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The Winged Swords of Southeastern Michigan
Anchored by Dennis Elliott and Gale Taylor, this group was active throughout the late 1980's and produced several Masters-level
players.
By early 1991 they had started their own short-lived newsletter titled "Out Of Control;" named after the historical
publication of the US 1st Pursuit Group at the end of WWI. The earliest known issue was released in April of 1991 and
publication continued through at least December of that year.
It is not known if the Winged Swords held any championship events. The group fell into inactivity in the late '90's and
a few of its former members still show up at national society events.
The Black Sheep Squadron, or, Rolls Royce Squadron
Founded by Scott Campbell, the Rolls Royce group operated primarily out of Brownsburg on the west side of Indianapolis
from approximately 2000 to 2004. The group offered an alternative to Indy Squadron rules and a shorter drive for those who
lived on the west side of Indianapolis. They gamed primarily on Friday nights and would occassionally merge their events with
Indy Squadron games.
At least three notable achievements came from the Rolls Royce group: Ben Hodgson won a Congressional Medal of Honor for
his performance at the society's Spring Mini-Con in 2004, an Armistice Day title in 2005 and a Masters invitation the following
year. Scott Campbell earned a Red Baron Fight championship in 1998, shortly before forming the Rolls Royce Squadron.
For a brief period of time the group also put up a small web site which is now defunct. After Campbell's departure in
2005 the group disbanded, although a few members are still seen at Indy games and society events.
Australian Dawn Patrol Championships
The Aussies came up with a fresh approach to Dawn Patrol gaming. Rather than form a single local squad, they held events
at several of the major gaming conventions around Australia. Each event was scored individually and players needed success
in smaller games to qualify for the national championship series. The season's aggregate scoring at the major events was
used to name an Australian DP champion from 1995 through 2001.
In the late 1990's the group had a fairly extensive web site that detailed game-by-game scores and logged the victories
of past winners. The site received good reviews and a number of hits from American Dawn Patrol players in addtion to its intended
audience.
At least one ADPC player was selected for an invitation to the Masters Tournament during the group's heyday.
The group's decline began in 2003 when two of the nine championship games were cancelled due to a lack of players. About
this same time the web site was moved to a Yahoo group area where it suffered from an almost complete lack of exposure. The
ADPC folded that year and was never resurrected.
Apache Jadgstaffel of Arizona by Jim Phillips
The Apache Jagdstaffel was founded in Mesa,
Arizona in 2004 from the remnants of both the Frank Luke Air Corps and the Joseph Wehner Squadron. The Frank Luke Air
Corps group ended with the untimely death of its leader and Masters level player Michael Jackson. After a flurry of activity
in its infancy, the Luke Air Corps declined for two years and in January of 2007 regrouped as the Apache Jagdstaffel behind
a stalwart leader.
Mark SaintCyr, has been a stalwart player and the moxie behind the Jagdstaffel. His force of
will and the true gung-ho, no-limits style he brings to the group have really been an inspiration.
Scott Staples
is now the driving force behind the Jadgstaffel. A Master’s level player himself, he devotes time each session to explaining
a new tactic or maneuver to those wishing to learn. The group has garnered sponsorship from The Gamers Inn and is listed on
the stores monthly schedule every Saturday. The Jadgstaffel conducts a prize tourney the first Saturday of every month. Photos
of the winners may be found on the Apache website.
The group has produced the first expansion set for Dawn Patrol
entitled "Ostend." The expansion includes a historical overview, scenarios, new counters and a map that represents
the naval port of Ostend in 1917.
Minnesota Group/Ghost Jasta
by Andrew Priest
In Minnesota, Dawn Patrol is better known by the game's original name - Fits - or Fight in the Skies.
A group of avid gamers at Augsburg College picked up the game when the 5th edition was released in 1975. Carl Priest and John
Buckland were introduced to the game in 1977 by Jim Haley and the three formed the core of the group that played on a regular
basis. By the mid-80’s there was a large group of players that got together nearly on a weekly basis to play games,
mostly Fits.
The air battles grew large, pilot rosters expanded and quint aces were recognized by name, but playing
games was always a time for fun with friends so tournaments and serious competitions were never even considered. A set of
"awards" appeared at the table over the years, for which Mr. Haley wrote titles and descriptions at one point. Ranging
from the most prestigious "Shield of Glory" to the shameful "Big Heel" award, these have been awarded for 20+ years now and
remain a tribute to the memorable missions the Minnesota group has had.
The group holds two traditions, always playing on November 11th and April 21st to honor the end of the war
and the end of its most famous ace. To this day we still do our best to hold a game on those days and plan on holding our
30th annual events this year!
The late 80’s early 90’s saw diminishing interest in gaming, with families and career paths
taking over, but we still played occasionally. One player started funny mission log stories of the last gaming session that
would cause even more laughter at the table, but this was before email and the home computer, so the news of play did not
spread like it does today.
During late 90’s & early 2000’s the old guard rarely played, but when Carl’s son
(Andrew) went to college and Carl happened to meet Mr. Carr, the game began to pick up again with "new blood" interest
and and "old guard" revival. The name ‘Ghost Jasta’ was created for fun when Andrew started a website in 2004
in remembrance of all the fun mission logs of the 80’s. Today we have a good mix of new and old players and still enjoy
a good laugh at the table, with the "old guard" having taught the "new blood" well – one of our newbies has already
"mastered" the game by winning the masters cup in 2006.
The Minnesota group has seen many great players come and go over the years, and we hope to keep the tradition
of a Fits foursome going for years to come.
Jasta 6 of Michigan
When the Winged Swords of Southeastern Michigan folded, they left behind a vacuum for the local players in that area
who still had an interest in the game. In the wake of this loss Jasta 6 rose to the occasion and promised to fill the gap.
Jim Pink and his son were the principals in this venture. They renewed their participation in Dawn Patrol in 2004 and
soon had a fine web site up for view. They also introduced their own newsletter, "Feld Post," which produced several
good issues but apparently died out following publication of the first issue of its second year.
The group included at least one former member of the Winged Swords and it still has a depth of player experience within
its geographic reach. The web site, however, does not indicate any recent activity.
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The Frank Luke Squadron of Arizona
What little is known of this unit comes from their now-deleted web site, which offered little information about the group
other than its existence. They are not known to have had any championship events and their web site did not announce upcoming
gaming days. Other players in Arizona now say that the Frank Luke Squadron is no longer active.
The Lilac Escadrille
Founded in a suburb of Chicago by a long-time gamer, the Lilac group found itself stranded between Indianapolis and Milwaukee
- both hotbeds of Dawn Patrol activity but neither close enough to contribute regular attenders. Despite the construction
of a quality web site the group failed to attract sufficient local interest to sustain activities. The group named local champions
in 2001 and 2002 before suspending operations.
The Ohio Squadron
Mark Zeilinski was the major factor behind a group of gamers who took up Dawn Patrol in the mid-1980's and played frequently
through the early 90's. Located in central Ohio, at the time the group formed the extreme geographical border of the Fits
universe. Isolated from the main squadrons in Michigan and Wisconsin they eventually faded from the Dawn Patrol landscape
but not before making some significant contributions to the game including the Indy Squadron's modern percentile wound table
and quantum leap developments in campaigns.
The Indy Squadron
Founded in Indianapolis in 1988 the Indy Squadron has become the most active local squadron in the world. The group also
spawned Dawn Patrol's original local squadron newsletter known as the "Indy Squadron Dispatch."
The group grew to the point of fragmentation in 1992 when players from the far east and west borders of the state were
regularly participating. By 1993 the squadron operated two sub-squadrons: Indy Squadron's "C" Flight was based in Connersville
(IN) and played consistently for four years while "B" Flight was based in Brownsburg and held their own games until the mid-90's.
These games were held in addition to the main squadron's games which continued in Indianapolis. B and C Flights ceased
operations by around 1996.
Participation at the Indy Squadron dwindled slightly in the late 1990's although a solid core of players remained
and held consistent gaming. Another attendance boost came with the addition of several new players in 2000 and 2001.
The Indy Squadron Dispatch became a full time web site in 1999 and featured the first-ever online Dawn Patrol competition
in the game's history.
The group has held two major events, the Armistice Day Fits Tournament and the Red Baron Fight, since 1990. They are
the longest continuously held local events in the world and have become household names among Dawn Patrol players everywhere.
A sense of the popularity of these events can be gained from a 2004 poll which found that 5 out of 6 Indy players would rather
win the Armistice Day title than any other local or national title in the game.
The Indy Squadron has produced numerous Masters-level players, one Spring Mini-Con champion and two more top three finishers,
the strongest Camel roster of any squadron in history and trio of Congressional Medal of Honor winners.
Morris, Illinois Squadron
This was another group that was extremely active during Dawn Patrol's late '80's boom. The Morris group, which had autonomy
and identity but no specific name, was a very small group of players who would meet on weekends and turn in a stunning number
of games... so stunning, in fact, that some critics suggested there was no way to follow the game's original rules and
still complete 25-30 games in a single day.
Despite the controversy the Morris unit earned two memorable achievements - they produced a German Fokker pilot
who retired on kills and a player who won the Masters Tournament - both enviable goals that few squadrons in the history of
the game can match.
Inviolable Squadron of England
The unit was formed in March of 2005 by two old time Dawn Patrol players who, encouraged by a few more youthful and enthusiastic
pilots, were persuaded to get back into the game. A web site was built that summer and the group played several games. They
appeared to have some strength and experience in their unit but they faded from the scene within a year. Their web site is
no longer on the net and the fate of the group is unknown.
Freikorps Squadron of Michigan
With Dave Johnson and Dan Danoski at their core, the Freikorps squad has played together since at least 1985 albeit
with some frequent gaps in their recent history. They held two major events: a squadron championship and the Lafayette Cup
game, both long held traditions for more than fifteen years. The Freikorps host a small web site that has not been updated
since 1999. The group has also contributed several Masters-level players to the game although their playing time has declined
significantly since the turn of the century.
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