If you had an interesting mission

[PatrickAWlson]

Say something about it here.

 

I just got a contact patrol.  My lone Me 109 F4 flying low over the front lines looking for our troops.  Escorted by the Italian 21 Gruppo Caccia.  Fortunately no enemy fighters encountered along the way, but we did see a flight of three IL2s.  I break off to  attack these guys as they are less than 10km away from me.   I manage to bring down two, using mist of my ammunition doing it.  My Italian friends bring down the third.  

 

Back to the last recon point we pass right by 3 more IL2s.  There is an absolute hail of gunfire coming from the ground that takes out one of the attackers.  I move in to point blank range but I only have one more squirt left.  It hits but it's not enough to cause fatal damage.  No use sticking around.

 

I hit the last recon point and head for home, hoping there are no Russian fighters lurking about.  No problem.  Just a long flight home and an uneventful landing.

[PatrickAWlson]

A perfect mission.  We take off on an intercept in our Me109 F4s armed with gun pods.  Better firepower but at a price.  We are vectored onto a unit of IL2s attacking low.  I dive on on and approach from behind.  He does not even evade.  Two firm presses of the trigger and he goes down.

 

At this point life gets interesting, as two flights of PE2s and a covering force of LaGGs appear.  We have spent our altitude going after the IL2s and now there is a threat above us.  Sauerbrunn is the highest and engages the LaGGs.  I decide to go for the bombers, so I put my 109 into a long circling climb.  I get above the bombers who are diving for the deck and eventually catch up with them.  I repeatedly attack one and after a tremendous struggle by the Russian pilot if finally bellies into a snow covered field.  Dagomar gets another bomber for his first victory.  Sauerbrunn and Sauber each account for a LaGG.   

 

Five victories, every flight member scores, and no losses!  It doesn't get much better than this.

 

 

[Varibraun]

@PatrickAWlson - Thanks to all your hard work I have gone back to the beginning - November 1941.  Manning two squadrons right now - Soviet P-40 (refugee French Pilot, who I hope may survive to eventually form a cadre with Normandie-Niemen) and Luftwaffe 109 F4 (already lost my first pilot there...a little too close to an exploding IL-2).  But what a contrast in aircraft!

 

Mission - Our 4 P-40s (it was 2, but I had some foresight, and drafted 2 more Lts to tag along during the mission brief) in a high altitude intercept.  I never saw the bombers we were after because just as we were turning at patrol altitude (approx 20,000 feet), 4 109s come screaming down from even higher.  My 3 squadron mates are all still novices, and the P-40 is really no match for the 109s, but we have no choice but to engage since they already have the jump on us.  My whole goal now is to simply clear my mates tails due to their completely unintentional "drag and bag" flying while being sure to check my 6, which miraculously remains vacant.  Fortunately, 2 of the 109s become target fixated just long enough for me to let my 6 50s focus and do their damage.  Two 109s go down in smoking flames. 

 

Now the odds are looking a little better with no friendlies down yet and my mates doing their best to engage and land some rounds.  But the 2 remaining Germans have gotten wiser, and are energy fighting, and my P-40 is moving like a sloth up a tree attempting to shadow those agile moves.  Worse, I get that dreaded empty click on the trigger trying to land a snapshot.  At this point, my wing is riddled, so it is time to head home.  I am just hoping my buddies can do something about the 109 locking on my tail and looking to end my kill streak at 10 (I am currently the only Soviet ace...I think this German knows it too based on his enthusiasm). 

 

The German is faster, so no way to outrun him on the deck, especially with the damage in my right wing.  Every time I see tracers streak by, I break attempting to draw him toward 2 of my mates trailing behind...god bless them, they really are trying to save me.  I am not sure what happened to my #4 and the other remaining 109, but at least he isn't behind me too.  We go through this tracers, then break toward my mates routine about 5 times as I gradually move toward base.  Their 50 cal tracers light up the sky, but I am sure wishing they were better shots...then, wait, I am cheering (yes, literally out loud) seeing a fireball of the 109 behind me.

 

I am really proud of my guys.  I nurse my ship to down to the nearest grass strip and manage to land in one piece.  I open canopy, switch off and then change views to watch my guys land, in tandem no less (I so wish they could shoot that well).  We head in for the AAR.  We first find that our #4 isn't coming home and then, adding insult to injury...there it is in black and white on the board - the fireball of the 109 is credited to...an ANTI-AIRCRAFT OUTFIT!  I will be dragging the boys up for more target practice today.  As we say in France...c'est la guerre, I will have to ask them to translate that into Russian.

Edited April 20, 2020 by Varibraun

[TheSNAFU]

Great Reads Varibraun and Pat! 

 

This is a great idea Pat, a way for the community to share their experiences.  Here is one of mine. 

4 September 1944

LeCulot Field East

Another Tough Day

Assembled in the Ops building we were briefed on our mission for the day. Captain Melton would lead our patrol which would include Brown, Mitchell and me. With his usual raspy voice Captain Melton pointed to the map and barked out “We have another tough day ahead fellas, we’re patrolling the area around Barvaux where there has been a lot of enemy air activity”. “They’ve been giving our ground boys hell over there and we’ve got to try and suppress as much of it as possible”. We go at 0630. A short ride to our birds and soon we were strapped in and ready. One by one the Merlins of the 4 Mustangs coughed to life interrupting the otherwise quiet morning. As we taxied to the strip the sun was rising, basking the horizon in a beautiful orange haze. Once airborne we turned to the Southeast and climbed toward Barvaux. As we approached the front lines some AAA opened up. I always wondered when we encountered flak whether it was theirs or ours but I guessed it probably didn’t matter, if enough of it hit me I was most likely dead in either case. Fortunately the bursts were low and we safely passed over it. Not long afterward the radio came alive with chatter. “Enemy fighters to the Northwest, their close” yelled Mitchell excitedly. This was Mitchell’s second day in action having transferred in 5 days before to take Oliver Millers place. Miller had been shot down and presumed killed in action a week before. He was just 20 years old. I screened the sky in search of the Germans but couldn’t spot them. But seconds later I was alerted to their presence as tracers shot past the right side of my canopy. Shit, that was close I thought as I rolled my Mustang left and down. As I did, I heard a panicked call for help. “I’m wounded”! It was Mitchell. As I began to level off I caught a glimpse of a Mustang billowing fire and smoke heading toward the green terrain below. “Get out get out” I shouted. As I looked on helplessly, Mitchell’s plane slammed into the ground and exploded. I saw no chute. I turned hard right as a FW190 screamed by and quickly gained a position directly behind him. I pressed the trigger and the 50 cal’s spit fire and smoke as the damned Nazi pilot dodged and weaved to avoid the powerful punch coming at him. I kept up the fire until he rolled on his back and began a spiral toward earth. “I got one” I spouted out as I snapped around to assess the situation. To my right I saw 2 190’s on the tail of a Mustang. I pushed the throttle forward and took chase but before I could intervene the Mustang began smoking badly, several parts trailing behind. “This is Bluebird Leader, I’m hit”. I have you Captain as I finally caught up and did enough to draw the attention of the 2 pursuers. Melton dove away and headed for the floor. Last I saw, he was headed toward home. Down to just me and Brown we were in a purely defensive fight, outnumbered at least two or three to one. As we darted across the smoke filled sky the sound of an angel filled my ears. “You chaps in a bit of trouble are you” Within seconds 4 Spitfires joined the fray and promptly downed two 190’s and damaged a third. The remaining Germans began heading east chased by one of the British boys. Two more Spitfires, Brown and me joined in the chase catching up with them after a short while. Brown targeted one of the FW’s shooting his tail section clean off. The poor bastard begun to spin out of control. He managed to jump clear. Now uncomfortably deep into German held territory we thanked our saviors and turned for home. The way back was filled with thoughts of Mitchell who died practically before he had fully unpacked his gear. Another empty bunk, another toast to someone we hardly knew. Brown landed first, me close behind. As we dismounted our Mustangs our eyes met. It had indeed been another tough day.

Inspired by an actual mission generated by Pat Wilsons Campaign Generator in IL2 Great Battles       

[Varibraun]

12 hours ago, TheSNAFU said:

Inspired by an actual mission generated by Pat Wilsons Campaign Generator in IL2 Great Battles   

 

Great mission story!  I love how the Redcoat cavalry showed up just at the right time, especially when you heard the calm British accent in your headset.

 

Keep them coming PWCG pilots - I need to hear another @dburne Kuban Spitfire saga!

 

[TheSNAFU]

Thanks Varibraun it was fun writing it. The best thing is it was truly based on a mission I flew in pwcg. I thought we were toast until the Brits showed up and saved the day. It was a really fun mission. I look forward to reading more here.  

[grcurmudgeon]

Second mission ever with PWCG, starting at the very beginning with a Russian pilot in the 27th flying Mig-3s. An LT flight leader and me are assigned to meet up with some Pe-2s and escort them to the target. The only excitement during the actual mission was betting each other how many times the Pe-2 flight leader would circle the target after they made their drop before deciding to head home (the answer: twice). We get the bombers back to base and head for home.

 

20 km from base my flight leader spies 3 Luftwaffe planes down near the deck heading deeper into our territory. He starts lazy descending circles to check them out closer. After we descend about half the distance they start turning and heading for their own lines. As they get near my flight leader decides to let them go and starts turning back towards base. I'm bored with lots of altitude, speed, and ammunition, so stop the lazy descending circles and get low as fast as I can.

 

I get behind and beneath what turn out to be 3 109 E-7s with tons of overtake but they either don't see me or decide friendly lines and AAA will handle it and keep flying nice and straight. I hammer the rearmost one who starts leaking all kinds of stuff including a landing wheel. As I break off my pass to avoid giving him an easy shot as I blow by the front two split, with the closer turning to the right in front of me. I follow him, getting in some shots (pretty sure an aileron broke off during this), but he drags me over an airfield where the AAA finally pings me a little bit. About this time my flight leader goes screaming by, but instead of joining me in dispatching my target he heads for the other two.

 

I decide he'll probably need help, so I break away from my banged up target and head after my leader. I don't see the other plane I shot up, but my leader has a good angle on their flight leader but is flying over a city full of AAA. I watch him shoot down his target as I'm approaching, and he immediately calls out "I'm wounded!". I don't know if the AAA finally got a hit in or if debris from his crashing target got him, but he starts heading in. As I turn around to finish off Number 2 who has circled back like the Black Knight in Monty Python, streaming all kinds of gunk and missing pieces, I see a fiery crash.

 

I finish off my ammo, break off from Number 2, and head for home. Number 2 augers in shortly after. After landing and heading for debrief I find out my flight leader survived the fiery wreck and is now a POW.

 

The lesson I learned is that the AI is just as selfish as I am and wants his own kills, so if he decides to break off and head for home, I should stay with him, because he's just going to get himself into trouble.

 

I did spot 2 more enemy on my way home who turned to give chase, but I had enough speed and distance that they finally gave up. This is what I'm really enjoying about this campaign so far - there is enough going on (I have both land and air activity set to dense) that you can have that nice quiet bomber escort only to find all kinds of trouble just when you think you are safe and about to make it home.

[TheSNAFU]

A fine read grcurmudgeon. Your mission highlights the versatility of pwcg missions. Thanks for taking time to share it. 

[Varibraun]

I had an interesting mission last night that really highlights how unexpectedly things can unfold in PWCG:

 

Flying the venerable P-40 with the 126th just outside Moscow in 12/41.  It has been a tough slog for this squadron flying with mostly novice pilots and the Squadron CO, Maj Urosov seriously wounded by AAA on my first day there on 1 October (Pat's dynamic log is great for picking up these little facts).  These couple of months have already taken me through 3 pilots, currently flying a refugee Frenchman, "SLt Francois Coultere" with 8 kills.  The acting CO, Kap Bershov, has been around since the beginning and has 4 kills.  (I hope he can pick up one more soon, would be really nice to have an Ace Level AI in this group).  

 

On this mission, the CO calls for an almost all hands 6 a/c effort for ground attack on a transportation center behind the German lines.  We are being escorted by I-16s from the 495th (Brambling) - which doesn't make me feel very secure.  Even less so when, just as we are approaching the  target, I hear Brambling call out that they are engaging bombers that just happened to be passing above us.  I think, well there goes our cover hot-dogging for some glory.  We are on our own as we start the rocket runs on the AA positions around our target town.

 

Fortunately, we only have to deal with the ground fire and the squadron makes several successful runs with rockets and guns.  But, I am saving my .50s just in case, and still cursing the 495th.  Then, just as we turn for home, low and behold, on the horizon I see someone headed our way...definitely a multi-engine a/c and he is trailing smoke.  As he closes, we realize it is a wounded HE-111 limping back to his base somewhere to the west.  

 

Maybe someone, somewhere, might feel a little sorry for this guy, but it certainly wasn't us.  You have to realize our squadron has been on the receiving end from superior a/c and more experienced pilots for the past 2+ months.  Now was time for a little payback!  Six P-40s, 36 .50s start pouring it on.  We have to actually stay out of each others way as we make runs on this unfortunate smoking wreck. 

 

Just as he goes down in flames, another wounded Heinkel shows up just skimming the treetops.  Behind him, but more distant, I can see a fighter.  Turns out to be one of the 27th boys in his fancy Mig-3.  I am sure he wants to finish his kill, but our guys aren't waiting.  This is when our impatience strikes a sour note highlighting our guys' inexperience.  Trying to beat the Mig to the final kill, my wingman, Lt Cherenchikov, makes a high energy run on the 111 and lands the fatal blow.  However, either due to debris or his target fixation leading to an inability to clear the treeline ahead, he ends up on the deck, spinning through the snow.  We later learn he was captured, I guess we were just too close to the enemy occupied town for the partisans to help him back to our lines.

 

When it seemed like this was finally all over, an entire gaggle of a/c comes in higher.  There were a couple more Heinkels, at least one Stuka (also headed home), what was left of their escort, and a couple more Migs.  I was quickly out of ammo at this point and thought with my wingman down, it was time to head home.  The squadron acquitted itself well after my departure and even managed to bring down a couple of the 109s!   Even our Wing Commander was impressed and the awards and promotions that followed were his contribution to the effort. 

 

I think this day was exciting enough to make it worth posting our squadron log reflecting this engagement for any who care to see all the carnage documented by Patrick and Murleen's hard work!

 

Squadron Log for 6 Dec 1941:

Spoiler

 Log Continued (it was a quite a day):

Spoiler

  

Edited April 28, 2020 by Varibraun

[TheSNAFU]

Hey Varibraun Bravo! Really enjoyed your tale of pwcg mayhem. Great the way you told the story of the mission, the action and the outcome. Very nicely flown and well written. Thank you! 
 

Sure would like some others to jump in here. It offers something more than discussing AI issues, spotting, the latest hardware. Come in and share your pilot prowess and the experiences this game and pwcg give us every time we grab hold of the stick and take to the air. 

Edited April 30, 2020 by TheSNAFU

[Varibraun]

On 4/30/2020 at 7:40 PM, TheSNAFU said:

Hey Varibraun Bravo! Really enjoyed your tale of pwcg mayhem.

 

Thank you - that was my favorite in that early war campaign so far.  Honestly, any mission I survive in the P-40 makes me happy. 

 

Hopefully, we will see some others post more here soon!

[Chief_Mouser]

Screenie from a really fun furball in a coop Bf109E-7 ground-attack campaign. Two of us 'formation flying' while chasing the same LaGG. Cheers.

 

 

Edited May 6, 2020 by 216th_Cat

[PatrickAWlson]

@216th_Cat Good thing he wasn't AI, he would have blown the crap out of you.

 

Which brings me to an interesting mission of my own.  Flying a 109 with lots of Russian activity. I mix it up with a bunch of I16s without any real result.  Then I see contrails above - PE2s.  Since I'm a hell of a lot faster than the Ratas i just fly away from them to go after the bombers.  I close on him and hit him hard when all of a sudden all hell breaks loose in the cockpit.  I peal off and head for home with a seriously damaged crate.  Then a couple of I16s get back in the mix.  My control is basically shot and my engine is sputtering.  I evade and hope for help.  Finally my engine quits.  I am over friendly lines so nothing for it but to bail.

 

In the AAR I learn that I have been shot down by my wingman (I thought it was a PE2 gunner).  To add insult to injury, they promote the bastard.

[TheSNAFU]

Good one Pat. Sounds like you had a good mission right up to the time your mate shot you out of the sky  At least you made it back to base in one piece albeit by ground transport ?

 

Glad to see you take time off from your incredible work on pwcg to enjoy the fruits of your labor! 

 

 

 

Edited May 7, 2020 by TheSNAFU

[Cybermat47]

First mission with II./JG 52, October 1st 1941. Patrolled the front lines at dawn. Two I-16s turned out to be slippery little buggers.

 

When that was finished, we found some IL-2s already under attack from MC.202s.

 

 

[PatrickAWlson]

1 hour ago, TheSNAFU said:

Good one Pat. Sounds like you had a good mission right up to the time your mate shot you out of the sky  At least you made it back to base in one piece albeit by ground transport ?

 

Glad to see you take time off from your incredible work on pwcg to enjoy the fruits of your labor! 

 

 

 

 

Just had a really awful mission.  All started well,  We intercepted a flight of PE2s and I shot one up.  Then a bunch of LaGGs showed up and engaged my squadron.  i turned on them and shot one down, but now I am seriously low on ammo.  I am hoping to damage one and remove him from the fight so my mates will get the upper hand.  One by one the Messerschmidts fall out of the sky.  I have not been shooting as I want to save that last burst for point blank.  Too late, one gets me.  All four of us shot down and badly wounded.  All four of us were aces.  Not a good show.  The Russians were no doubt partying that night.

[Chief_Mouser]

10 hours ago, PatrickAWlson said:

@216th_Cat Good thing he wasn't AI, he would have blown the crap out of you.

 

This is the view I had a few seconds later...

 

[Varibraun]

11 hours ago, PatrickAWlson said:

All four of us were aces.  Not a good show.  The Russians were no doubt partying that night.

 

Losing 3 ace wingmen...OUCH!  Score 4 for the underdogs, you do have to admire their pluck.  This is the kind of thing that I honestly love about PWCG, you just never know what is going to happen and it will keep you humble right when you think you have everything well in hand.

 

So, will you fly with another squadron until you have recovered?  Maybe join up with those LaGG lads?!?  

[PatrickAWlson]

52 minutes ago, Varibraun said:

 

Losing 3 ace wingmen...OUCH!  Score 4 for the underdogs, you do have to admire their pluck.  This is the kind of thing that I honestly love about PWCG, you just never know what is going to happen and it will keep you humble right when you think you have everything well in hand.

 

So, will you fly with another squadron until you have recovered?  Maybe join up with those LaGG lads?!?  

 

I enjoy these flights as much as everybody else.  Even though I wrote the software I have no more of an idea what is going to happen than anybody else.  And yes, that was humbling.  Reminds me of Pierre Clostermann when they lost two spitfires with a third badly shot up to only two FW190s.  

 

I already advanced time.  I am getting sick of the winter landscape and even with the serious wound it only advanced me to February ... that means two more months of winter.  I wanted to get to 100 (currently at 82) before I took a longer leave.

[TheSNAFU]

Oh my, losing 3 aces at all is bad but losing 3 in one mission really hurts your squadron. Hard to recover from that! 

[Varibraun]

On 5/7/2020 at 11:56 AM, PatrickAWlson said:

I wanted to get to 100 (currently at 82) before I took a longer leave.

 

That's impressive, I don't think over all these years I have ever had a pilot make 100 before "going west."  I am not a great virtual pilot and there are just so many things that can go wrong over the course of a career (and we don't even have random engine failures). 

 

Just last night, was having a very good mission with my rising P-51 ace when I entered a big furball of P-47s and FWs with my 4 plane section.  There were probably 12+ a/c in every direction.  I picked my target and was pulling tight lead and then saw a blur at 9 o'clock - WHAM!!  Very jarring in VR with @Andre's Simshaker to go from the cockpit to the outside view of smoking wreckage.  Turns out one of D-9s was just too excited to pay attention to where he was going...end of that promising career.  That's just one of the reasons I am so happy with the current PWCG - my squadron and campaign live on, and we remember Capt. Fuller in the squadron log.  

 

One other interesting thing from that mission was the A/I behavior in the 4 victories that proceeded the mid-air.  I often see posts about the A/I being "all seeing."  But, I wonder if that has changed since the last update?  On this mission, there were 4 A-8s carrying bombs flying low in a perfect line astern well below us.  I dropped down at high speed coming in on their low 6 (which should be a blindspot).  It was fast, and my gunnery was accurate for once, but not one of them broke - it was 4 quick victories in a matter for seconds. 

 

That seemed very realistic and in line with some of the IRL ace stories I have read about catching the opposition unaware.  It might just be coincidence, but it would be really great if this has actually been coded into our less skilled A/I.  

[PatrickAWlson]

6 hours ago, Varibraun said:

 

That's impressive, I don't think over all these years I have ever had a pilot make 100 before "going west."  I am not a great virtual pilot and there are just so many things that can go wrong over the course of a career (and we don't even have random engine failures). 

 

 

 

I do not play iron man.  I use the default of death = serious wound.  That provides the penalty of missing time while allowing me to continue the career.  On iron many I would probably never get close to 80 or 100.

[TheSNAFU]

It’s a treat when encountering a few rather oblivious enemy! I don’t see them often but when I do it’s fun to rip into them before they know what hit em! 
 

I like to play with iron man (4) figuring a simulation includes the chance of being killed. It makes me more cautious knowing if I do something stupid the virtual ultimate price may be paid. 

[Varibraun]

15 hours ago, TheSNAFU said:

It makes me more cautious knowing if I do something stupid the virtual ultimate price may be paid. 

 

This is very true for me also.  Especially as you become more and more vested in that particular virtual pilot over time.

 

17 hours ago, PatrickAWlson said:

I do not play iron man.  I use the default of death = serious wound.  That provides the penalty of missing time while allowing me to continue the career.  On iron many I would probably never get close to 80 or 100.

 

Thank you Pat - That makes me feel a little better about my own competence (or often incompetence).

 

It also makes me even more grateful for your work beyond your own personal play style in expanding SP PWCG to allow those of us who play Iron Man to have the squadron and campaign continue forward with new pilots.  When you implemented that feature, it really increased my immersion playing IM and added an important element for me that is not present for the in-game career (or even playing at #3 with the leave penalty).  I think we all appreciate the range of options available in PWCG that help us fit our individual preferences.

 

[grcurmudgeon]

Early in a Moscow career (starting over with 9.0) flying Mig-3s from one of the western bases north of enemy lines (dug through the data files to find a squadron that transitions to Yaks - may have to write a "squadron browser" to make this easier). We are doing a transport hub attack escorted by I-16s. They keep the 2 109s that come near off of us while we start making passes. Flight lead and I each nail a AAA gun on the first pass, I spot the train and circle around it. The train is coming out of the city towards a river bridge, just to its west is a road bridge with bunch of AAA and other ground vehicles on the far side of the river along the road. I circle around to the south and head north back up the rail line, line up the train, and unload my rockets. The locomotive and car behind it crash nicely, and I extend north then circle east looking for more targets. AAA is firing up at my buddies, a lot of it coming from the road south of the river, so I line up on one of those guns and make my east-to-west pass perpendicular to their line. I strafe one of the AAA batteries and knock it out (2 AAA, one locomotive, one train car so far), pull up and start extending, then suddenly BANG on the rear of my aircraft and the controls go haywire. A much bigger bang then I'm used to, that was not MG fire, something big got me.

 

I nurse my plane on a turn north and try to gain some altitude, the plane fighting me the whole way. I slowly pull it up, then the nose pops way up and I have to nurse it back down, all the while fighting a tendency for it to roll left. Everything is mushy and delayed, but 5 minutes of careful input and nursing finally gets me across friendly lines at about 350 meters and over a nice big field. I bail out and get a good look at all kinds of big holes in the tail section of my Mig as it slowly noses over and goes straight in. That was an awful lot of shrapnel, must have had an 88 or something similar go off just behind me. Fortunately I land in a nice soft field. The plane is a total loss, but I get to hitch a ride home.

 

I was getting too complacent, I needed a better turn coming out of the strafing run, I was too easy a target for whatever honking gun lined me up. Nursing the plane to friendly lines and getting out before it fell apart was nerve-wracking in a fun way. And some day I'll get in the habit of recording the combat so I can get screenshots and video from these incidents.

[dburne]

Had a great mission yesterday in my Spit MK IX Bodenplatte campaign.

Three of us were loaded with bombs, and tasked with attacking an area with AA and vehicles. A flight of P-51's were assigned to join us

as we got close to the target area to fly cover for us. So we all started our engines and began the taxi to runway, got clearance to take off and off we went.

 

This mission went just perfectly as planned. As we got close to the target area a small flight of 190's started coming towards us. The P-51's that

were flying cover for us were up high. I could see a 190 closing in on me from my six. Then I saw the P-51 dive down on him and quickly took care of him.

I was able to keep my focus on the target area. I took out the two units of AA, and then we as a group finished off the remaining vehicles.

We all three made it back to base without a scratch best I could tell.

 

Everything just clicked in this mission and ran like a well oiled machine.

[Varibraun]

13 hours ago, grcurmudgeon said:

then suddenly BANG on the rear of my aircraft and the controls go haywire. A much bigger bang then I'm used to, that was not MG fire, something big got me.

 

It's going to be interesting to see if the new "controls damage model" starts to give the flak more bite.  Nice escape back friendly lines!

[TheSNAFU]

Great mission accounts gents! Enjoyed both. 
 

This version of PWCG is really good. Varied missions, good action, flak and bandits not chasing me under my bunk. Having much fun! 

Edited June 12, 2020 by TheSNAFU

[grcurmudgeon]

39 minutes ago, TheSNAFU said:

... and bandits not chasing me under my bunk...

One of my early missions in the campaign had a weird story around this. 4 of us in Mig-3s flying a patrol along the front, no contacts. We start to head for home when I finally spy some dots. Since we're headed for home, my flight leader totally ignores them. I make a very poor turn to get in position, but they blow past much faster than me and dive on my 3 flight mates. Two of my flight peel off, but the totally oblivious flight leader continues to fly straight as all 3 202s line him up, ignoring my the other two Migs, and settle in as I'm screaming to catch up. They open fire, he takes damage and breaks off heading to an emergency field nearby. The 202s follow, I follow them, and the other pair of my teammates are having fun helpfully watching the whole thing unfold.

 

I start catching up and manage to ping the trailer. He breaks off leaking stuff, and a bit later one of my teammates finishes him off. As I close back in, my leader is frantically calling for landing clearance, and their leader is closing in on him, continuing to snipe. As we all bunch up, the lead 202 lands a good hit, but he's way too close and smashes into my leader. Both break up and the bits fall no-too-far to the ground under us. That leaves one for me that I'm already saddled up on and don't take long to finish him off.

 

The fun part was something in the game (likely) or PWCG (maybe? but I know it heavily uses the game results that don't always make sense) gave credit for the downing of the lead 202 to my remaining teammate, so each of us that survived got credit for one kill. But those 202s followed that leader all the way to the emergency field, which I kind of liked. All the way to our field deep behind the lines? No. All the pretty short way to the emergency field close to the front? Sure thing.

Edited June 12, 2020 by grcurmudgeon

[PatrickAWlson]

Flying my first mission in the Kuban, a ground attack intended to takeout enemy transport.  First the takeoff.  I am not sure how the P39 will respond as I have never done this before.  it turns out that the P39 is very easy to take off.  Torque is relatively gentle and the tricycle landing gear means you can see from the start of the roll.

 

We get airborne over water and proceed to fly over the sea up the coast.  We cut inland over the mountains and proceed to the target.  The scenery is beautiful, but  one must concentrate on the task at hand.

 

On the way to the target we encounter a flight of Ju52s.  Our flight continues on but I cannot pass up the opportunity.  Perhaps if I get one my transgression will be forgiven.  I approach one from the rear and open fire at close range.  He positively disintegrates under the impact of the 37mm.

 

With my first victory and forgiveness in hand I try to catch up to my flight.  They are circling the target area.  I see a group of trucks below by a bridge.  I put my P39 into a shallow dive and release my bomb, destroying a truck.  i circle back for a strafing run but the results are not satisfactory.  Still, I have performed my assigned mission.  

 

Returning home I am separated from my flight.  As I am flying over the sea I spot two enemy planes approaching.  My first thought is that they are bombers but quickly discover that they are Me110s looking for a fight.  I fire MGs during the merge and score some hits.  I see one but lose sight of the other.  As I follow him the second appears making a pass at me from 2:00.  I make slight corrections to evade and then he is by me.  Now I can focus on the one in front of me at least for a moment.  Having expended ammunition on both the Ju52 and the trucks I do not know what I have left.  The 110 is no match for my P39.  I am able to close on him and easily stay with him.  At short range I open fire with MGs.  The shots score and he starts smoking.  When range is very short I use the cannon again and this enemy also disintegrates.

 

I turn quickly as there is another 110 in the area.  I spot him, we merge, and he begins to circle. He is trailing fuel from his right engine, probably the hits I scored in the initial merge.  I get on his tail and easily stay with him.  When he is within range I squeeze the MG trigger - nothing.  I squeeze one round of ammo from my 37mm.  I miss and now that is gone too.  The enemy is smoking and in a poor position.  Since he is slower than I am disengaging is not difficult.  He does not follow.

 

I return home with two aircraft and a truck.  My break of discipline is forgiven.

Edited June 14, 2020 by PatrickAWlson

[Varibraun]

@PatrickAWlson Nice shooting with the 37mm, especially for the first flight.  I have to get really, really close to have any accuracy with it (its like one of those pumpkin cannons for me).

 

Flying Circus today:  Flying my 1st mission with my 2nd 46 Squadron Camel jockey (1st guy has a D.V break up right in front of him, lost his prop to a flying wing, and is now cooling his heels behind barbed wire).   

 

I was tail end Charlie with my flight of 4 just clearing the German side of trenches when 4 Albatrosses (or is it Albatri?) dropped down on us out of the sun.  I never saw them, I just saw my flight leader break hard and then saw 2 of them come straight through our formation.  The other 2 stayed just above and peppered me hitting somewhere behind the cockpit  (Buttkicker/Simshaker & VR is awesome in FC).  Well, my Camel is a turning, looping (sometimes spinning) maniac machine - so it wasn't long until the tables were turned.  The D.Vs put up a valiant effort, but they just can't match a Camel - so suddenly I was just one kill away from ace in day and still had ammo. 

 

So, our flight continued onward, still 4 strong.  Then off in the distance we spotted another Hun, all alone.  However, my optimism faded when I saw it was a Halberstadt with an eager rear seat gunner.  I thought it was time for me to fly some top cover and give the veterans this job (especially with the horror stories I had been hearing about our new DM having a dramatic impact on the WWI control wires).  I circled above the fray and watched with a heavy heart as that gunner picked off the cream of our squadron, one by one.  I sighed, decided I would make a "one pass haul ass" on the cheeky couple and head home.  

 

I had good speed from altitude, remembered not to over-rev, and landed a couple of rounds in his engine and was rewarded with the sight of steam.  That was enough, the ugly brown scar of no mans land was ahead.  Then...WAP, WAP!! with lots of tracer smoke from behind.  The SoB landed two lucky shots as I was pulling well away and broke my aileron control cable (it had to be a 700 meter shot*).  I lost control for a couple of seconds as I figured out how to fly by rudder and elevator pitch alone, but I did finally figure out an odd canted flight attitude that would hold altitude and direction (well at least sort of).

 

However, the other problem was that this Halb guy was hell bent on taking out the WHOLE flight today - evidently, his steaming engine be damned.  He kept up his long range tracer fire until I pulled somewhere between 900 - 1000 meters away.  Luckily not many of those rounds landed as I wobbled along at full throttle trying to extend the range, keeping a heavy foot on the left rudder pedal.  But he was still after me as we crossed the trenches.  I was making a direct line for the one allied machine gunner I could see ahead, and then dropped speed for a quick landing in the first clear field without shell holes.  

 

When I slowed, he politely ignored the AA fire from my ground buddies, and decided he was going to strafe me as I tried to land on unlevel ground without controls.  Nothing like a few more tracers whizzing past to keep up the excitement of trying to survive what was going to be a controlled crash at best.  I finally ended up tail high on the "landing," and I swear that the Halb rear gunner was waving and laughing at me as his pilot and machine went steaming (literally) on its merry way through a flak barrage.  Richtofen's Flying Circus has nothing on those Halb guys!

 

 *I am now headed back to the safety of WWII PWCG in my Mustang!  (I think I may give the Devs a chance to take another look at the recent DM changes impact on the cloth crates before returning to WWI). 

Edited June 15, 2020 by Varibraun

[PatrickAWlson]

@Varibraun Getting within 150 yards is usually the only way I hit anything.  And you have to admire the dedication to the cause of that Halberstadt pilot.

[Varibraun]

23 minutes ago, PatrickAWlson said:

you have to admire the dedication to the cause of that Halberstadt pilot.

 

Yes, "admire," that was the exact word I was thinking...

 

Thanks for another great flight! 

[Guest deleted@210880]

A cold morning , March 6^th 1942, Kachalinskaya.

 

As the sun rises Szt Boris Karamazov and the flight leader Viktor Lepoyokhin of the 811^th Ground Attack regiment were tasked with attacking enemy troops on the front line in their IL-2 1941s. Briefing read and maps checked they took off, Boris being somewhat apprehensive of how his sometimes cold and almost inhuman leader would behave in this mission. All was quiet up to the rendezvous with the escort and the target area was approached confidently.

 

Suddenly 109s appeared and engaged the escort but one slipped through and down to Boris and Viktor. Seeing the danger, Boris weaved back and fore across Viktor and, as the 109 opened fire, was able to also land some hits himself on the 109. Unfortunately the 109 had shot away a large amount of Viktor’s tail in the attack. Boris wished desperately for Viktor to call off the attack and return home, this was suicide surely, but Viktor carried on regardless. “He’s like a machine!” thought Boris.

 

The 109 came down a second time, again aiming for the leader, this time Boris weaved in behind it perfectly and was able to land enough hits to send it curving into the ground. As Boris grinned smugly at this rare victory, loud bangs filled his ears and his aricraft lurched wildly shattering the moment of celebratory thought and tearing him back to reality; a second 109 had got through the escort! Boris’s Il2 was barely responding to the controls, so he let the aircraft turn away from the front to find an area of open land to put down. Luckily the second 109 was by now engaged by one of the escort and so Boris succeed.

 

Viktor, acting as if this was nothing more than a training flight, maintained course for the target which was just a few kilometres away, but even he finally dropped his ordinance early and turned for home when the anti-aircraft fire was too much and tore further holes in his aircraft. Unlike Boris, he was able to nurse his aircraft back to a friendly airbase.

 

Whilst the target was never reached, Boris felt some solace in the fact that there was one less devil in a Messerschmitt facing them for the next mission.

 

Edited June 15, 2020 by deleted@210880

[Varibraun]

7 minutes ago, John_Yossarian said:

“He’s like a machine!” thought Boris.

Great line!!  

[grcurmudgeon]

The AAA managed to get 3 of them.

[blue_max]

Just flew my first mission in Bodenplatte. We were a couple of 190-A8s, escorted by Bf110s. The idea was to attack something at dawn, but we got jumped by a bunch of P-47s. We managed to shoot down 2, and the enemy got one of our Bf110s. I claimed one kill, but according to the combat log I actually had two! Apparently another P47 that I shot at but didn’t see any hits on was hit anyway and crashed much later and out of sight. We managed to get to the target zone and blew up a truck and an AAA gun. My buddy crash landed, but survived.

 

Overall, a pretty good mission, although my first through was ‘oh joy, I get escorted by 110s, what good will that do?’ But they did manage to distract the enemy fighters long enough for us to get through to the target. Plenty of action!

[Nocke]

 

I am really scared now by the germans in their flying locomotives.

[DD_Arthur]

1st. October 1944,  Florennes airfield.   First mission of Dangerdogz Lightning Strikes Campaign.  402 Squadron start up, takeoff and form up.

 

 

[BB-Madman]

1st mission of a new campaign on the Kuban map.......patrol.....attack targets of opportunity, etc. 3 of us are flying Yak-7B's...... our flight leader is in a nice, shiny new Yak-9T. He shot down 2 planes that day, but maybe his plane was a little too shiny and he was blinded by the glare because one of the planes that he shot down was mine.

 

Luckily for me there was a friendly airfield very close by and I was able to limp in for a landing......my plane however, was a write off. The worst part was when I arrived back at my home field just in time to see my flight leader receiving a medal......maybe he's related to Stalin. 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 23, 2020 by BB-Madman