User:Tybaltcapulet/Sandbox 2

Potential original battles after season battles

Soldier: 76 (Overwatch) vs Oscar Mike (Battleborn)

Steven Universe(Whole crew) vs ?

Rematches I would like to do:

(Long future)Rematching Wehrmacht v Fourth Reich (Metro 2033) ( Addition of Red Army to Wehrmacht and Red Line to Fourth Reich)

Roger's Rangers vs Caçadores ( New Hampshire pride)

(Again long future I wanna keep off WW2 for a while after my season is over) Władysław Raginis vs Yakov Fedotovich Pavlov ( Lack of real description, x-factors are lacking, and there is only one really semi-detailed vote. Your standard 2011 battle.)

Overwatch vs RED Team ( If LB doesn't plan on finishing it)

David Koresh vs Shoko Asahara

Gru vs Megamind ( Two of my favorite Anti-Heroes of all time deserve a better set-up battle and sim)



They are called many things. Infantry, Soldiers, grunts. They are the front line men and women who sacrifice their lives on the bloody soil across the entirety of the world. One can create massive technological advancements in the air and sea, fighter, cruisers, destroyers, bombers etc. But at the end of the day the war is mostly decided on who has the most powerful land army.

Today I will be using two major commanders/ generals who are criminally unmentioned and unused on this site. They both were major contributors to their fronts. One proved himself by fighting in the Russian Revolution, Civil War, Khalkhin Gol, and went on to not only dominate vast part of the Belorussian and Ukrainian Fronts, but went on to secure major power post-WWII. The other after making multiple strong attempts against Yuan Shikai to undermine control of Northern China, went on to lead the National Revolutionary Army to victory, and become the Premier of the Republic of China...

Georgy Zhukov: The Soviet Marshal whose commanding skill in the Eastern front and his role in Barbarossa led to recognition by Joseph Stalin himself.

vs

Yan Xishan: The Chinese general, who excelled in both guerilla tactics and anti-guerilla tactics led him to victory against the Japanese.

Georgy Zhukov
Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov (1 December [O.S. 19 November] 1896 – 18 June 1974) was a Soviet Red Army General who became Chief of General Staff, Deputy Commander-in-Chief, Minister of Defence and a member of the Politburo. During World War II he participated in multiple battles, ultimately commanding the 1st Belorussian Front in the Battle of Berlin, which resulted in the defeat of Nazi Germany, and the end of the War in Europe.

In recognition of Zhukov's role in World War II, he was chosen to personally take the German Instrument of Surrender and to inspect the Moscow Victory Parade of 1945.

Yan Xishan
Yan Xishan  IPA:  [i̯ɛ́n ɕíʂan]; 8 October 1883 – 22 July 1960) was a Chinese warlord who served in the government of the Republic of China. He effectively controlled the province of Shanxi from the 1911 Xinhai Revolution to the 1949 Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War. As the leader of a relatively small, poor, remote province, he survived the machinations of Yuan Shikai, the Warlord Era, the Nationalist Era, the Japanese invasion of China and the subsequent civil war, being forced from office only when the Nationalist armies with which he was aligned had completely lost control of the Chinese mainland, isolating Shanxi from any source of economic or military supply. He has been viewed by Western biographers as a transitional figure who advocated using Western technology to protect Chinese traditions, while at the same time reforming older political, social and economic conditions in a way that paved the way for the radical changes that would occur after his rule.

Mauser C96 (Xishan):
The Mauser C96 (Construktion 96)[4] is a semi-automatic pistol that was originally produced by German arms manufacturer Mauser from 1896 to 1937.[5] Unlicensed copies of the gun were also manufactured in Spain and China in the first half of the 20th century.[5][6]

The distinctive characteristics of the C96 are the integral box magazine in front of the trigger, the long barrel, the wooden shoulder stock which gives it the stability of a short-barreled rifle and doubles as a holster or carrying case, and an iconic grip shaped like the handle of a broom. The grip earned the gun the nickname "broomhandle" in the English-speaking world, because of its round wooden handle, and in China the C96 was nicknamed the "box cannon" (Chinese: 盒子炮; pinyin: hézipào) because of its rectangular internal magazine and the fact that it could be holstered in its wooden box-like detachable stock.

Round: 7.63×25mm Mauser

Weight: 1,130 g (40 oz)

Length: 99 mm (3.9 in) (post-Bolo)

Effective Range: 150-200m

TT-33 (Zhukov):
The TT-30 (Russian: 7,62-мм самозарядный пистолет Токарева образца 1930 года,  translit.  , 7,62 mm  Samozaryadny Pistolet Tokareva obraztsa 1930 goda, "7.62 mm Tokarev self-loading pistol model 1930", TT stands for Tula-Tokarev) is a Russian semi-automatic pistol. It was developed in the early 1930s by Fedor Tokarev as a service pistol for the Soviet military to replace the Nagant M1895 revolver that had been in use since Tsarist times, though it ended up being used in conjunction with rather than replacing the M1895. It served until 1952, when it was replaced by the Makarov pistol.

Round:7.62×25mm Tokarev

Weight:854 g (30.1 oz)

Length:194 mm (7.6 in)

Range: 50m

Hanyang 88 (Xishan):
The Type 88, sometimes known as "Hanyang 88", is a Chinese-made bolt-action rifle, based on the German Gewehr 88. It was adopted by the Qing Dynasty towards the end of the 19th century and was a standard Chinese rifle, being used by multiple factions and formations, until the end of the Chinese Civil War. The name of the rifle is derived from Hanyang Arsenal, the main factory that produced this rifle. The rifle was due to be replaced as the standard Chinese rifle by the Chiang Kai-Shek rifle. However, manufacture of the new rifle never managed to match demand, and the Type 88 continued to be manufactured and to equip the National Revolutionary Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Round: 7.92x57mm Mauser

Weight: 4.06kg (9.0lbs)

Capacity: 5 round en-bloc clip, external box magazine

Range: 500m

Mosin-Nagant M1891/30 (Zhukov):
The 3-line rifle M1891 (Russian: трёхлинейная винтовка образца 1891 года, tryokhlineynaya vintovka  obraztsa 1891 goda), colloquially known as Mosin–Nagant (Russian: винтовка Мосина, ISO 9: 'vintovka Mosina') is a five-shot, bolt-action, internal magazine–fed, military rifle developed from 1882 to 1891, and used by the armed forces of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and various other nations. It is one of the most mass-produced military bolt-action rifles in history with over 37 million units having been made since its inception in 1891, and, in spite of its age, it has been used in various conflicts around the world up to the modern day.

Round: 7.62×54mmR

Weight: 4 kg (8.8 lb)

Capacity: 5-round non-detachable magazine, loaded individually or with 5-round stripper clips

Range: 500 m

ZB vz. 26  (Xishan)
The '''ZB vz. 26''' was a Czechoslovak light machine gun developed in the 1920s, which went on to enter service with several countries. It saw its major use during World War II, and spawned the related ZB vz. 27, vz. 30, and vz. 33. The ZB vz. 26 influenced many other light machine gun designs including the Bren light machine gun and the Type 96 Light Machine Gun. The ZB-26 is famous for its reliability, simple components, quick-change barrel and ease of manufacturing. This light machine gun in the Czechoslovak army was marked as the '''LK vz. 26' ("LK" means "lehký kulomet", light machine gun; "vz." stands for "vzor", Model'' in Czech). ZB vz. 26 is incorrect marking because "ZB-26" is a factory designation (Československá zbrojovka v Brně), while "vzor 26" or "vz. 26" is an army designation.

Round: 7.92×57mm IS

Weight: 9.650 kg (21.27 lb)

Rate of Fire: 500 rounds/min

Capacity: 30 round magazine

Range: 1,000 m (1,100 yd)

DP-28 (Zhukov)
The Degtyaryov machine gun (Russian: Пулемёт Дегтярёвa Пехотный Pulemyot Degtyaryova  Pekhotny "Degtyaryov's infantry machine gun") or DP-27 is a light machine gun firing the 7.62×54mmR cartridge that was primarily used by the Soviet Union, with service trials starting in 1927 followed by general deployment in 1928. Besides being the standard Soviet infantry light machine gun (LMG) during WWII, with various modifications it was used in aircraft as a flexible defensive weapon, and it equipped almost all Soviet tanks in WWII as either a flexible bow machine gun or a co-axial machine gun controlled by the gunner. It was improved in 1943 producing the DPM, but it was replaced in 1946 with the RP-46 which improved on the basic DP design by converting it to use belt feed. The DP machine gun was supplemented in the 1950s by the more modern RPD machine gun and entirely replaced in Soviet service by the general purpose PK machine gun in the 1960s.

Round: 7.62×54mmR

Weight: 11.5 kg (25 lb)

Rate of Fire: 550 rounds

Capacity: 47-round pan

Range: 800 m (874.9 yd)

M1917 Browning machine gun (Xishan)
The M1917 Browning machine gun is a heavy machine gun used by the United States armed forces in World War I, World War II, Korea; it has also been used by other nations. It was a crew served, belt-fed, water-cooled machine gun that served alongside the much lighter air-cooled Browning M1919. It was used at the battalion level, and often mounted on vehicles (such as a jeep). There were two main iterations of it: the M1917, which was used in World War I; and the M1917A1; which was used thereafter.

Round: 8mm Mauser (specifically for the NRA)

Weight: 103 lb (47 kg) (gun, tripod, water, and ammunition)

Feed System: 250-round belt

Rate of Fire: 450-600 round/min

Range: 1,500 yd (1,400 m)

PM M1910 (Zhukov)
The PM M1910 (Russian: Пулемёт Максима образца 1910 года, Pulemyot Maxima obraztsa 1910 goda or "Maxim's machine gun model 1910") was a heavy machine gun used by the Imperial Russian Army during World War I and the Red Army during Russian Civil War and World War II. Later, the gun saw service in the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and some have been spotted in the War in Donbass.

Round: 7.62×54mmR

Weight: 64.3 kg (139.6 lbs)

Feed System: 250-round belt

Rate of Fire: 600 round/min

Range:2,000 m (2,187 yd)

National Revolutionary Army (Xishan)
The National Revolutionary Army (NRA), sometimes shortened to Revolutionary Army (革命軍) before 1928, and as National Army (國軍) after 1928, was the military arm of the Kuomintang (KMT, or the Chinese Nationalist Party) from 1925 until 1947 in the Republic of China. It also became the regular army of the ROC during the KMT's period of party rule beginning in 1928. It was renamed the Republic of China Armed Forces after the 1947 Constitution, which instituted civilian control of the military.

Xishan will receive 28 NRA soldiers equipped with Mausers and Hanyang 88's. There will also be 10 light machine gunners with ZB vz. 26s, and 3 M1917 Browning crews, each with 4 soldiers manning them.

Red Army (Zhukov)
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (Russian: Рабоче-крестьянская Красная армия (РККА), Raboče-krestjjanskaja Krasnaja armija (RKKA)), frequently shortened to Red Army (Красная армия (КА), Krasnaja armija (KA); also in critical literature and folklore of that epoch – Red Horde,[1] Army of Work) was the army and the air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, and, after 1922, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The army was established immediately after the 1917 October Revolution (Red October or Bolshevik Revolution). The Bolsheviks raised an army to oppose the military confederations (especially the various groups collectively known as the White Army) of their adversaries during the Russian Civil War. Beginning in February 1946, the Red Army, along with the Soviet Navy, embodied the main component of the Soviet Armed Forces; taking the official name of "Soviet Army", until its dissolution in December 1991.

Zhukov will recieve 28 Red Army soldiers equipped with Tokarev TT-33s and Mosin Nagant M1891/30s. There will also be 10 light machine gunners with DP-28s, and 3 PM 1910 crews, each with 4 soldiers manning them.

X-Factors
Training: Xishan attended a free military school in the very late 18th century, and was then sent to Japan in 1904 to Tokyo Shimbu Gakko, a military academy and finally entered the Imperial Japanese Army Academy until 1909 where he was sent back to China as a division commander. Zhukov on the other hand only had one year in the Higher School of Cavalry. He was a conscripted soldier, and didn't have much in the way of formal training.

Experience: Xishan and Zhukov had various fronts and armies they have led and have had early experience before WW2. Xishan first got involved in 1911 in the Shanxi Revolution and eventually took control of the province. He led led the Beiyang Army, The Army Of Shanxi, and fought in various battles/war such as the, The Central Plains War, the 2nd Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War. Zhukov was conscripted as a soldier in the Russian Empire in 1915, then after various decorations in WW1 for his bravery, joined the Bolshevik Party after 1917. He then served in the Russian Civil War and went in various Cavalry Regiments from the early 20's all the way to the late 30's. In WW2 he served in Khalkhin Gol and then was a major general through the 1st Belorussian Front, all the way to the fall of Berlin.

Tactics: Xishan's best example of tactical thought is his battle at Taiyuan. He used guerrilla factions to initiate skirmishes from the front and rear of the Japanese, while he mobilized the rest of his army to wait in a targeted city for the battle weary and exhausted soldiers. He did eventually lose, but only due to being outnumbered and having inferior technology. The Japanese suffered very heavy casualties. Zhukov's tactics, as shown by Khalkhin Gol also called "Soviet Offensive" consisted of Zhukov using heavy artillery and aircraft fire to support what seems to be a conventional offensive front, but was supported by 2 reserve tank divisions, which then assisted them in completely overwhelming the Japanese 6th Army.

Setting/voting requirements
This will be a 50 on 50 engagement, taking place in Northern Shanxi. After their major takedown of Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union wishes to expand it's borders and make new allies. They find a perfect ally in the future People's Republic of China, who is currently struggling to get support to begin an uprising. Stalin sends in one of his most trusted generals, Georgy Zhukov to begin a front through Mongolia to Shanxi, and declares war of the Republic of China and it's allies.

Being one of the major leader of the republic, Yan Xishan moves his forces to the border to defend from any invasion. Both leaders will know that this battle is taking place and will attempt to plan accordingly. Obviously when Zhukov arrives, the battle will rage on.

Datong,Soviet Republic of Shanxi, 1986
An Bambang was always interested in war and weaponry. Ever since he was a child, he tinkered with small objects and created the strangest of weapons. As he grew into a teenager however, he became much more interested in the men themselves and how their minds won wars. He read various books of war, The Art of War, The Five Rings etc.

He of course wanted to join the Red Army, but his mother forbade it. She always would tell him to go visit Li Shen, an old veteran of the National Revolutionary Army if he truly wanted to know what war was like. Bambang always laughed at her, thinking that he was just an old fool of a forgotten army. But one day something was different. He again boasted on how he would one day join the Red Army, and his mother again screamed at him about Li Shen. And Bambang actually accepted. He thought it was odd too, but if he was to truly understand what war was like, he'd need someone experienced.

His mother then gave him directions to the old man's home, on the south side of Datong, and wished him good luck. When he arrived to the Li Shen's home, the veteran was confused at first. But after explaining himself, Li was happy to let him in. Li Shen was an odd looking man to say the least.

A tall and gaunt looking man, Li Shen. He was blind in one eye, with a massive black eye patch covering it. He was quite fair skinned, and was covered in wrinkles. Li Shen had a noticeable limp, as he reached for his cane. The oddest thing Bambang noticed though, was that the old man was still wearing his uniform from all those years ago.

"你為什麼穿著制服?" ( Why are you wearing your uniform?) asked the confused young man. The disabled veteran howled with laughter, so much that he started to cry from his good eye. "當你找不到工作而你卻沒錢"(When you can't find work and you have no money) he mused, "你有一個選擇" ( You don't get a choice). An then understood. This man who fought for his country, could not afford basic needs such as clothing.

Before he could voice his discontent, Li Shen raised his hand to silence him. Seeing that the boy was confused, he smiled and simply said "我對自己的生活感到滿意. 你是來這裡了解戰爭的，你會的" (I am satisfied with my life. You came here to learn about war and you will.)

He pulls out a small journal and hands it to Bambang. As the teenager inspects the book, he sees how old the book is. It's from 1940-1945, and is covered with dust. As he blows it off, Li Shen grabs a lantern and brings it over to where Bambang is sitting. He instructs him to open to where the last bookmark is. The page is dated October 7th 1945.

Li Shen then directed him to return the opened book to him, and began to read from the old book.

Northern Shanxi, 1945
The year was 1945, and the region of Shanxi wasn't the most stable of areas. They had just fought an almost decade long war and were desperate for peace for at least enough time to regroup and re-evaluate their strength. This however, they would not receive, as power-hungry dictator, Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union, was desperate for two things, allies and land.

And what better land to take than China? They were ravaged by years of conflict and weren't unified due to Japan's occupation of the nearby territories. Even more in their favor was there was a Communist faction within China that would create even more chaos if they were able to connect. They had already received assistance from the Soviets before, but now that they were free from their conflict with the fascist German Reich, they were free to dedicate more resources towards the struggle.

Now the Soviet Union would send one of their finest marshals to push into the fractured land of the once powerful Chinese empire. And this was none other than the famous Georgy Zhukov, the terror of the Eastern Front.

''BOOM! ''The sound of artillery shelling the National Revolutionary Army's makeshift base rang through the air, letting loose pieces of dirt all across the floor. Around 200 soldiers were lined up in formation awaiting orders. A thin, moustached man in his 60's slowly walked towards his men. Medals lined his uniform, which was brandished with his General rank and a strap covering his right shoulder.

The man who would be later known as the " Model Governor", Yan Xishan approached his defensive force, the first line of defense between them and the power of the Red Army. They were organized into four groups, with fifty men in each. Groups B,C and D were assigned as follow-up reserve groups to harass the enemy.

Group A, led by a younger Lieutenant Li Shen, would be the first part of the force to be sent in. Grabbing their rifles, pistols, machine guns and LMG's, they mobilized to defend their homeland. Group A plunged into the rocky mountainous terrain of the Shanxi, moving as silently as they could, searching for the first Red Army group they could find.

Airplanes. The metal creatures that allowed man to imitate the natural actions of the bird. They've been used for many purposes both uplifting and horrifying. They've allowed the world to connect to each other, for the continents to be united in trade and diplomacy. But such a useful utility such as this almost always finds its way to war.

What started from the Wright brothers' first powered flight in the early 20th century evolved into a sundry of much more advanced aircraft that were capable of such power that their pioneers would be unable to understand. From the Dresden bombing, to the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, to more modern atrocities such

So today, I wish to use two mostly forgotten air commanders, whose battles are untold in the history books. A Russian squad car slowly moved through a makeshift road beside them, and it was none of than the man who bent Germany to it's knees, Marshal Zhukov.

x50(Georgy Zhukov) x50 (Yan Xishan)

Li Shen ordered his men to get to whatever cover they could find and prepare to attack. After getting their machine guns set up, and the Red Army soldiers getting closer, they opened fire. Startled the Red Army soldiers quickly organized a defensive front in a desperate attempt to ward off the guerrilla soldiers.

"Защити маршала!" (Protect the Marshal!) the leader cried as the squad car moved as fast as it could across the land, and was able to to escape just barely as the hailfire of bullets went past him. Trying to assist his comrades, one of the higher ranking rifleman ran over to cover the PM 1910 but was struck in the eye by a Browning round.

The Russians quickly figured out that trying to maintain a position like this would result in complete failure and they would end up entirely surrounded. So with the cover of DP-28 ground fire, they began to slowly push up towards the Shanxi soldiers. Initially panicking at the sudden charge, Li Shen realized this would be a perfect opportunity to exploit their home-field advantage.

On his left however, his men were pinned down, about 10 of them in all. Reloading their ZB, one of them was struck in the arm and then the neck by two Mosin round. The lieutenant yelled as loud as he could to have them run while they got covering fire. Not wanting to end up prey to the Russians again, they quickly obliged.

Under the cover of their comrades, not only were they able to escape to safety, but three riflemen were annihilated by machine gun fire x3. Desperate to get close and use brute strength to win, the Russians sped again through the forest.

Lieutenant Shen could hear the angry sounds of the Russians behind him, soon threatening to get on top of them if they couldn't get away fast enough. But he was very fortunate that he found the perfect place to set up his men. It was a rocky, inclined hill with various boulders. Quickly, the machine gun crews set up on the left, right and middle of the hill, overlooking most of the land in front of them. Pulling out his pistol, Shen prepared again in silence for the approach of the Soviets

But the Soviets weren't nearly as fool-hardy as he thought, as they stopped well before they reached the trap, and were quickly attempting to regain the initiative.Utilizing the cover around them, they positioned their machine guns near each other. put their light machine gunners in between them, and split the remaining rifleman all throughout.

It was rudimentary, but just about their only escape from their fire. They had figured out the NRA's ways,and were determined not to fall subject to them. Italo Balbo, the Italian Governor of Libya who served as the Marshall of the Air force

vs

Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen, the Generalfeldmarschall who had great success in the Crimean campaigns and the Eastern front!

Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen
Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen (10 October 1895 – 12 July 1945) was a German field marshal of the Luftwaffe(German Air Force) during World War II. Born in 1895 into a family of the Prussian nobility, Richthofen grew up in prosperous surroundings. At the age of eighteen, after leaving school, he opted to join the German Army rather than choose an academic career, and joined the army's cavalry arm in 1913.

On the outbreak of the First World War, Richthofen fought on the Western Front, winning the Iron Cross Second Class. In 1915 he was posted to the Eastern Front, where he stayed until 1917.

After the war Richthofen resumed civilian life after being discharged from the army. He studied engineering at a university before rejoining the Reichswehr, the German armed forces of the Weimar Republic era. In 1933 Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power in Germany, and the Reichswehr was transformed into the Wehrmacht. Richthofen joined the new Luftwaffe. He also served as part of the Condor Legion which supported the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War.

When the Second World War broke out in September 1939, Richthofen commanded a specialised ground-attack air unit, Fliegerkorps VIII (8th Air Corps), first as a small active service unit in the Polish Campaign, and then as a full-sized Air Corps in Western Europe, from May to June 1940. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Crosson 23 May 1940, in view of his achievements. He continued in frontline service during the Battle of Britain and the Balkans Campaign in 1940 and 1941.

Richthofen achieved his greatest success on the Eastern Front. In particular, he achieved notable success in the Crimean Campaigns during 1942. Despite offering vital tactical and operational support to Army Group South, after the victory at the Third Battle of Kharkov he was moved to the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations, where he commanded Luftwaffe forces in the Italian Campaign. He remained in active service until late 1944, when he was retired on medical grounds. Soon after the capitulation of Germany in May 1945, he was taken prisoner by the United States Army, but on 12 July he died in captivity of a brain tumour.

Italo Balbo
Italo Balbo (Ferrara, 6 June 1896 – Tobruk, 28 June 1940) was an Italian Blackshirt (Camicie Nere, or CCNN) leader who served as Italy's Marshal of the Air Force (Maresciallo dell'Aria), Governor-General of Libya, Commander-in-Chief of Italian North Africa (Africa Settentrionale Italiana, or ASI), and the "heir apparent" to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.

After serving in World War I, Balbo became the leading Fascist organizer in his home region of Ferrara. He was one of the four principal architects (Quadrumviri del Fascismo) of the March on Rome that brought Mussolini and the Fascists to power in 1922, along with Michele Bianchi, Emilio De Bono and Cesare Maria De Vecchi. In 1926, he began the task of building the Italian Royal Air Force and took a leading role in popularizing aviation in Italy, and promoting Italian aviation to the world. In 1933, perhaps to relieve tensions surrounding him in Italy, he was given the government of Italian Libya, where he resided for the remainder of his life. Balbo was the only leading Fascist to oppose Mussolini's alliance with Nazi Germany. Early in World War II, he was killed by friendly fire when his plane was shot down over Tobruk by Italian anti-aircraft guns.

Fiat CR.42 x30 (Balbo)
The Fiat CR.42 Falco ("Falcon", plural: Falchi) was a single-seat sesquiplane fighter developed and produced by Italian aircraft manufacturer Fiat Aviazione. It served primarily in Italy's Regia Aeronautica both before and during the Second World War.

The CR.42 was an evolutionary design of Fiat’s earlier CR.32 fighter, featuring a more powerful supercharged Fiat A.74R1C.38 air-cooled radial engine and aerodynamic improvements to its relatively clean exterior surfaces. The aircraft proved to be relatively agile in flight, a factor that had been attributed to its very low wing loading and a sometimes decisive tactical advantage. RAF Intelligence praised its exceptional maneuverability, further noting that "the plane was immensely strong",though it was technically outclassed by faster, more heavily armed monoplanes. While primarily used as a fighter, various other roles were adopted for some variants of the type, such as the CR.42N dedicated night fighter model, the CR.42AS ground attack aircraft, and the CR.42B Biposto twin-seat trainer aircraft.

Top Speed: 274 MPH

Armament: Engine: 1 × Fiat A.74 RC38 radial air-cooled, fourteen cylinders radial engine (840 horsepower)
 * 2 × 12.7 mm (0.5 in) Breda SAFAT machine guns, 400 rpg.
 * 2 × 12.7 mm (.5 in) machine-guns in underwing fairing on some.

Crew: 1

Range: 780 km (420 nmi, 485 mi)

Messerschmitt Bf 109 x30 (Richthofen)
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force.The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War and was still in service at the dawn of the jet age at the end of World War II in 1945. It was one of the most advanced fighters of the era, including such features as all-metal monocoque construction, a closed canopy, and retractable landing gear. It was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-V12 aero engine. From the end of 1941, the Bf 109 was steadily being supplemented by the Focke-Wulf Fw 190. It was commonly called the Me 109, most often by Allied aircrew and even among the German aces themselves, even though this was not the official German designation.

Top Speed: 398 MPH

Armament: Engine: 1 × Daimler-Benz DB 605A-1 liquid-cooled inverted V12 (1200 horspower)
 * 2 × 13 mm (.51 in) synchronized MG 131 machine guns with 300 rpg

Crew: 1

Range: 850 km (528 mi)

Junkers Ju 87 x50 (Richthofen)
The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka (from Sturzkampfflugzeug, "dive bomber") is a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War and served the Axis forces in World War II.

The aircraft was easily recognisable by its inverted gull wings and fixed spatted undercarriage. Upon the leading edges of its faired main gear legs were mounted the Jericho-Trompete (Jericho trumpet) wailing sirens, becoming the propaganda symbol of German air power and the blitzkrieg victories of 1939–1942. The Stuka's design included several innovative features, including automatic pull-up dive brakes under both wings to ensure that the aircraft recovered from its attack dive even if the pilot blacked out from the high g-forces.

Top Speed: 242 MPH

Armament:  Crew: 2(One front and rear)
 * x2 7.62mm MG17 machine guns(front) x2 7.62mm MG15 machine guns (rear)
 * 1× 250 kg (550 lb) bomb beneath the fuselage and 4× 50 kg (110 lb), two bombs underneath each wing

Engine: 1x Jumo 211J-1 Inverted -V piston ( 1400 horsepower)

Range: 500 km (311 mi

Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero x50 ( Balbo)
The  (Italian for sparrowhawk) was a three-engined Italian medium bomber developed and manufactured by aviation company Savoia-Marchetti. It could be the best-known Italian aeroplane of the Second World War. The SM.79 was easily recognizable due to its distinctive fuselage dorsal "hump", and was reportedly well liked by its crews, who nicknamed it il gobbo maledetto ("damned hunchback").

The SM.79 had been originally developed during the early 1930s as a cantilever low-wing monoplane employing a combined wood-and-metal structure. It had been designed with the initial intention of producing a swift eight-passenger transport aircraft, capable of besting even the fastest of its contemporaries at that time, however, the project quickly attracted the attention of the Italian government for its potential as an armed combat aircraft. Performing its first flight on 28 September 1934; between 1937 and 1939, early examples of the type established 26 separate world records, qualifying it for some time as being the fastest medium bomber in the world. As such, the SM.79 quickly became regarded as an item of national prestige in Fascist Italy, attracting significant government support and often being deployed as an element of state propaganda. Early on, the aircraft was routinely entered into competitive fly-offs and air races, seeking to capitalize on its advantages, and often emerged victorious in such contests.

Top Speed: 286 mph

Armament:
 * 1 × 20 mm (0.79 in) forward MG 151 cannon
 * 2 × 12.7 mm (0.5 in) dorsal Breda-SAFAT machine gun 1 at the top, 1 in the belly (The belly gun was optional).
 * 2 × 7.7 mm (0.303 in) machine guns in lateral "waist-gun" ports (optional)

Crew: 6
 * 1,200 kg (2,645 lb) internal bomb load

Engine: x3 Piaggo P.XI air-cooled radial piston engines (1000 horsepower)

Range: 2,600 km (1,615 mi)

Luftwaffe ( 8th Air Corps)
The Luftwaffe[was the aerial warfare branch of the combined German Wehrmachtmilitary forces during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the Luftstreitkräfte of the Army and the Marine-Fliegerabteilung of the Navy, had been disbanded in May 1920 as a result of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles which stated that Germany was forbidden to have any air force.

The Luftwaffe proved instrumental in the German victories across Poland and Western Europe in 1939 and 1940. During the Battle of Britain, however, despite inflicting severe damage to the RAF's infrastructure and, during the subsequent Blitz, devastating many British cities, the German air force failed to batter the beleaguered British into submission. From 1942, Allied bombing campaigns gradually destroyed the Luftwaffe 's fighter arm. From late 1942, the Luftwaffe used its surplus ground, support and other personnel to raise Luftwaffe Field Divisions. In addition to its service in the West, the Luftwaffe operated over the Soviet Union, North Africa and Southern Europe. Despite its belated use of advanced turbojet and rocket propelled aircraft for the destruction of Allied bombers, the Luftwaffe was overwhelmed by the Allies' superior numbers and improved tactics, and a lack of trained pilots and aviation fuel. In January 1945, during the closing stages of the Battle of the Bulge, the Luftwaffe made a last-ditch effort to win air superiority, and met with failure. With rapidly dwindling supplies of petroleum, oil, and lubricants after this campaign, and as part of the entire combined Wehrmacht military forces as a whole, the Luftwaffe ceased to be an effective fighting force.

Specifically in this battle, Richthofen will be in command of the 8th Air Corps:

8th Air Corps (VIII. Fliegerkorps) was formed 19 July 1939 in Oppeln as Fliegerführer z.b.V. ("for special purposes"). It was renamed to the 8th Air Corps on 10 November 1939. The Corps was also known as Luftwaffenkommando Schlesien between 25 January 1945 and 2 February 1945 and was merged with Luftgau-Kommando VIII on 28 April 1945 and redesignated Luftwaffenkommando VIII.

Regia Aeronautica
The Italian Royal Air Force (Regia Aeronautica Italiana) was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the monarchy was abolished and the Kingdom of Italy became the Italian Republic, whereupon the name of the air force changed to Aeronautica Militare.

The Italian air force became an independent service—the Regia Aeronautica—on March 28, 1923. Benito Mussolini's fascist regime turned it into an impressive propaganda machine, with its aircraft, featuring the Italian flag colors across the full span of the undersides of the wings, making numerous record-breaking flights.

The first test for the new Italian Royal Air force came in October 1935, with the Ethiopian war. During the final stages of the war, Regia Aeronautica deployed up to 386 aircraft, operating from Eritrea and Somalia. The Italian aviators did not have any opposition in the air, as the Imperial Ethiopian Air Force had just 15 transport and liaison aircraft, only nine of which were serviceable. However the Regia Aeronautica lost 72 planes and 122 aircrew members  while supporting the operations of the Regio Esercito, sometimes dropping poison gas bombs against the Ethiopian army. And after the end of hostilities, on 5 May 1936, for the following 13 months the Regia Aeronautica had to assist Italian forces in fighting Ethiopian guerrillas.

During World War II Regia Aeronautica had experience in Albania, France, East/West Africa, Britain, Greece, Yugoslavia, the Eastern Front in Russia, and various other European theaters, often times assisting the Luftwaffe, like in the Western Desert campaign and the later parts of the Eastern Front.

X-factors
Experience:

Richthofen/:  At the age of eighteen, after leaving school, he joined the German Army's  cavalry arm in 1913.Richthofen fought on the Western Front, winning the Iron Cross Second Class. In 1915 he was posted to the Eastern Front, where he stayed until 1917. His cousins, the brothers Lothar and Manfred von Richthofen both became flying aces and they encouraged him to join the Luftstreitkräfte where served multiple missions. Richthofen joined the new Luftwaffe when Hitler and the Nazi party took control. He also served as part of the Condor Legion which supported the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War. in September 1939, Richthofen commanded the Fliegerkorps VIII (8th Air Corps), first as a small active service unit in the Polish Campaign, from May to June 1940. Richthofen achieved great success on the Eastern Front.He fought in the Crimean campaigns through 1942. After this he was moved to the Mediterranean Theatre of Operations, where he commanded Luftwaffe forces in the Italian Campaign. He remained in active service until late 1944, when he was retired on medical grounds.

Balbo/:During WW1, Balbo was an officer in the Italian Royal army and had experience in the Alpini Battalion before volunteering for flight training in 1917. Not long after this, the Germans and Austro-Hungarian forces broke through Italian lines, forcing him to return to the front. After the war he became a major Blackshirt organizer, and after that his next major experience was leading transatlantic flights through the 1930's. He secretly organized men to attack Ethiopia during the Abyssinia crisis. During the time of WW2 in 1940, he was planning an invasion of Egypt when on a mission, he was shot down by his own anti-aircraft weaponry.

Training:

Richthofen: Richthofen didn't really get any significant training until 1919 to 1922, where he studied aeronautical engineering at the Technical University of Hanover.

Balbo/Regia Aeronautica: Balbo lacked any real training until 1926, where he was appointed Secretary of State for Air and was given a crash course on aviation and began building the Italian Royal Air Force. Other than this he received no major training.

Tactics:

Richthofen: Richthofen was a champion of two forms of tactics, shuttle air and dive bombing. In shuttle air, to maximize support over the frontline, aircraft operated from bases near the front to keep and gain an advantage. Aircraft were sent in small formations to bomb frontline positions, while other groups of ground attack aircraft were en route and refuelling. Dive bombing involves a plane fly right at it's target to maximize accuracy.

Balbo/Regia Aeronautica: Since there isn't much information on Balbo's tactical style, so i'll have to take into consideration how Regia Aeronautica approached their battles. For this battle I will take their actions at the Siege of Malta as an example. In the Siege of Malta, Regia Aeronautica began the aerial bombardment of the island from airbases in Sicily. On the first day, 55 Italian bombers and 21 fighters flew over Malta and dropped 142 bombs on the three airfields at Luqa, Hal Far and Ta Qali. In the afternoon, another 38 bombers escorted by 12 fighters raided the capital. The raids were designed to affect the morale of the population rather than inflict damage to dockyards and installations. A total of eight raids were flown on that first day. The bombing did not cause much damage and most of the casualties suffered were civilian. It also seems that Regia Aeronautica relied on assistance from the the Luftwaffe to conduct air missions, or at least they frequently would.

Logistics:Richthofen: Germany always lacked resources throughout the war, and constantly had to base their strategy. They would frequently have to attack cities just to take their resources. That and intense bombing of their oil that they did have, caused them to lack resources altogether. This made it impossible to maintain the powerful planes that they made.

Balbo: Balbo and Regia and Aeronautica weren't much better off, as the organization lost many, many planes throughout their missions, leaving a limited amount of planes to use in general. Also, many of their planes were simply outdated compared to their contemporaries. Their construction lacked the necessary materials to create advanced planes, while having to maintain the ones they had.

Objectives and Battle Situation/Voting
This battle will have 35 fighters and 50 bombers on each side. Germany is in the middle of its oil crisis and is desperate to acquire the critical resource in any way possible. Adolf Hitler has decided that Italy has outlived its usefulness and that they would be a perfect opportunity to kill two bird with one stone. Richthofen, one of Hitler's most trusted Luftwaffe commanders, is sent to Libya to what is thought to be an easy invasion.

However, Hitler being the aggressive man he is formally declared war on Mussolini, and Italo Balbo, the governor of the land, had been notified, and ordered to establish whatever defensive they possibly can. Richthofen doesn't know that Balbo is prepared for an invasion, and therefore travels with a light force.

Note: Both sides have their own barracks/airfield that both sides will receive intelligence on as the battle is going on. I.E, bombers will not come into play until intelligence is received

Primary Objective:
Richthofen: Take the oilfield, and destroy any planes that get in the way of the invasion.

Balbo: Defend the oilfield, and force a retreat of the attacking German force.

Secondary Objectives:
Both: Destroy the other sides' barracks, which have the majority of their armaments and supplies for the engagements

Note: All objectives do not require either commanders to be active or even alive to achieve. Ex: If Balbo is killed in the air, and his men are still able to defend against Richthofen's mini-invasion, the objective is still met

You all know what I need for voting but just in case:

Format 1: Detailed edge based vote with good grammar and that isn't just a couple of words or a sentence.

Format 2: 7 sentence paragraph detailing why you believe a certain warrior will win.

Votes like: "Richthofen winns because Italllo's a fillthy spahgetti muncher" or " Italo wiins becausse Naziis badd" will not count.

X-factors are not required in your vote but are appreciated.

I hold the final say as to whether a vote counts or not, guidelines not withstanding.Voting will end when I am satisfied the the quality and quantity of votes.