WWII Flying Tigers

Robert L. Scott:
Historical Campaign

By Marvin Scott

The ultimate test of skill and imagination is the solo campaign. The historical basis for the solo campaign is the experience of Robert L. Scott. For a time, Scott was a lone warrior flying his P-40 against the Japanese. He tells the story in God is my Co-Pilot. Scott managed to get a Kittyhawk on April 30, 1942 and ended his “one man war” on June 27, 1942. During that time he had a series of adventures. On May 5 he strafed a Type 97 bomber being refueled at Lashio and also hit a column of troops and trucks moving along a road. On May 8 at Myitkyna he shot up a supply of high-octane gasoline while evading 37 mm anti-aircraft fire.

At Lashio on May 9th he shot up a square of Japanese soldiers who were firing their rifles at him. Later the same day he strafed Myitkyna again and then attacked a barge of enemy equipment at Bhamo. Scott caught a column of Japanese troops on the Burma Road and strafed them. On the 17th of May he flew with the AVG Flying Tigers from Kunming. They strafed a train halfway between the border and Hanoi and bombed the roundhouse at Laokay. Late in the month of May he fastened a 500 pound bomb to his plane and took off to Homalin. He found four barges on the Chindwin River near there. Later the same day he bombed Homalin again, hitting a police station.

Early in June, Scott raided a bridge over the River N’umzup forty miles north of Myitkyna. On June 26th he raided barges near Bhamo and a train on the railroad section north of Maynyo. Scott had his grand finale on 27 June. He dropped a 500 pound bomb on the docks at Homalin, another on a barge at Bhamo, and he strafed Myitkyna. He attacked the railroad station at Mogaung and then made the long flight to Lashio to bomb and strafe there.

A solo campaigner could fly the series of missions using the map system for the regular campaign. To determine what happens on each mission, he could use a deck of cards. The cards could be shuffled and a card pulled off the top for each mission. If an Ace turns up, he will encounter a train on a railroad he flies over. A King means he catches planes on the ground at an airfield. A Queen or Jack means that he spots barges on the river while a ten represents a troop column. To add spice to the situation, the player could also roll a die to see if a Zero shows up on his tail as in the earlier solo game.

This kind of solo campaign demands a lot of modeling, trains, troops, barges, and parked planes, but perhaps simple cardboard markers would be adequate. As in most campaigns, a calendar would be a real help. The player can check off the days and record events as they happen. Some days would be fairly dull; others buzz with action. This is the kind of game that can be played for a few minutes one day, a few hours the next, and left alone for weeks before resuming action.

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