A Decade Later – 1st Post with Many Thanks! (and a community recommended reading list)

[Varibraun]

Reflecting during this past US holiday weekend, I felt it was time to finally officially express my gratitude to everyone here – so please excuse this lengthy "Thank You Manifesto," but a decade of gratitude takes some space.  TLDR version: Thanks to an awesome team, leader & community - plus a small thank you giveaway at the end.

 

I believe it has been almost 10 years since I discovered this amazing team’s work through Rise of Flight.  I have followed these forums at least weekly since BoS released, and finally wanted to post my own “thank you” to the many people around the world who have quite simply made my life better through a hobby I could not have even dreamed about when I built that first model airplane as a kid in the 60s or when I purchased an Apple IIc in 1985.

 

Jason Williams: Thank you Jason!  I honestly believe if there had to be just one person to thank for preserving the realistic WWI & WWII flight combat simulation, it is Jason.  He really has taken his passion and then dedicated his professional life to bringing it to life.  The man is a force of nature to accomplish this multi continent venture to ultimately benefit us.  Just following Jason's globetrotting travels to business meetings, museums, expos, etc. exhausts me.  Thank you Jason for your phenomenal work ethic in producing this GB series for us! 

 

My personal view is that Jason’s ability to bring a full sea change for IL-2 BoX in 2016 is the only reason we are here today with SIX! fantastic simulations and Normandy on the horizon.  If 1942 was the pivotal year of WWII, then 2016 was the year for this franchise.  If you like turning point nostalgia, review “General” Jason Williams’ war winning directives by reading his posts on 8/17 – 8/18 of 2016.  Jason, as a single player, thank you again for bringing Pat Wilson aboard with PWCG at a very crucial point, ensuring VR landed after all the initial difficulties, bringing us Flying Circus with VR even considering the risks, for adding the SP campaign, and especially for the new AI guy/gal.  Finally, thank you for your ongoing straight forward leadership and communication.

 

The entire Development Team: Thank you all!  Your work and talent are simply amazing, and I am honestly in awe every time I put on my VR headset.  The things you accomplish, with the resources you have available, in the time period you meet, are absolute tops in your industry.  Playing your campaigns, standing in the hatch of a Tiger at Kursk, watching Andrey advocate for force feedback on Youtube, seeing the source material you research to be sure that you have it as close to correct as possible, are just a few examples reflecting a true love and devotion to your craft. (I have even enjoyed flying with some of your AI personas in Haashashin’s Spitfires over Kuban – I was a bit devastated being unable to clear Sneaksie’s 6 before it was too late...sorry mate!).

 

I also want to thank you for your response to the community.  Your willingness to listen to well researched information and to communicate both the good, and the limitations, are another credit to your professionalism. The implementation and presentation of the research and background for the unexpected flight physiology is just another great example of what you have accomplished.  Your continued commitment to improvements and updates are also well above much more highly funded products (I think there were 68 improvements/fixes in just this last update alone) – Thank you!

 

VR Dev Team:  I was a fairly early adopter of VR with the first shipment of the CV1 (currently using Reverb).  I purchased it for a well know space game made for VR and was an immediate "VR only" convert in that game.  That said, I was completely BLOWN AWAY when the devs released their 1^st version here.  I probably looked around that 109 cockpit for 30 minutes and even stepped out on the wing before I even took to the runway.  Thank you for pushing through the early setbacks with VR and producing such a premier experience and then continuing to improve it with each update.  For me as a SP, this is the only way to fly and is the future for all simulations.

 

This Community – Thank you all too!  This community has taught me that if I know more than 99% of folks about WWII and WWI, the remaining 1% of you know 99% more than me.  The knowledge of this community in history, aircraft, tanks, tactics, flight models, weaponry, and engineering astound me.  I learn something new almost every time I open the forums.  I think it is just more complements to Jason and the Team that they can keep up with this community's knowledge base.

 

I know I will miss many community contributors who deserve my specific thanks, but here are just a few:

 

Patrick Wilson:  @PatrickAWlson Thank you Pat!  Pat’s PWCG labor of love and his talents as a coding machine, have provided me with the way that I most enjoy BoX.  To me, PWCG is the most dynamic SP BoX experience available with ironman squadron continuation, individual AI pilot skill, specific squadron skill levels, squadron aircraft/pilot depletion & replenishment, intelligence reports, pilot and squadron journals, transfers, and leave.  Thank you, Pat for the countless hours of thought and coding you have applied to create this wonderful product.  I continue to be amazed at the speed you update for new releases, add new features, plus work with your users to squash bugs. 

 

Also, thank you for the addition of Coop Mode, I am sure it will help expand the MP community.  Oddly, your new Competitive Coop mode, has allowed me as a SP to fly multiple pilots/squadrons/roles/AC on both sides in the same campaign.  It gives me a very dynamic campaign where I recognize my AI opponents (heck, I even pulled up when I saw my A-20 target was being piloted by none other than AI Pat Wilson himself), see the aces I know (many of whom I have created) on the Aces board, and reflect more realistic victory numbers by switching pilots through the career.  (I admit it can be a little sad shooting down one of your other persona's squadron mates when flying the other side - but, C'est la guerre!). 

 

I recommend anyone on the fence about FC because of the current lack of a built-in campaign should give PWCG a try in BoX, because I think it will likely lead them to move forward with FC since a great SP campaign is only an alt-tab away - especially with the awesome VR of these WWI crates (maybe this should be my 2^nd post).  Bottom line, thank you Pat for this fantastic companion to the BoX built-in campaign (with its more direct historical squadron context).  I hope that you are collecting a few donations along the way to cover your beer tab.

 

Requiem: @SYN_Requiem Thank you for helping to teach me how to fly & land (almost) properly.  I cannot fathom the amount of time you have devoted in putting together an entire WWII/WWI flight school online for us.  I hope some day to recognize that familiar voice as I settle into my cramped coach seat.

 

Haashasihin & Gambit (plus @SYN_Vander, the Syndicate, @Thad and all the Campaign Creators):  @SYN_Haashashin & @Gambit21 Thank you both for your wonderful campaigns over the beautiful Kuban (thanks again for that map Devs).  Gambit made me finally learn multi-engines - my P-38 pilots thank you for that too!   Again, I can’t imagine the hours it took you and the many others (including the great work of BlackSix) who have developed these campaigns for our SP community.  Thank you all!

 

VR Support Community & Voice Attack:  Thank you all!  You have helped me decide which headset, hardware, and settings work best for my system (and what to build going forward).  Thanks to Voice Attack for making it easy without seeing a keyboard.  Specific thanks to @chiliwili69 & @SCG_Fenris_Wolf for all of their time in testing and their willingness to share and answer questions.  Thank you to @c6_lefuneste for the VR mod that kept me flying VR in the early days.  Finally, thanks to @dburne for his commentary on hardware as well as sharing his VR exploits with his beleaguered Spitfire squadron mates.  (Due to his wonderful narrative, I sometimes felt like I was flying with them - which reminds me, with all DBurne's MkVb flight time, I think Haashashin should add “Don Burnenski” to Achtung Spitfire!).

 

IRL Pilots: Thank you for all your contributions regarding physiology, IRL spotting, tactics, and piloting experiences in general. @F/JG300_Faucon, @busdriver, @SCG_motoadve , and @Dakpilot immediately come to mind, and I know there are many, many more former and current military & civilian pilots who regularly contribute.  Finally, special thanks to @Chill31, the man who built an entire DR1 and then added a rotary engine just for us to test FC flight models!

 

ShamrockOneFive:  @ShamrockOneFive Thank you for your Stormbird’s blog and its part in following the development of this franchise and promoting this small community.   I appreciate your style and approach!  I also really enjoyed your Flying Circus “Join the Fight” production.  (As an idea, I would love seeing an expanded piece regarding FC and PWCG put together with some additional input from Pat – I seem to recall that WWI aviation is his first love).

 

Yoyo: @YoYo Thank you for recommending and providing photos of the Wheel Stand Pro.  It was the perfect solution for my controls and small space at a time when I really needed to figure it out - great product.  Thank you to all the other hardware reviewers out there too!

 

MP Aces & Youtubers:  Thank you to all the Hartmanns, Richthofens, Foncks, Bishops, Kozhedhups, Bongs & Johnsons of our MP community - and especially all of you who bring them to us for our viewing pleasure on Youtube.   @DerSheriff for his narration and "How to" lessons, @MeoW.Scharfi for her excellent choreography (Trump Card…Wow!), and @Lemsip with his recent “The Big Show” are just a few of the many to thank.

 

Moderators/Testers/Frequent Posters: @SYN_Haashashin, @Bearcat, @LukeFF, @SYN_Vander, @Habu, @II/JG17_HerrMurf, @unreasonable, @6./ZG26_Custard, @Finkeren, @Thad, @J2_Trupobaw @J5_Hellbender-Sch27b, the entire 3^rd Pursuit Group,  and so many other testers and frequent contributors.  Thank you all for devoting your time to give the rest of us better gameplay and discussions with these great releases.

 

Finally - Semper Fi! to all my old (and young) Marine Corps brethren that I see in these forums.

 

Now for the "Thank You Giveaway."  I have been collecting a few licenses over the years and now seems like a good time to gift them to this great community (since I haven’t been able to get my grown sons aboard yet).  Here are my rules:

 

1.  To enter, you MUST provide your favorite, or most recent favorite, 1^st person WWI or WWII narrative book.  I have this community to thank for a lot of my recent reading and hope that you will help me give some more good reads to this community.  Just so that I am participating, I will let everyone know that right now I’m enjoying “Gun Button to Fire” in anticipation of the delivery of our Hurricane.  (For those interested regarding our new pilot physiology, the author, Tom Neil, mentions greying and blacking out in both the Spitfire and Hurricane).

 

2.  Pick a number 1 – 20 and let me know which license(s) you want.  I have given each license a RNG 1- 20 # and the first correct # wins (or closest, without going over, if there is no exact number winner for that license by the end of the weekend). 

 

3.  You can enter your same # for more than one license, but put your licenses in order of your preference, because you can only win one.

 

I will try to check in to update this post with winners over the next couple of days, and will wrap it all up in 48 hours.  Here are the 13 licenses I have for the giveaway:

 

1.  Battle of Bodenplatte – Premium Congrats to @E69splash99 

2.  Flying Circus Vol I  Congrats to @9./JG27golani79

3.  Flying Circus Vol I  Congrats to @Geoweb35

4.  Battle of Kuban – Standard Congrats to @Flying_Colander 

5.  Battle of Moscow - Standard Congrats to @Taradihtann 

6.  Battle of Stalingrad – Standard Congrats to @vipe155 

7.  FW-190 A-3 Congrats to @[DBS]Browning

8.  FW-190 A-3 Congrats to @Cpt_Siddy 

9.  P-40E-1 Congrats to  @US_Frost 

10.  MC.202 Series VIII Congrats to @Docjonel 

11.  La-5FN Series 2 Congrats to @Dano

12.  Yak-1b Congrats to @Godspeed 

13.  Ju52/3m Congrats to @VBF-12_Pequod 

 

Congratulations to all the winners and THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the reading list, again proving what a wonderful community we have.  I can't wait to see what @Han and the Dev team have in store for us next!!

Edited December 9, 2019 by Varibraun

[US63_SpadLivesMatter]

I've got those particular keys, but in the spirit of your post, you might be happy to hear that after reading the Biggles books with her, my daughter chose to read Storm of Steel next. 

[Blooddawn1942]

That's the spirit. I own everything and gifted a lot of licenses too. So no need to participate for me. But guys like You keep the community alive! 

[DD_Arthur]

21 minutes ago, Varibraun said:

Finally - Semper Fi! to all my old (and young) Marine Corps brethren that I see in these forums.

 

Nice post Varibraun.  

 

I'm not entering this nice giveaway thanks but if you were a rifleman in the Corp I can thoroughly recommend this;

 

  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Quartered-Safe-George-MacDonald-Fraser/dp/0007105932/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2XYXT8M37UMBA&keywords=quartered+safe+out+here&qid=1575680598&sprefix=quartered+safe%2Caps%2C133&sr=8-1

 

It really is one of the great memoirs of WW2.

[Cpt_Siddy]

https://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Destroyer-Captain-Tameichi-Hara-ebook/dp/B00CW0T4HQ

 

Good read if you like ships and pacific. 

 

oh and luck number 7, FW-190 A  if possible ^^, thank you. 

Edited December 7, 2019 by Cpt_Siddy

[Voyager]

I've got the keys I need, but I can highly recommend I Could Never be so Lucky Again by Jimmy Doolittle. It is aptly titled. 

 

Also, for straight up fictional narrative: The Pied Piper 

Edited December 7, 2019 by Voyager

[MasserME262]

Now that's what I call a nice writing, plus a good thing to give people the chance to have a new module 

 

 

 

[Geoweb35]

i  wish to have Flying Circus vol 1 and my fav book is A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway and Goodbye to all that by Robert Graves

I pick number 5, 

 

also i wish this but my first preference is Flying Circus vol 1 :

- Battle of Bodenplatte 

- MC.202 Series VIII

 

Thanks

Edited December 7, 2019 by Geoweb35

[CanadaOne]

Nice of you to offer to share.

 

WWI book: The Price of Glory by Alistair Horne, about the Battle of Verdun. Excellent book.

 

And I second Storm of Steel. Very good book!

 

[Varibraun]

41 minutes ago, Geoweb35 said:

i  wish to have Flying Circus vol 1 and my fav book is A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway and Goodbye to all that by Robert Graves

I pick number 5, 

 

Great start and guess!  One Flying Circus off the runway to Geoweb.  Thanks for the book recommendations everyone else too.  

 

I will check back in tomorrow...

[sevenless]

Great gesture. That´s the spirit!

[Geoweb35]

9 minutes ago, Varibraun said:

 

Great start and guess!  One Flying Circus off the runway to Geoweb.  Thanks for the book recommendations everyone else too.  

 

I will check back in tomorrow...

 

Thank you very much, i have received a perfect gift   

Edited December 7, 2019 by Geoweb35

[Redwo1f]

WWII book: - I can't pick a favorite, but recently finished Zemke's Wolf Pack (as told to Roger A. Freeman) and that was great.

WWI book recently finished - The Royal Flying Corps in World War I - Ralph Barker (and it was interesting).

 

Wish is for  Flying Circus vol 1 (I see you still have one left).

I pick number 11

 

[Plants]

my favourite is Mein Flugbuch by Gunther Rall. he's a legend. "shorty, where's my thumb!?"

 

I would love a copy of Flying circus 

 

Number 15

[Feathered_IV]

If I can recommend a book, it would be Scramble - A Narrative History of the Battle of Britain by Norman Gelb.  Not a new book by any means, but one I have read very recently, and may well read again very soon.  It is a collection of contemporary accounts, from the Fall of France to the culmination of the Battle of Britain.  Not just from the pilots, but from people of all walks of life.  Presented chronologically, each quote or passage is presented in the individuals own words.  Very much in the moment, without hindsight or the knowledge of what might happen next.  I found it extremely moving.

 

- News pretty bad - Germans now driving NW to cut through to Channel ports between us and French. French army not fighting...

We must fight on, whatever happens.   

 

I should count it a privilege to be dead if Hitler rules England.  I had not thought I should have to live through such awful days...

 

 

 

*******************

 

So that's the book I would recommend.  If I had to pick a number...  I think it would be 1 BoBp 

Edited December 7, 2019 by Feathered_IV

[Dakpilot]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fate_Is_the_Hunter

 

Fate is the hunter by Ernest. K. Gann

 

Probably my favourite book about flying and a must read for anyone interested in the subject 

 

As a strange twist I had just finished reading it, literally turned the last page and got the phone call I had been waiting for.... My first job flying C-54 as co-pilot in Angola (civil war) and the start of a great adventure /career 

 

Fate is indeed the hunter ?

 

Cheers, Dakpilot 

[=SVIP=NagiPashka]

One of the interesting books. About Pokryshkin’s regiment. I like it.

I choose number 6, The Battle of Bodenplatte.

 

[vipe155]

https://www.amazon.com/Battleship-Bismarck-Survivors-Story-Bluejacket-ebook/dp/B00BKRX1IA

 

Great read from the highest ranking survivor of the battleship Bismarck.  Burkard Baron von Müllenheim-Rechberg was the fourth gunnery officer on the ship, and had terrific insight into the operations of the vessel as well as interfacing with the Captain and others leading Operation Rheinübung.  I don't think you're going to find a better perspective on the life and death of Bismarck.  

 

I'll pick 19, and my preference would be BoBP, but Kuban or Stalingrad would be amazing as well.  Thank you very much for your generosity.

 

 

Edited December 7, 2019 by vipe155

[ITAF_Rani]

Great post.

Not interested to the giveaway...

But I would suggest a great book

 

"The last enemy"

Richard Hillary

 

See  you in our virtual sky..

 

Edited December 7, 2019 by ITAF_Rani

[9./JG27golani79]

Very generous of you doing this - thanks a lot!

 

I´d be interested in FC Volume 1 and I pick #8

 

Recent books I´ve read and enjoyed were:

Spitfire on my tail by Ulrich Steinhilper

With the Old Breed by Eugene Sledge

 

and currently I´m busy with Helmet for my pillow by Robert Leckie which I also enjoy

[VBF-12_Pequod]

One of my favoritos is the autobiography of Manfred Von Richtofen. Surprisingly direct, natural, aseptic and unvarnished.

 

A Ju-52 would be great if it's still available 

 

PD: Number 14 (I love raffles)

 

Edited December 7, 2019 by VBF-12_Pequod

[=SVIP=DeNver]

Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub and his fighters - La-5 and La-7.

 

I choose number 4, The Battle of Bodenplatte.

 

[simfan2015]

Thank you Varibraun to make my day! I love to read Comprehensive and positive feedback. Nobody could have worded it better than you I guess! I would like to add one name to your list... SYN_Vander with his super Easy Mission Generator for Il-2. It generates single missions (unlike the campaign generator) but is imho powerful and Incredibly easy to use. I wish I could read assessments like yours here every day, because I too feel about il-2 just like you do! 

[E69_splash99]

Hi and first, thanks for your gift to the community. I'm not sure if it is my favourite book, but the last one I read and enjoy was "A higher call":

https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Adam-Makos-ebook/dp/B0095ZQ36G/ref=sr_1_1?__mk_es_US=ÅMÅŽÕÑ&keywords=a+higher+call&qid=1575713698&sr=8-1

 

I pick number #10 and my choose is Battle of Boddenplate.

 

Many thanks.

 

[dburne]

Thank you so much @Varibraun.

What a great post to read and I really appreciate the nice words!

 

And what a very nice gesture on your part with the giveaways, kudos!!

 

[ADorante]

Thanks for your inspirational post.

I don't want to participate in the give-away since I already own all products from the devs (though maybe my brother could want one - in this case I would throw my name in the hat for a FW190-A3). Nevertheless I want to share my book recommendation.

First something about my personal reasons for this recommendation (disclaimer):

Besides simulation games I have some other hobbys that occupy a huge part of my free time. One is comics (I even found myself a side job in comics distribution). There are many comics dealing with WWII, and enough comics dealing with WWII aviation, both fictional and historical, f.e. many books by Garth Ennis (writer of Preacher, The Boys, Hellblazer), like "Night Witches" or the War Stories series. Another hobby of mine is Japanes culture and history.

Therefore here in this thread I'd like to give you this manga as recommendation:

 

SHOWA HISTORY OF JAPAN 1926 -1989 by SHIGERU MIZUKI

Written and drawn by Shigeru Mizuki. His comics biography intertwines his own life story with the history and society of the Showa era of Emperor Hirohito with Japan's participation in WWII as centerpiece. Mizuki is best known in Japan for re-introducing Yokai fables in a modern context to today's society ( Yōkai = supernatural entities in Japanes folktales, oftentimes mischievous creatures). His later work became more and more autobiographical like his story about a group of doomed Japanese soldiers in the jungles of SE asia (""Onward Towards Our Noble Deaths""). His art style needs getting used to if you're coming from a more mainstream western audience - use of photocopied historical photos as background for the overall setting is complemented with an almost naive style for his drawn protagonists in the trenches. His personal part in the story is a description of his early life with his relatives, how he got in the army as a young man, the war in the jungle, how he got wounded and lost an arm, how he got a job as an artist in post-war Japan and still lived in poverty and how he experienced the transformation of his country into what it is now.

 

Its english translation is published by Drawn & Quarterly ( website ) in four volumes.

If you want to buy it in a comic shop and they have to re-order it, you need the product codes shown here:

https://previewsworld.com/Catalog/SEP131142

https://previewsworld.com/Catalog/MAR141133

https://previewsworld.com/Catalog/AUG141429

https://previewsworld.com/Catalog/APR151419

Edited December 7, 2019 by ADorante
clarifications & typos & grammar

[PikAss]

I consider Gallands book and Günther Ralls book as too boring to be honest. The best of the best flying books i have ever read which was so detailed in aircombat was of Helmut Lipfert's book. "das Tagebuch des Hauptmann Lipfert".

 

 

I read a lot but this book really is like being in IL2 Right now. It handles myths of Luftwaffepilots being supiorer, the very high amount of newbies durning the war and the biggest myth About german boom and zoom, which was not so in common as you might think, they were turning like Spitfire pilots.

 

This book is not so much a wehrboo book and a really must have! The best flying ww2 book ever written from german Point of view.

 

He also respects the People he shot down unlike other pilots in history.

Edited December 7, 2019 by [3./J88]PikAss

[ITAF_Rani]

8 minutes ago, [3./J88]PikAss said:

I consider Gallands book and Günther Ralls book as too boring to be honest. The best of the best flying books i have ever read which was so detailed in aircombat was of Helmut Lipfert's book. "das Tagebuch des Hauptmann Lipfert".

 

 

I read a lot but this book really is like being in IL2 Right now. It handles myths of Luftwaffepilots being supiorer, the very high amount of newbies durning the war and the biggest myth About german boom and zoom, which was not so in common as you might think, they were turning like Spitfire pilots.

 

This book is not so much a wehrboo book and a really must have! The best flying ww2 book ever written from german Point of view.

 

He also respects the People he shot down unlike other pilots in history.

Really good book..with a lot of intense actions !!

[Eisenfaustus]

Tough question as there are so many great books.

 

Though the finest read I had - at leat in German - was "In Stahlgewittern" by Ernst Jünger - English title "Storm of Steel"

 

Being German I read more books in my own language so here are others I can recommend for anyone interested in the German perspective:

 

Mein Fliegerleben (My life of flying) - Ernst Udet - memoirs of WWI ace Ernst Udet - doesn't end with WWI and continues a little in the Weimar republic.

 

Grenadiere! (Grenadiers!) - commander of the 12th SS-Panzerdivision Kurt Meyer. Read with political alert as he ignores German atrocities and writes about every allied/soviet misbehaviour he witnessed - but very thrilling war stories!

 

Mein Kriegstagebuch (My War diary) - Stuka ace Hans-Ulrich Rudel. Political flawed but thrilling stories,

 

Die große Jagd (I flew for the Fuhrer) - defence of the reich fighter ace Heinz Knoke - very honest book.

 

Die ersten und die letzten (the first and the last) - Adolf Galland, General of the fighterst - very interesting book to understand the air war in the west and a good complimentary read to masters of the air.

 

and finally the only english 1st person narrative of the war I read (and propably a book most of here have read as well ^^):

First light by Geoffry Wellum.

 

I'd like to participate in your generous giveaway.

 

#17 for FC 1 (priority) or Mc 202 (secondary)

Edited December 7, 2019 by Eisenfaustus

[6high]

Wow..very generous!

 

My fav book:

War in a Stringbag:

 

My pick ist Fc Vol1 ,  guess it`s 13

[[DBS]Browning]

A Technical & operational History of the Liberty Engine is my favorite WW1 book, but as it isn't a narrative, I had better go with "I flew for the Führer" by Heinz Knoke. A intresting read with exotic weapons and tactics.

 

I loved your post, even without the giveaway.

 

Number 1. For FlyingCircus.Vol1, Ju 52,  FW-190 A-3 or Mc.202

Edited December 7, 2019 by [DBS]Browning

[Burdokva]

Fantastic giveaway, Varibraun! There's no other gaming communicaty like the flight simmers!

 

Hard pressed to list a first person book in English as most of those that I've read were in Bulgarian. I will list two - 

 

One of First Division by Georgi Georgiev

 

The first hand story of an officer of the First Sofian Division - the Iron Division, as it was called, during the First World War. Full of both brutal combat, including hand to hand, on the supposedly "stale" fronts in the Balkans, both in Greece and Romania. A book that's shaped and moulded Bulgarian psyche to this day, even if many people don't know it.

 

Across my Memories by Stoyan Iliev

 

Very touching memories from a participant in both World Wars.

 

Honorable mention (even though it's not first person) to Dragons on Bird Wings: The Combat History of the 812th Fighter Regiment

 

Very well researched and very beatifully prepared volume that is, as far as I know, the only unit history of a Soviet fighter unit in English (maybe at all). Only minus is that the publishing house is defunct and Volume II likely won't ever see the light of the day. The 812th was one of the best Soviet units, having destroyed over 500 enemy planes in the air. It's also one of the participants in both BoS and BoK. Do yourself a favour, find one of the few remaninig copies and treat yourself with an obscure subject that's related to our favourite sim!

 

My number is 8. Battle of Bodenplatte, as I have the rest of the WWII stable and Collector's Planes.  

[majorZero1984]

Thanks for giving the community this opportunity Varibraun! My favorite recently read memoir of ww2 has to be Samurai! by Saburo Sakai (well kind of by him anyway). A recent scholarly book that I would highly recommend that talks about Sakai's unit,  the Tainan Kokutai titled 'Eagles of the southern sky', on top of being excellent the book demolishes some bits of the narrative of Samurai!, for example the author calls the famous 'dance macabre ' performed over port moresby into question. 

 

Another great scholarly book is 

"Hunting Tito: A History of Nachtschlachtgruppe 7 in World War II" by Lovro Peršen about German night bombers in Yugoslavia, though in most cases the unit had the freedom to operate the hopelessly outdated machines during the day,  at least until the allies pushed forward to the point where Yugoslav airspace was highly contested. I do wish I could find a similar book for night bombers on the eastern front or the late war western front. 

 

Anyway, I'd like to roll for Flying Circus with a '7'

 

[Varibraun]

Another winner - 9./JG27golani79 takes off with the last Flying Circus!

 

Also, what a great response regarding the books.  I have read several posted and would agree with the recommendations.  But, there are many posted that I have not ever come across and look very forward to exploring over these next few months.  Again...thank you to this wonderful worldwide community!

Edited December 7, 2019 by Varibraun

[Flying_Colander]

Varibraun,

I'd like to second your post and thanks to all. Thanks for your generosity as well.  There are a couple of books listed here I've never heard of and will now seek out especially from the smaller countries. I'd like to add another:  Double Fighter Knight, the memoirs of Ilmari Juutilainen. He's a Finnish ace with 126 downs. The Finns have an incredible record even flying in second rate machines. Juutilainen started in a Brewster Buffalo and still managed 34 kills.

 

I'd be interested in Bodenplatte, Kuban or Moscow in that order. The lucky number, of course, is 13!

 

Cheers,

FC

[Stoopy]

12 hours ago, Voyager said:

I've got the keys I need, but I can highly recommend I Could Never be so Lucky Again by Jimmy Doolittle. It is aptly titled. 

 

 

Also no need to ask for anything despite this generous offering, but wanted to second the recommendation for this incredibly fascinating, entertaining and compelling look into the career of a true legend.  Absolutely a must-read!!!!

 

[Dano]

This community is such a breath of fresh air when I think back to the old Ubi days, full of absolutely top folks.

 

Onto my favourite book, it would have to be I Flew for the Fuhrer by Heinz Knoke, just really eye opening for me: https://www.amazon.co.uk/I-Flew-Fuhrer-Heinz-Knocke-ebook/dp/B00BM4SLLS/ref=sr_1_5?crid=4EOZALWL8X3B&keywords=i+flew+for+the+fuhrer&qid=1575728108&sprefix=i+flew+for+the+%2Caps%2C1574&sr=8-5

 

As to the very generous gifts can I please take number 3 and be put into contention for

4.  Battle of Kuban – Standard

with the following as alternatives

11.  La-5FN Series 2

12.  Yak-1b

1.  Battle of Bodenplatte – Premium

 

Thanks!!!

 

[PikAss]

Battle of Moscow.

[9./JG27golani79]

1 hour ago, Varibraun said:

Another winner - 9./JG27golani79 takes off with the last Flying Circus!

 

Also, what a great response regarding the books.  I have read several posted and would agree with the recommendations.  But, there are many posted that I have not ever come across and look very forward to exploring over these next few months.  Again...thank you to this wonderful worldwide community!

 

I just wanted to thank you for the key - much appreciated!

 

And yes - seems like a lot of good book recommendations.

I am sure here I´ll find a few to read as well 

[US93_Frost]

This is why the flight sim community is the best in my eyes.

 

My favorite book would have to be unbroken. I love the beginning bits where you can experience life in a b-17. And the story of perseverance whilst the protagonist is locked away in a Japanese prison camp is one of a kind.

 

  

 

As for the giveaway, I've always had my eye on Bodenplatte but the funds have been hard to come by. My guess is 8 ?