from the Gauntlet biplane fighter
suggestions about what you would like to see in future Down In and entered service in 1938. At
Flames releases. its introduction the Gladiator was
already outdated by the new
Website mono wing fighters such as the
You can access the official Down In Flames website at: Spitfire and Messerschmitt 109.
www.downinflamesonline.com
The Gladiator began combat operations over France and Norway
Or through the company website at: but was outclassed by the German fighters and suffered heavy
www.battlefront.com loses in just 10 days of operations. The Gladiators were even
pressed into service providing much needed air cover for the
This area will be kept up to date with all the latest news, evacuation of Dunkirk. After that, it was demoted to secondary
announcements, tournament listings, and upgrades. duties or sent to North Africa and the Far East. The Gladiator
faired better against the Italian biplane and early mono fighters in
North Africa. In the Far East, it did not compare well to the
Japanese fighters.
The Gladiator is best known for the heroic defense of Malta where
three Gladiators named Faith, Hope, and Charity formed the entire
air defense of the island.
Some Gladiators, named Sea Gladiators, did enjoy some success

when converted for carrier operations due to their low speed take-
off and landing characteristics.

Hurricane I - United Kingdom Spitfire I - United Kingdom
Stat OK Damaged Stat OK Damaged

Airframe 0-2 3-5 Airframe 0-2 3-4
Performance 5 4 Performance 6 4
Horsepower 2 1 Horsepower 2 1
Bursts 1 1 Bursts 1 1
Special None None Special None None
Wingman Attack 1 1 Wingman Attack 2 1
Wingman Defense 2 1 Wingman Defense 2 2
Real World Data Real World Data

Name Hurricane I Name Spitfire I
Nation UK Nation UK
Manufacturer Hawker Manufacturer Super Marine Division of Vickers-
Type Fighter Armstrong
Number of Engines 1 Type Fighter
Horsepower 1,030 Number of Engines 1
Weight 6666 lbs. Horsepower 1,030
Max Speed 320 mph Weight 5,332 lbs.
Number of Guns 8 Max Speed 355 mph
Crew 1 Number of Guns 8
Year Introduced 1937 Crew 1
Year Introduced 1938
The Hurricane I was designed by
Sydney Camm without a The Spitfire will always be
government contract. Camm was known for its role in the Battle of
certain that war was coming to Britain. The Spitfire I went
the United Kingdom and knew through many small
that they would need a modern improvements leading up to the
mono wing fighter to fight it. The Battle of Britain. The flat-topped
Hurricane was the first British canopy was replaced with the
mono wing fighter to see combat, and the first to exceed 300mph more famous bulging dome to
in level flight. allow for taller pilots. Also the guns tended to freeze at higher
altitude so heating equipment was installed. Armor plating was
The Hurricane I is best known for its role in the Battle of Britain. added around the cockpit to provide additional protection.
Along with Spitfires, the two fighters defended the island as wave Additionally, the guns were originally set to converge at 400 yards.
after wave of German bombers attempted to destroy their airfields This was reduced to 250 yards after several tighter dogfighting
and factories. The Hurricanes were usually assigned the role of engagements against the Luftwaffe over France in 1940.
attacking the slower Bf-110Cs and bombers while the Spitfires
engaged the Bf-109Es. By the end of the Battle of Britain, Before the Battle of Britain, Spitfires were used to fly photo recon
Hurricanes had destroyed more German aircraft than all the other missions over France. It even flew night missions, but was very
defenses combined. difficult to land due to poor forward visibility from the long nose.
Hurricanes saw combat in every theater of the war. They fought in Spitfires managed to fight the Luftwaffe to a stand still during the
Europe, the Pacific, and even Russian snow-covered airfields. Battle of Britain when its primary adversary was the Bf-109E.
Both aircraft had very similar flight characteristics. The one edge
the Spitfire pilots enjoyed was fighting over their own ground,
which made successful bail-outs much more likely.

Spitfire V - United Kingdom Hurricane II - United Kingdom


Name Spitfire V Name Hurricane II
Nation UK Nation UK
Manufacturer Super Marine Division Manufacturer Hawker
of Vickers-Armstrong Type Fighter/Bomber
Type Fighter Number of Engines 1
Number of Engines 1 Horsepower 1,280
Horsepower 1,440 Weight 7,800 lbs.
Weight 6,417 lbs. Max Speed 339 mph
Max Speed 374 mph Number of Guns 4
Number of Guns 6 Crew 1
Crew 1 Year Introduced 1941
The Hurricane II was designed to
The Spitfire Mk.V entered update the Hurricane I. The
service in 1941 and was an fuselage was strengthened to
upgraded version of the Mk.I and allow a re-designed wing.
Mk.II Spitfires. The Mark five Models were up gunned and as
was intended only as a short-term more two-speed, single-stage
replacement fighter, but ended up supercharged 1,390 hp Merlin
being produced in greater XX engines became available.
numbers than any other version. These engines were slowly added to the Hurricane IIs to upgrade
them.
When the Mk.V first appeared it held an edge on the German
Bf109E, but this was soon to end. The Germans soon put an equal The Hurricane II first flew on June 11, 1940, and by Sept 1940 the
fighter into the air, the Bf-109F, and later in 1941 a superior first Hurricane IIs saw frontline service. Hawker Hurricane II
fighter, the Fw-190. production in the UK (shared between Hawker, Gloster and Austin
Motors) totaled 8,676 aircraft, comprising 451 Mk IIA, 2,948 Mk
Following the German invasions of their countries, many IIB, 4,711 Mk IIC, 296 Mk IID and 270 Mk HE, plus 100 Mk Is
European pilots ended up in the UK. Several squadrons of French, converted (by Rolls-Royce) to Mk IIA.
Belgian, Polish, Czech, and Norwegian pilots flew the Mk.Vs in
air battles over France during 1941 and 1942. Used by Canada, UK, India, South African, Russian, and Free
French Air Forces, the Hurricane II was used in air-to-air combat,
Many Mk.Vs had the outer 2 feet of each wing clipped in order to then transferred to the ground attack role in 1942 once newer Axis
increase their roll rate. By increasing their roll rate, the fighters planes outclassed it. A specialized tank busting variant, the
would be able to get into better positions faster. Hurricane Mk IID, had two 40mm cannons and two .303
Browning machine guns. It entered squadron service in 1942. The
Hurricane continued to evolve through March 1943 with the
introduction of the Hurricane Mk V, which alternately used the
Merlin 24, 27 or 32.

Mosquito Mk.VI - United Kingdom Spitfire XIV - United Kingdom

Special None None Special Turbocharger Turbocharger

Name Mosquito VI Name Spitfire XIV
Nation UK Nation UK
Manufacturer de Havilland Manufacturer Super Marine Division
Type Fighter/Bomber of Vickers-Armstrong
Number of Engines 2 Type Fighter
Horsepower 2x1,460 each Number of Engines 1
Weight 22,250 lbs. Horsepower 2,050
Max Speed 380 mph Weight 8,500 lbs.
Number of Guns 8 Max Speed 448 mph
Crew 2 Number of Guns 6
Year Introduced 1943 Crew 1
From its first flight in November,
1940, straight through to D-Day, The Spitfire Mk. XIV of 1944
the Mosquito maintained such a was a Mk. VIII airframe with a
high degree of excellence and lengthened nose powered by a
versatility that production Rolls Royce Griffon 65 engine.
continued until 1950. Originally This created 2,035 hp, good for a
designed as a bomber, its role as top speed at altitude of a sizzling
a fighter was what garnered its 448 mph. The new engine drove
fame. Great Britain, Canada and Australia fielded the Mosquito a five bladed propeller and gave
throughout the war as low and high level attack fighters, day and the Mk. XIV an improved service ceiling and enhanced high
night bombers, day and night fighters, long-range photo-recon altitude performance. Best climb rate was over 5,000 ft./min. Later
planes, minelayers, pathfinders as well as clandestine transports. Mk. XIV's had a "teardrop" style canopy to improve all-around
visibility. Mk. XIV production totaled 957, plus 300 similar Mk.
With a mere ten months of design, the plywood Mosquito took XVIII's.
over the defense of the British skies from the venerable Bristol
Blenheim. Its unique construction materials made it ideal for the The fighter was intended to be an interim type; however, it became
resource conscious British as plywood was deemed non-strategic. the main Royal Air Force (RAF) high-altitude air superiority
This also allowed it a measure of stealth as wood does not show up fighter during the final year of World War II. The Mk XIV saw a
well on radar. Armed with four 20mm cannons and four .303 great deal of combat over Holland and western Germany from the
machine-guns in the nose, the Mosquito is credited with 600 fall of 1944 to the end of the war in Europe in May of 1945
enemy aircraft killed and over 600 flying bombs destroyed.
Squadrons were designated to Home Defense and shot down the V-
It also served the British Coastal Command as an anti-shipping 1 Buzz Bombs. Spitfires took part in operations in the Middle East,
aircraft armed with eight 60lb rocket projectiles. Its diversity was North Africa, India, Burma, Australia, and Russia. The neutral
also proven in variants armed with weapons like a 57mm cannon governments of Portugal and Turkey were also equipped with
capable of destroying most tanks and the 4,000lb 'block-buster' Spitfires. When the war ended, the Spitfire was the only airplane
bombs. As heavily armed as this, the Mosquito could still out fly that had been in continuous production throughout the war -
most German night fighters as it attacked Berlin and V-1 rocket 20,351 had rolled off the assembly lines.
sites.

Swordfish - United Kingdom Wellington - United Kingdom

Turret Defense 1 1 Turret Defense 2 2
Turret Support 2 0 Turret Support 2 0

Name Swordfish Name Wellington
Nation UK Nation UK
Manufacturer Fairey-Aviationco Manufacturer Vickers-Armstrong Ltd.
Type Light Bomber Type Medium Bomber
Number of Engines 1 Number of Engines 2
Horsepower 690 Horsepower 1,000
Weight 9,250 lbs. Weight 28,500 lbs.
Max Speed 139 mph Max Speed 235 mph
Number of Guns 2 Number of Guns 6
Crew 2 Crew 6
Year Introduced 1936 Year Introduced 1938
The Fairey Swordfish was the The Wellington's were built in

most widely used British carrier- huge numbers and formed the
based airplane of World War II. core of the RAF's bomber forces
Like any biplane in an era of until the larger four engine
sleek monoplanes, it looked bombers appeared in 1941.
antiquated and ungainly. Despite
this, it served from 1936 through The Wellington had a geodetic
the end of the war and managed construction designed by Barnes
to stave off replacement with a production run of nearly 2,400 Wallis which made the fuselage from a lattice of steel channel-
aircraft.. It's nickname "Stringbag" came from the mesh of wires beams. This gave the plane great strength because the adjoining
holding it together. It fought in all British Theatres and also served stringers could take on the stress if one was destroyed. Destroying
Canada, Australia and New Zealand. one side's beams would still leave the plane as a whole intact.
At the start of the war, there were a baker's dozen of 13 Swordfish The Wellington's started out as daylight bombers in 1939, but their
Squadrons operating from carriers and several more flights lack of defensive firepower made it difficult for them to withstand
operating via catapult launches from other warships. There was the fighter attacks of the Luftwaffe. They were later switched to
little air action for the Swordfish until 1940 when they were night raids, minesweeping, and patrol. The Wellington's also
pressed into service as mine-layers, anti-shipping strike craft and proved to be an effective torpedo carrier for attacks against
patrol aircraft. The Swordfish was typically armed with two submarines.
7.69mm machine guns, one front and one back in addition to its
payload of rockets, bombs or torpedoes.
Two of the Swordfish's moments of glory were its use covering the
retreat of British forces at Dunkirk in 1940 and the famous hunting
down of the German Battleship Bismarck in 1941. Launched by
the HMS Ark Royal, 15 Swordfish attacked the pride of the
German fleet and jammed its rudder, severely hampering it.
Thanks to this action, the Bismarck was eventually sunk though
whether it was by Allied gunfire or by scuttling remains a debated
topic.

Lancaster Mk.I - United Kingdom P-35 Seversky - United States

Turret Defense 3 3 Performance 5 4
Turret Support 3 0 Horsepower 1 1
Bursts 0 0
Real World Data Special None None
Name Lancaster Wingman Attack 1 1
Nation UK Wingman Defense 1 1
Manufacturer A.V. Roe and Co.
Type Heavy Bomber Real World Data
Number of Engines 4 Name P-35
Horsepower 1,460 Nation USA
Weight 70,000 lbs. Manufacturer Republic Aviation Corp.
Max Speed 287 mph Type Fighter
Number of Guns 10 Number of Engines 1
Crew 7 Horsepower 950
Year Introduced 1942 Weight 6,295 lbs.
Max Speed 281 mph
The Avro 638 Lancaster heavy Number of Guns 2
bomber was the counterpart to Crew 1
America's B-17 during the Year Introduced 1937
strategic bombing of Germany in
World War II. The Lancaster took While not the best-known aircraft
to the skies for the first time in used by the United States in
January 1941 and went on to WWII, it was notable for being
have a healthy production run of the first single-seat, all metal,
nearly 7,500 aircraft. Their durability and versatility kept them in enclosed cockpit fighter with
use through the 1950's. retractable landing gear to be
used by the United States Army
Cutting a memorable figure over the skies of England, the twin- Air Corps (USAAC).
rudder Lancaster took to the night skies, taking up where the B-17s
left off, bombing German industry to bring the war to an end. The The background of the P-35 is rather colorful. While the P-35 was
four-engine Lancaster, an evolutionary step from the two-engine on its way to trials to gain a contract from the USAAC, its designer
Manchester medium bomber, was armed with ten .303 machine Major Seversky, learned that the other two aircraft in the trial both
guns and a max payload of 22,000 lbs of bombs. With twice the had retractable landing gears and multiple guns. The P-35 had only
operational ceiling of its predecessor and much more defensive one .50 caliber gun and its gear did not retract. By some misfortune
armament, it was able to strike deep into German-held Europe. the P-35 "was damaged" on the way to the trial and had to be taken
back to the factory for repairs. When it left the factory it had a .50
The Lancaster is perhaps best known for the "Dambuster" raids on and a .30 caliber gun. The gear "retracted" into large housings
five hydroelectric dams in the Ruhr Valley of Germany in May under the wings. The Army specifications called for a minimum of
1943. No 617 Squadron destroyed both the Mohne and Eder dams. 300mph in level flight. The P-35 could only attain 289mph. One of
Also of impressive note is the sinking of the German battleship the other competing planes then crashed into the sea and Seversky
Tirpitz in November 1944. The Tirpitz was the second and final convinced the Army to allow him to use the time to "refine" his
battleship of the Bismarck class and the largest German warship design. He replaced the engine and tail, but the new design topped
ever built. out at 277mph. Although the P-35 never met the trial selection
criteria, mishaps to the competitors eventually led the Army to
judge the P-35 the best available aircraft and an order was placed.
Once the Army took possession of the P-35 they found it to be
unstable in most flight situations, outright dangerous in several
others, and its lack of self-sealing fuel tanks and armor protection
for the pilot did not help the situation.

P-40B Tomahawk - United States P-40N Warhawk - United States


Name P-40B Name P-40N
Nation USA Nation USA
Manufacturer Curtis Wright Corp Manufacturer Curtis Wright Corp
Type Fighter Type Fighter
Horsepower 1,040 Horsepower 1,360
Crew 1 Crew 1
The first P-40 took to the air in By 1943, the original P-40s were
1938 and, in 1939, became the out-dated by the P-47s, P-38s,
first American fighter to be mass- and P-51s that were coming into
produced. P-40s continued to be service. It was decided to try to
produced almost through the end update the old warhorse to extend
of the war, serving with air units its life. To do so, a new
of Great Britain, Australia, New lightweight structure was
Zealand, Canada, Turkey and introduced, two of the six wing-
South Africa. Early versions mounted two .50 cal and two .30 cal mounted guns were removed, smaller and lighter undercarriage
machine guns but, by the end of the war, sported what was wheels were installed, head armor was reintroduced, and
becoming the American standard armament of six .50 cal machine aluminum radiators and oil coolers were installed.
guns
The first production block was the P-40N-1-CU. It appeared in
However, the most famous air unit flying the P-40 was, of course, March of 1943, still powered by the Allison V-1710-81 engine, but
the American Volunteer Group in China known as the 'Flying with 122 gallons of internal fuel and a generally lighter structure
Tigers.' Late in 1941, General Claire Chennault began recruiting than its predecessors. With weight reduced to 6,000 pounds empty,
volunteers. 100 P-40s were ordered by China to fly against Japan. 7400 pounds gross, and 8,850 pounds maximum, the N-1 was the
Known by their famous shark-mouth paint scheme of their aircraft, fastest P-40 service variant and was intended for high altitude
they encountered a much more agile foe in the Zero. combat.
The Flying Tigers quickly learned not to go nose to nose with the The P-40N-5-CU variant introduced a modified cockpit canopy
Zero and to use the Tomahawk's superior dive capability, heavier with a frameless sliding hood and a deeper, squared-off rectangular
armament and armor to win the day. The AVG later became part of aft transparent section to improve the rearward view. This cockpit
the USAAF, credited with nearly 300 Japanese kills and losing canopy was retained for all the rest of the production blocks of the
fewer than 10 pilots in combat. N version. The N-5 version restored the full six-gun wing
armament, since pilots had complained that four guns were
One of The 'Flying Tigers' alumni, Gregory Boyington, went on to insufficient. Underwing racks were fitted for bombs or drop tanks,
lead VMF-214, 'The Black Sheep.' P-40s continued to be widely increasing external stores capacity to 1,500 pounds.
used throughout the Pacific until the end of the war.

F4U1A Corsair - United States P-38L Lightning- United States

Special None None Special Turbocharger Turbocharger

Name F4U1A Name P-38L
Manufacturer United Aircraft Corp. Manufacturer Lockheed Aircraft Corp.
Horsepower 200 Horsepower 2x1,425 each
Crew 1 Crew 1
The first flight of the distinctive The P-38 had its birth in 1937
gull-winged XF4U-1 was on when the Army requested a High
May 1, 1940. Nearly 6 months Performance Fighter. It needed to
later, it flew the 45 miles between go faster, farther and climb better
Hartford and Stratford, than any plane then available.
Connecticut at an average speed The only problem was that one
of 405 miles per hour making it engine couldn't deliver all that, so
the first production aircraft to Lockheed used a twin-engine
exceed 400 mph in level flight. Thanks to this achievement, the US format. The cockpit was mounted on a center mid-wing connector.
Navy, in June 1941, ordered more than 500 aircraft. By the early The P-38 had twin booms extending behind it from the cockpit, all
1950's, over 12,000 F4Us would have been flown in combat. Great of it being linked by the Elevator assembly. The first versions used
Britain and Australia also used the F4U during WWII. a 37-mm cannon but this was found to be impracticable and was
switched to a 20-mm cannon with the E version of which 210 were
Amongst the many nicknames the F4U had are "Bent Wing Bird", built.
"Hog" and "Ensign Eliminator", thanks to its unforgiving stall and
landing characteristics. The Japanese ground troops called it The P-38 is also famous for shooting down the plane that carried
"Whistling Death" due to the wing-mounted air intakes causing its Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto around 500 miles from Guadalcanal.
signature whistling in a dive. Major Richard I. Bong got all of his 40 kills while flying P-38s in
the Pacific. Sadly, after the war most of the unfilled orders for
Because of the difficulty in landing, the Navy thought the Corsair additional P-38s were canceled, thus ending a long and winding
to be unsuitable for carrier duty. It was given to the U.S. Marines road. A few P-38s remained in military service into 1949 but these
for land-based operations where it achieved an outstanding combat were the late version models.
record. The most famous unit flying the Corsair was VMF-214, the
"Black Sheep", commanded by ex-Flying Tiger Major Gregory The P-38L was the Final Production version using two 1,475-hp
Boyington. Allison V-1710-111/-113 Engines. It was very similar otherwise to
the J version, 3,810 of this particular version were built (L) of the
J version 2,970 were built.

P-47D Thunderbolt - United States P-51D Mustang - United States

Special Turbocharger Turbocharger Special Turbocharger Turbocharger

Name P-47D Name P-51D
Manufacturer Republic Aviation Corp. Manufacturer North American Aviation
Crew 1 Crew 1
No fighter in World War II could The P-51B had shown promise

match the Republic P-47D once the engine was changed
Thunderbolt for ruggedness and from the Allison to the British
dependability. This juggernaut of Merlin. Short-comings of the P-
the air mounted an impressive 51B included gun jams due to the
eight .50-caliber machine guns angle of the guns in the wings,
and provided all-around armor and a lack of visibility for the
plating to protect the pilot. This pilot.
made the "Jug" weigh in at more than 10,000 lbs, nearly 2 tons
heavier than any other single engine fighter. Getting airborne was The Spitfire type canopy was tried on the B and C versions, but the
accomplished using the largest and most powerful aircraft engine view to the rear was still not good enough. A bubble canopy was
ever developed in the United States. decided upon, but the fuselage had to be shortened first. The
Dorsal fin was redesigned to help with stability and an 85-gallon
The P-47 was initially tasked with high-altitude escort duties and fuel tank was added behind the pilot.
fighter sweeps. Even though the Thunderbolt could out dive any
Luftwaffe fighter, the P-47's range was not really good enough for The P-51D is best known for its role as a long-range bomber escort
escort duties and its maneuverability was poor. However, it found over Germany. Daily bomber raids over Europe were key to the
another role as a ground attack aircraft, mounting ten 5" rockets in Allied strategy of maintaining pressure on Germany both before
addition to its machine guns. and after the D-Day invasion. Even though the B-17s and B-24s
were very heavily armed, they we still suffering high loses from
The XP-47B took its first test flight on May 6, 1941. Its staggering the Luftwaffe fighters. Before the Mustang, other Allied fighters
speed of 412 miles per hour exceeded the designer's expectations. could only provide limited escort over France, but none could
Even this speed was humbled in 1944 when, the P47N reached a provide a constant escort all the way to distant targets and back to
speed of 504 miles per hour. Before the war was over, more than base. A two stage, two-speed turbocharger provided the Mustang
15,000 Thunderbolts were built and served in all theatres. with the performance it needed for high altitude escort missions.
Arguably one of the best WWII fighters, the later models of the
Spitfire were more maneuverable, but the speed and range [over
2,000 miles] made this long range interceptor the escort of the
bomber raids deep into Germany and Japan.

SBD-3 Dauntless - United States B-25C Mitchell - United States


Name Dauntless Name Mitchell
Manufacturer Douglas Aircraft Manufacturer North American
Crew 2 Crew 6
The Douglas SBD-6 Dauntless The B-25 is best known for its
was perhaps the premier dive- participation in Doolittle's Raid
bomber for the United States in on Tokyo in the spring of 1942.
the Pacific Theatre. By the end of 16 Mitchell bombers were loaded
its production run in 1944, on to the flight deck of the USS
approximately 6,000 SBDs Hornet and from there they flew
would have taken to the air. Their their legendary mission. While
performance in both the Battle of the raid was of small military
Coral Sea and at the Battle of Midway proved this combat worthy value it was of great propaganda value and a huge morale booster
design. By the end of the war, Dauntless aircraft were pressed into for the Allies.
service in Anti-Submarine and Attack roles.
B-25s were used throughout both Europe and the Pacific. Many
In addition to its payload of bombs, the Dauntless was primarily were used by the US 5th Air Force in the South Pacific under the
armed with two .50 cal machine guns firing forward and a rear command of General George Kenney. Kenney is reported to have
gunner with a pair of .30 cal machine guns. One of the interesting said to Hap Arnold, air superiority meant, "air control so supreme
design facets was the belly mounted bomb carriage that swung the that the birds have to wear Air Force insignia."
bomb free of the propeller when diving in on its target.
The Mitchell was a unique medium bomber in that it carried heavy
In May 1942, the US aircraft carriers USS Lexington and USS bomber guns. Its nimbleness allowed it to bomb from lower
Yorktown went up against three Japanese carriers in the Battle of altitudes than heavy bombers, and thus be able to engage smaller
Coral Sea. The battle lasted two full days and was the first naval targets with higher precision.
engagement where Naval Aviation alone determined the outcome.
The B-25s were one of the first bombers to use the "Skip
Then, in June of 1942, the United States Pacific Fleet engaged Bombing" technique against ships. Up until then, bombers
Japan in the Battle of Midway. Dauntless dive-bombers destroyed attempted to sink ships in the traditional manner, by dropping
an impressive four Japanese carriers, one cruiser and over 250 bombs at medium or high altitudes. This was met with very little
enemy aircraft with only the loss of one US carrier, one destroyer success. The skip bombing technique involved the B-25 flying
and approximately 150 aircraft. This battle decimated the Japanese very low over the water and releasing a bomb that would then skip
Navy and swung the tide of war back to the Allies in the Pacific. across the surface of the water and strike the ship in the side of the
hull.

B-17F Flying Fortress - United States Bf-109B Bertha - Germany

Bursts 0 0
Real World Data Special None None
Name B-17F Wingman Attack 1 0
Nation USA Wingman Defense 1 1
Manufacturer Boeing Aircraft
Number of Engines 4 Name Bf-109B
Horsepower 1,200 Nation Germany
Weight 53,000 lbs. Manufacturer Messerschmitt
Max Speed 292 mph
The image of the B-17 "Flying Number of Guns 3
Fortress" is probably what people Crew 1
think about when they imagine a Year Introduced 1937
World War II Bomber. The
United States Army Air Corps The 109B was the first of the
throughout the War flew the B- 109s to see active service. They
17. The first to employ daylight began service with the Condor
bombing, B-17s of the US Eighth Legion in 1937. The 109B's main
Air Force were based in Great Britain and flew deep into Germany adversary in the Spanish Civil
and occupied areas with the goal of crippling the German war War was the Soviet I-16. The two
industry. The B-17 also served in the Pacific, flying against Japan aircraft were well matched and
until replaced by the next generation B-29 Superfortresses. each enjoyed its own advantages.
The 109B was faster in both level flight and dives, but the I-16 had
The prototype B-17 first flew in July of 1935 as part of a the advantage in agility.
competition to design America's new bomber. At the time of
Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939, less than 50 of the "Flying While the service life of the 109B was limited, vital lessons were
Fortresses" were fully operational. As hostilities increased, a few learned that led to the development of the very successful 109E
B-17Cs were delivered to the RAF. that was the main German fighter at the start of WWII.
Initially, the B-17's armament proved inadequate in combat. But, By the end of the world, over 30,000 planes in the 109 family had
in true American style, more guns and turrets were added until it been produced. They were used for dogfighting, ground attack,
achieved its fame as a nearly indestructible dreadnought of the bomber escort and interception.
skies. By the end of the war, the B-17Gs that were being produced
sported an amazing 13 .50 cal machine guns in addition to its 3-ton
payload of bombs.
The most famous of the B-17's was, of course, Bob Morgan's "The
Memphis Belle." Its claim to fame was that it was one of the first
B-17s to complete 25 combat missions. It went on to go on tour
across the US to promote War Bond sales.

Bf-110C Zerstorer - Germany Bf-109E Emil - Germany

Special Gunner Gunner Special None None

Name Bf-110C Name Bf-109E
Nation Germany Nation Germany
Manufacturer Messerschmitt Manufacturer Messerschmitt
Horsepower 2x1,050 each Horsepower 1,050
Crew 2-3 Crew 1
The BF-110C Zerstorer was First flown in Spain, it easily

brought about when the outclassed any opposition such as
Luftwaffe brought forth a the Polish PZLs and the Russian
requisition for a twin-engine Polikarpovs.
fighter that could double as a
high speed bomber. The 109Es also lead the
Luftwaffe to a quick victory in
Focke-wulf and Henschel western Europe. It wasn’t until
brought forth designs but the Messerschmitt won out and the first the Battle of Britain that the 109 met an equal.
of three prototypes was flown on May 12 1936. The Engines used
then were found to be unreliable even though a speed of 314mph During The Battle of Britain in 1940, the Bf 109E flew against
was attained during flight-testing. RAF Hurricanes and early Spitfires as they tried to defend against
the incoming German bombers. One of its few faults, the Bf 109
This fighter proved itself in the Polish Campaign and in December had too limited a range to be fully effective as a bomber escort.
1939 proved its worth as a bomber Destroyer shooting down 9 out Another quirk of its design, considered its main fault, was its very
of 22 Wellingtons over the Heligoland Bight. narrow undercarriage. The tightness of its main landing gear made
it very difficult for new pilots to take-off and land.
By the time of the Battle of Britain the 110s were showing their
age and could not compete against the British Spitfires.

Bf-109F Friedrich - Germany Bf-109G Gustav - Germany


Name Bf-109F Name Bf-109G
Manufacturer Messerschmitt Manufacturer Messerschmitt
Crew 1 Crew 1
Considered the best dogfighter of The Bf 109G saw action starting

the Bf-109 variants, it was mid year of 1942. Major Erich
generally armed with one 20mm Hartmann reached his 352nd
and two 7.9mm guns. confirmed kill on the Eastern
Front flying against the early
There were variants armed with Soviet fighters.
smaller cannon. A recon version
was produced with only two The Gustav was armed with two
7.9mm machine guns. 13mm or 15mm machine guns, one hub-firing 20mm cannon and
could also carry two 20mm cannons in wing pods. It was better at
high altitude operations than earlier variants.
The Gustav was the most widely produced of the Bf 109 family.

Bf-109K Karl - Germany Fw-190A Wuerger - Germany

Special Turbocharger Turbocharger Special None None

Name Bf-109K Name Fw-190A
Manufacturer Messerschmitt Manufacturer Focke Wulf
Crew 1 Crew 1
Heavier weaponry was outfitted The Focke-Wulf 190 was the

on the Karl to aid in the air next evolutionary step to the
defense of the Fatherland as Messerschmitt fighter Bf-109.
Allied bombers achieved air- One of the first fighters to have a
superiority late in the war. clear rear canopy, it was more
than a match for the Spitfire V's it
It sported either one 30mm and was pitted against. Prowling the
two 15mm guns or an impressive skies over England, it was a sleek
three 30mm cannons and two 15mm machine guns. It also had and heavily armed predator sporting two 13 mm machine guns and
excellent climb characteristics considering its heavy armament four 20 mm cannons.
The Fw-190 prototype first flew in June 1939 with full production
starting in late 1940. It was able to perform in differing roles from
bomber intercept to ground attack. The heavy internal armaments
could be augmented with a respectable load of bombs or rockets
thanks to first, the BMW 801 engine and then later the Junkers
Jumo 213, pushing the plane to a blistering 405 MPH. In an air-to-
air role, the FW-190 had an astounding roll rate. This, coupled with
its high speed and maneuverability, allowed the pilot to dictate
terms to his adversary.
Thanks to a Luftwaffe deserter landing his fighter in England in

June 1942, the Allies were able to take a close look at the scourge
of the English skies. This examination greatly influenced the
development of the Hawker Fury. Indeed, imitation was the
sincerest form of flattery for this sleek hunter.

Ju-87B Stuka - Germany He-111 Heinkel - Germany


Name Ju-87B Name He-111
Manufacturer Junkers Manufacturer Ernest Heinkel
Crew 2 Crew 5
The Ju-87 Stuka was Germany's The He-111 was the workhorse
most used dive bomber for the Luftwaffe during World
throughout the war. Short for War 2. Its prototype flew in
"Sturzkampfflugzeug", the February 1935 and was first
Stuka's reputation as a highly operational in 1936 as a medium
accurate bomb delivery system bomber as well as civil transport.
was well earned. Its main He-111s flew in the Spanish Civil
limitation was that it needed local War as part of the Condor
air superiority to be used effectively as it was sluggish and under- Legion, a unit of Nazi volunteer supporting the Franco
armed in the air. This was acceptable since its job was to destroy Nationalists.
vehicles, ships and buildings. Once the bomb was released, an
automatic system engaged to bring the plane out of its dive. This Its main flaw was more due to use rather than design. The He-111s
was to ensure the pilot's survivability in case he blacked out from were sent over England during the Battle of Britain and had
the high g forces of the JU-87's 80-degree dive. insufficient defensive armament. Coupled with a lack of long-
range fighter support, losses were quite high. Still, production
Image was half of what the Stuka was famous for. Its inverted gull- continued through the end of the war with a run of nearly 7,500
wings and fixed landing gear made it instantly recognizable. The aircraft.
German flight crews fitted sirens on the landing gear so that its
distinctive shriek would start as the planes went into a dive. This It was considered under gunned when compared with Allied
was a major blow to the morale of enemy ground troops. bombers. The early He-111 was armed with only three 7.9mm
machine guns with a 3,300 lb payload. The later models were
Nearly 6,000 Stukas were built. They flew with a crew of 2, a pilot much more robust sporting one 20mm cannon, one 13mm heavy
and a rear-gunner. Its armament was two forward firing 7.9mm machine gun and five 7.9mm machine guns in addition to its
machine guns and one rear firing 7.9mm machine gun as well as upgraded 7,150 lbs. Initial versions of the He-111 had its bombs
its payload of bombs. Later in the war, a variant was produced with stored nose-up in it's bomb bay. When released, the bombs would
two 30mm cannons in pods under the wings and a 7.92mm rotate 180-degrees during their drop. This had the effect of higher
machine gun in the back for the gunner. This saw action on the accuracy.
Eastern Front as an anti-armor aircraft.

He-177 Greif - Germany Ki-27 Nate - Japan

Bursts 0 0
Real World Data Special Agile None
Name He-177 Wingman Attack 1 0
Nation Germany Wingman Defense 1 1
Manufacturer Ernest Heinkel
Number of Engines 2 Name Ki27 Nate
Horsepower 2,700 Nation Japan
Weight 66,139 lbs. Manufacturer Nakajima Kikoki
Max Speed 292 mph
The Greif came about in 1939 Number of Guns 2
when it was developed from a Crew 1
different prototype. At that time Year Introduced 1938
there were no 2,000 hp engines
available. They close-coupled Designed and first flown in 1936,
two older models to create a the Nate was Japan's first
hybrid 2,600 hp newer engine monoplane to see front line
and two of them were used to service. Renowned for its
power the Grief. There were many teething problems, of which at maneuverability, the plane first
least 3 prototypes were lost due to wing weakness or fires. The saw action against the Chinese in
weaknesses were soon fixed but the fire problem was never quite 1938, then against the Russians
ironed out. in 1939.
The first versions were delivered in June '42 and it was not until In 1941, the planes were sent home to Japan for use in training
late 1942 that more reliable versions were available. By the end of squadrons due to the low top speed and lack of heavy armaments.
1944, most He-177s had been withdrawn due to fighter production However, the Nate would see combat towards the end of the war
to fight against allied bombers. Its maximum speed was 304 mph as kamikazes. Over 3,399 models of various versions were built
with a maximum ceiling was 26,245 feet. and its range was 3,417 during the course of the war.
mi.
The Armament was three .51 caliber machine guns, and two 20mm
cannons plus 2,205 pounds of bombs and two Henschel Missiles
under the wings.

Ki-43I Oscar - Japan Ki-61I Tony - Japan

Airframe 0-2 3 Airframe 0-2 3-5
Special Agile None Special None None

Name Ki-43I Name Ki61I Tony
Nation Japan Nation Japan
Manufacturer Nakajima Manufacturer Kawasaki
Crew 1 Crew 1
Late 1937 found the Japanese Designed around a license built

designing the replacement for the Japanese version of the Daimler-
Nate. The first three were flight Benz DB601A engine, the KI-60
tested in January 1939, and met prototype was disappointing. An
with failure. After a re-design of alternative design was sought
the combat flaps, the design was out, and the inline engine Tony
approved and the Oscar was was created. Erroneously
born. described as a copy of the Bf-
109, the Tony began its operational life in New Guinea during
5,919 of these maneuverable fighters were built during the course April 1943.
of the war, and they saw service throughout the war, with the last
squadrons set to defend Tokyo in kamikaze units. Over 2,666 were built before production ended in January of 1945
when the engine factory was destroyed by bomber raids. This
Army airplane held up well against the Allied planes, and saw
various models including versions with 20mm and 30mm cannons.

A6M2 Zero - Japan A6M5 Zero - Japan

Airframe 0-2 3 Airframe 0-2 3
Special Agile None Special Agile None

Name A6M2 Reisen Name A6M5
Manufacturer Mitsubishi Jukogyo Manufacturer Mitsubishi Jukogyo
Horsepower 950 Horsepower 1,130
Crew 1 Crew 1
The combat in China showed that The A6M5 Zero came about as
the Nate and Oscar were being the Allies built heavier armed
out performed by the Russian fighters that were knocking the
aircraft in both level speed and Zero out of the sky during 1943.
dive speed. A call went out to
replace these models with a plane The Nakajima NK1F Sakae 21
that could fly at 500 km/hr, climb engine gave the plane slightly
to 3,000 meters in 3.5 minutes, better performance, and the
and have a fully loaded endurance of 2 hours. Several prototypes armament was changed to 2 20mm and 2 13.2mm guns.
were made, but the Mitsubishi prototype outclassed the other
models. On September 14, 1939, the Japanese Navy accepted the These changes did not make up for the lack of armor, or the lack
aircraft as the A6M1 Type 0 carrier fighter. of self-sealing fuel tanks. However, despite these shortcomings,
over 10,450 were built and used during the entire war due to the
After further testing, the Mitsubishi Zuisei engine was replaced by fact that other models of aircraft were having teething problems.
the Nakajima Sakae engine and re-designated the A6M2. On July
31, 1940, the A6M2, named "Reisen", entered into production as
the Navy Type 0 carrier fighter, Model 11.
The first combat of the Zero was in China on Sept 13, 1940, when
13 Zeros shot down 27 Chinese I-15s and I-16s with no losses. The
Zero would surprise the Allied forces, being more heavily armed
and much more maneuverable then any allied plane. The Zero
would rule the sky until the Battle of Midway, after which the type
was sent back to Japan to be used for training and in Kamikaze
Squadrons. Over 1,540 planes of this model were built.

A6M8 Zero - Japan J2M4 Raiden - Japan

Special Agile None Special Turbocharger Turbocharger

Name A6M8 Name J2M4
Manufacturer Mitsubishi Jukogyo Manufacturer Jukogyo
Crew 1 Crew 1
The A6M8 model of the Zero An Imperial Japanese Navy

never saw service during the war; requirement for a single-seat
only 2 prototypes were interceptor went out in 1938, and
completed by that time. It Mitsubishi came out with the
featured a Mitsubishi MK8P J2M1 in March of 1942.
Kinsei 62 fourteen-cylinder air- However, engine availability
cooled radial, rated at 1,560 hp restricted the choice, and the
for take-off, 1,340 hp at 2,100 engine selected proved not to
meters and 1,180 hp at 5,800 meters, driving a three-blade metal meet the requirements.
propeller, armor, and self-sealing fuel tanks.
A version was built using the MK4R-A Kasei 23a engine and was
The first A6M8 was completed in April of 1945. Flight tests turned designated the J2M2. Ordered into production in October 1942,
up a number of faults in the fuel and oil systems, plus a tendency teething problems with the new engine delayed the plane until
to overheat, and the machine had to be returned to the factory for December 1943, at which time armament was changed and the
these to be corrected. By enlarging the oil tank, revising the plane was introduced as the J2M3.
pipelines, and by fitting engine-cooling baffles, these snags were
eliminated. At high altitudes, the tendency for the fuel pressure to The plane did not come into its own until the J2M4 was used in
drop was overcome by altering the fuel regulating valve. defense of the home islands, where its quick speed and high climb
rate helped it to defend against B-29 raids. Due to the engine
It was a last ditch effort to get the most out of an old airframe, problems, only 476 were built of all versions, including the
combined with a new engine. 6,500 were ordered, but none were prototypes.
ever built, since engine problems had to be fixed, and confusion at
the end of the war prevented any from being deployed.

B5N2 Kate - Japan G4M1 Betty - Japan


Name B5N2 Name G4M1
Manufacturer Nakajima Manufacturer Mitsu
Crew 3 Crew 7
At the start of hostilities, the The G4M 'Betty' prototype flew

Nakajima B5N2 'Kate' was the for the first time in October 1939.
best carrier torpedo bomber in The G4M Navy Type 1 Attack
service. First flying in 1937 and Bomber was the most famous
used heavily throughout the war, Japanese bomber. With a
it was Japan's most successful production run of approximately
bomber despite having a low 2,400, it was the most produced
production run of less than 1,200 Japanese bomber as well. It saw
aircraft. Mainly operating from aircraft carriers, Kates did fly from action in all fronts of the Pacific Theatre and participated in the
dry land. sinking of the British battleships HMS "Prince of Wales" and HMS
"Repulse".
In December 1941, one hundred and forty-four Kates participated
in the Pearl Harbor attack as torpedo and level bombers. They The aircraft had a staggering range of more than 2,000 miles but
decimated the US Pacific Fleet's battleship force. By the end of the was very vulnerable to machine gun and cannon fire due largely to
war, the US carriers Yorktown, Lexington, Wasp and Hornet were the fuel tanks in the wings that were not resistant to explosion
all laid low by Japanese Naval Aviation spearheaded by carrier- when hit by enemy fire. The 'Betty' was so susceptible to fire that
based Kates. As the war drew to a close, many surviving Kates Allied pilots nicknamed it the 'Flying Lighter.' This was
were assigned to Kamikaze missions. particularly ironic since the Japanese referred to it unofficially as
the 'Hamaki,' Japanese for cigar, thanks to the airplane's cigar-
Though mounting a 7.7mm machine gun to the rear, the B5N2's shaped fuselage. It was armed with 7.7mm machine guns in the
main strength was its torpedo. Weighing in at nearly 2,000 lbs, it nose, on top of the fuselage behind the cockpit, and on both sides
was more versatile than American torpedoes. It could be dropped of the fuselage as well as a tail mounted 20mm cannon.
from a greater altitude and ran farther and faster. This meant much
less time available for its target to evade. Its most famous incident was the air combat involving Admiral
Isoroku Yamamoto 'Betty'. The mastermind of the Pearl Harbor
attack, died in April 1943 along with his entire staff when a flight
of U.S. Army Air Corps P-38 Lightnings intercepted and destroyed
the two G4Ms carrying them.

G8N Rita - Japan Tips and Tricks
Here are the tips and tricks gathered by the team during
Stat OK Damaged development, presented in no particular order...
Airframe 0-8 9-12
Turret Defense 3 3 If you are disadvantaged and flying an Agile airplane, it could be
Turret Support 3 0 better to not play a wingman's single Maneuvering card from his
hand. When your leader's turn comes he'll be able to play any card
Real World Data as a Scissors and quickly turn the tables on the enemy.
Name G8N
Nation Japan After your first couple missions, use your XP to buy "Extra Cards"
Manufacturer Nakajima and specific cards, like "Maneuvering". An extra card here and
Type Heavy Bomber there can make a big difference for starting aircraft.
Number of Engines 4
Horsepower 2,000 If you're piloting an Agile aircraft that has 0 bursts at Neutral and
Weight 70,897 lbs. don't have any maneuvering cards, it can sometimes pay to let an
Max Speed 368 mph enemy become advantaged on you. Then you can use your agility
Number of Guns 10 to scissors with him and gain a firing opportunity.
Crew 10
Year Introduced 1945 If your airplane has a rear gunner and you have a 1:2 burst card in
your action window, it can be worth letting an enemy become
An experimental bomber, the advantaged so you can play the gunner to shoot.
Renzan code name "Rita", was an
extremely advanced four engine This can be very effective if you also have a Scissors and another
long range bomber. Four 2,000- burst card. As rear gunner bursts don't count against the pilot, you
hp Radials that gave it a can shoot at the enemy with the gunner, play a Scissors and then
maximum speed of 368 MPH at shoot again with the main armament in a potentially devastating 1-
26,245 feet powered the Rita. 2 punch.
The maximum range was 4,639 miles. Its armament consisted of When you have an "In My Sights 2:Destroyed" card, don't blow it
six 20mm cannons in twin power-operated dorsal, ventral , and tail right away on the next target. Keep it until you have some good
turrets. Two .51 caliber machine guns were in a powered nose counter-card cards that you can play when the target tries to dodge
turret. Two machine guns of similar caliber were in each port and your IMS. Ideally, you'd have an "Ace Pilot" card ready whenever
starboard fuselage positions. you play an "IMS 2:D" - that's an irresistible combination
Four Prototypes were built in June of '45, but Allied bombing runs And speaking of the "IMS 2:Destroyed" card, you may find it
interrupted production, and it was abandoned when the IJN advisable to purchase this card prior to a mission in which you are
became more defensive then offensive. likely to be intercepting Heavy Bombers. These beasts are
extremely difficult to shoot down otherwise.
It can also be effective to play the card against a wingman instead

of a leader, because he'll usually have fewer cards to respond with.
Of course, if you have whittled a leader down to 1 or 2 cards in his
hand, it's probably time to go for the kill.
The Vertical Roll card is probably the most versatile action in the
game, equally useful during the enemy's turn or your own. On the
defensive it can help you to "shake" an advantaged or tailing
pursuer by forcing them to discard extra cards to follow you, and
it can respond to all enemy attacking cards including the very
deadly Out of the Sun. On the offensive it can allow you to climb
or dive away from an enemy after you have attacked them (the
classic Boom & Zoom), and paired with a high damage Out of the
Sun card of your own it can be devastating for your opponent.

When you have an inexperienced pilot, don't force an attack. If you might draw out a vertical roll or ace pilot from the enemy, which
don't have good cards, stay away from the enemy planes. will then be sorely missing to counter your Out of the Sun. On the
other hand, playing Out of the Sun first doesn't gain you any
If you are in a bad situation, climb. Low value aircraft have a hard advantage - the enemy cannot play Tight Turn or Barrel Roll cards
time at higher altitudes. You will starve the enemy for cards and to counter anyway, so he'll keep them to counter your In My Sights
they won't be able to attack you. later.
If you are disadvantaged or tailed and need one good card to turn Playing an Out of the Sun first would be handy if the enemy has
the situation around, dive. You might get lucky and draw it. few or no cards left, or you suspect him not to be able to counter
anyway. In that case it might be better to keep the Out of the Sun
If you are disadvantaged or tailed and your cards are useless, for later play against another enemy plane.
climb. You will get to discard a card that you don't need anyway,
but you might make the enemy pilot discard useful cards. If the enemy holds back a Barrel Roll or Tight Turn card instead of
countering your initial In My Sights card, then he'll be in for a
When fighting an Agile Leader, don't play a card to become rough surprise. Those cards won't do him any good against the
Advantaged if you can't follow it up with a decent attack. Ending following Out of the Sun, effectively scoring two hits even though
Advantaged makes it too easy for them to play their Agile ability he could have in theory countered one of them. And yes, you
and turn the situation around. guessed right - the AI did that to me more than once.
You don't need to shoot down the interceptors to win an escort Technical Issues
mission - so concentrate on keeping them away from the bombers. Here are the technical issues we have encountered during
How to do that? Focus on maneuvering more than firing. If you development.
can get on the tail of an interceptor, he (and his wingman) cannot
attack a bomber. Also, keep an eye on the play sequence. If you are Large Fonts - The lower part of letters like g, j, q are cut off in the
element #2, and one of the interceptors is element #3, he should be text entry box for the chats. Also hides wingman skills and the
your next target - by getting on his tail, you'll buy another turn for scroll bar in the Register, or Join a Game, windows, and messes
the bombers! with the centering in the new Join a Game grid. No effect on game
play or the dogfight window when online, but offline aircraft
While either a Barrel Roll or Tight Turn can stop an In My Sights, images don't fit the screen (game play still works normally
of the two, only Tight Turn can counter Maneuvering cards. If you however, but 1/2 of the wingmen's airplanes are cut off).
are worried about the enemy maneuvering on you after the In My
Sights attack, play a Barrel Roll, and keep the Tight Turn. This can usually be fixed by adjusting the text size specified by
your Internet browser.
It's not always best to play your highest fire card right away. Say
you have 3 bursts against an enemy leader, and you have a 1:1, a ZoneAlarm - Version 4.5 will allow online play. Some versions
2:2 and a 3:3 in my sights card. If the other guy has a lot of cards will not allow DIF access and must be totally shut down (right
available, it might be better to play your 1 and 2 bursts instead of click on the tray icon, select Shutdown ZoneAlarm) to play online.
playing the 3:3 right away. This draws out the opponent's counter
fire and increases your chances that at least one of the in my sights
will actually hit something.
On the other hand, if the other guy has only a few cards, it might
be better to play the highest burst you have. Who knows when
you'll be tailing him?
When playing with powerful planes, if you are Advantaged/Tailing

and the opponent changes altitude, take a look at how many cards
each of your leaders is holding when you decide to follow or not.
If their leader has a lot more cards than you do, following an
altitude change can get you killed.
When you have both Out of the Sun and In My Sights to choose
from and enough bursts, play the vanilla In My Sights first. You

Section IX - Wrap-Up Dan Verssen...
What a ride it’s been! Brian originally told me about the program
he had created about 4 years ago. He was a fan of the card game
Conclusion and (luckily for me) an ace programmer by day (meaning he’s
brought 5 or more computer systems down in flames. Just
kidding!).
Brian Marrs...
Back in September of 2001, the .NET framework was still in beta,
I also showed the game to a friend, Chris Richardson, and Chris
and I decided that as someone who makes their living
said the game was very cool and that I should shop it around and
programming, I had better learn about this upcoming technology.
try to get it published. I agreed, but didn’t actually do anything
But as a long time wargamer, I also decided that I might as well
about it. So as the days and weeks passed Chris continued to poke
make the learning as fun as possible, and so set about looking for
at me until it was easier for me to send out emails than it was to
something game related that I could write.
deal with Chris’ phone calls.
Browsing through my game closet, my eyes fell upon the
So I poked around the internet and discovered that many people
venerable card game "Down in Flames". Aha! Perfect! Simple, yet
had some very nice things to say about Combat Mission. They
fun. How hard could this be to program? Ignorance truly is bliss.
loved how it combined all the great aspects of tabletop wargaming
with the power of computer gaming. After a few more days (and
So I started work, and by the end of the year I had something that
pokes from Chris), I sent Battlefront an email explaining that I was
was really more of a utility to track card play online than a true
a tabletop game designer hoping to cross into the computer world
game. I showed it around a bit and was encouraged to turn it into
and that we had a working game (programmed by Brian) to show
a full-fledged game rather than a utility. A couple more months
them. Luckily for me, they had heard about Down In Flames and
work, and I had the crude beginnings of what you see today. It was
were willing to take a look at the game. Thank you Martin for
around this time that Dan Verssen caught wind of the program and
giving us a chance!
sent me an e-mail asking if he could take a look. Here's the very
first e-mail I got from Dan on February 6, 2002:
Large projects like this one cannot help but spill over into family
life. I can’t even guess how many extended family get-togethers
“Hello Brian,
that I have *had to miss* because I *had* to work on the game.
During this time, my wife Holly has learned more about WWII
My name is Dan Verssen, designer of the DIF series. I heard about
aircraft than she ever wanted to know, and our two children have
your on-line version of DIF a couple days ago and it sounds great.
grown up with this game running in the background. Kevin has
used this game as the basis of several school reports, and Kira
Can I run the needed software on a Macintosh?
made learning to read in kindergarten a priority so she could play
the game with the rest of us.
-Dan”
Also, many thanks needs to go out to the model makers who

Now, if I were smart, I'd have replied, "No, it doesn't run on no
created our aircraft with very tight deadlines!
stinking Mac", and run for the hills. But instead of running, I
continued to tinker away on this game for another three and half
Well, 4 years later we’re wrapping it up. Along the way there have
years. Sometimes they even let me out to see my kids. They're
been many highs and lows. It has certainly been far more work
great guys, really.
then I ever would have thought. One thing that made it not only
bearable, but actually fun, was the other people on the team. Even
Seriously though, it's been an amazing journey with plenty of ups
in the lowest of times, jokes were flying back and forth and there
and downs. I've worked with some great folks along the way like
was always a sense of team spirit.
Dan and Martin, and considering that my original goal was to learn
something new, I would have to say that I succeeded in achieving
Many thanks go out to the testing team. They endured having their
that many times over.
pilots deleted and starting all over many, many, many times. Thank
you!
Of course, I must thank my beautiful wife, Marci, for her
understanding and support throughout this process. I'm not sure I
One aspect of this project that I most enjoyed was its worldwide
could have finished the project without her occasionally asking,
nature. I’m in California, Brian is in Texas, Martin is in Germany,
"Whatever happened to that game you were working on?"
other members of the Battlefront team are in England, Australia,
and the US East Coast, the model makers were in Russia and the
Ukraine, and of course the testers who are all over the world! No

matter what time, day or night, I logged on, I always had new Game Credits
emails from someone!
Game Programmer
Everyone on the team hopes you enjoy the game, and that when Brian Marrs
you play, you can tell that this is a game that ‘got the love’.
Game Designer
Dan Verssen
Battlefront.com Team
Charles Moylan, Steve Grammont, Matt Faller,
Fernando J. Carrera, Dan Olding, Martin van Balkom
Master Model Maker

Oleg Pomoshnikov
Playtest Leader
Tim 'Rune' Orosz
Model Makers
Anton "Prot" Abakumov, Vadik Nesterov,
Oleg Petrenkov, Chris Richardson
Playtesters
Martin 'Moon' van Balkom, Craig 'Harv' Harvey, Vern Hee,
Adam 'AdamL' Lloyd, Chris 'Jr Evil' Orosz, John 'Zylas' Orosz,
Ian 'Schrullenhaft’ Straw, William ‘Actor’ Valencia,
Holly Verssen, Kevin Verssen, Kira Verssen, Kurt Wasserman,
Jeff 'jwxspoon' Weatherspoon, Thomas ‘tlkiilerich’ Kiilerich,
Rick ‘Papa Kahn’ Reinhart, Dale ‘dalem’ Mancini, Boo Radley,
Rob ‘Mace’ Knight, Bob ‘Tomb’ Jones, Terry ‘T-Mo’ Simo,
Rob ‘Boo Radley’ Spore, Adam ‘Pillar’ Lloyd,
Tom Johnson, Joe ‘Joe the Jet’ Silva
Original CD Cover and CD Artwork

William Arance
Animation Creation
Dan Verssen
Scene Rendering
Holly Verssen
Original Tabletop Card Game

Publisher: GMT Games
Development: Gene Billingsley,
Rodger MacGowan, Mike Lemick
Art Director: Rodger B. MacGowan
Additional Graphic Arts: Mike Lemick,
Dave Lawrence, Martin Scott
Special Thanks
Chris Richardson, who originally suggested to me the idea of
introducing my tabletop game designs to the
computer gaming world.
We also want to thank all the fans of the original card game. Your
enthusiasm for the game has been an inspiration for all of us.

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MANUAL

Section I - Getting Started........................................1 Section IV - Local....................................................12

Section IX - Wrap-Up ............................................45

Introduction Feature Limits

Demo Player: (Cost: Free)

Your goal is to shoot down the enemy aircraft in a 6-turn dogfight.

Half Loop (Rare)

Down In Flames uses 5 very

Initial Altitude - Before the start

Turret Support - If both bombers in an element are "Okay" (not Agility

Your pilots gain Fatigue Quitting a Game

Each time one of your pilots is shot-

When a Wingman is killed, you will need to go to the Manage

Before you can enter the Lobby, play an

The opposite is true when an opposing player selects one of your

The top right window displays information about the acting

(c) 2005 • Dan Verssen Games (DVG) ~ 10 ~ Down In Flames • www.battlefront.com

Click on the Result Window to close it and return to the Lobby.

(c) 2005 • Dan Verssen Games (DVG) ~ 11 ~ Down In Flames • www.battlefront.com

Lobby IMPORTANT: It is best to create 4 elements for the same

(c) 2005 • Dan Verssen Games (DVG) ~ 12 ~ Down In Flames • www.battlefront.com

The top right window displays information about the acting

The lower right window displays major actions occurring in the

The opposite is true when an opposing player selects one of your

(c) 2005 • Dan Verssen Games (DVG) ~ 13 ~ Down In Flames • www.battlefront.com

In addition to buying skills, your pilot's XPs also allow him to

Cards Leader Skills

(c) 2005 • Dan Verssen Games (DVG) ~ 15 ~ Down In Flames • www.battlefront.com

Extra Energy: The Wingman's Leader has his Performance rating

Some of the more glorious medals will only be awarded to pilots

(c) 2005 • Dan Verssen Games (DVG) ~ 16 ~ Down In Flames • www.battlefront.com

Order of the Golden Kite, Fourth Grade

Distinguished Service Cross

Distinguished Conduct Medal

(c) 2005 • Dan Verssen Games (DVG) ~ 17 ~ Down In Flames • www.battlefront.com

(c) 2005 • Dan Verssen Games (DVG) ~ 18 ~ Down In Flames • www.battlefront.com

Flight Lieutenant Major

Squadron Leader Lieutenant Colonel

Wing Commander Colonel

Group Captain Brigadier General

United States of America

(c) 2005 • Dan Verssen Games (DVG) ~ 19 ~ Down In Flames • www.battlefront.com

(c) 2005 • Dan Verssen Games (DVG) ~ 20 ~ Down In Flames • www.battlefront.com

To the right is a pull-down menu

(c) 2005 • Dan Verssen Games (DVG) ~ 21 ~ Down In Flames • www.battlefront.com

If you are playing a campaign At the end of a campaign you

The top-right window will contain graphics showing you which

Campaign missions last from 4 to 6 turns. Check your Turn

Following each mission you can

If you won the mission, your

Campaign Victory Points

As each mission is resolved, its

Historically, some nations were

(c) 2005 • Dan Verssen Games (DVG) ~ 22 ~ Down In Flames • www.battlefront.com

Gloster Gladiator II - United Kingdom

Real World Data

Some Gladiators, named Sea Gladiators, did enjoy some success

(c) 2005 • Dan Verssen Games (DVG) ~ 23 ~ Down In Flames • www.battlefront.com

Stat OK Damaged Stat OK Damaged

Real World Data Real World Data

(c) 2005 • Dan Verssen Games (DVG) ~ 24 ~ Down In Flames • www.battlefront.com

Stat OK Damaged Stat OK Damaged

Real World Data Real World Data

(c) 2005 • Dan Verssen Games (DVG) ~ 25 ~ Down In Flames • www.battlefront.com