Battle for the Don Bend [Hurricane MkII]

[CzechTexan]

Battle for the Don Bend

 

Download:  https://www.mediafire.com/file/6whhts60c7zccjt/Battle_for_the_Don_Bend.zip/file

 

Battle for the Don Bend is an 11-mission single player scripted campaign in which the Player will fly the Hurricane MkII on the Stalingrad map.  Missions are from July 15 to August 16, 1942.  The time period is at the beginning of the Battle of Stalingrad as the German Army advances across the steppe after the Millerovo battle and heads toward the Don River.  Inspiration for the missions are from actual battles but the campaign is semi-historical since the airfields may not have been used - this allows for shorter flight distances. 

The first mission is the longest and they get shorter after that.

 

*Notes:  

*You MUST HAVE the STALINGRAD Map and the Hurricane MkII collector plane.

*A mission is successful when the player destroys a target or makes a successful landing.  If target objectives are completed then it is not necessary to make a landing.

*All missions start on the ground with engine running.

*Mission descriptions are in English-only, sorry.

*Books cited:  Black Cross Red Star volume 3 by Bergstrom; To the Gates of Stalingrad by Glantz.

 

Enjoy!--created by CzechTexan

 

Some VVS skins found here:

 

[Trooper117]

Good stuff!

[easterling77]

Thanks a lot for your Work.

 

I'll definitely give it a go tomorrow 

 

Best greetings 

DP

[Fall_Blau]

This looks really awesome, thank you for making it. I'll have to check out those books as well, just started reading Stalingrad by Antony Beevor.

[Falcon41]

Enjoying your work

[CzechTexan]

1 hour ago, Fall_Blau said:

This looks really awesome, thank you for making it. I'll have to check out those books as well, just started reading Stalingrad by Antony Beevor.

You're welcome.  The Great Battles stuff on Stalingrad starts after the Germans have reached the Don River.  Author David Glantz has so much detail that it was hard for me to skip the battles before the Don River.

Just recently, I discovered on YouTube - TIKhistory Battlestorm Stalingrad series of 51 videos.  It's also very good and I like how the battle is displayed on the maps.

 

My next project was going to be the Kotluban Offensives during September 1942 with the Hs 129 but then I learned that they did not use the 30mm cannons to destroy tanks during that time - only bombs were used!  So, I just have the one mission made.  Not sure if I'll make a campaign now.  Dropping bombs is fun but I wanted to shoot the cannon!  

[Fall_Blau]

Wow, that series looks great, perfect way to help visualize the events in books.

 

[Fall_Blau]

I found this book online that you might find helpful, it's a reference manual of Luftwaffe airfields used during the war. The bibliography section also lists some really good primary and secondary sources. I'd love to pick a random airfield and make a short campaign based on events listed, maybe even try to model the buildings based on the description.

https://www.ww2.dk/Airfields - Russia and Ukraine.pdf

[KodiakJac]

Thanks, CzechTexan! 👍

 

But, I don't understand why you think shorter missions are better 🤔

 

"...this allows for shorter flight distances.  The first mission is the longest and they get shorter after that."

 

Guess I need to figure out how to use the editor to change airfields, now.  Always something to do...lol

[jeanba]

I agréé with Czechtexan, in most cases, short missions are better, unless there is a specific interest for long distances

[Ulricus]

CzechTexan, many thx for this campaign.
Straightforward, solidly programmed missions with some immersive elements of surprise.
It was fun and a real pleasure to be back in the cockpit of a Hurri.

[jollyjack]

One Q: How do you get the Rockets involved permanently? Only in the ME?

Edited October 29, 2024 by jollyjack

[CzechTexan]

On 10/29/2024 at 4:29 AM, jollyjack said:

One Q: How do you get the Rockets involved permanently? Only in the ME?

Yes, I choose rockets for weapons in the Mission Editor.

[jollyjack]

Do you mind if i experiment with your campaign? I'll keep it for my own use only ...

[CzechTexan]

11 hours ago, jollyjack said:

Do you mind if i experiment with your campaign? I'll keep it for my own use only ...

I don't mind if anybody "experiments" or edits any of my campaigns for their own liking.  Some people alter the missions for online use which is all fine with me.

[AndreiTomescu]

Just started this campaign. First and foremost, thx, mr @CzechTexan!

I've never played on the soviet side. Wormed up with the Dead of Winter campaign, with the P-40E, which was also quite good. again thx @CzechTexan

But this one is great. The Hurricane is also, imho, the most lovely plane to fly.

Done just the first mission, and in the thick fur ball of planes, in the storm of defending a certain grid, GUESS WHAT ?? I've met an Macchi C.202 !!! I was pretty sure it wasn't 109. Checked afterwards in mission log, and yes! it was a Macchi! How cool !

The mission was very entertaining, with changes on-the-fly, so very immersive.  The Russian Hurricanes are equipped with Russian guns, and i've kept that setting, of course. Few rounds available, but man! they give quite a punch. And the recoil is well heard and felt.

can't wait for the next missions.

Edited April 11 by AndreiTomescu

[AndreiTomescu]

Soooo....mission 2. I've run into some invading marauders, desecrating the motherland with thei filthy and very performant and good looking planes but also into some kind of an issue. If you could help a bit, it would be wonderful. Because i'm grateful anyways.

So: took off, flew to the patrol area, followed waypoints. Found a bunch of bandits, engaged, shot down one, damaged another, my comrades blasted another 3. Continued patrol (if hit Esc, the Finish Mission button still red). After some time patrolling, got msg that a grid in the area was under attack. Went there asap, no bandits to be seen. Continued patrol, up and down, got msg that a grid in the area was under attack. Went there asap, no bandits to be seen. This happened about 4 times. Except for Raven 6 that run after ammo and left for home after the first and only encounter, all my guys stayed with me. After some more patrolling, following waypoints, my comrades started to fall out of the sky like flies due to "run out of fuel". so me and 2 lucky ones still having fuel, left for home airfield, at the most economical speed. One run out of fuel on the way, i did also just above that little hill near the airfield when approaching from the west.  So i managed to land unscathed, engine off.

Hit Esc, the Finish Mission button still red. The plane stopped near a wooden tower and I was prompted to....repair and refuel.  WOW! great. So I did. In the mean time, Raven 4 managed to land.

Took off again, landed again, this time "properly", but....the Finish Mission button still red. hit it, got Landing successful, but mission failed. Also on the map it said something like "mission accomplished on the axis side" in green.

What did I do wrong?

pls help. Thx!

Edited April 12 by AndreiTomescu

[AndreiTomescu]

Edit/add-on. 

Second time did almost the same, only put the ingress travel on autopilot (I hate doing that). However, arriving at the patrol zone a bit at a different time, things went on the same but....different, meaning that after encountering the italo-german detachment and sending them to ground/home, we've continued to patrol for about 3 "laps" and then directed home, landed (refuel/repair area still available) and got a lovely "mission complete".

Still dunno what is did wrong the first time.

But I'm good to go now for mission 3, that's important.

Also dunno where are the ground forces that were supposed to clash beneath: seems like there's just.....nobody there! 

[AndreiTomescu]

As i've progressed through the missions, they did get more and more lively and challenging. with only 2 missions left, I can surely tell that the campaign is great. Thx, CzechTexan !

[AndreiTomescu]

As i've progressed through the missions, they did get more and more lively and challenging. with only 2 missions left, I can surely tell that the campaign is great. Thx, CzechTexan !

Third from last mission: WOW ! it was awesome.  Run into a bunch of Macchi's, and those are good planes, but the Hurricane is slow but deadly with those russian weapons on.

What I found very cool was this: deep into german controlled territory, with 68 bullets for the SVAK only left, I was rentessly chasing an fuel bleeding Macchi. Suddenly another one, quite able pops right behind and beneath me. Saw it only when some 12.7 bullets raced on my 3 o'clock. Evasive turn, but GREED (it would have been my 4th this sortie) made me stick into the fight.  I'm sure the AI level was normal, no more, because those italian knights weren't doing more than turns, but they did it TOGETHER. Just as i was thinking how to break combat, a Il-2 Sturmovik dove from above, got in front of me, and hit the damaged Macchi (it desintegrated literally) with bullets and rockets !  It was awesome. Then the Il-2 flew away, leaving me to pound the remaining C.202 with what ammo i had left just as I exited a high yo-yo. Damaged, it crashed later.

If someone says the AI is poor, i'd say that Il-2 gave me the opposite idea. What a cool mission.

Edited April 16 by AndreiTomescu