Changes and tweaks to career mode

[Ghost666]

Within a few days of D-Day RR equipment was landed and track put down to start moving supplies by rail. The engines and cars could be moved by truck, so RR operation could begin in cities before the mainlines were repaired. All so Stations were communications hub, with the phone lines running along the tracks and the exchange in or by the station. 

And even if the trains were not running yet train stations/yards are a good sight for supply centers. With warehouses cold storage and rail cars for storage, a supply offer dream. And rail yards had large equipment/cranes and shops for the repair of engines that could be used to repair of tanks.

[Yogiflight]

deleted

Edited December 12, 2021 by Yogiflight

[csThor]

Thanks, Ghost. That's useful information. Concerning the railhead situation for the Allies I wonder if they took it much further than Liege or Brussels (at least in the beginning) because the line layout on the map actually doesn't favor movement towards the north-east (the lines seem more geared towards east-west movements).

[LukeFF]

7 hours ago, csThor said:

Hmmm ... Target selection seems at times ... wonky. Targeting Veghel railway station on Sept 23 and on Sept 25 again while flying with I./KG 51 and its Me 262 only seens "potentially alright" until you look at the frontline and realize the Allies don't have control of even one railway line that can actually reach Veghel. 

 

On this note as a personal question: How much did - and for that matter: could - the Allies rely on the french railway system to begin with? Organizing something like the "Red Ball Express" doesn't come from nowhere, it was obviously a necessity given how much and how systematically the french railway network had been pounded prior to D-Day. But how successful were the Allies in repairing that damage? How much could they rely on railways (which at that time were far superior in transport capacity to trucks)? Because if they didn't (or didn't much) then attacking railway targets doesn't make that much sense for the Luftwaffe compared to i.e river crossings, bridges and supply dumps.

 

3 hours ago, Yogiflight said:

The target selection for ground attacks is a big issue in career mode. Ground attacks by Schlachtflieger, but also Stuka (of course not so much in Bodenplatte times), and partially also bombers, were one of the ways to produce strong points at the front line, apart from massing ground forces. So there should be a big focus on attacking enemy troops at the front line in the sector, you have the attack arrows on the map. But in game these sectors rarely get attacked at all. And of course there have to be ground fighting going on. And I only can repeat it there are tank attacks missing in the career mode.

 

This is why I ask here in this submforum for information about German mission profiles, for instance my recent topic about KG 51 that I posted a few hours ago. I can produce highly realistic mission profiles for the RAF and USAAF, because there is an abundance of information available, but day-by-day mission reports for the Luftwaffe are hit and miss. The only more or less complete information I have for German units comes from JG 26 War Diary and Green Hearts: First in Combat with the Dora-9. Other than that, it's picking up random bits of information from sources like Black Cross / Red Star.

 

Long story short: if you guys want better mission profiles for the Germans, I need some help.  I'd love to have more sources, such as the German text Das Flurschaden-Geschwader, but it's impossible to purchase right now.

[csThor]

I don't have that book but IIRC there is a bit in Osprey's "Me 262 Recon and Bomber Units". I'll try to make a list in between making a base for my model Ta 152 C and flying a little bit. At least this quarantine due to a Covid infection is useful for something.

[Yogiflight]

4 minutes ago, LukeFF said:

This is why I ask here in this submforum for information about German mission profiles,

Unfortunately I don't have any information like this. What I am saying is based on my knowledge through Officer's school and platoon leader education, of how fighting would be done, and as in German Bundeswehr the tactics were very much influenced by the experiences of WW II, were certainly done back then. Making a strong point at the front line is done by supporting the fighting troops by as much support troops like artillery, anti tank troops, pioneers and of course air strikes, as possible. And from what I know this is and was basics for all western and eastern armies. So there should be the major air war going on in the area in which the ground war should , according to the intro and the arrows on map, be going on.

So hopefully someone has the sources you want to have, so we get more historically correct missions for the career mode.

[LukeFF]

21 minutes ago, csThor said:

I don't have that book but IIRC there is a bit in Osprey's "Me 262 Recon and Bomber Units". I'll try to make a list in between making a base for my model Ta 152 C and flying a little bit. At least this quarantine due to a Covid infection is useful for something.

 

Thanks, I'd appreciate that. ?

[csThor]

An initial list for September 1944.

 

Preface:

There was a Führerbefehl decreeing that no Me 262 should operate below 4,000m of altitude. In reality this reduced most ops to mere nuisance raids (by forcing a high approach followed by a dive to ~ 1,000 m and a quick escape back at altitude). This, along with the type's teething troubles, resulted in lots of "impact not observed" reports.

Here is what Fritz Wendel (Messerschmitt test pilot) said about the usual profile:

Quote

"The target was normally approached at 4,000m, the bombs being dropped in a steep dive. The distance from the air base [Rheine] to the target [in this case: Liege] is 230km. On return,  also made at 4,000m, the aircraft's main fuel tanks contained an average of 350 l each. The normal flight time was exactly 50 minutes. According to the pilots, all bombs hit targets somewhere [my emphasis] inside the town."

 

September 8

- unknown number of Me 262 attacking allied columns with bombs and guns in the area of Diest, one Me 262 lost to british AAA

 

September 9

- one weather-recon sortie by a single Me 262 to the Maastricht area
- four Me 262 attacking allied ground forces in Diest area (dropping four AB 500 filled with SD 10 bomblets) - pilots were unable to observe effects

 

September 10

- 15 Me 262 attacking allied vehicles on the road Huy - Liege (one Me 262 MIA near Verviers)

 

September 11

- temporary move to airfields Achmer, Wittmundhafen and Schleswig
- four missions flown against Liege (exact targets unknown) and canal crossing near Beringen (missing on the Rhineland map - location between Diest and Korspel)

 

September 13

- five Me 262 attack targets in the Lommel area in the morning
- two Me 262 attack troop concentrations north of Hechtel (missing on the Rhineland map, between Korspel and Bree) and on the Kanal Bocholt-Herentals (effects could not be observed)
- unit received Führerbefehl to attack troop concentrations in Beverlo (Korspel) area

 

September 15

- two planned missions against troop concentrations in Neerpelt area (east of Lommel) had to be aborted due to technical problems

 

September 16

- five Me 262 attack troop concentrations along the road from Beringen to Lommel (3 dropping six SC 250 bombs in Lommel area, two forced to jettison bombs)

 

September 17

- RAF attacks and craters Rheine airfield

 

September 18

- three Me 262 attack enemy troop concentrations in Neerpelt (Lommel) area, one conducting an ad-hoc recon over the front

 

September 19

- poor weather, two Me 262 conduct recon sorties to Nijmegen and Arnhem
- 14 Me 262 attack reported glider concentrations (four attack Nijmegen-Groesbeck, ten attack landing sites at Deelen, Arnhem and Bennekom)
- unknown number of Me 262 are sent against the Arnhem railway bridge (no details known)

 

September 20

- "concerted effort against Nijmegen bridge [...] as well as troop concentrations" - all operational jets (in the evening it reported 11 operational jets, one had been damaged by a Spit IX) involved except two who bombed british forces near Arnhem - no further details

 

Quote

"As with earlier operations, most of the attacks in the Allied drop and landing zones were made with aircraft fitted with single AB 500 containers holding SD-10  anti-personnel bombs, although on occasion aircraft would carry two SD 250 semi armor-piercing bombs."

(We really need those Abwurfbehälter! *hint devs hint!*)

 

September 22

- planned mission with 11  Me 262 against troop concentrations in Nijmegen area aborted due to poor weather

 

September 25

- lone Me 262 conducting weather recon and armed recon jettisons AB 500 due to deteriorating weather

 

September 26

- a total of 20 Me 262 attack troop movements and concentrations in the afternoon and evening with AB 500 (effects not observed, one Me 262 lightly damaged by Spit IX)

 

September 27

- three Me 262 sent against troop concentrations south of Nijmegen, two had to abort due to technical issues (the third dropped its bomb but could not observe effects)

 

September 28

- unknown number of Me 262 conduct 34 sorties (one aborted) against troop movements/concentrations south of Nijmegen (one Me 262 lightly damaged by Spit IX)

 

September 30

- three Me 262 sent against traffic on the Nijmegen road bridge with AB 500 (effects unknown)
- one Me 262 flies recon reporting one span of the Nijmegen railroad bridge collapsed, road bridge intact

 

Quote

"From the end of September, I./KG 51 mounted reasonably consistent operations against the airfields at Chievres, Eindhoven, Nijmegen, Volkel and Grave, using predominantly SD 250 Sprengbomben and AB 250 fragmentation containers."

 

[Yogiflight]

It seems the callsigns in career mode were changed and now change from mission to mission. The earlier player flight callsign Adler (eagle) is now assigned to the second fighter flight, while I had in my flight so far the callsigns Pirole ( oriole, BTW correct would be Pirol, the singular of Pirole), Kormoran (cormorant) and Storch (stork, which isn't the best idea for ground attack aircrafts, as this is also the callsign of the fighter escort). The changing callsigns definitely are a good thing as this is how it works IRL, too.

But, IRL you don't go on a mission and during the mission you have to find out, what might be your callsign. Your callsign (and TBH, the callsigns of all flights on your radio frequency) have to be named in the mission briefing. But apart from this, I like it that way.

[LukeFF]

4 hours ago, csThor said:

An initial list for September 1944.

 

Preface:

There was a Führerbefehl decreeing that no Me 262 should operate below 4,000m of altitude. In reality this reduced most ops to mere nuisance raids (by forcing a high approach followed by a dive to ~ 1,000 m and a quick escape back at altitude). This, along with the type's teething troubles, resulted in lots of "impact not observed" reports.

Here is what Fritz Wendel (Messerschmitt test pilot) said about the usual profile:

 

September 8

- unknown number of Me 262 attacking allied columns with bombs and guns in the area of Diest, one Me 262 lost to british AAA

 

September 9

- one weather-recon sortie by a single Me 262 to the Maastricht area
- four Me 262 attacking allied ground forces in Diest area (dropping four AB 500 filled with SD 10 bomblets) - pilots were unable to observe effects

 

September 10

- 15 Me 262 attacking allied vehicles on the road Huy - Liege (one Me 262 MIA near Verviers)

 

September 11

- temporary move to airfields Achmer, Wittmundhafen and Schleswig
- four missions flown against Liege (exact targets unknown) and canal crossing near Beringen (missing on the Rhineland map - location between Diest and Korspel)

 

September 13

- five Me 262 attack targets in the Lommel area in the morning
- two Me 262 attack troop concentrations north of Hechtel (missing on the Rhineland map, between Korspel and Bree) and on the Kanal Bocholt-Herentals (effects could not be observed)
- unit received Führerbefehl to attack troop concentrations in Beverlo (Korspel) area

 

September 15

- two planned missions against troop concentrations in Neerpelt area (east of Lommel) had to be aborted due to technical problems

 

September 16

- five Me 262 attack troop concentrations along the road from Beringen to Lommel (3 dropping six SC 250 bombs in Lommel area, two forced to jettison bombs)

 

September 17

- RAF attacks and craters Rheine airfield

 

September 18

- three Me 262 attack enemy troop concentrations in Neerpelt (Lommel) area, one conducting an ad-hoc recon over the front

 

September 19

- poor weather, two Me 262 conduct recon sorties to Nijmegen and Arnhem
- 14 Me 262 attack reported glider concentrations (four attack Nijmegen-Groesbeck, ten attack landing sites at Deelen, Arnhem and Bennekom)
- unknown number of Me 262 are sent against the Arnhem railway bridge (no details known)

 

September 20

- "concerted effort against Nijmegen bridge [...] as well as troop concentrations" - all operational jets (in the evening it reported 11 operational jets, one had been damaged by a Spit IX) involved except two who bombed british forces near Arnhem - no further details

 

(We really need those Abwurfbehälter! *hint devs hint!*)

 

September 22

- planned mission with 11  Me 262 against troop concentrations in Nijmegen area aborted due to poor weather

 

September 25

- lone Me 262 conducting weather recon and armed recon jettisons AB 500 due to deteriorating weather

 

September 26

- a total of 20 Me 262 attack troop movements and concentrations in the afternoon and evening with AB 500 (effects not observed, one Me 262 lightly damaged by Spit IX)

 

September 27

- three Me 262 sent against troop concentrations south of Nijmegen, two had to abort due to technical issues (the third dropped its bomb but could not observe effects)

 

September 28

- unknown number of Me 262 conduct 34 sorties (one aborted) against troop movements/concentrations south of Nijmegen (one Me 262 lightly damaged by Spit IX)

 

September 30

- three Me 262 sent against traffic on the Nijmegen road bridge with AB 500 (effects unknown)
- one Me 262 flies recon reporting one span of the Nijmegen railroad bridge collapsed, road bridge intact

 

Thank you! This is an excellent start. I can start modifying the mission profile of I./KG 51 with this information.

[LukeFF]

@csThor and others:

 

This is how I have so far revised Chapter 1 of career mode for I./KG 51 (which runs from September 17 to October 1, 1944), based on the sorts of missions we have:

 

2 missions flown per day

85% priority for troop concentration bombing strikes

15% priority for bridge bombing strikes

 

For each mission type, I've specified 6 planes to be flown on each mission. I can specify a maximum of 9 planes per mission. I also can specify up to 3 missions flown per day. So, I can adjust things of course, based what we think is the best sense. Unfortunately, we have no recon missions at the moment.

 

The other mission types we have available for fighter-bombers are:

 

Bomb Artillery

Bomb Strongpoint

Bomb Airfield

Bomb Railway Junction

Bomb Supply Dump

 

Attack Vehicle Column

Attack Armor Column

Edited December 13, 2021 by LukeFF

[csThor]

Well ... not so quick, Luke. To paraphrase GoT "Change is coming". 

 

Here's the listing for October and November:

 

October 2

- 35 Me 262 (unknown number of missions, two were forced to abort due to technical issues) attack troop concentrations around Nijmegen starting at 6:30 a.m. with AB 500 (one Me 262 damaged by AAA, interception by 2nd TAF fighters failed)
- five different attacks against Grave airfield that day (all nuisance despite causing personnel losses) with AB 500 containers released at ~ 1,000 m

 

Quote

"During the first week of October, Kommando Schenck continued to strike at Allied airfields and troop concentrations. These coincidented with german ground forces launching attacks north of the Waal against XXX. Corps. Southeast of Nijmegen further attacks were made against the 82nd Airborne Division. However, with relatively few aircraft operationally ready at any one time, and no effective bombsights, Kommando Schenck's contribution to the german war effort was little more than derisory."

 

October 3

- ten Me 262 attack targets in Nijmegen area (two have to abort with technical issues, two bomb targets inside the town, six outside) with SD 250 and AB 500

 

October 4

- eight Me 262 attack Nijmegen airfield, one attacks Volkel airfield and three attack Grave airfield in very bad weather with SD/SC 250 and AB 500

 

October 5

- ten Me 262 fly nuisance attacks against airfields at Nijmegen (7 Me 262) and Grave (2 Me 262) - one A/C had to abort due to engine failure - with AB 250 and SD 250
- ten Me 262 in 3 missions attack Nijmegen bridge with SC 250 and AB 250 (three Me 262 lost - 2 crashland, one shot down by Spit IX)

 

October 6

- seven Me 262 carry out nuisance raids against targets in Nijmegen area with AB 500
- two Me 262 attack Grave airfield with 2 SD 250 each

 

October 7

- seven Me 262 in three missions attack Nijmegen area (dropping 7 AB 500) and Grave airfield (dropping four AB 500) - one Me 262 lightly damaged

 

Quote

"In the early afternoon of the 7th, the Einsatzkommando received orders from Gefechtsverband Hallensleben (compromising the night bombers of LG 1, the night harassment unit NSG 2 operating Stukas, parts of KG 101 with Mistel and the operational parts of 3./KG 51) that its attacks were to be restricted to airfield targets, with troop assembly points as a secondary target."

 

no operations flown until October 11

 

October 11

- one Me 262 dropped two SD 250 on Volkel airfield
- three Me 262 attack Grave airfield with a total of six SD 250
- three Me 262 attack Chievres airfield (three AB 500)
- four Me 262 attack targets in Nijmegen area (four AB 500)

 

October 12

- seven Me 262 attack Volkel airfield (SD 250)
- three Me 262 attack Grave airfield (SD 250 & AB 500)
- four Me 262 attack Eindhoven airfield (AB 500 and SD 250)

 

October 13

- one Me 262 attacks Grave airfield - shot down by Tempest
- one Me 262 attacks Volkel airfield (2x SD 250)
- one Me 262 attacks Chievres airfield (2x SD 250)
- two Me 262 attack Eindhoven airfield (4x SD 250)

 

October 14

- three Me 262 attack Volkel airfield (4x SD 250 and 1x AB 500)

 

October 15

- two Me 262 attack Chievres airfield with 2 SD 250 and 2 AB 250
- three Me 262 attack targets in Nijmegen area with six SD 250

 

October 16 + 17

- no ops due to extremely bad weather

 

October 18

- six Me 262 conduct armed weather recon to Nijmegen area, four aborting prematurely (probably due to still bad weather); two drop two SD 250 each on targets in Nijmegen area

 

Quote

"On at least six days from 19 October to the end of the month, a similar intensity of nuisance operations involving one or two jets - and at the most six - was maintained by 3./KG 51 against Allied airfields, troop assemblies and transport columns around Chievres, Grave, Nijmegen, Eindhoven and Volkel. These missions, on the 19th, 20th, 21st, 24th, 28th and 29th, saw the customary ordnance pf SD 250s, AB 500s and AB 250s loaded with SD 10s. On the 21st Me 262 bombed Grave airfield, killing one airman and damaging 18 Spitfires from No 127 Wing, while two jets were claimed damaged by No 3 Sqn near Rheine. The unit also undertook weather reconnaissance missions along the Maas on the 25th and 28th [...]

At the end of October 1944 Kommando Schenck was officially re-incorporated into I./KG 51. By the end of the month it had received 25 Me 262s and had flown 163 missions involving 400 individual flights. Some pilots had flown up to six missions on a single day. Mission frequency would have been higher had it not been for the recurrence of bad weather over the target area."

 

November 2

- four Me 262 attack several airfields (incl. Grave) with AB 250s

 

November 3 - 9

- operations cancelled due to bad weather

 

November 10

- four Me 262 attack Nijmegen bridges (one has to abort due to undercarriage trouble); two remaining jets prevented from dropping bombs by patrolling Spitfires, one drops blind from within cloud cover "in intense AAA fire"

 

November 11

- one Me 262 conducts armed weather recon to Helmond area in the morning, reports strong AAA fire but drops 2 SD 250s on british forces
- three Me 262 attack Eindhoven airfield (flightpath via Venlo) - one has to abort with technical issues but became disoriented and dropped its SD 250s on troop column near s'Hertogenbosch

 

November 12 - 18

- no data

 

November 19

- four Me 262 attack Volkel airfield with SD 250s around noon in several missions

 

November 20

- no data

 

November 21

- two Me 262 attack targets in Nijmegen area in the morning with 2x SD 250 each
- two Me 262 repeat previous mission before noon (? unclear due to wording)
- three Me 262 attack artillery positions around Nijmegen in the afternoon (same armament)

 

November 22

- poor weather, three Me 262 attack targets in Nijmegen area

 

November 23

- I./KG 51 transfered to 3. Jagddivision - order to equip all Me 262s with four Mk 108 when and if possible

 

November 24 - 25

- no data

 

November 26

- starting at 9:36 a.m. four missions flown by four Me 262 each against artillery positions near Roemund (NE of Maaseik), Deurne, Nijmegen and Helmond (2 SD 250 each)
- bad weather disrupts missions, one Me 262 shot down by AAA near Helmond
- one Me 262 attacking "troop positions" in unspecified location

 

November 28

- two Me 262 conduct armed weather recon to the west of Helmond, one Me 262 shot down by AAA (Knight's Cross holder Hptm. Rudolf Rösch)

 

November 29

- single Me 262 conducts nuisance attack in unspecified location ("Holland") in the afternoon

 

November 30

- single Me 262 conducts nuisance attack in unspecified location ("Holland")

[csThor]

Preface: As we go into December 1944 the information becomes both far more sporadic and imprecise and it becomes increasingly harder to discern between ops flown by I./KG 51 and the operational nucleus of II./KG 51 (often due to a lack of explicit information). It seems that in early December I./KG 51 was shifted more towards flying fighter operations following a conference with GenMaj. Peltz in early December 1944 (CO II. Jagdkorps).

 

December 3

- two Me 262 attempt to attack Nijmegen, intercepted by P-38s (one Me 262 crashlands due to fuel shortage near Düsseldorf)

 

Quote

"Altogether, I./KG 51 flew 30 sorties that day, including three operations when the Gruppe's Me 262s were used as fighters. [Four Me 262] were scrambled from Rheine to intercept Allied fighters hawking over german airfields."

- two had to abort with engine failure (one was shot down upon landing by Tempest), another emergency landed at Hopsten with burning engine

 

December 5

- one Me 262 scrambles at noon against Allied fighters, undercarriage problems force pilot to abort mission and land
- two Me 262 scrambled at 12:33 to intercept lone B-17 in Rheine-Münster-Osnabrück area (B-17 of 91st BG shot down near Lingen at around 13:00)

 

December 7

- two Me 262 launched for fighter patrol - encountered Spitfires near Stuttgart (!), no combat due to jammed cannons

 

December 8

- single Me 262 conducts nuisance attack in unspecified location ("Holland") at 08:00
- another Me 262 crashlands upon returning from a mission at airfield (pilot WIA)

 

December 9

- single Me 262 conducts nuisance attack in unspecified location ("Holland")

 

December 10

- two Me 262 attack targets in Nijmegen area, one forced to abort with radio problems, the other drops 2 SD 250s

 

December 11

- one Me 262 shot down by german flak south of Wierden
- one Me 262 crashlands after being damaged by Tempest east of Rheine

 

December 12

- unspecified number of Me 262 operate in Aachen area, one MIA (shot down by fighters?)

 

December 16

- Wacht am Rhein begins

 

December 17

- six Me 262 strafe US forces near St. Vith (I./KG 51)
- one Me 262 conducts nuisance attack near Nijmegen with 2 SD 250 (II./KG 51) at 07:49
- two Me 262 attack allied columns near Bree (II./KG 51) at 10:00
- two Me 262 attack Moll railway station (II./KG 51) at 10:03
- one Me 262 attacks allied columns between Beringen and Bree  (II./KG 51) at 10:37
- two Me 262 attack allied columns between Eindhoven and Hasselt (II./KG 51) in the afternoon - very bad weather, heavy AAA fire

 

December 18

- bad weather
- one Me 262 conducts armed recon to Bastogne area (II./KG 51)
- one Me 262 attacks target at Lammersdorf (SE of Aachen, II./KG 51)
- one Me 262 attacks allied columns at Weert (II./KG 51)
- I./KG 51 reported 20 sorties with 18 aircraft in total (T/O between 07:44 and 08:18) - no further data
- two further Me 262 strafed allied columns north of Hasselt and Neerpelt railway station (I./KG 51) at 11:10
- two Me 262 attempted weather recon, worsening weather forced them to abort

 

December 19

- unknown number of Me 262 strafed targets in Liege area (II./KG 51)

 

December 20

- unknown number of Me 262 strafed targets in Liege area (II./KG 51)

 

December 23

- bad weather keeps KG 51 on the ground

 

December 24

- unspecified number of Me 262 attack targets near Liege (one shot down by Spit IX) (II./KG 51)
- three Me 262 intercepted by Spitfires over the Rhine, one Me 262 shot down (I./KG 51)

 

December 27

- unspecified number of Me 262 attack targets at Liege (II./KG 51) in at least two missions
- unspecified number of Me 262 attack targets at Nijmegen and on Hasselt-Zonhoven road (II./KG 51) in at least two missions

 

Unternehmen Bodenplatte January 1 1945

- 21 Me 262 of I./KG 51 take off at 08:55 to attack Gilze-Rijen carrying 2x SD 250 each; approach at 9,000m followed by dive attack and strafing runs on aircraft found at the airfield

 

The attack was a complete failure and caused very little to no damage.

 

- the same day 19 Me 262 of I./KG 51 transfer to Giebelstadt (between Frankfurt/Main and Würzburg and outside the map), rest of I./KG 51 scattered across several airfields with very few ready aircraft -  factually I./KG 51 moved out of the map area following "Bodenplatte" and information on II./KG 51's operations is completely missing.

Edited December 13, 2021 by csThor

[LukeFF]

Excellent, thank you! Please keep this information coming! 

[csThor]

Like I said: From January on information is badly fractured and in large parts simply not there. I have, for example, absolutely no mention of what II./KG 51 was up to in January and early February 1945 - and they were based at Rheine! Unlike I./KG 51 at Giebelstadt for which I have quite good intel but it's all irrelevant as it happened outside our map's borders.

 

Addenum: At some point in January 1945 the Führerbefehl forbidding ops by Jets below 4,000m is  rescinded.

 

February 13

- I./KG 51 is transfered to Hopsten

- OKL order to Luftflotte Reich: ops of daylight jet fighter-bombers and jet bombers (of KG 76) are to be concentrated in the area between Nijmegen and Schleiden

 

February 14

- thirteen Me 262 (and 22 Ar 234 of KG 76) attack troop concentrations in the Reichswald area west and south-west of Kleve - one jet diverted to secondary target at Nijmegen due to allied CAP (then lands for rearming and refueling at Essen-Mühlheim and repeats) - two Me 262 bounced and shot down by Typhoons, one  Me 262 crashlands at Essen-Mühlheim

- one Me 262 attacks Malden (SD 250)

- one Me 262 attacks Gennep (intercepted by Spitfire and shot at by Flak, bombs failed to explode)

- seven Me 262 attempt to attack Kleve area, five forced to break off with technical issues, two drop on secondary target at Nijmegen but bad weather results in "effects could not be observed"

- one Me 262 shot down upon take-off at Hopsten, another shot down while approaching target

 

February 15

- I. and II./KG 51 combined with operational parts of KG 76 as Gefechtsverband Kowalewski

 

February 21

- 38 Me 262 in several missions conduct nuisance attacks on troop concentrations near Bedburg (SE Kleve) between 11:03 and 17:28, ten of which were forced to abort due to technical issues ↙️

- 13 Me 262 (I./KG 51) conduct nuisance attacks on troop concentrations between Kleve and Kessen (SSW Venlo) between 17:01 and 17:53, one damaged (unclear if in addition to first op or included in its numbers, the wording is unclear)

 

February 22

- 19 ME 262 attack US troop concentrations in the area Inden - Aldenhoven - Geilenkirchen (basically the triangle Aachen - Eschweiler - Heerlen) between 11:43 and 17:47, one Me 262 shot down by P-47 (~ 17:45 hours)

 

February 23

- eight Me 262 attack US tank assemblies in the Jülich area despite bad weather and intense AAA fire between 10:27 and 16:49 (SD 250)

 

February 24

- eight Me 262 escort Ar 234s of KG 76 to Linnich-Düren area (one Me 262 lightly damaged)

 

February 26

- 16 Me 262 attack US troop concentrations at Jülich around 08:40, interception by P-47; several further contact reports with Me 262 at Gladbach (10:20), Erkelen (10:40) and Jülich (10:50)

- Luftwaffe reports:

Quote

"Twelve Me 262 of KG 51 and 20 Ar 234 of KG 76 attacked enemy targets in the Linnich area between 08:12 and 16:34 hours.  Hits were observed on roads, bridges and towns - two aircraft, but no pilots, were lost. Eighteen Me 262 of KG 51 flew continuous attacks on Jülich between 07:53 and 13:26. Hits were observed both on the town and the railway station, one pilot and one aircraft being posted missing."

 

March 1

- two Me 262 conduct armed weather recon in München-Gladbach area between 07:19 and 07:42, four SC 250s dropped on Linnich (effects could not be observed)

- three Me 262 attempt to attack tank concentrations at Jüchen, bad weather forces diversion to Düren

 

March 2

- 26 Me 262 of II./KG 51 (in various missions; plus 20 Ar 234 of KG 76) attack tank and troop concentrations in the Düren area (two are forced to break off with technical issues); contact with P-47 was reported but interceptions were avoided

 

March 3 + 4

- bad weather hampers flight ops, only abortive weather recon sorties 

 

March 5

- five Me 262 are to attack troop movements on the road north of Moers - due to bad weather target could not be located, three aircraft dropped bombs between Krefeld and Neuss (effects could not be observed)

 

March 6 - 11

- bad weather prevents operations

 

March 12

- unspecified number of Me 262 conduct bombing run on Ludendorff bridge at Remagen together with Ar 234 of KG 76 (8 a/c in total)

- unspecified number of Me 262 conduct bombing run on Ludendorff bridge at Remagen together with Ar 234 of KG 76 (8 a/c in total)

 

March 13

- four Me 262 (II./KG 51) attack river crossings at Remagen between 09:05 and 10:02 (AB 250s) - two Me 262 lost due to shortage of fuel and engine failure on return flight

- 24 Me 262 of I. and II./KG 51 attack troop concentrations in the area Kleve - Xanten - Emmerich with AB 500 and AB 250, two a/c have to break off due to technical issues (both lost, one pilot KIA), one pilot injured by AAA

 

March 14-17

- bad weather prevents operations

 

March 18

- three Me 262 (II./KG 51) attempt attack on Ludendorff bridge at Remagen (11:38 - 12:38) using AB 250 and Egon control from high-altitude

- two Me 262 attack troop movements NE of Honnef, one jet aborts due to Egon failure, the other bombs from 6,700m of altitude

 

 

On March 18 the remaining aircraft of KG 51 transfered to Giebelstadt and Leipheim and ended its ops in the area covered by the map.

Edited December 14, 2021 by csThor

[LukeFF]

Good, good! This will make a big difference for KG 51 careers, for sure. Thanks again!??

[LukeFF]

11 hours ago, csThor said:

Like I said: From January on information is badly fractured and in large parts simply not there. I have, for example, absolutely no mention of what II./KG 51 was up to in January and early February 1945 - and they were based at Rheine! Unlike I./KG 51 at Giebelstadt for which I have quite good intel but it's all irrelevant as it happened outside our map's borders.

 

I just checked the game's files - I./KG 51 is based at Rheine through 13 March 1945, probably because (according to other sources, like Bomber Units of the Luftwaffe) there were elements of the unit still stationed there. So, if you could provide the info on what they were doing from January to March 1945, that would be great. Thanks!

[LukeFF]

@csThor, if I could make one more request: could you please tell me what I./KG 51 was doing from April - June 1944 while stationed in France? I want to make sure both that the right missions are being assigned and what are the correct airfields they should be flying from.*

 

*Currently we have them assigned to Evreux-Fauville from April 15 - May 23.

 

Thanks!

Edited December 14, 2021 by LukeFF

[sevenless]

On 12/12/2021 at 6:12 PM, LukeFF said:

Long story short: if you guys want better mission profiles for the Germans, I need some help.  I'd love to have more sources, such as the German text Das Flurschaden-Geschwader, but it's impossible to purchase right now.

 

Luke,

 

You can get it here:

 

https://www.christian-schmidt.com/product_info.php?products_id=7539

 

https://www.zinnfigur.com/Buecher-Medien/Buecher/Luftfahrt/Deutschland/Horn-J-Das-Flurschaden-Geschwader-Die-Chronik-des-Kampfgeschwaders-Edelweiss-zwischen-1-Januar-1944-bis-Kriegsende.html

 

Also you can get Jan Horns other book from them about KG 76. Title: KG 76. Die Chronik des Kampfgeschwaders 76im Zeitraum 01.01.1944 bis 08.05.1945

 

Berliner Zinnfiguren | Horn, Jan: KG 76. Die Chronik des Kampfgeschwaders 76im Zeitraum 01.01.1944 bis 08,05,1945 | Online kaufen

 

KG 76. Die Chronik des Kampfgerschwaders 76 im Zeitraum 01.01.1944 bis 08.05.1945., Christian Schmidt Fachbuchhandlung (christian-schmidt.com)

 

As I see CsThor already supplied you with the daily schedules.

 

Also here:

 

 

Edited December 15, 2021 by sevenless

[LukeFF]

1 hour ago, sevenless said:

 

Luke,

 

You can get it here:

 

https://www.christian-schmidt.com/product_info.php?products_id=7539

 

https://www.zinnfigur.com/Buecher-Medien/Buecher/Luftfahrt/Deutschland/Horn-J-Das-Flurschaden-Geschwader-Die-Chronik-des-Kampfgeschwaders-Edelweiss-zwischen-1-Januar-1944-bis-Kriegsende.html

 

Also you can get Jan Horns other book from them about KG 76. Title: KG 76. Die Chronik des Kampfgeschwaders 76im Zeitraum 01.01.1944 bis 08.05.1945

 

Berliner Zinnfiguren | Horn, Jan: KG 76. Die Chronik des Kampfgeschwaders 76im Zeitraum 01.01.1944 bis 08,05,1945 | Online kaufen

 

KG 76. Die Chronik des Kampfgerschwaders 76 im Zeitraum 01.01.1944 bis 08.05.1945., Christian Schmidt Fachbuchhandlung (christian-schmidt.com)

 

As I see CsThor already supplied you with the daily schedules.

 

Also here:

 

 

 

Excellent, thank you! Order placed.

[LukeFF]

By the way, speaking of the Me 262, its cruise speed was increased from 550 km/h to 570 km/h in the last update. We're still stuck with one default cruise speed for each plane, regardless of mission type, but this change should be very beneficial to the 262 (I was finding that even P-38s could catch up to the jets at the old cruise speed ?).

[csThor]

11 hours ago, LukeFF said:

I just checked the game's files - I./KG 51 is based at Rheine through 13 March 1945, probably because (according to other sources, like Bomber Units of the Luftwaffe) there were elements of the unit still stationed there. So, if you could provide the info on what they were doing from January to March 1945, that would be great. Thanks!

 

From what I can  deduct from the book it seems as if the operational parts of I./KG 51 were transfered to Giebelstadt on January 1, what was left at Hopsten, Rheine, Oldenburg and Münster was either unserviceable or - as it happened quite often - had landed on a "foreign" airfield after an operation (any port in a storm, you know). It is all a bit confusing since apparently II./KG 51 was moved to Essen-Mühlheim on January 10 and seems to have left some a/c behind (which were then counted in I./KG 51's stocks).

 

At Giebelstadt I./KG 51 continued to operate against pretty much the same kinds of targets as above the Netherlands and the Rhineland - except this time targets were located in Alsace (mostly around Hagenau and Colmar). Until, as I outlined in a post above, February 13 when I./KG 51 was transfered back to Hopsten.

 

As for 1944 - that is, unfortunately, not part of the book. since it focuses on the Me 262. The only reference I could find was this:

 

Quote

In mid-May 1944, the I. Gruppe of Kampfgeschwader 51 "Edelweiss"", based in north-western France under the command of the former Kapitän of 1. Staffel, Major Heinz Unrau (who had taken over in February), received orders to withdraw to Germany and prepare to convert to the Me 262 fighter-bomber.

From December 1943 I./KG 51 had been engaged in a campaign of night raids on England, using the Me 410 in harassment attacks on London, Bristol and targets along the south coast. However, attrition had been high, with heavy losses incurred over London in April."

 

As for the operational evaluation of the Me 262 in the fighter-bomber role: Since "Kommando Schenck" didn't fly its first sorties over France before August 25 (against targets along the Seine north of Paris from its base at Juvincourt) it can be safely ignored except for "informational value". 

[Juri_JS]

10 hours ago, LukeFF said:

@csThor, if I could make one more request: could you please tell me what I./KG 51 was doing from April - June 1944 while stationed in France? I want to make sure both that the right missions are being assigned and what are the correct airfields they should be flying from.*

I think you will find the necessary information in:

"Messerschmitt 210/410 Story" by Jan Forsgren

 

I don't own this book, but I had a chance to take a look into it a while ago while doing research on Me-410 intruder missions over England. If I remember correctly I./KG 51 mostly flew nuissance raids against English cities in the last phase of Operation Steinbock during this time.

The unit was also used in Wilde Sau type night fighter missions over France in April and May. Information can be found here:

https://www.gyges.dk/Wilde Sau Frankrig.htm

Edited December 15, 2021 by Juri_JS

[csThor]

Very minor thing: Just saw III./JG 300 is listed as operating Bf 109 G-6 late. According to "Jagdgeschwader 300" Vol 2 the Gruppe was equipped entirely with Bfc109 G-14/AS during its stint at Dortmund. It may be irrelevant as that unit is not selectable, but I at least wanted to mention it.

[LukeFF]

8 hours ago, csThor said:

From what I can  deduct from the book it seems as if the operational parts of I./KG 51 were transfered to Giebelstadt on January 1, what was left at Hopsten, Rheine, Oldenburg and Münster was either unserviceable or - as it happened quite often - had landed on a "foreign" airfield after an operation (any port in a storm, you know). It is all a bit confusing since apparently II./KG 51 was moved to Essen-Mühlheim on January 10 and seems to have left some a/c behind (which were then counted in I./KG 51's stocks).

 

At Giebelstadt I./KG 51 continued to operate against pretty much the same kinds of targets as above the Netherlands and the Rhineland - except this time targets were located in Alsace (mostly around Hagenau and Colmar). Until, as I outlined in a post above, February 13 when I./KG 51 was transfered back to Hopsten.

 

Ok, thanks. Yes, I do agree it is a bit confusing - citing the text in Bomber Units of the Luftwaffe, Volume 1 (which I think was published before Horn's work on KG 51), it says that I./KG 51 "was apparently at Giebelstadt from January 10-15." So, based on that, we have that unit off the map from January 10-15 before it returns on the 16th at Rheine. Ah, late-war Luftwaffe unit research - aint' it fun? ? 

 

Regarding the transfer on February 13th to Hopsten - is it definitive that this was the main operational body of I./KG 51? I can see about moving them to that airfield on that date, but the process of updating the files is a bit of a hassle, so I don't want to create unnecessary work for VikS. This is the current timeline for I./KG 51:

 

Rheine: 17 September 1944 (can't start any earlier than this)

Off-map from 10-15 January 1945

Returns to Rheine: 16 January 1945

Last day at Rheine and the campaign: 13 March 1945

 

Like I said, that can be revised, but I want to make sure I'm on solid footing before submitting that change to VikS and BlackSix.

 

II./KG 51 is good - they start on 17 December at Hesepe and remain there until moving to Essen-Mühlheim on 10 January. They then leave the map on 20 March.

 

8 hours ago, Juri_JS said:

I think you will find the necessary information in:

"Messerschmitt 210/410 Story" by Jan Forsgren

 

Yes, I recently purchased a copy of this book. Looks like I need to scan through it again!

 

5 hours ago, csThor said:

Very minor thing: Just saw III./JG 300 is listed as operating Bf 109 G-6 late. According to "Jagdgeschwader 300" Vol 2 the Gruppe was equipped entirely with Bfc109 G-14/AS during its stint at Dortmund. It may be irrelevant as that unit is not selectable, but I at least wanted to mention it.

 

I can always change them to fly the G-14 - still not quite a G-14/AS, but still a bit closer. ? 

[csThor]

15 hours ago, LukeFF said:

Ok, thanks. Yes, I do agree it is a bit confusing - citing the text in Bomber Units of the Luftwaffe, Volume 1 (which I think was published before Horn's work on KG 51), it says that I./KG 51 "was apparently at Giebelstadt from January 10-15." So, based on that, we have that unit off the map from January 10-15 before it returns on the 16th at Rheine. Ah, late-war Luftwaffe unit research - aint' it fun? ? 

 

Regarding the transfer on February 13th to Hopsten - is it definitive that this was the main operational body of I./KG 51? I can see about moving them to that airfield on that date, but the process of updating the files is a bit of a hassle, so I don't want to create unnecessary work for VikS. This is the current timeline for I./KG 51:

 

Rheine: 17 September 1944 (can't start any earlier than this)

Off-map from 10-15 January 1945

Returns to Rheine: 16 January 1945

Last day at Rheine and the campaign: 13 March 1945

 

Like I said, that can be revised, but I want to make sure I'm on solid footing before submitting that change to VikS and BlackSix.

 

I cannot cross-reference the information in the Osprey book with anything else. That's my problem here. But the narrative in it clear in so far, that I./KG 51 immediately began ops against targets in Alsace on January 2 and kept that up right until February 13. "Das Flurschaden-Geschwader" could surely clear up the remaining doubts, but TBH 88 € (the price in "my" favourite book-shop) is a bit steep for me.

[LukeFF]

8 hours ago, csThor said:

I cannot cross-reference the information in the Osprey book with anything else. That's my problem here. But the narrative in it clear in so far, that I./KG 51 immediately began ops against targets in Alsace on January 2 and kept that up right until February 13. "Das Flurschaden-Geschwader" could surely clear up the remaining doubts, but TBH 88 € (the price in "my" favourite book-shop) is a bit steep for me.

 

Ok, no problem. For now I will keep I./KG 51 at Rheine after 1 January 1945 until I receive my copy of Horn's book and I can see what it says. Like I said, I just want to make sure I have good information before I tell BlackSix and VikS that a change needs to be made in airfield assignments.

 

In the meanwhile, I have submitted a file that modifies what missions I./KG 51 and II./KG 51 fly during the Rhineland campaign. I've tested it a bit in mods-on mode, and I'm liking the results - from October to mid-December it's a mix of mainly bombing attacks against troop concentrations and airfields, with the less common but still possible missions against bridges and artillery batteries. There is also the chance to fly bomber and fighter intercepts, but those I've set to a low priority.

Edited December 16, 2021 by LukeFF

[csThor]

BTW ... is it just me or is there little in the way of allied air activity over the frontline? I mean the idea of using the Me 262 as fighter-bomber came from absolute allied air superiority, but so far I haven't seen many aircraft around.

[LukeFF]

1 hour ago, csThor said:

BTW ... is it just me or is there little in the way of allied air activity over the frontline? I mean the idea of using the Me 262 as fighter-bomber came from absolute allied air superiority, but so far I haven't seen many aircraft around.

 

It might have to do with the difficulty level chosen, but I've found that even on Hard the Allied fighter presence isn't that high. Might have something to do with the fact that they are using the standard bomber mission templates for 262 jabo missions. 

[Noisemaker]

On 12/11/2021 at 10:59 AM, csThor said:

Just curious: Am I the only one who noticed that the generator does sometimes have issues with the new clouds? I had a fighter sweep where it wanted me to fly at an altitude right in the middle of a very solid 2.5k cloudlayer. ?

But that happens only once in a while since the next two missions put me above/below said cloudlayer just fine.

 

EDIT: And again. Fighter Sweep, cloudbase at 1.6k with clouds reaching up to almost 3k the generator puts our flight alt at 2k. That's simply nonsensical.

It had problems with the old clouds as well.  I reported it as a bug a while back when an in-flight start of an IL-2 Kuban career resulted not only rendering in, in the midst of thick cloud, but also at too low of an altitude to avoid the invisible mountain directly in front of the flight.

[LukeFF]

@csThor, et al:

 

Ok, well, I receive my copy of Das Flurschaden-Geschwader today, and yes, it's a goldmine of information. One thing I wanted to track down today was the deployment of I./KG 51 and II./KG 51 after Operation Bodenplatte. In summary, yes, I./KG 51 was operating in whole from Giebelstadt from 2 January 1945. It then moved to Hopsten on 10 February 1945.

 

II./KG 51 is more interesting: only 4./KG 51 was initially moved to Essen-Mulheim on 10 January 1945. 5. Staffel remained at Rheine, and 6. Staffel only made the move a month later. 

 

Translated excerpts are as follows:

 

(Page 223):

 

On January 9, 1945, an order from the 5th Fighter Division reaches the squadron staff of the "Edelweiss" Squadron, which advises for the following day that the aircraft pilots should be careful and not get involved in air combat.

 

The development of II/KG 51 takes a different turn, after the report of the Airport Area Command 4/VI in Duesseldorf to Guetersloh that the completion of the runway in Essen-Muelheim is delayed because of snow and cannot be operational until 10.01.1945.

 

(Page 231):

 

24 January 1945:

 

“The II/KG 51 in Hopsten takes over the following 4 aircraft from the 1st/KG 51... These 8 aircraft, which are in Hopsten, are to be transferred to Essen-Mulheim. The II./KG 51 sends specialized personnel to Hopsten to maintain and prepare the airplanes for take-off, while the I./KG 51 transfers the airplanes.”

 

The 5th Squadron is still stationed in Rheine.

 

(Page 236):

 

8 February 1945:

 

In the afternoon, the 6th Squadron moves from Hesepe to Essen-Mulheim.

 

Page 237:

 

On February 13, 1945, at 7:30 p.m., Hptm. Abel issues the following strength report for the 5th/KG 51:

 

"There are 14 Me 262s at Rheine airfield, ready for action. At Hopsten the squadron has 2 planes, but only one Me 262 is operational."

 

13 Me 262s, including 9 aircraft of 5th /KG 51 (Rheine) and four aircraft of 4th /KG 51 at Essen-Mulheim are used on 14 February 1945 to attack enemy concentrations in the Kleve - Kranenburg - Gennep area.

 

Page 244:

 

21 February 1945:

 

At Rheine, there are 10 Me 262s of the 5th/KG 51 at this time, 8 of which are operational. There are 348 cbm of fuel J 2 stored at the site.

 

Page 247:

 

The strength of 5th/KG 51 on February 22, 1945, is reported at 3:30 p.m. as follows:

 

"Rheine:

Aircraft total: 10

Aircraft operational: 2

 

Hopsten: Aircraft total: 2

Aircraft operational: ?"

 

Page 248:

 

On February 24, 1945, Hopsten reports an occupancy of 29 Me 262s and 89 Bf 109s and Rheine reports an occupancy of 6 Me 262s and 70 Bf 109s. There are 16 Me 262s at Esssen-Mulheim on this date.

 

Page 249:

 

The strength report of the 5th /KG 51 of 24.02.1945 at 15:00 by the Ia, Lt. Schlegel, says the following:

 

"Rheine:

12) Aircraft total: 9

13) Aircraft operational: 4

Hopsten:

12) Aircraft total: 2

13) Aircraft operational: 1”

 

Page 260:

 

Hptm. Fritz Abel, squadron captain of the 5th/KG 51, and Uffz. Kurt Schenk take off in their Me 262 A-2a at 06:00 from Essen-Mulheim for the enemy flight.

 

Page 265:

 

The transfer orders for the parts of the squadron at Essen-Mulheim are changed on 6 March 1945 as follows: The II/KG 51 Staff and the 4th Squadron transfer to the 5th Squadron at Rheine, then the 6th/KG 51 to Hesepe. The 3rd/KG 51 transferred to the I./KG 51 at Hopsten.

 

Page 272:

 

18 March 1945:

 

The I./KG 51 is to move from Hopsten to Giebelstadt, complete with all the machines ready for deployment, while the II. Group is to fly its aircraft from Rheine or Hesepe to Schwabisch Hall.

Edited December 28, 2021 by LukeFF

[LukeFF]

Hey all,

 

With the latest update, you should be seeing the new mission profiles for I./KG 51 and II./KG 51 during the Rhineland phase of career mode. Much thanks goes to @csThor with making this possible. Further updates - including new airfield location assignments - are planned for the future.

 

Other than that, of course the P-51B is now playable in career mode for both the RAF and the USAAF. The RAF careers are unfortunately not that long, since at the end of September 1944 all the RAF Mustang III squadrons on the Continent were recalled to England to begin flying long-range escort missions for the heavy bombers of RAF Bomber Command. But, you'll also have the opportunity to fly the P-51B with the 328th FS, 352nd FG, from Chapter 3 to the end of the campaign in April 1945.

 

Of course, there will be much longer career mode options for this plane once Normandy is added.

 

Just a few notes as well on the choice of mods and loadouts for the P-51B:

• The vast majority of the P-51B/Cs in RAF squadrons that were not part of Air Defence of Great Britain were fitted with the V-1650-3 engine, hence why the -7 engine is not enabled by default.
• As with the P-51D and the P-47s, the P-51B regularly flew with its wing racks attached, since they were regularly being used for ground attack or long range bomber escort missions. That's why you'll see the Ground Attack mod enabled by default for air-to-air missions but no bombs selected.
• The two fuel boost modifications are disabled, since the RAF's 2nd Tactical Air Force didn't start employing this modification until the early part of 1945 (and the Mustang IIIs were long gone from the 2nd TAF, anyways), and the US Ninth Air Force did not modify their planes to employ the higher boost levels.

Edited December 28, 2021 by LukeFF

[sevenless]

3 hours ago, LukeFF said:

Other than that, of course the P-51B is now playable in career mode for both the RAF and the USAAF. The RAF careers are unfortunately not that long, since at the end of September 1944 all the RAF Mustang III squadrons on the Continent were recalled to England to begin flying long-range escort missions for the heavy bombers of RAF Bomber Command. But, you'll also have the opportunity to fly the P-51B with the 328th FS, 352nd FG, from Chapter 3 to the end of the campaign in April 1945.

 

Luke,

 

any chance to get 122 "Bombay" Squadron in? Would be great!

 

 

Aces High: A Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the British and ... - Christopher Shores, Clive Williams - Google Books

[LukeFF]

3 minutes ago, sevenless said:

Luke,

 

any chance to get 122 "Bombay" Squadron in? Would be great!

 

Possibly - though, I'd have to ask @BlackSix about that.

[easterling77]

4 hours ago, LukeFF said:

Hey all,

 

With the latest update, you should be seeing the new mission profiles for I./KG 51 and II./KG 51 during the Rhineland phase of career mode. Much thanks goes to @csThor with making this possible. Further updates - including new airfield location assignments - are planned for the future.

 

Other than that, of course the P-51B is now playable in career mode for both the RAF and the USAAF. The RAF careers are unfortunately not that long, since at the end of September 1944 all the RAF Mustang III squadrons on the Continent were recalled to England to begin flying long-range escort missions for the heavy bombers of RAF Bomber Command. But, you'll also have the opportunity to fly the P-51B with the 328th FS, 352nd FG, from Chapter 3 to the end of the campaign in April 1945.

 

Of course, there will be much longer career mode options for this plane once Normandy is added.

 

Just a few notes as well on the choice of mods and loadouts for the P-51B:

• The vast majority of the P-51B/Cs in RAF squadrons that were not part of Air Defence of Great Britain were fitted with the V-1650-3 engine, hence why the -7 engine is not enabled by default.
• As with the P-51D and the P-47s, the P-51B regularly flew with its wing racks attached, since they were regularly being used for ground attack or long range bomber escort missions. That's why you'll see the Ground Attack mod enabled by default for air-to-air missions but no bombs selected.
• The two fuel boost modifications are disabled, since the RAF's 2nd Tactical Air Force didn't start employing this modification until the early part of 1945 (and the Mustang IIIs were long gone from the 2nd TAF, anyways), and the US Ninth Air Force did not modify their planes to employ the higher boost levels.

You mentioned the 352nd FG, but I can't see them in the carrer selection.

 

Are they yet to be implemented in the future?

 

Thanks for your adjustment in the historical maner of the plane set ups.

 

Greetings

[sevenless]

34 minutes ago, LukeFF said:

 

Possibly - though, I'd have to ask @BlackSix about that.

 

I just saw they are already in as an AI squadron. So making them flyable would be a nice touch.

 

[LukeFF]

1 hour ago, easterling77 said:

You mentioned the 352nd FG, but I can't see them in the carrer selection.

 

Are they yet to be implemented in the future?

 

Thanks for your adjustment in the historical maner of the plane set ups.

 

Greetings

 

Thanks! It should be there in chapter 3. 

[Juri_JS]

On 12/13/2021 at 1:04 AM, LukeFF said:

Unfortunately, we have no recon missions at the moment.

Mission type section in the mission editor already shows several recon type missions. Is it planned to add them in the future? I am asking because at the moment I am working on a few test missions with some rather complex recon mechanisms. If the devs plan to add some photo and visual reconnaissance features anyway it would save me a lot of work.

[LukeFF]

12 hours ago, Juri_JS said:

Mission type section in the mission editor already shows several recon type missions. Is it planned to add them in the future? I am asking because at the moment I am working on a few test missions with some rather complex recon mechanisms. If the devs plan to add some photo and visual reconnaissance features anyway it would save me a lot of work.

 

I imagine so, but that's one of @=FB=VikS's areas of work. 

[Swing]

Already posted on the bug section of the forum :  During the Stalingrad Campaign (Ju87 career with the IStg2, last mission of the first chapter "Avance to the Volga") meeting with an A20B (not supposed to be there at this period).

missionReport(2022-01-03_13-07-41).zip

Edited January 3, 2022 by Swing