"Ace of Aces" - WWII Challenge!

[Varibraun]

Hmm...is it bad form to pick up your own gauntlet?  I hope not, because we are a month into the challenge and no one has chosen Ivan Kozhedub as their rival.  So, I think it is time for me to enter the fray to join the defense of the Motherland and honor this great pilot and the Allies "Ace of Aces."  If I am ultimately successful in being the first in this category, I will donate the BoBp Premium to the community in his honor.

 

I will be flying 3 for 1 PWCG mission count to simulate 2 non-contact missions for each mission flown.  All of my pilots along the way will have the first name Uri with sequential alphabetical last names to keep track of the carnage inflicted by the LW on my attempts.  Enter #1 Szt Uri Abaturov:

 

Following flight training a Chuguev Military Air School, Szt Abaturov was assigned to the 233rd Fighter Air Regiment at Rjev.  Uri's primary flight instructor, Senior Szt Ivan Kozhedub, had recommended him for the assignment, telling Uri it was the best outfit in the VVS.   Szt Kozhedub had seen promise in Uri's quick solo and potential combat skills.  He even told Uri he had never seen a student who seemed so skilled - it was almost like he had been a combat pilot in another life he joked to Uri one day following some aerobatics in the venerable U-2.  Kozhedub himself was bored and frustrated that his own talents had simply landed him an instructor tour instead of facing down the "Wolf at the Door" to Moscow.  On Uri's graduation, Kozhedub promised him that one day he was going to join him at the front, and the two of them would teach the arrogant Luftwaffe aces a few new tricks! 

 

Uri arrived at the Rjev on 1 October 1941 and quickly found himself both pleased and disappointed.  He immediately fell in love with the brand new Mig-3s the unit had recently received.  He was told these were the new models, while he wasn't sure what to make of that, he knew it sure was a beauty to his eyes.  In his first familiarization flight, he felt she was a bit tricky, but he was still glad not to be assigned to a squadron flying old tired American or British aircraft. 

 

On the other hand, despite what he had been told by Szt Kozhedub, Uri was not impressed with the pilots in the 233rd.  Only his commander, Maj Chuchanov had scored against the invaders, and even he was just barely an ace with 5 victories in 59 missions.  All of the other pilots had what, at least to Uri, seemed novice combat skills.  They had missions under their belts, but seemed to have always come away from combat empty handed, and many hadn't come back at all.  They all told stories of skies filled with the feared "skinnies" - 109s flown by invincible aces who had already downed many Spanish, French and English pilots with dozens of Soviet pilots then falling to them since the summer.  Some of his squadron mates seemed to think that resorting to actually ramming these men might be the only way to bring them down. 

 

Uri simply couldn't imagine doing such a terrible thing to his new and beautiful aircraft.  But he did feel these men shaking the confidence Szt Kozhedub had instilled into him - were his squadron mates actually capable of watching his back when they discussed such recklessness?  He wondered, as a lowly Szt, could he find a way to bring out their best by sharing Kozhedub's thoughts on fighter tactics? 

 

Well, the one thing he did know was that he would find out very soon what this was all about.  They were strapping a couple of bombs under the wings of his fighter.  What a waste he thought, this girl (he then vowed to give her a name if he scored 5 victories) was meant to soar high, not to wallow in the mud with the Sturmoviks.  But orders were orders and the invaders were advancing.

 

 

Edited July 27, 2021 by Varibraun

[justin_z3r0]

13 hours ago, Varibraun said:

Hmm...is it bad form to pick up your own gauntlet?  I hope not, because we are a month into the challenge and no one has chosen Ivan Kozhedub as their rival.  So, I think it is time for me to enter the fray to join the defense of the Motherland and honor this great pilot and the Allies "Ace of Aces."  If I am ultimately successful in being the first in this category, I will donate the BoBp Premium to the community in his honor.

 

I will be flying 3 for 1 PWCG mission count to simulate 2 non-contact missions for each mission flown.  All of my pilots along the way will have the first name Uri with sequential alphabetical last names to keep track of the carnage inflicted by the LW on my attempts.  Enter #1 Szt Uri Abaturov:

 

Following flight training a Chuguev Military Air School, Szt Abaturov was assigned to the 233rd Fighter Air Regiment at Rjev.  Uri's primary flight instructor, Senior Szt Ivan Kozhedub, had recommended him for the assignment, telling Uri it was the best outfit in the VVS.   Szt Kozhedub had seen promise in Uri's quick solo and potential combat skills.  He even told Uri he had never seen a student who seemed so skilled - it was almost like he had been a combat pilot in another life he joked to Uri one day following some aerobatics in the venerable U-2.  Kozhedub himself was bored and frustrated that his own talents had simply landed him an instructor tour instead of facing down the "Wolf at the Door" to Moscow.  On Uri's graduation, Kozhedub promised him that one day he was going to join him at the front, and the two of them would teach the arrogant Luftwaffe aces a few new tricks! 

 

Uri arrived at the Rjev on 1 October 1941 and quickly found himself both pleased and disappointed.  He immediately fell in love with the brand new Mig-3s the unit had recently received.  He was told these were the new models, while he wasn't sure what to make of that, he knew it sure was a beauty to his eyes.  In his first familiarization flight, he felt she was a bit tricky, but he was still glad not to be assigned to a squadron flying old tired American or British aircraft. 

 

On the other hand, despite what he had been told by Szt Kozhedub, Uri was not impressed with the pilots in the 233rd.  Only his commander, Maj Chuchanov had scored against the invaders, and even he was just barely an ace with 5 victories in 59 missions.  All of the other pilots had what, at least to Uri, seemed novice combat skills.  They had missions under their belts, but seemed to have always come away from combat empty handed, and many hadn't come back at all.  They all told stories of skies filled with the feared "skinnies" - 109s flown by invincible aces who had already downed many Spanish, French and English pilots with dozens of Soviet pilots then falling to them since the summer.  Some of his squadron mates seemed to think that resorting to actually ramming these men might be the only way to bring them down. 

 

Uri simply couldn't imagine doing such a terrible thing to his new and beautiful aircraft.  But he did feel these men shaking the confidence Szt Kozhedub had instilled into him - were his squadron mates actually capable of watching his back when they discussed such recklessness?  He wondered, as a lowly Szt, could he find a way to bring out their best by sharing Kozhedub's thoughts on fighter tactics? 

 

Well, the one thing he did know was that he would find out very soon what this was all about.  They were strapping a couple of bombs under the wings of his fighter.  What a waste he thought, this girl (he then vowed to give her a name if he scored 5 victories) was meant to soar high, not to wallow in the mud with the Sturmoviks.  But orders were orders and the invaders were advancing.

 

 

Best of Luck Uri. The odds are against you in the early days - but with training from the best and the lovely Mig 3 - You stand a fighting chance.

[Hartsblade]

Bob McKenzie will be taking on the Canadian Ace of Aces George Beurling.  Since we don't have a Mediterranean Theater including Malta where Beurling earned 27 of his 31 Kills, I will pick up his career with the 403 Squadron in 1944 over mainland Europe. 

[Varibraun]

5 hours ago, justin_z3r0 said:

Best of Luck Uri. The odds are against you in the early days - but with training from the best and the lovely Mig 3 - You stand a fighting chance.

 

Спасибо!  Uri hoped his first mission was a sign of things to come.  After following SLt Ventrov and Szt Pervak off the airstrip, they were joined by their escort of 4 I-16s and headed toward the front.  As much as he hated hauling bombs, Uri was happy not piloting one of those I-16 "Donkeys."  He had a few flights with them during training and quickly thought, while exhilarating and nimble, one of those things was eventually just an icy trip to hell for their pilot in this war.  

 

Just as they approached the target area, the escort spotted enemy aircraft fast approaching and peeled off to engage.  Ventrov and Pervak hesitated circling at the Initial Point prior to the ground target.  Despite being the "new guy," Uri wanted to get rid of the load under his wings and saw a convoy at least "close" to the target area and quickly decided that was going to be his ground target.  He dumped both bombs, pushed balls to the wall in a steep climb, and was rewarded with one smoking wreck left well behind.  He knew the real test was ahead as he clawed for all the altitude the Mig could give him as he turned to join the escort.  Kozhedub's voice was in his head - "altitude and speed, Uri, altitude and speed, - never forget!"

 

With his attention on the real fight, it now appeared they were up against 4 109 "skinnies" and 3 transport, with at least 4 more aircraft in the distance.  Uri thought, maybe there was somebody important on those transports and what an easy first target they would be with the Donkey pilots clearly headed for the fighters.  He quickly dismissed that thought as the 4 now not so distant aircraft were definitely more 109s, and he wondered what the hell had happened to his own squadron mates, Ventrov and Pervak?

 

Everything after that point happened quickly.  The I-16s were being mauled, so Uri jumped on the tail of one of the attackers who seem very focused on one poor Donkey pilot.  Uri got in close and noticed many markings on his target's rudder as he let loose.  The skinny smoked and pieces came flying off, and then it fell like a wounded hawk finally ending its journey in what appeared to be very hard landing near the forest below.  The Donkey pilot waved his thanks and started limping east with some definite damage. 

 

Now the sky that had been so crowded just moments before seemed empty with only a few spots in the distance.  Uri turned toward one of them and began another climb.  As he closed the distance, he thought, maybe this is what they mean by "beginner's luck," when he saw smoke pouring from what turned out to be a 109.  The German clearly had his damaged engine on his mind, so Uri swooped in on the low 6 o'clock of his target.  Uri felt he was fortunate to have plenty of ammo because it took several bursts before his surprise attack was finally rewarded with his second kill.  There were more dots in the distance to the west, but Kozhedub was again "whispering" in his ear - "never, ever push your luck Uri," so he turned for home.

 

Upon his return to the airfield, Uri was first chewed out by SLt Ventrov for leaving the flight.  However, Maj Chuchanov then came out of the HQ tent with complements to the 233rd from the I-16 escort squadron.  The mood quickly changed with confirmation of Uri's 2 kills, especially since the other new pilot, Szt Pervak had also scored a victory.  There were several rounds of vodka later when the squadron received word that partisans had reconnoitered the target area and found the remains of a 109 with many victory markings. 

 

After a couple more no-contact flights, Uri was "unofficially" provided information that Division Intelligence had received credible information that the Squadron Commander of II./JG52 (the 3rd leading Luftwaffe Ace on their front) had been severely wounded in combat and evacuated to Berlin.  Uri thought, maybe we can show they aren't supermen after all, and then grabbed a bottle of vodka and went to talk about fighter tactics with Pervak.

 

     

 

 

[Varibraun]

1 hour ago, Hartsblade said:

Bob McKenzie will be taking on the Canadian Ace of Aces George Beurling.  Since we don't have a Mediterranean Theater including Malta where Beurling earned 27 of his 31 Kills, I will pick up his career with the 403 Squadron in 1944 over mainland Europe. 

 

Welcome aboard @Hartsblade!  I am glad to see that George finally has a challenger - Good luck! 

[Hartsblade]

1st mission in the bag, and despite the rain and low cloud cover it was a smashing success!

 

In true George "Screwball" Beurling fashion I broke away from the flight to chase down some enemy bombers, and ended up "lost" over the front.  By the time I made it home I had wracked up 4 kills to start my career. (1) Me-110, (2) Ju-88's, and (1) FW-190.

 

**I think I may have the "Air Density" setting too high, the whole flight was a target rich environment!  I've already generated the next mission and if it is the same, I may lower the setting.**

[grcurmudgeon]

11 hours ago, Hartsblade said:

**I think I may have the "Air Density" setting too high, the whole flight was a target rich environment!  I've already generated the next mission and if it is the same, I may lower the setting.**

Depends on the mission, I am at "Medium" and posted a screenshot earlier in the thread about the kind of enemy attack myself and one other pilot were thrown into. If your machine can handle it, don't worry about it. Plus the more crowded the skies get the higher chance of a collision taking you out to balance the number of kills you can earn...

[Hartsblade]

Second mission under my belt. A beautiful dawn patrol hunting for enemy bombers. While the majority of the flight engaged the Ju-88s, I kept the escorts busy, resulting in two Fw-190 kills. That brings the total up to 6 after 2 missions.

 

The next mission is a solo photo recon over enemy lines. Going to have to be a bit more careful I think if I want to make it home in one piece I think.

[Hartsblade]

Third mission was short, but not sweet.  Shortly after getting to altitude and beginning the photo recon Bob Was jumped by four Bf 109 G6 (late) that were escorting six to eight bombers.  After a making valiant attempt avoid/engage, Bob was shot down and forced to bail out of his crippled Spitfire.  Luckily he was close to the friendly side of the line and was able to  evade capture and will fly again.

 

Next up a low level bombing run on enemy troops.

 

***I have returned the Air Density setting back to Medium.  Way too many aircraft for a single player with it set to High***

[grcurmudgeon]

I loathe to post it since my track record with posting stories / losing my pilot on the next flight is not good, but what the heck.

 

The fourth mission for Szt Litvyak Attempt IV was a simple patrol along the front lines with the squadron leader. As usual there was some AAA, so Szt Attempt did some mild weaving to be a more difficult target. The squadron leader did not, and Litvyak watched in horror as one round struck the leader, starting a small fire, and within a second a second round hit and the leader's plane exploded. The brave commander did manage to let Litvyak know that he was wounded and out of fuel before the explosion immolated him.

 

Szt Attempt bravely continued the flight. One inbound attack flew overhead, but Litvyak ignored it and continued. A bit later a flight of four at low altitude was spotted crossing the lines, so Litvyak dropped to investigate. As she closed, she recognized them as a flight of 109 F-4s, not good for a lone Yak-1.  She made a high speed pass, and they turned as a formation, giving her the opportunity to make one more pass. This time they dropped bombs and turned to defend themselves. With such poor odds, and the attack broken with the ordnance jettisoned, Litvyak extended away. The 109s turned back to their course.

 

Litvyak then noticed the higher attack and decided to climb, maybe they would be Ju-88s and she could snipe one out of the formation. But before she got close enough to id the strike, the escorts dove in. Ah, 110s! Those Szt Attempt could handle. After a couple of turns and some altitude loss, however, the 109s came roaring back in. Time to get out of dodge! Szt Attempt took off for the nearest emergency base, going low and fast and looking for friendly AAA to drag the trailers through. One of the 109s got one snapshot off on the initial run and did some minor damage, but the Yak was still flying well as she dragged four 109s and a pair of 110s through a couple of AAA installations. 

 

The four 109s broke off as we got near the emergency field, but the 110s remained dogged in their pursuit all the way to the field. With the Yak still holding up well and friendly AAA to support, the dogfight started anew. As she tailed the first, the 110 took a AAA hit and started smoking. Litvyak got some hits in, then another AAA hit started a fire. With the 110 clearly mortally wounded, Szt Attempt looked for the other 110 and got on it. It took a AAA hit, but Litvyak opened up while closing, starting a fire, getting the engine smoking, and at point-blank range the 110 exploded. Litvyak started to turn away from the explosion, saw a piece of wing get huge through the right half of the windshield and rolled left, watching the debris fly through the vacated space.

 

With the close shave and the skies clear, Litvyak landed her fourth kill on her fourth sortie. She debated claiming the first 110, but with her survival heavily aided by all the AAA guns along the way, she could not in good conscience take that kill bonus away from the gun crews.

 

One kill per sortie so far in this career. On the first two sorties, she managed to get a 109 in each to forget their altitude and crash during low-level turn fights, and in the third she lit another 110's engine on fire. She now salivates whenever she sees 110s, as lighting up an engine is the surest kill for the Yak-1.

[Hartsblade]

3 minutes ago, grcurmudgeon said:

I loathe to post it since my track record with posting stories / losing my pilot on the next flight is not good, but what the heck.

 

The fourth mission for Szt Litvyak Attempt IV was a simple patrol along the front lines with the squadron leader. As usual there was some AAA, so Szt Attempt did some mild weaving to be a more difficult target. The squadron leader did not, and Litvyak watched in horror as one round struck the leader, starting a small fire, and within a second a second round hit and the leader's plane exploded. The brave commander did manage to let Litvyak know that he was wounded and out of fuel before the explosion immolated him.

 

Szt Attempt bravely continued the flight. One inbound attack flew overhead, but Litvyak ignored it and continued. A bit later a flight of four at low altitude was spotted crossing the lines, so Litvyak dropped to investigate. As she closed, she recognized them as a flight of 109 F-4s, not good for a lone Yak-1.  She made a high speed pass, and they turned as a formation, giving her the opportunity to make one more pass. This time they dropped bombs and turned to defend themselves. With such poor odds, and the attack broken with the ordnance jettisoned, Litvyak extended away. The 109s turned back to their course.

 

Litvyak then noticed the higher attack and decided to climb, maybe they would be Ju-88s and she could snipe one out of the formation. But before she got close enough to id the strike, the escorts dove in. Ah, 110s! Those Szt Attempt could handle. After a couple of turns and some altitude loss, however, the 109s came roaring back in. Time to get out of dodge! Szt Attempt took off for the nearest emergency base, going low and fast and looking for friendly AAA to drag the trailers through. One of the 109s got one snapshot off on the initial run and did some minor damage, but the Yak was still flying well as she dragged four 109s and a pair of 110s through a couple of AAA installations. 

 

The four 109s broke off as we got near the emergency field, but the 110s remained dogged in their pursuit all the way to the field. With the Yak still holding up well and friendly AAA to support, the dogfight started anew. As she tailed the first, the 110 took a AAA hit and started smoking. Litvyak got some hits in, then another AAA hit started a fire. With the 110 clearly mortally wounded, Szt Attempt looked for the other 110 and got on it. It took a AAA hit, but Litvyak opened up while closing, starting a fire, getting the engine smoking, and at point-blank range the 110 exploded. Litvyak started to turn away from the explosion, saw a piece of wing get huge through the right half of the windshield and rolled left, watching the debris fly through the vacated space.

 

With the close shave and the skies clear, Litvyak landed her fourth kill on her fourth sortie. She debated claiming the first 110, but with her survival heavily aided by all the AAA guns along the way, she could not in good conscience take that kill bonus away from the gun crews.

 

One kill per sortie so far in this career. On the first two sorties, she managed to get a 109 in each to forget their altitude and crash during low-level turn fights, and in the third she lit another 110's engine on fire. She now salivates whenever she sees 110s, as lighting up an engine is the surest kill for the Yak-1.

Great write-up. I wish I had the time and skill to do my updates this way!

[justin_z3r0]

Tonight Herbert Baker will begin his tour with 41 squadron to try to best the great Pat Pattle.

The squadron has just moved to the continent to get closer to the front.

 

This is a good opportunity for me to get familiar with the Spit Mk XIV.

I've got from Mk IX experience - But the XIV is a different Animal.

 

This Ace of aces challenge is too much fun to leave for very long

[justin_z3r0]

3 hours ago, justin_z3r0 said:

Tonight Herbert Baker will begin his tour with 41 squadron to try to best the great Pat Pattle.

The squadron has just moved to the continent to get closer to the front.

 

This is a good opportunity for me to get familiar with the Spit Mk XIV.

I've got from Mk IX experience - But the XIV is a different Animal.

 

This Ace of aces challenge is too much fun to leave for very long

First flight 11/01/1944 - Low alt patrol to the north near Breda / Gilze area.

 

Near the patrol area - still on the allied side, a flight of seemingly rookie Me262 pilots were soo focused on their ground runs that they failed to notice Herb shadowing them. Herb was able to systematically take them out one by one. Until the 4th one that is. In the process of chasing the other 3 down his Spits engine was becoming very taxed. This last 262 had a little more skill and noticed Herb. But oddly - decided to try top out turn Herb and perform some aerobatics - Bad idea against a spit! his last attempt to try to shake Herb was violent maneuvering while rapidly slowing down, trying to force herb to overshoot. Herb didn't fall for it and also pulled the throttle back. but when he saw the 262 begin accelerating again - Herb threw the throttle forward too fast, instantly killing the Griffon Engine. Herb thought 'bloody hell - he's not getting off that easy' and fired a hail Mary shot of cannon and machine gun. WOW the he set the 262s engine ablaze! must've been a lucky cannon hit! Especially with a stopped propeller blade half way in front of the gunsight. His wingmen would watch the fireball crash to the ground.

 

Now Herb just had to find a suitable field to put the kite down. "scanning, scanning" - Gilze airfield is directly to the left and within gliding distance! "Easy... - Easy... - dont rush it"

When Herb knew the field was made - he dropped flaps and gear and settled in for a gentle Touchdown - Success - now just keep her straight until a stop.

SCRAPE!! a ground loop right near the end.

Herb's leader will have to forgive the damaged plane considering 4 of the high tech jets were downed today. The spit should be able to be repaired within a day or 2. Might as well hold tight at Gilze while the local crews swap the engine and dust off the scraped left aileron.

 

1 mission - 4 kills - lets hope this luck holds out for Herb

Edited July 31, 2021 by justin_z3r0
added pics

[Varibraun]

17 hours ago, justin_z3r0 said:

Tonight Herbert Baker will begin his tour with 41 squadron to try to best the great Pat Pattle.

 

Welcome back @justin_z3r0, really happy to see you joining up to honor Pat Pattle.  Now all of our historical "Ace of Aces" have at least one virtual rival.  Good luck!! 

[justin_z3r0]

20 hours ago, Varibraun said:

 

Welcome back @justin_z3r0, really happy to see you joining up to honor Pat Pattle.  Now all of our historical "Ace of Aces" have at least one virtual rival.  Good luck!! 

Thank you.

 

Herb flew his second combat mission in the late afternoon / evening. From Evere up to patrol the waterways from the Scheldt towards Grave. The first half was uneventful, until the flight lead spotted a flight of Fw 190s. Herb got on the tail of a 190 and got some good hits in. The 190 was keen to escape but Herb stayed on him. The 190 eventually crashed into the ground - he must've blacked out during the maneuvering. That makes kill #5 and Ace status.

Herb climbed back up to the action but now a flight of Spits and Tempests had joined. The daylight fading and fuel dropping - Herb headed back towards home. But rather than take the risk and try to make it all the way back on just 15 gallons - he and #4 in the flight broke off to land at Deurne - Just outside Antwerp.

Deurne had recently been bombed and smoke was drifting accross the approach. Challenging. The runway only became visible as they crossed the threshold. But it was luckily a clean landing.

 

Refuel and head back to Evere in the AM.

These Griffons are thirsty!!!!

 

2 missions - 5 kills

 

Edited August 1, 2021 by justin_z3r0

[Panzerlang]

Steffner stood at the staffel chalk board, 'liberated' from a nearby school, and pensively regarded the list of pilot names with their combat achievements tabulated neatly alongside. His own tally stood at 99 victories and he was aware he was at a 'Jonah's Junction'. Never mind the gruppe kommandeur's personally instituted awards of commemorative 'coins for kills', Steffner wanted some 'salad on the plate' and hoped the award of the Eichenlaub might closely follow his 100th victory; if he survived whatever subconscious impulse might provoke him into a rash decision in the middle of combat. Only recently he had unwittingly found himself in combat above an enemy airfield, believing it friendly until an AA round nearly took off his right wing. As if to compound the odds he'd attacked a group of A20s once back over friendly territory before jumping from his plane, not trusting the badly damaged wing to hold up for a landing.
So much relying on blind luck and capricious fate.

Edited August 1, 2021 by Hetzer-JG51

[Panzerlang]

The one that got away, the culprit being Steffner himself. A routine patrol with three wingmen, also routine in the manner in which they tore off after an unseen target without so much as a by or a leave. After a few curses and shouting over the RT they appeared astern about a KM back, one to the left and two to the right and Steffner slowed down so they could catch up. About 500m closer and the two on the right accelerated and climbed. "Here we go again!" thought Steffner, only to feel his heart skip as the two Fw190s suddenly became two Migs that had clearly been intent on sneaking up before having their attention diverted (by what he never discovered). They might have already accounted for Ltns Nesler and Hohman, both shot down and killed.

Steffner then had one of the hardest fights he'd yet experienced in his short time on the ostfront. The Migs were clearly flown by top pilots, turning like bats and climbing and diving like Swifts. One got a burst in that holed Steffner's tank, tail and both wings. Instead of immediately running for friendly territory a red mist came down and he continued the fight, eventually killing both the Migs. Sweaty hands, pounding heart and blurry-eyed he put down at the nearest airfield and sat in his cockpit for long minutes, ruminating on his lot.

A few hours later he was back at home base and celebrating the award of the Eichenlaub. Followed somewhat more later and the worse for schnapps with the heavy duty of writing letters to the parents of Nesler and Hohman.

104 kills.

Time for some leave.
 

Edited August 1, 2021 by Hetzer-JG51

[justin_z3r0]

45 minutes ago, Hetzer-JG51 said:

The one that got away, the culprit being Steffner himself. A routine patrol with three wingmen, also routine in the manner in which they tore off after an unseen target without so much as a by or a leave. After a few curses and shouting over the RT they appeared astern about a KM back, one to the left and two to the right and Steffner slowed down so they could catch up. About 500m closer and the two on the right accelerated and climbed. "Here we go again!" thought Steffner, only to feel his heart skip as the two Fw190s suddenly became two Migs that had clearly been intent on sneaking up before having their attention diverted (by what he never discovered). They might have already accounted for Ltns Nesler and Hohman, both shot down and killed.

Steffner then had one of the hardest fights he'd yet experienced in his short time on the ostfront. The Migs were clearly flown by top pilots, turning like bats and climbing and diving like Swifts. One got a burst in that holed Steffner's tank, tail and both wings. Instead of immediately running for friendly territory a red mist came down and he continued the fight, eventually killing both the Migs. Sweaty hands, pounding heart and blurry-eyed he put down at the nearest airfield and sat in his cockpit for long minutes, ruminating on his lot.

A few hours later he was back at home base and celebrating the award of the Eichenlaub. Followed somewhat more later and the worse for schnapps with the heavy duty of writing letters to the parents of Nesler and Hohman.

104 kills.

Time for some leave.
 

Nice write up. What date are you up to? 

[Panzerlang]

39 minutes ago, justin_z3r0 said:

Nice write up. What date are you up to? 

Thanks. Sept 42.

[Varibraun]

11 minutes ago, Hetzer-JG51 said:

Thanks. Sept 42.

 

Plenty of time to chase Hartmann!  Congrats on crossing the 100 victory mark too.

 

Some great narratives from the "Ace of Aces" crew this past week, keep up the good work everyone! 

 

On the Kozhedub Challenge, RL has been getting in way of getting Uri much stick time this week.  I hope to write an update soon, but let's just say he is focused on survival ATM. 

[Hartsblade]

Mission four was a low level bombing run on enemy troop concentrations at the front.  The weather was poor again, with a low ceiling and rain.  As Baffin flight took off the airfield was attacked by a flight of four Bf109-G6's (late).  Baffin Lead ordered the fight to engage. Baffin One and Two quickly destroyed a pair of G6's and Flight Lead ordered the flight to resume the mission.  However Wt Off Bob Mckenzie was still tied up with to G6's and was unable to break free without leaving himself exposed. He was quickly left behind.  After an intense fight, and using all of his available ammunition, Bob came out on top with two G6 kills.  Mckenzie quickly continued on the designated flight plan in hopes of catch up to the rest of Baffin Flight. 

 

Suddenly there was a quick radio call from Baffin two announcing that he had been wounded, and then radio silence.

 

About 5 minutes into the flight plan, Bob spotted an incoming flight of Fw190's.  Quickly turning away, hoping the rain and clouds would hide him from the enemy, Bob continued on to the target.  When he arrived he found the enemy emplacements were still intact and there was no sign of the rest of Baffin Flight.  The Wt Off made a quick run and dropped his payload, destroying an anti-tank gun and it's crew.  He turned for home.

 

It was an uneventful rain filled flight back to the airfield at Deurne.  Sadly upon landing at base, Wt Off Mckenzie learned the fate of the rest of Baffin flight.  It seems that while Bob was able to avoid the patrol of Fw 190's, his flight mates were not so lucky.  The rest of Baffin, to a man, was wiped out.

 

*********

 

Four missions in the book.  Eight Air Victories and one Ground.  Next mission is a standard patrol over the Front.

[oc2209]

I just downloaded the PWCG and got everything working. It all looks good so far. My goal (for now) is the Martinoli challenge. I set air density to medium, pilot injury to 4, etc. Just a few minutes after I take off on my first sortie, I spot 3 Russian C-47s with some kind of bundles underneath their fuselages (something I haven't seen in the regular game yet). Flak shoots one down before I can even reach it. I blow up the other 2 with engine hits (they seem really, really flammable):

 

 

I also maneuver killed an I-16, which I intend to claim as a kill (he was undamaged by any other source, and crashed while turning with me).

 

However, after the sortie I try to debrief, and I don't see any options to claim C-47s, so I just claim 3 I-16s. All claims are denied. I start my second mission. This time I shoot down 2 Sturmoviks (actual kills credited by the game, just like the 2 C-47s prior) and severely shoot up another (which I don't intend to claim). I don't get the debrief option this time. I get a message that says something about not being able to find a log (even though I have mission logs enabled as per the instructions).

 

So I'm now sitting on 5 unclaimable kills and I'd really rather not go on until I can figure this out.

 

***Edit Update***

 

I think I figured it out. I probably generated the second sortie before debriefing on the first, and that might explain why things were out of order. I generated a third sortie, flew it, got 2 more Il-2 kills, claimed those, got credit for them. So my record now shows 2 completed sorties with 2 kills. In actuality I have 3 completed sorties with 7 kills. But since the error's technically my fault, I'm going to go with the official 2 sorties so far.

Edited August 2, 2021 by oc2209

[Varibraun]

8 hours ago, oc2209 said:

I just downloaded the PWCG and got everything working. It all looks good so far. My goal (for now) is the Martinoli challenge. I set air density to medium, pilot injury to 4, etc.

 

Good morning and welcome @oc2209!  I am really happy to see you giving PWCG a try with all of your knowledge and Career Mode experience, they are both great ways to experience GBs in SP (with PWCG also allowing Coop play).  You are now signed up to challenge and honor Martinoli and Hartmann (what a feat that would be in a Macchi). 

 

Also, glad to see you got it sorted out regarding claims, that sounds like the issue.  (Although, I suppose it could also be that no one in the squadron believed that the new guy could be so successful on his first sortie ).

[grcurmudgeon]

Sortie 15 for Szt Litvyak Attempt IV was a good one. Just after transferring to the Kuban front, she is given a wingman and ordered to bomb some transportation assets just behind the front lines, escorted by some P-40s. While inbound to the target, a flight of He-111s crosses above on their way to a target. The escorts start engaging while Szt Attempt and her wingman continue on and hit their targets. As they egress, 2 of the escorting P-40s rejoin, while it looks like one P-40 is still engaging the bombers. What the heck, Litvyak decides to try and catch up and engage. The P-40 got them circling around, and in come the other 2 P-40s and Litvyak's pair of Yak-1s on the remaining 3 bombers. All make a pass, and Litvyak gets in good engine hits on all three. As she pulls away, she looks over and sees one trailing black smoke from the left engine and heading down. Looking around she only sees one left flying, sinking fast trailing smoke with a P-40 on its tail. It does not last long.

 

In the debrief, Szt Attempt's engine hits are agreed to be the key factor, and she is awarded kills 8, 9, and 10 from that He-111 flight. Sortie 16 brings a downed 110 for a total of 11 kills. She is starting to hear rumors of upgraded Yak-1s reaching the front, but none have hit her squadron yet. Her current ride may not be very effective against fighters, but put some rounds into wing-mounted engines and it's turning into a terror for the Luftwaffe...

[Monksilver]

Bleddyn ap Cynfyn has been riding his luck and so far been shot down 4 times, bailing out once and 3 forced landings, although to call the last one a landing is perhaps to give it a dignity it doesn't deserve but at least he survived. Taking on 6 Bf110s on his own wasn't the problem as he got 5 of them but then came 6 FW190s and that really was too much - at least he got a VC out of it.

 

 

So after 11 missions  he has 39 kills. But his chances of beating Hartman are looking remove even if he lives, because of injuries it is now 6th November and it doubtful he can get in enough missions to get the necessary number of kills before the war ends.

[oc2209]

13 hours ago, Varibraun said:

 

Good morning and welcome @oc2209!  I am really happy to see you giving PWCG a try with all of your knowledge and Career Mode experience, they are both great ways to experience GBs in SP (with PWCG also allowing Coop play).  You are now signed up to challenge and honor Martinoli and Hartmann (what a feat that would be in a Macchi). 

 

Also, glad to see you got it sorted out regarding claims, that sounds like the issue.  (Although, I suppose it could also be that no one in the squadron believed that the new guy could be so successful on his first sortie ).

 

There was definitely some beginner's luck involved in my first sortie. I have encountered C-47s since, and they weren't nearly as prone to exploding in my face as that first batch.

 

I like the Macchi well enough so far. It's a good, solid plane, but it does have a weakness: a glass tail. It's something I noticed when shooting at the Macchi in quick battles, but not something I experienced on the receiving end until today. I was chasing a LaGG-3 that was by all accounts dead but wouldn't admit it, when some Russian flak blew my vertical stabilizer clean off in one hit. I had to bail just over the front line in Russian territory, and I thought for sure I would be captured, but no. I guess there's some variability involved?

 

At any rate, I'll never ignore flak coming my way again.

 

Ultimately I do like the Macchi more than I thought I would; and more, assuredly, than I would like it in regular career mode. The enemy plane variety is great, and I really don't notice the weak armament because that 400 r.p.g capacity is excellent consolation.

 

In the following sortie, I got 3 P-40s and 1 Sturm.

 

 

As you can see, I'm on my last rounds. It took exactly 90 to set him on fire. Sturmoviks take, on average, about 200-300 rounds to cripple. If the AI would break off immediately upon getting catastrophic engine damage, I'm sure they could make it back to a friendly base before crashing. As it stands, all 3 of these oil-leaking Sturms ended up being confirmed kills for me:

 

 

And this last shot is just me enjoying the sunrise (taken about 20 minutes after the above screen, on my way back to base):

 

 

Even though Italian camo patterns are neat, I love this bare metal look.

[Varibraun]

On 8/1/2021 at 6:40 PM, Hartsblade said:

It seems that while Bob was able to avoid the patrol of Fw 190's, his flight mates were not so lucky.  The rest of Baffin, to a man, was wiped out.

 

That is a hard blow to morale (I view PWCG as much of a Dynamic Squadron Simulator as a career), but don't let survivor's guilt throw Bob off the hunt!

 

13 hours ago, grcurmudgeon said:

Sortie 16 brings a downed 110 for a total of 11 kills. She is starting to hear rumors of upgraded Yak-1s reaching the front, but none have hit her squadron yet.

 

Almost there...if those new fighters hit the flight line it will be a "Piece of Cake!"

 

5 hours ago, Monksilver said:

So after 11 missions  he has 39 kills. But his chances of beating Hartman are looking remove even if he lives, because of injuries it is now 6th November and it doubtful he can get in enough missions to get the necessary number of kills before the war ends.

 

Not a pretty picture Monk, but if you can keep your Tempest right side up, I think your kill to sortie ratio and those Hispanos still give you a chance. 

 

53 minutes ago, oc2209 said:

I had to bail just over the front line in Russian territory, and I thought for sure I would be captured, but no. I guess there's some variability involved?

 

Yes, @PatrickAWlson has added a variable for capture based on how close to the front you end up.  Great screenshots too!

[oc2209]

I'm stopping my Italian pilot's career for now, but here's the results so far:

 

 

My squadron is... awful. They very rarely attack enemies, even when ordered. The one guy who had a kill was done in by an I-16 armed with only 7mm guns. This is what I mean by the Macchi having a glass tail:

 

 

Vertical and right horizontal stabilizer shot off. I watched it happen, unable to stop it as I was too low and too slow to intervene. I probably shouldn't have given him the wing guns, but I figured they needed all the firepower they could get.

 

Anyway, here's my total kill breakdown:

 

 

Sturms have been my bread and butter. I hate using wing cannons myself, but I did so to get the 4 Pe-2 kills.

 

I'm next going to try the Litvyak challenge--but don't worry, I have no intention of even attempting to steal the prize from @grcurmudgeon. This is strictly for my own curiosity.

[oc2209]

First Litvyak sortie, 2 109s downed. But the devil's in the details:

 

 

I'm pulling away after killing this 109's pilot. Note that I'm trailing fuel and being fired on the entire time I was shooting at the 109 (which wasn't long at all). This is a radical change from my Italian sorties, where my only threat was flak. Also, my 2 wingmen in this sortie both scored a kill each. I eventually had to retire over friendly lines after getting hit again with an oil leak. At this rate I'll be lucky to make it 10 sorties.

[grcurmudgeon]

Mission 17 for Szt Litvyak was a bit harrowing, a strike on an enemy airbase behind the lines. The flight in was uneventful, and a fuel depot exploded nicely under Szt Attempts' bombs. The AAA was around the runway, so Litvyak only had to evade modest flak to get in and get out.

 

On the way home she encountered some Stukas and decided to give them another try. She peeled one out of the formation with a good pass, it started evading while the rest flew on. She got a few more good hits in as the flight got close to the deck. Finally, about out of ammo, Szt Attempt had to head for home, but the Stuka had to ditch and Szt Attempt earned her 12th kill.

 

Mission 18 was an offensive patrol, but the flight of 3 immediately ran into some 110s below striking a friendly armored column. As they dove friendly AAA took one of them out of the fight. Litvyak quickly got on the tail of another, and between her and the AAA sent it to its doom. Unfortunately the gunner got some engine hits of his own in, and Litvyak had to head to the nearest emergency field before it decided to quit. She got on the ground before a smoking P-40 made his approach, landing her 13th kill.

 

Still no word on those Yak-1Bs. She vows to continue the fight!

 

(There is a female picture on the main squadron page, just no way to replace the Citations page one that I could find).

[oc2209]

50 minutes ago, grcurmudgeon said:

(There is a female picture on the main squadron page, just no way to replace the Citations page one that I could find).

 

 

Not a big deal, but something else Patrick should do regarding Russian women pilots, is feminizing certain Russian surnames. For instance, names with -sky endings become -skaya, and most -ov names end up -ova with women. I'm not sure of the precise rules with naming conventions, but I am at least superficially aware of them.

 

Also, congrats on reaching the Litvyak milestone!

 

I was nearly killed on my 4th Litvyak sortie. I was climbing to meet some Macchis that had a several thousand foot advantage, and they dove on me and hit my left elevator pretty hard, which thereafter made aiming shaky. Later, I was chasing a lightly damaged Macchi (I had difficulty catching him, speed-wise), and I got pasted from behind. Wounded with engine damage. No claims that sortie, and a wingman was shot down.

Edited August 3, 2021 by oc2209

[Panzerlang]

1 hour ago, grcurmudgeon said:

Mission 17 for Szt Litvyak was a bit harrowing, a strike on an enemy airbase behind the lines. The flight in was uneventful, and a fuel depot exploded nicely under Szt Attempts' bombs. The AAA was around the runway, so Litvyak only had to evade modest flak to get in and get out.

 

On the way home she encountered some Stukas and decided to give them another try. She peeled one out of the formation with a good pass, it started evading while the rest flew on. She got a few more good hits in as the flight got close to the deck. Finally, about out of ammo, Szt Attempt had to head for home, but the Stuka had to ditch and Szt Attempt earned her 12th kill.

 

Mission 18 was an offensive patrol, but the flight of 3 immediately ran into some 110s below striking a friendly armored column. As they dove friendly AAA took one of them out of the fight. Litvyak quickly got on the tail of another, and between her and the AAA sent it to its doom. Unfortunately the gunner got some engine hits of his own in, and Litvyak had to head to the nearest emergency field before it decided to quit. She got on the ground before a smoking P-40 made his approach, landing her 13th kill.

 

Still no word on those Yak-1Bs. She vows to continue the fight!

 

(There is a female picture on the main squadron page, just no way to replace the Citations page one that I could find).

Here's a bolshevik sort for you. It's not Litvyak but is a big improvement on that geezer's mug. ?

Click it to make it full size (not sure it's necessary but in case) and save it with the name PaperDoll (if it's not already so) and put it in Pat's PaperDoll folder (back up the original first, in case).
I:\Program Files (x86)\1C Game Studios\IL-2 Sturmovik Battle of Stalingrad\PWCGBoS\BoSData\Images\PaperDoll

Sorry, bahooners not poss.

Edited August 3, 2021 by Hetzer-JG51

[Varibraun]

26 minutes ago, grcurmudgeon said:

landing her 13th kill.

 

Still no word on those Yak-1Bs. She vows to continue the fight!

 

(There is a female picture on the main squadron page, just no way to replace the Citations page one that I could find).

 

Congratulations @grcurmudgeon!!  Just let me know if you would like the U-2 or one of the Scripted Campaigns (Hopefully, the Night Witches will forgive you).  BTW - Lydia still holds the "best looking" Ace of Aces title based on your Citations page.  

 

16 hours ago, oc2209 said:

I'm stopping my Italian pilot's career for now, but here's the results so far:

 

Nice work @oc2209!  That earns you the Italian Ace of Aces title.  Please post the other screenshots referenced in the OP and let me know if you want the JU-52 or one of the Scripted Campaigns.

 

16 hours ago, oc2209 said:

My squadron is... awful.

 

This is actually one of the things I personally like about PWCG.  @PatrickAWlson has assigned the early war Italian Squadron a "competent" rating.  This results in many of the pilots starting as Novice AI level pilots - i.e. awful.  The early war Soviet squadrons are even worse with most having a "novice" rating, while the LW squadrons are either Veteran or Expert, which means more veteran and ace level pilots.  (You can view an AI pilot's rating in their file).  I believe the overall squadron rating also impacts how quickly the AI pilots advance in their proficiency.  To me at least, this gives the campaign a feeling that corresponds to that point in the war.  I think you are feeling this based on your new Soviet career opposing the more proficient German pilots.

 

Also, because PWCG allows you to decline to claim kills, you can actually directly impact how quickly your squadron mates advance.  When you decline to claim a kill, it is generally assigned to one of your wingmen on that flight.  Getting squadron mates to Ace AI status by helping them on their way to 5 victories can make a big difference in their survival both in and out of missions (in the background simulation).  This factor keeps me engaged with my squadron mates since you can pick your wingmen.  (Personally, I always start at the lowest rank and don't give myself any control over the missions or wingmen until I outrank them).

[Panzerlang]

I found Litvyak.

 

[Varibraun]

30 minutes ago, Hetzer-JG51 said:

I found Litvyak.

 

Brilliant work Hetzer!!* I am sure this is also much appreciated by @grcurmudgeon who is now going to take her onward to best Hartmann in the newly delivered U-2.  

 

*She still delivers a mean left hook though!

[oc2209]

1 hour ago, Varibraun said:

Nice work @oc2209!  That earns you the Italian Ace of Aces title.  Please post the other screenshots referenced in the OP and let me know if you want the JU-52 or one of the Scripted Campaigns.

 

Ah, right, I need to go back and take a screen of the medals. Here's the final page of the logbook:

 

 

As I said earlier, that one sortie with the Pe-2s was the only one I ever did with the 20mm wing attachments. It was also my first intercept so I had no idea how long it would take. First I had to get to altitude (about 22,000 feet), which took forever, then I had to circle and wait, which again took forever. 

 

If you're incredulous as to whether I could get 4 in one sortie, I did take some extra screens just in case:

 

 

You can see all 4 that I've hit. And this is near the end of the sortie, as I'm chasing down the 4th:

 

 

You can see my ammo counter there, to show I'm not using unlimited ammo.

 

And I took this shot just for fun, because that tiny white speck is the last Pe-2 I was tracking down. If he hadn't been leaving a trail, I'd never have found him to finish him off.

 

 

Here we go, for the medal screenshot:

 

 

As for the prize, I would like the Ju-52, please.

 

1 hour ago, Varibraun said:

This is actually one of the things I personally like about PWCG.  @PatrickAWlson has assigned the early war Italian Squadron a "competent" rating.  This results in many of the pilots starting as Novice AI level pilots - i.e. awful.  The early war Soviet squadrons are even worse with most having a "novice" rating, while the LW squadrons are either Veteran or Expert, which means more veteran and ace level pilots.  (You can view an AI pilot's rating in their file).  I believe the overall squadron rating also impacts how quickly the AI pilots advance in their proficiency.  To me at least, this gives the campaign a feeling that corresponds to that point in the war.  I think you are feeling this based on your new Soviet career opposing the more proficient German pilots.

 

The Italians I've faced in Stalingrad so far are also pretty good. So much so that I'm afraid to tangle with Macchis again. I've also had the rare Stuka/Sturmovik go into some pretty elaborate maneuvers to evade me. I was chasing a damaged Stuka just a few minutes ago, and in the time it took me to check my six, he vanished from right in front of me. I wondered where the hell he could go in such a short time, then I finally found him again, and he performed the same trick that must have given me the slip before: a high climbing turn. He stalled out at the top of the turn and dropped like a rock, so he really couldn't gain much altitude when all was said and done.

Edited August 3, 2021 by oc2209
Unintentional merge of posts

[Varibraun]

1 hour ago, oc2209 said:

As for the prize, I would like the Ju-52, please.

 

 

The Ju-52 will be headed into your PM shortly!  Nothing at all incredulous about those claims, I was just being consistent with the OP. 

 

Nice work @oc2209!! 

[oc2209]

17 minutes ago, Varibraun said:

 

The Ju-52 will be headed into your PM shortly!  Nothing at all incredulous about those claims, I was just being consistent with the OP. 

 

Nice work @oc2209!! 

 

Thank you!

 

In explaining my Pe-2 kills, I also wanted the following sequence from my Litvyak career to look less implausible.

 

I didn't take a screen of the first kill, but I did for the following four:

 

 

Dead crew.

 

 

Dead crew.

 

 

Dead crew.

 

Engine fire. Even though the previous screen showed I had 28 cannon shells left, I actually had only 6 remaining when I started this fire. The others were misses.

 

The point to the above screens is that AP ammo is your friend. That, and not firing until you're ramming your nose so far up your target's ass you can count the hairs.

 

I developed this talent for Stuka killing by practicing against Ace-level AI Stukas. It's extremely frustrating and unrealistic (you will die or have your engine destroyed 9 times of 10), but it does teach you to aim well and to aim quickly. Getting shots off quickly is important whether you're facing a bomber gunner or in a large dogfight. That's my public service announcement for the day.

[Varibraun]

22 minutes ago, oc2209 said:

The point to the above screens is that AP ammo is your friend. That, and not firing until you're ramming your nose so far up your target's ass you can count the hairs.

 

I developed this talent for Stuka killing by practicing against Ace-level AI Stukas. It's extremely frustrating and unrealistic (you will die or have your engine destroyed 9 times of 10), but it does teach you to aim well and to aim quickly. Getting shots off quickly is important whether you're facing a bomber gunner or in a large dogfight. That's my public service announcement for the day.

 

PSA received, and while I am not sure Hartmann used those exact terms, I think his message was the same.  However, regardless of the distance, that is some fine precision shooting!

[oc2209]

5 hours ago, Varibraun said:

 

PSA received, and while I am not sure Hartmann used those exact terms, I think his message was the same.  However, regardless of the distance, that is some fine precision shooting!

 

A more polite way of putting it that I also like, is 'when you think you're close enough... get closer.'

 

In other news, I made a new Bodenplatte career in PWCG and had my very first dogfight with P-51s (in a 109G-6 Late); I say it's my first because I never encounter P-51s in the regular career mode; only Tempests, P-47s, and Spitfires typically. There are subtle differences in AI behavior from quick battles to career mode, and the AI behavior of the P-51 in PWCG is quite impressive compared to what I'm used to. A lot more vertical maneuvers, and the turning seemed tighter (even though I always put the P-51 AI on Ace in quicks and give it a light fuel load, it still doesn't act quite the same).

 

It was made even more interesting by the fact that the P-51s bounced my flight. There were some Fw-190s in the area, and when I saw some planes behind us I assumed it was them. Then I saw the metallic glint of the 51s, and broke just as they began to fire.