Manticoran News Bureau: A Day in the Luftfahrtruppen

Chief Emilio Desalvo with Andrea Angiolino, the creator of Wings of Glory.

A Day in the K.u.K. Luftfahrtruppen

by Chief Boatswain’s Mate Emilio Desalvo, GNS Glory

June 26th, ~~1917~~ 2015: Somewhere in Italy, Southern Front – Today I had the pleasure to meet, at the Laboratorio gameshop on the old Via Cassia in Roma, Andrea Angiolino, author of the games Wings of Glory and Sails of Glory, as he was doing an introductory masterclass of Wings of Glory WWI. He arrived at the shop, and started unloading from his car, loads and loads of planes and accessories for the game. In the games room, he started setting up the game (discovering also that boxes with a different colour erroneously contained the same game mat), while explaining at the same time the game mechanics to those present that where not familiar with the game, like yours faithful, on my first game.

After explaining the rules, he started distributing the planes for the first match of the evening. At the same time, he was recounting tales about the original owner of the aircraft, like the "dastardly" Canadian pilot William Barker, who on Christmas Day 1917 on the Italian Front, during an undeclared truce, strafed a German airfield with a companion, damaging four airplanes and setting a hanger on fire.

Then the game began. An experienced player on the Italian side took a Caproni bomber, while the others were given escorts. On the side of the Central Powers, I was handed an Aviatik, and I teamed up with my brother, who was well versed on WoG (and a feared player of Blue Max on Youplay), and two other players.

Bird’s Eye View of the aerial battlefield.

During the first turn the Caproni started to manoeuvre to line-up the target, but in the ensuing furball, a lucky hit disabled its rudder, while planes started falling out of the sky. By the second turn, the Caproni kept its course flying off the mat, and therefore removing itself from the game. A general dogfight then ensued, until only Andrea Angiolino’s Italian plane and the two Austrian aircraft of the Von Desalvo brothers remained. The guns of Mr. Angiolino jammed so during the last exchange of fire my brother started by hitting him a first time, and I finished him with a short range double tap, sending him to the ground, while the sky was dominated by the Von Desalvo brothers.

And so this is how, on my first Wings of Glory game, I shot down the author of the game.

During the short pause between the first and the second game, I explained to Mr. Angiolino how The Royal Manticoran Navy uses his games as a teaching tool for the Marksmanship Pistol Awards, and I gave him a TRMN patch. The pleasant evening continued with a simple dogfight, and it was my time to reach the ground in an uncontrolled manner, then we adjourned, and everything returned to his barracks.

Chief Desalvo is transfixed at the miniature planes coming towards him.

Article Copyright © 2015, Bureau of Communications, The Royal Manticoran Navy: The Official Honor Harrington Fan Association, Inc.
CAPT (JG) Marcus Johnston, OC, CGM, Director of Publications, BuComm. All pictures used with permission or used in a way that qualifies as fair use under US copyright law.