Rheinland Nighttime Bombing 190 A8

[blitze]

Anyone worked this one out?

 

Flight takes off in staggered intervals and basically one navigates to target solo.  Pilot calls out bomb release to wait for his command but I never get the command.  Bomb release alt is 1500m at 450kp/h

 

NSGr. 20 is the squad name.  I'm happy to be able to sort of navigate to target and use radio compass back to the airfield.  Landing at night a challenge too. Seems like a futile exercise though as our squads efforts are pathetic with a relatively high attrition for little effect.?

 

Any tips or experiences in being successful in this role?

[blitze]

So, no one flies night bombing missions?

[migmadmarine]

I think the flight lead call-outs are just a residual thing from the aircraft technically using bomber AI due to mission type. Since you're flying on individual intervals once you reach the target area, try to spot the target and conduct a conventional fighter-bomber bombing run on it, and head for home. 

[blitze]

Thanks for that.

AI drops from 1500m

 

Pretty intimidating with search lights but - might try a spotting fly pass and attack at 500m myself to ensure I get the target.

 

Would be great at some stage down the track to have the flight map in a night mode as it is a bit hard to use in night flight (being so bright).

[migmadmarine]

Yea, I'd love there to be a night mode for the map with darker colors. Would be nice if there were more convincing bombing passes for the U-2s, Fw-199, stuka etc at night.

[ShamrockOneFive]

Never tried this scenario before but you've got me interested in checking it out!

[FeuerFliegen]

This is career mode?

[Yogiflight]

38 minutes ago, SCG_FeuerFliegen said:

This is career mode?

Yes, III./KG 51, based in Koeln-Ostheim

[Bremspropeller]

Well, to put it into a historic context:

NsGr.20 and KG 51 both had mixed reviews concerning their effectivity. The bottom line was (like many german experimental outfits) "too little effort to make an overall dent onto the Allies".

 

KG51's unit history for the period from 1944 to 1945 (by Jan Horn) carries the title "Flurschaden-Geschwader" (literally crop-damage Geschwader) for a reason.

[Alexmarine]

NSGr. 20 and III./KG51 are the same unit and despite the designation it had little in common with KG51 as it was formed from I./SKG10 (a FW equipped unit already). Probably the designation as the third group of KG51 was due to the fact that the unit served under the command of the Geschwader since Summer 1944 being turned in October in an autonomous night strike unit as the rest of KG51 returned to daylight action after exchanging their Me-410 for new Me-262

[Bremspropeller]

...yet III/KG 51 is featured in the book on pages 70 through 98.

 

Splitting hairs where no hair-splitting is due?

[LukeFF]

3 hours ago, Bremspropeller said:

...yet III/KG 51 is featured in the book on pages 70 through 98.

 

Splitting hairs where no hair-splitting is due?

 

No, he's right. I./SKG 10 operated as KG 51's III. Gruppe throughout the summer and early fall of 1944, but it wasn't officially renamed III./KG 51 until around late September / early October - and then the Luftwaffe renamed them as a night attack group a short time later.

Edited July 4, 2020 by LukeFF

[Bremspropeller]

1 hour ago, LukeFF said:

No, he's right. I./SKG 10 operated as KG 51's III. Gruppe throughout the summer and early fall of 1944, but it wasn't officially renamed III./KG 51 until around late September / early October - and then the Luftwaffe renamed them as a night attack group a short time later.

 

No, he's not.

 

Re-branding of I./SKG 10 into III./KG 51 was decided upon by Goering on 9th July 1944.

The actual re-naming took place on 18 July '44 - I/SKG 10 had already been flying under command of Stab/ KG 51 at this point.

No change of aircraft-coding took place, so only few unit-members registered the change of management.

Source: Horn "Flurschaden -Geschwder" pg. 71

 

 

 

[LukeFF]

2 hours ago, Bremspropeller said:

 

No, he's not.

 

Re-branding of I./SKG 10 into III./KG 51 was decided upon by Goering on 9th July 1944.

The actual re-naming took place on 18 July '44 - I/SKG 10 had already been flying under command of Stab/ KG 51 at this point.

No change of aircraft-coding took place, so only few unit-members registered the change of management.

Source: Horn "Flurschaden -Geschwder" pg. 71

 

I still don't think that's totally right. Dive-Bomber and Ground Attack Units of the Luftwaffe says "30 June: from this date to 20 October 1944, the Gruppe was provisionally incorporated into KG 51 as III./KG 51 without its designation being officially changed."

 

"25 July: operating as III.(Schlacht)/KG 51." 

 

"20 October: officially renamed III./KG 51."

Edited July 4, 2020 by LukeFF

[Bremspropeller]

With "Schreiben 11b16 Nr. 11615/44 g.Kds." by Generalquartiermeister 2. Abteilung this was done on 18 July.

 

g.Kds. - "geheime Kommandosache" - secret command document

 

De facto or de jure - doesn't really matter.

I/SKG 10 was operating under command of KG 51 and from 18 July onwards was operating (secretly or not) under the name  III/KG 51.

 

[sevenless]

1 hour ago, LukeFF said:

Dive-Bomber and Ground Attack Units of the Luftwaffe says "30 June: from this date to 20 October 1944, the Gruppe was provisionally incorporated into KG 51 as III./KG 51 without its designation being officially changed."

 

That is more or less the same text we find with Wolfgang Dierich. He had no access to the relevant primary sources when he wrote his KG 51 diary. You can check that snippet on page 224 (german edition - Motorbuch Verlag) or page 143 (english edition - Schiffer publishing) of Dierichs book.