Project "Big Week"

[LuftManu]

 

Our project

Hello everyone, I am pleased to announce that we are creating a one-player campaign for Il-2 called "Big Week".

 

This campaign, which will be free and will be distributed in English and Spanish will try to portray the events of February 1944 where the USAF and the RAF tried to minimize the industrial capacity of Nazi Germany.

Our tasks, taking into account the limitations of the simulator, will be to intercept groups of straggler bombers, deal with the escorts and sometimes interact with some German formations that are related to the attacks of England in the "Baby Blitz". Of course, we will deal with a lot of unhistorical scenarios  but the objective of this project is to have fun flying. We are aware of the targets bombed and off-map events but we think we can make something that the player can experience and believe even if those events didn't take place in the map. 

 

The requirements will be the Rhineland map (Bodenplatte) and the Bf 109 G6 (Collector aircraft), so our aircraft set is more or less suitable for the time. We will face the P-38, P-47 and also the P-51 for the first time. Although the versions of these aircraft are not exactly accurate, we believe that this fact won't affect the player perspective.

 

Who we are

We are from La Fundación, an Spanish flight sim community who has experience in mission building. Now we want to take an step forward after building content for our community so we can enjoy and experience a bigger project.

 

What do we need?

We would be pleased if the community help us for the historical context, airbases, units and other data at this period and area. Mission events from the USAF persective and other data are also welcomed. We thank in advance to all the people who wants to help and those who want to fly and enjoy this scripted campaign.

 

Limitations

As we wrote earlier, we are aware of the limitations of the simulator at this moment so we will take that into account to provide an exciting experience while being playable. This is a very important task for us.

 

Date

We don't know when we will finish or if we will be able to finish at all but we would like to work and deliver a good and free experience to everybody.

 

Thanks for your time reading this! 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2019 by LF_Gallahad

[Cybermat47]

This website can be used as a source for finding where a Luftwaffe unit was based: https://www.ww2.dk/

 

Here’s their page on JG 3: https://www.ww2.dk/air/jagd/jg3.htm

[photog95661]

Sounds very interesting.  Please keep us posted regarding progress.

[Reaperr]

your project sounds very interesting and i wish you the best of luck. and if you need testing i am would like to help

[E69_julian57]

Manu me gusta la campaña que estáis haciendo.
Si necesitáis pieles dame un toque.

 

Manu I like the campaign you are doing.
If you need skins give me a touch.

[LuftManu]

Thanks for the kind words everyone! and also for the information. We have enough already to start developing a demo that we will release as soon as we can. Any feedback will be welcomed!

 

1 hour ago, E69_julian57 said:

Manu me gusta la campaña que estáis haciendo.
Si necesitáis pieles dame un toque.

 

Manu I like the campaign you are doing.
If you need skins give me a touch.

That would be great Julian, we are using the ingame skins for now but some skin work would be perfect to try to hide some aircraft versions and convert others. A metal B-25 for a B-24 for example even if they are worlds apart.

 

If you want, just hop in in the team ?

 

Some tests for the first mission. Sunday 20th February was the beginning of the "Big Week". 35 B-26s from the 8th Air force got lost due to the weather and decided to search for targets of opportunity. At the end they bomb Haastende airfield in Holland on their way back. LW Bf-109s were scrambled early that morning due to the multiple USAF strikes during the day and they intercept the Marauders.

Edited November 16, 2019 by LF_Gallahad

[E69_julian57]

Por ahora las pieles del B 24 no tiene plantilla, esperemos que salga alguna.

 

For now the skins of the B 24 has no template, hopefully some will come out.

 

[Juri_JS]

Looks interesting. How many aircraft will the missions have? In my own missions larger numbers of B-25s are a real performance killer.

[LuftManu]

6 minutes ago, Juri_JS said:

Looks interesting. How many aircraft will the missions have? In my own missions larger numbers of B-25s are a real performance killer.

We will try to find a sweetspot between number of aircraft and horizontal space so we can at least give the impression of a massive formation.

[Grancesc]

That's a gorgeous idea. Community groups as La Fundación and skinners like Julian enrich this sim immensely. I'm really looking forward to this campaign. Thanks for your great initiative.

Esto es una idea espléndida. Grupos como La Fundación y skinners como Julian enriquecen inmensamente este sim. Tengo muchas ganas de poder comenzar esta campaña. Muchas gracias por vuestra gran iniciativa.

[keeno]

Looks and sounds great!

 

cheers

[sevenless]

@LF_Gallahad

IckyAtlas posted a formation test here. Maybe that can be usefull for your planned project. All the best. I am looking forward to it. Maybe you can integrate Fw 190 A5s as a standin for A6s which were used back then.

 

 

[Juri_JS]

For which unit will be player fly?

[LuftManu]

17 minutes ago, Juri_JS said:

For which unit will be player fly?

We are undecided at the moment. We are not sure if we will make all the missions based on one squadron or different ones. We are also not sure if we are going to add other planes but that will add more requisites to fly the campaign. I would like honestly to have the A5 too. For the units, at least the ones based in the Rheinald  map we have with BOBP for that era. III./JG1 will be there.

 

Our sources, atm are:
Bombs Away!The World War II Bombing Campaigns over Europe
Operation Pointblank 1944 from Osprey
The men who bombed the Reich
The Luftwaffe Fighter Force. The View From David C.Isby
Mission 376 from Ivo de Jong
The Mighty eight at war from Bowman
The last year of the Luftwaffe from from Afred Price

 

We want to have settled everything before starting to build the missions but the ideas are already there.

Edited November 17, 2019 by LF_Gallahad

[Blitzen]

Will B-25s be used as well for stand-ins for the 'Heavies"?

[LuftManu]

1 hour ago, Blitzen said:

Will B-25s be used as well for stand-ins for the 'Heavies"?

Yes, both in green for B-17s and Metal for B-24s

[Missionbug]

Seems to me like a great campaign, I look forward to seeing how it progresses.

 

Wishing you all the very best, Pete.

[336th_Wood]

If you need anything in regards to P51 fighter groups let me know. I’ve got some extensive knowledge and books on those groups during Big Week.

[JGr2/J5_W0LF-]

We will help you out in anyway that we can. Just let us know Thanks

[LuftManu]

Thanks everybody for the kind words and support! Fortunatley, Battle of Normandy has been announced and with it more suitable versions for our campaing. Our work will continue but we will wait for the correct versions of the aircrafts!

[Blitzen]

Battle of Normandy ?It won’t need very many new planes..maybe the Typhoon? I guess there could be some new AI mediums like the B-26  and apparently the lovely Mosquito.They have shied away from Heavies like the Lancaster & B-17 but maybe the future improvements in the technology will open the door on AI versions of those as well? Germans might get the Arado 234, but if the original IL-2’s 234 is any lesson,its a pretty under used aircraft.

Not Big Week but it might make a better version of Big Week at some distant date a better subject, and yes I just purchased it...I guess I’ll have another golden bar under my picture..Oh look its already there!!!

 

Edited November 26, 2019 by Blitzen
Corrections

[LuftManu]

1 hour ago, Blitzen said:

Battle of Normandy ?It won’t need very many new planes..maybe the Typhoon? I guess there could be some new AI mediums like the B-26  and apparently the lovely Mosquito.They have shied away from Heavies like the Lancaster & B-17 but maybe the future improvements in the technology will open the door on AI versions of those as well? Germans might get the Arado 234, but if the original IL-2’s 234 is any lesson,its a pretty under used aircraft.

Not Big Week but it might make a better version of Big Week at some distant date a better subject, and yes I just purchased it...I guess I’ll have another golden bar under my picture..Oh look its already there!!!

 

We will be using the Razorbacks and early Mustangs as well as B-26 (There is a mission already made that has them with A-20s as stand-in) I also have the new badge

[DN308]

Will be a pleasure to enjoy tthat one!!! Many thanks in advance!

[DN308]

Would be pleased to help if needed

[LuftManu]

Hello guys! As Normandy planes are released our missions will be finished or at least, prepared. We will update on any info. The project is still alive and well

 

 

Kind regards!

[DN308]

Can help with French translation, airfields datas, and what I can do

[LuftManu]

43 minutes ago, DN308 said:

Can help with French translation, airfields datas, and what I can do

Nice! I will contact you for French translation as soon as we have the preview! Thank you very much!

[exlax]

Looking forward to this, flew this scenario back in the day in AH with 200+ players, was a blast.

[hirondo]

"Big Week" Reichsverteidigung. For me one of the most interesting periods, because so decisive, in ETO. And the protagonists, both pilots and machines, are the finest that WWII aviation has to offer. I can not wait any longer.