Stuka Ace: France Mission 1

10 May 1940 — Invasion of the West Begins 

"Soldiers of the West Front! The battle which is beginning today 

will decide the fate of the German nation for the next thousand years!"

- Fuhrer Order of the Day, 10 May 1940

Target:  Field Fortifications near Albert Canal bridges, Belgium

The night had been cut short by the clatter of truck engines and shouted orders. Before the sun rose, Voss and his Kette were already seated on ammunition crates, sipping dark, bitter kafe. The wait had ended. Fall Gelb was here.

The sky lightened to a pale steel as briefing officers scrawled last-minute updates on target boards. Hauptmann Enneccerus addressed the Gruppe crisply, voice raised over the thrum of engines warming up outside.

“Our objective: artillery batteries guarding approaches to the Albert Canal. They are positioned to shell any attempts to seize the bridges intact. "They must be silent before the first parachute touches ground at Eben-Emael.

And 6th Army needs the bridges for their Panzers to cross. The good news is that our first wave of bombers caught a lot of the Belgian and Dutch aircraft on the ground this morning, so the air threat is reduced. But NOT zero - keep your eyes peeled!"

There was no time to dwell. Crews moved fast. Voss climbed into his Ju 87B, his eyes flicking to the heavy 250kg bomb beneath the fuselage and the four 50kg bombs under the wings. He gave Milo a nod. The gunner smacked the rear of the cockpit twice. Ready.

Startup was routine. The three Ju87s of Kette 2 were airborne in minutes and formed up quickly into a Vic formation

As they proceeded to High Altitude for the approach, the airspace over Belgium was alive with motion. Not just Stukas but entire formations of Ju 52 transport aircraft, lumbering east to west in staggered flights, towing gliders or packed with Fallschirmjäger. Some were already dropping into the mist below. Others flew dangerously close to the treetops, searching for their assigned landing zones. Messerschmitt fighters lurked overhead, covering them.

It was Chaotic. Dangerous. Exhilarating.

Fall Gelb Luftwaffe Junkers Ju 87B Stuka dive bombers in formation after a raid 1940 

He was focused, scanning the skies, maintaining spacing, and following his map. At one point he thought he saw enemy fighters above them, then realised they were Messerschmidt fighters providing them top cover. He waggled his wings at them.

The weather worsened, the clouds closing in around them. “Maintain formation!” Voss barked into the radio. His Kette was straining to stay tight as they entered the cloud banks

Stukas from another Gruppe were already diving — further south, supporting glider landed troops near the fortress of Eben-Emael. Voss wished them luck as the sky flashed with flak bursts and smoke trails.

Voss tightened his grip on the control stick, and double checked his map again - they were right at the Initial Point to begin their attack run. All that training and rehearsing had been effective - his Nav had been spot on.

They reached the emplacements zone just as the Belgian batteries opened up — muzzle flashes betraying their positions. They looked just like they had in the briefings

“Target identified. Prepare to dive,” he called.  They pitched downward and the sirens began to scream at the Belgians, who looked up in alarm.

Voss lined up on an emplacment near a crossroads a few miles from the river — and started his dive. The AA reached out, made him jink but was potherwise ineffective. He needed to nail this target and was confident as he let his 500kg go. He pulled up sharply, G-forces clawing at him.

The hige explosion rocked his BERTA in the air, but Voss knew it had been a good drop, confirmed by Milo's enthusiastic hollering behind him

"Take that you Belgian puppies!!!"

The Kette dioved in behind him. Textbook. Just like that had trained. Their 500kg eggs were just as accurate. The target was completely neutralised. With time the Belgians might get their guns back into action, but the fallschirmjager soldat and advancing Panzers weren't going to give them that time.

Rolling out from the target area, Voss and his kette started back to their airfield. They had other targetrs to visit today, but first they needed more fuel and more bombs.

The weather was still poor and the cloud heavy. The going was tough. Fuel was getting lower than expected - consumption against the cross winds had been higher than expected and Voss was getting concerned. That started to turn to alarm when his Juno 211 engine made some ominous coughing noises. To his great relief the splutters soon ceased, but he'd get the crew chief to double check when they landed.

Luftwaffe Ju 52s drop Fallschirmjager troops in Holland, 10 May 1940

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They were turned around quickly once on the ground. The airfield was pandemonium with the NCOs adding an air of focus and precision, as mechanics and armament fitters ran everywhere executing tasks, and Staff Officers coordinated the next sortie.

His mechanic had just reported that his engine had checked out when the Staffel Ops Officer ran up to him

"Get back up to the Canal Area! Belgian infantry are moving up to the higher ground west of the Canals to form a defensive position. Go clear them out before they dig in too deep!"

Quickly briefing his Kette, Voss leapt back into the cockpit and they got airborne directly. Directly back through thick clouds, navigation to the new target was challenging with terrain masked. Voss was increasingly anxious as his map failed to be useful. A feeling that also grew as visibility worsened, forcing Voss to led his Kette back to low altitude to get his bearings.

Finally, he got a fix on a prominent landmark - the Albert canal!

Milo reported in to the Army Air liaison Officer on the ground, who fired flares to direct them to the target position. Wings waggling, Voss tipped over and led his Kette into the dive. The dance of death began ter again.

The Infantry has no AA to speak of - it seemed child's play compared to just an hour earlier over the forts. He pickled his bomb load and pulled out gracefully. Below, the bombs struck — direct hits. Infantry positions disappeared in flame and dust. Belgian soldiers staggered out of the dust, hand clamped to their ears.

Behind him, his Kette came in quickly. One overshot slightly, missing the target. The other clipped the remaining infantry position with a near-miss that threw the dirt skywards.

It wasn’t perfect. But it was enough.

“Kettenfuhrer to forward controller - Infantry position neutralised” Voss reported on the radio.

On the return flight, the sky seemed less chaotic. Transport aircraft had departed. The radio channels buzzed with early reports of bridge seizures and heavy resistance. Voss held tight formation all the way back to their airstrip near, eyes peeled for enemy fighters.

They touched down safely.

After shutting down, Voss pulled his goggles back and looked across the airfield, watching new sorties prepare. His Kette had done their part and followed his lead. He gave his aircrew a big smile as the groundcrews began the refuelling and rearming.

Fallschirmjäger waive to a passing Junkers Ju 87 dive bomber during Fall Gelb. Near Venlo, Limburg, Netherlands. May 1940.

StG 2 Briefing Tent — 10 May 1940

Time: 19:45 Hours
Location: Forward Airfield, near Aachen, Germany

The generator powered lights cast long shadows against the field tents and aircraft as the men gathered. Oil-smeared, sweat-soaked, and still keyed up from the adrenaline of multiple combat sorties in a single day, they stood in a rough semi-circle as Oblt. Adler stepped up onto a wooden crate.

"Gentlemen—listen up."

He lit a cigarette, took a drag, and exhaled slowly before speaking. He looked across their faces, pausing at each of the Kettenführer, his eyes lingering a moment longer on Voss.

"Today was the start of something bigger than Poland. Fall Gelb is not just a campaign—it’s the knife plunging into the heart of France. To do that, we needed the Albert Canal bridges. And to get those bridges, we had to silence the forts and clear the ridgelines."

He jabbed the cigarette toward them like a pointer.

"You did that."

He paused to let that sink in.

"That’s how this works. Teamwork and coordination with the Army. Responsiveness. Discipline. Initiative. The Army seized their objectives and a number of prisoners. The Belgian line between Hasselt and Liège has dissolved.”

A long drag on the cigarette. Another exhale.

"It didn't all go out way though. Our paratroopers suffered in Holland, mainly to AA defences. Tomorrow we’ll face better flak, faster fighters, and weather that turns on a pfennig. But today—we did our job. And it mattered."

A thin smile crossed his face as he stepped down.

"Get fed. Get some sleep. Sunrise is at 0553 tomorrow - we launch at 0530 with morning brief at 0430. That’s all."

As the men began to disperse, he clapped a hand on Voss’s shoulder as he passed.

“Well flown today, Andreas. You’re leading them well. Keep it up.”

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Game Notes

Target Field fortification (1 x 500kg bomb)

Good Wx - launch NSTR. Into VIC Formation at High ALT

Approach 

1 - Vis worsens to REDUCED 1. Remain at High ALT

2- Enemy Contact. Neede d a 6 for contact - Got a 5. Close call!

Target Reached - direct, no Nav problems - reflects training and rehearsals

near pullup height selected

Dive 5 -1 for cloud =success! AA 5 = -1 rel, REL =7, Target Destroyed!

PULLUP= 4

FORMATTACK: 5+3-1-0=7 Target Destroyed!

Return

1. Low Fuel - spent a Stamina: 5-1=4. Loose a Card (that was close!)

2. Engine coughed - no impact (1)

Landed, Refuelled and Rearmed

Secondary Target Infantry Position (armed 4 x 50kgs

Launch NSTR - VIC/ High ALT

Approach

1. Nav Checked. Failed. -1 card (ouch!)

2. Dense clouds - descended to Low ALT

Target Reached

near pullup height selected

DIVE5-2 = FAIL, no AA, BOMB REL = 7-1=6 = SUCESS, HIT= 6+1=7 DEST

Pullup: 6-1=5

FORMATTACK: 2+3-2-0=3 Attack Ineffective

Outbound 

1. TOO Airfield  - declined (no bomb, only 1 card left, poor weather, at LOW Alt and Loose formation

2. WX improves to CLEAR 2

Landed: NSTR

VPs 3+1, 2 halved = 5