LW pilot career Kuban - AAR and a minor rant

[1Sascha]

I just lost one of my longest running career pilots towards the end of the Kuban campaign (mid or late September 1943) and I can't say I'm surprised. I had flown this guy through all careers up to that point, starting with the battle of Moscow. Last mission of the day was a "Free Hunt" with four pilots assigned. I wasn't one of them, but since I was the group CO, I grabbed control of the mission and added another AI pilot. We were all in 109 G-4s - which I stupidly changed to G-6s for me and my wingman. I had forgotten how much the G-6 (and the G-4 to some extent) sucks when compared to the G-2.

 

In any case: I hadn't touched that career in a few weeks but I did remember how tough the last missions had become in this campaign. So I reduced difficulty from Hard to Moderate because I finally wanted to end the campaign and move on to the next one.

 

Mission was quite uneventful until we reached the front-lines where we met a group of four or six P-39s that were attacking a couple of friendlies below us. Trying to signal the attack (my radio-orders don't seem to work in this campaign for some reason), but seeing that my guys were already diving in anyway, I went after a P-39 below me and blew him out of the sky with my MK 108. As I pulled up and out to find a new target, I saw quite a lot of high dots coming in from the east. Turned out those were more P-39s, some Yak 7s and a couple of A-20s. At this point, I should've just pointed my nose west and ran for home, but... a major furball ensued, and I did kinda suspect that I wouldn't survive this one. The AI seems to have become quite a bit better and more deadly than it used to be with recent patches and, as mentioned, I had forgotten just how much of a speed disadvantage the regular G-6 has. Plus, of course, we were vastly outnumbered with only six 109 vs at least six P-39s, four or six Yaks and a few A-20s. Since I was flying in VR, my FPS went quite bad because of that, too - which didn't make things any easier for me.. ? I shot up one or two more fighters without getting a kill, all the while trying to keep my speed up, but when I latched onto another P-39, somebody latched onto my long six. I misjudged his E-state and continued my pursuit of his buddy, only for the guy to catch up with me and pilot-kill me with a quick burst (probably Ace-AI?). 

 

I felt so humiliated that I decided to let my pilot die for my mistake and ended the career. While I don't mind occasionally being thrown into missions that are near unbeatable, this sort of thing seems to be happening more regularly in the Kuban campaign. It probably also doesn't help that, in the G-4 and G-6, my only option against most of these VVS-planes is to try and outclimb them. Running away usually doesn't really work with either of these models.

 

Oh well... time to re-start the war, I suppose... ?

 

 

 

S.

[Yogiflight]

9 hours ago, 1Sascha said:

Running away usually doesn't really work with either of these models.

You can run away with everything as long as you stay below treetop level. I regularely do this with my Bf 110 E2 and even the Hs 129. They will stay at your high six, but they rarely have the balls to attack that low, and if they do, they are really bad in it. Usually they turn away at some point, sometimes you have to draw them to your base and either wait until a friendly fighter flight returns and helps you or do a low level landing. But keep one eye at the ground, I wounded my 110 pilot a week ago by touching the ground with one wingtip. He had to recover for a week.

[CUJO_1970]

Same thing in real life - one bad decision can cost you your life - perfect example was LW Ace Bully Lang who elected to take off with an aircraft that had obviously malfunctioning landing gear. Flew for 10 minutes on the deck trying to get the gear to raise, too preoccupied with the aircraft to reach altitude and speed and didn't see the bounce coming.

 

Even if you're good all it takes is one mistake or error in judgement, like Gabreski flying into the ground and ending up POW.

[Lusekofte]

Had a JU 88 pilot a long time. Then new pilot damage showed up in a patch. 
Flying PE 2 , A20, hs 129 campaigns also it took me one or two missions to kill all my pilots in Pk or hard landing. One was a hard turn in landing. 
Only getting my ju 88 pilot left I was a bit scared proceeding  but manned up and got it running. First encounter with enemy fighter I got PK.  
now, I spent many years in this forum being frustrated and angry,  until I let go and start using it for the best it can be. But realistic or not, I cannot fly the planes I like and survive. 
I am not frustrated or angry anymore. I have more or less given up. And fly clod instead. No VR but it give me more chances of survival

[Yogiflight]

7 hours ago, Lusekofte said:

hs 129 campaigns also it took me one or two missions to kill all my pilots in Pk or hard landing.

I have been flying about 30-40 missions with the Hs 129 lately and I am still in an Hs 129 career, but I can't remember having been PK'ed once. I would guess you try to turn away, when you get attacked. What I always do when getting attacked is push it down in a hard turn and if the fighter follows, I go down to the deck and wait down there until the fighter gets attacked by my escort fighters before climbing back to my flight.

The same counts for the Bf 110 E2, I am flying, too.

[Lusekofte]

Actually my hs 129 pk was a landing incident I ground looped in slow speed and one wheel broke and pilot died. 
however, your story gave me hope. And I will when time allows start some careers again. I miss it. 

[MattS]

On 7/24/2023 at 12:13 AM, CUJO_1970 said:

Same thing in real life - one bad decision can cost you your life - perfect example was LW Ace Bully Lang who elected to take off with an aircraft that had obviously malfunctioning landing gear. Flew for 10 minutes on the deck trying to get the gear to raise, too preoccupied with the aircraft to reach altitude and speed and didn't see the bounce coming.

 

Even if you're good all it takes is one mistake or error in judgement, like Gabreski flying into the ground and ending up POW.

Makes me think of Neal Kirby getting killed by a Ki-43 Oscar of all things while he was circling around to secure a kill. Talk about one’s luck tanks running out.

[CUJO_1970]

3 hours ago, MattS said:

Makes me think of Neal Kirby getting killed by a Ki-43 Oscar of all things while he was circling around to secure a kill. Talk about one’s luck tanks running out.

 

This is why the guys that survived 800+ combat missions are the rarest of the breed. Look at Marseille...engine trouble then hit the vertical stab on bailout...or Preddy getting shot down by his own AAA.

 

So many things can happen.