Last Saturday, I finally had the opportunity to play a session of "Check your 6!" with Bernhard, Stefan, and Marc. The scenario, titled "Hell over Bocage," was part of a weekend-long Bolt Action campaign focusing on the D-Day landings.
The Mission:
The German Luftwaffe, represented by Bernhard and Stefan, fielded four Bf 109s and two Fw 190s. Their objective: protect two vital supply columns heading toward the front to reinforce the defense against the landings. Column One consisted of tanks, protected by a Sd.Kfz. 7/1 flak vehicle; Column Two was a convoy of trucks carrying infantry and ammunition, also escorted by a Sd.Kfz. 7/1.
Marc and I were tasked with intercepting them. Each of us commanded four P-47D Thunderbolts. To maximize our impact, our Jugs were loaded with bombs—which, unfortunately, turned us into "sitting ducks" against the Luftwaffe’s agile fighters. To make matters worse, we arrived in waves; Marc’s squadron had to hold the line alone for a while before I could join the fray.
We set a direct course for our targets, keeping a wary eye on the enemy fighters closing in. With a mix of precision gunnery and a fair bit of luck, we managed to knock out both German Sd.Kfz. 7/1s early on. This left the supply columns defenseless, at the mercy of the fighters circling above.
Marc’s pilots quickly proved their worth as seasoned Jabo (fighter-bomber) crews. One truck after another fell victim to their strafing runs, turning the roads into a hellscape of burning wreckage, exploding munitions, and chaos.
When my squadron finally joined the fight, we were severely handicapped by our bomb loads. A wild "dogfight" ensued. It was a rollercoaster of emotions: sometimes the German pilots couldn't hit the broad side of a barn—leading to some frustrated pilots fearing a transfer to the Eastern Front—but once they found their range, the sky turned lethal. By the end of the engagement, five of our eight P-47s had been shot down. However, the Luftwaffe paid a heavy price as well, losing two aircraft to my squadron alone.
A near crash mid-air - but thanks to Marc´s piloting skill handled with ease 😀
As fuel gauges dipped toward empty and the fighting subsided, the truck column had been completely annihilated, and more than half of the German tanks were left as smoldering wrecks, choking the Wehrmacht's supply lines.
Even though the US Air Force technically lost the game on points, we had achieved our true objective: virtually no reinforcements would reach the hard-pressed German troops on the ground. We were rewarded with the heartfelt gratitude of the US Bolt Action players—a victory of its own, in our books.
Conclusion:
"Check your 6!" is an incredibly exciting system. It truly lives up to the motto "easy to learn, hard to master." The multiplayer mode is exceptionally well-balanced—there was absolutely no "downtime," which is a rare feat for flight simulation tabletop games.
Needless to say, this game was a game-changer for me: I now absolutely need a squadron of planes for our Sicily campaign and a proper flight mat!
