Siege of Vraks - War in the Air: With the 88th siege army re-equipping and re-supplying and with new allies on the way to the front, the balance of power had again shifted in favour of the Emperor's forces. They could now match the Traitor Titans of Legio Vulcanum and the arrival of 717th fighter wing and 1099th bomber wing meant that they could also contest the enemy’s aerial supremacy.Along with the planetary landings of thousands of battle-hardened Chaos worshippers and the renegade warbands of Chaos Space Marines, there had also arrived the infernal Hell Blade and Hell Talons. Sleek and fast, they now streaked into battle, bombing and strafing with impunity. The 88th siege army had little to respond with. It was severely short of anti¬aircraft weaponry, the plan for the siege had not envisioned requiring it in great numbers and that which had been deployed had long since been converted for ground use or lost to the endless artillery bombardments. The Krieg regiments had no air support to call upon themselves, so the enemy had free reign over Vraks’ skies.Enemy aircraft could strike far and wide, making nowhere on Vraks’ surface safe from attack. Across the Van Meersland Wastes, Hell Blades and Hell Talons plunged down onto supply depots and artillery positions, even attacking the distant landing fields and interrupting the flow of supplies. The losses to the air attacks were mounting daily.Marshall Kagori’s reinforcements could now however meet the enemy above Vraks with Thunderbolt and Lightning fighters to provide air-defence and escort the Marauder bomber missions. The Marauders gave the 88th siege army a reach well beyond its artillery range so the Imperium's army could now strike at the heart of the enemy and the citadel would soon come under regular air raids. Strongpoints could be targeted by low-level precision bombing, whilst entire areas of the frontline could be carpet bombed in preparation for an offensive. The siege of Vraks would take on a whole new dimension as the war esculated again.The 717th fighter wing consisted of ten squadrons, each of approximately 20 aircraft. They would be deployed mainly as a defensive force, flying constant combat air patrols ready to intercept enemy attacks, whilst others would be required to fly as long range escorts alongside the Marauders. 1099th bomber wing consisted of seven squadrons, each of approximately a dozen bombers, supported by four Marauder Vigilants for long-range reconnaissance and command and control support. This was a potent asset for Marshall Kagori, over 80 heavily ladened bombers would be able to pound the rebels and their defences night and day.It took time to prepare the aircraft after their long journey and to stockpile enough fuel and ammunition whilst labourers constructed airbases for both wings. On 930824.M41 the work was finally complete and the first missions were ready to be launched. The stormy skies of Vraks, once filled by peels of thunder would now reverberate to the roar of jet engines.To those in the trenches below, looking up to see the vapour trails of high flying bombers and their escorts, it seemed that the Imperial Navy crews had the easiest of lives. They did not face the ever-present threat of sudden annihilation by enemy shelling or the prospect of going over the top in the face of withering enemy fire. These crews knew little of the torments of life on the frontline, living safely in well- protected barracks far away. The pilots knew differently. Part of Vraks' system of defences against planetary assault was heavy concentrations of anti-aircraft weaponry, much of which surrounded the citadel. The pilots sent to attack the citadel soon named it the ‘hornet’s nest’. A bombing raid would be met with a tremendous barrage of flak and Manticore missiles. Enemy fighters swooped in to meet them, recklessly attacking without fear for their own lives. The Chaos worshippers threw themselves into the new aerial war, seemingly heedless of their losses. Ferocious dogfights swirled and dived and the Imperial Navy's losses started to mount. Proportionally, during attacks on the citadel, an air crewman actually had less chance of survival than an infantryman. Just like the ground war, the battle in the skies was bitter and merciless.The fortress was their main target and Marauder Vigilant missions quickly revealed that over the years of the siege the enemy had not relied wholly upon the plundered stores (massive through they were). The fortress was now surrounded by its own crude manufacturum. A shantytown of arms and metal working factories had sprung up, where tanks could be repaired and weapons and ammunition constructed. Clustered around the foot of the fortress rock these armouries, workshops and forges were burning night and day to supply the troops at the front. Well beyond the range of Krieg artillery, they soon became a priority target for the bombers. The fortress itself was very well defended and almost invulnerable beneath the shroud of its void shields. The surrounding workshops were also well protected by Vraks’ many anti-aircraft weapons. Here the air war raged with its greatest intensity, Marauders roaring in to unleash devastation into the teeth of heavy flak concentrations. Although other missions to strike at strong points on the front or to interdict the service roads that acted as the main supply routes were also planned and executed, the citadel remained the priority. As the air war intensified, aircraft became a common sight over Vraks.Marshall Kagori was assured that the Imperial Navy’s commitment to Vraks was in it for the long haul. They would see the campaign to its conclusion, just as the siege regiments must. A constant stream of replacement aircraft, pilots and crew would be supplied to keep the commitment up to strength. Enemy strength in aircraft was unknown and given their nature difficult to pin down. Estimates ranged from 200 aircraft up to 500. Most likely the enemy enjoyed an advantage in numbers at the beginning of the air campaign but as attrition began to take its toll, and Imperial Navy replacements began to arrive, by 278825.M41 most aircrews estimated that they had achieved a rough parity in forces. From then on the Imperial Navy would be gaining the upper hand, if only in numbers alone.The aircraft that faced each other over Vraks were very different. The vast bulk of the fighter wing was made up of Thunderbolts, the workhorse of the Imperial Navy, well-armoured and armed, with good speed and manoeuvrability. The fighter squadrons could also field a few Lightnings - smaller, faster and lighter than the Thunderbolts they lacked the heavy fighter’s firepower, but could compete with the enemy’s better manoeuvrability in a dogfight. The real striking power came from the Marauder bombers. A medium bomber with excellent range and a large payload of bombs but slow and heavy, the Marauder was very vulnerable to enemy fighters and could not operate without a strong fighter escort. These would be supported by the Marauder’s Vigilant variant. These aircraft sacrificed bomb payload for technical equipment, scanners and high-powered imagers. Used for aerial reconnaissance of targets before an attack, or to study the effects after a raid, they were specialised aircraft and had to be carefully husbanded.The Imperial Navy faced the Hell Blade and larger Hell Talon. The Hell Blade was small, very fast and agile in a dogfight. They operated in large numbers, swarming the Imperial Navy’s formations. The Hell Talon was a heavier aircraft operating in the fighter/bomber role, carrying a payload of bombs as well as its defensive weapons. Despite its size it was still a mobile aircraft and match for the Thunderbolt in a dogfight. So far on Vraks none of the much feared Harbinger super-heavy bombers had been encountered.