This product, currently in development, will take the action of Mercenary Air Squadron and take it back to days of the Last Crusade – World War Two.
“But there weren’t mercenaries squadrons in World War Two,” you say. “Aha!” I respond. Many pilots were recruited as mercenaries by the various air forces involved in the Spanish Civil War. Essentially, I take that notion and run with it to give you a slightly different take on the air war.
MAS:WWII will allow you to take you squadron from the beginning of the war through the end of 1943. From 1944 on, the Allies have the equipment, the manpower, and the doctrines to wage total war in the skies and individual squadrons lose their independence in such an environment.
The initial release will focus on the Mediterranean, and will include most of the planes of the Commonwealth, the Third Reich, Italy and some of the Americans.
This will not be a standalone product and will require ownership of the base Mercenary Air Squadron rules to fully utilize.
 Preview of Spitfire I |
 Preview of Me-109E |
The surviving Flying Tigers (there are about twenty, including five pilots who flew the P-40 in combat operations) really don’t like to be called mercenaries. They argue that they were a clandestine operation on behalf of the predsident of the United States, therefore in a category more like Air America of the 1960s and 1970s. For more about all this, see “Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers” just published by HarperCollins or check http://www.FlyingTigersBook.com — Blue skies! — Dan Ford
You make a good point. Of course, I would argue that the employees of Air America were mercenaries, also, but we don’t need to split hairs.
In honor of their service and their opinions, I’ll downplay that aspect in favor of the pilots who flew for the various Spanish factions in the Spanish Civil War (not the German, Italian or Russian units) that were clearly there as mercenaries.