Sandmarken Posted March 26 Posted March 26 (edited) Timeframe: March 1945 Unit: III.Jagdgeschwader 27 Aircraft: Bf 109K4 Duration: 9 Missions Author: Sandmarken Description: By March 1945, what was left of the four Gruppen of Jagdgeschwader 27 was stationed around Rheine and its airfields. Together with Jagdgeschwader 26 they where one of the few fighterwings left to defend the Western Front from the overwhelming Allied air power. Big thanks to my trusted tester @AndreiTomescu for testing all the missions for me. This campaign was also made with big help from another friend of mine as well, so thank you very much to both! Some of the sources for making this campaign: Chronik Jagdgeschwader 27, An Ordinary Day in 1945 and other various online sources. Optional custom skins for the campaign is made by @Boelcke https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18N37MITiEt_U3X9UBRpa-uITEkjkzFwU?usp=sharing Custom skins are historical correct and not censored. Note that all missions can be completed by land at any friendly airfield or by a successful crash landing. Hud shoud be on for important messages. Only english is available for the campaign. Edited March 26 by Sandmarken 15 8
AndreiTomescu Posted March 26 Posted March 26 (edited) Gentleman, Sandmarken's description is sober and somehow just historical. It doesn't give you any clues about the magnitude of the encounters in the missions. Please, let me tell you this: -most of the missions are HARD. Due to my "complaining" he lowered the level for some missions. To survive, that's the goal. If some of those 20mm quad cannons find their mark, you're done for. -the feeling is of constant rush, despaired hopes and an overwhelming sensation of being......overwhelmed. -many great easter eggs , that not only bring immersion but also gives you a little understanding of the futility of those late war wonder weapons. -i have noticed that the AI is no longer predictable and easy to trick. It's most often deadly. -very good HUD messages during the missions -very good immersion: you are there. Even than sometimes not for long. -an epic, emotional ending, at least for me. Brave heart/Dancing with the wolfs\The last Mohican like. (the movies) But you'll have to get there. Of course for the high class pilots here, won't be any huge challenge, but for medium\low, like myself, it was. -missions so well written that replaying the same one for many times it wasn't a burden. I also had the greatest action of all encountered till now in one mission, but that wasn't something scripted, it just happened. Maybe that influenced my enthusiasm a bit, but that's good, right? The missions are very, VERY historic. Enjoy! Edited March 26 by AndreiTomescu 9 1 1
Sandmarken Posted March 26 Author Posted March 26 14 minutes ago, AndreiTomescu said: Gentleman, Sandmarken's description is sober and somehow just historical. It doesn't give you any clues about the magnitude of the encounters in the missions. Please, let me tell you this: -most of the missions are HARD. Due to my "complaining" he lowered the level for some missions. To survive, that's the goal. If some of those 20mm quad cannons find their mark, you're done for. -the feeling is of constant rush, despaired hopes and an overwhelming sensation of being......overwhelmed. -many great easter eggs , that not only bring immersion but also gives you a little understanding of the futility of those late war wonder weapons. -i have noticed that the AI is no longer predictable and easy to trick. It's most often deadly. -very good HUD messages during the missions -very good immersion: you are there. Even than sometimes not for long. -an epic, emotional ending, at least for me. Brave heart/Dancing with the wolfs\The last Mohican like. (the movies) But you'll have to get there. Of course for the high class pilots here, won't be any huge challenge, but for medium\low, like myself, it was. -missions so well written that replaying the same one for many times it wasn't a burden. I also had the greatest action of all encountered till now in one mission, but that wasn't something scripted, it just happened. Maybe that influenced my enthusiasm a bit, but that's good, right? The missions are very, VERY historic. Enjoy! Thanks Andrei! 😁 1
Vendigo Posted March 26 Posted March 26 (edited) Congratulations on the release! Flew two missions - the first one went like a charm, a cinematic experience! I got two kills after a long sortie. The mission surroundings are very well thought of! The second mission was fruitless, no kills but on landing I crashed into a dugout at the edge of the strip - pilot killed! Btw, the flight leader in the first mission is very slow, less than 400 km/h, I was struggling to stay with him because of that - is it intentional? Edited March 27 by Vendigo 1
Sandmarken Posted March 26 Author Posted March 26 1 minute ago, Vendigo said: Congratulations on the release! Flew two missions - the first one went like a charm, a cinematic experience! I got two kills after a long sortie. The mission surroundings are very well thought of! The second mission was fruitless, no kills but on landing I crashed into a dugout on the edge of the strip - pilot killed! Btw, the flight leader in the first mission is very slow, less than 400 km/h, I was struggling to stay with him because of that - is it intentional? Thanks for the feedback! I'm happy you liked the missions. Sorry you had to crash into the dugouts during mission two. I was sure I put waypoints at 420 km/h! Maybe I missed a waypoint. I flew mission one many times without thinking too much about the speed there. I set some speed limits low to save fuel. In some missions, you will experience the severe fuel situation the Germans faced late in the war by not getting a full tank for your flight.
Vendigo Posted March 26 Posted March 26 2 minutes ago, Sandmarken said: I set some speed limits low to save fuel. In some missions, you will experience the severe fuel situation the Germans faced late in the war by not getting a full tank for your flight. Low speed, save fuel - it makes sense!
AndreiTomescu Posted March 26 Posted March 26 37 minutes ago, Vendigo said: the first one went like a charm Before the difficulty adjustment i did it 10 times, i think. Got ripped by Tempest cannon, crashed on landing, the brits followed me to the airport and butchered me there, shot down upon landing, crashed out of fuel, and many other lovely happenings. Can't wait, neighbor, for you to reach mission nr 5. That's a real cool stuff. 2
Vendigo Posted March 27 Posted March 27 8 hours ago, AndreiTomescu said: Before the difficulty adjustment i did it 10 times, i think. Got ripped by Tempest cannon, crashed on landing, the brits followed me to the airport and butchered me there, shot down upon landing, crashed out of fuel, and many other lovely happenings. Can't wait, neighbor, for you to reach mission nr 5. That's a real cool stuff. Then I was lucky the enemy bots didn't follow me back to my home base, in the first mission. Actually, during the dogfight there were a couple moments when I was like "what the heck are they doing?" but in a good way (I think I could have said that to myself in real life as well). The AI behavior seemed oddly realistic. I don't know whether the reason is the AI logic or the mission setup, but again, it was very satisfying to see them behave like they did. Btw, about "mission complete" trigger - I wonder whether bailing out will allow me to proceed to the next mission, or must it be only crash-landing or landing at an airfield?
AndreiTomescu Posted March 27 Posted March 27 (edited) In all missions you can crash land and get a mission complete. Don't know about bailing out. 1 hour ago, Vendigo said: The AI behavior seemed oddly realistic Yes, indeed! I'm glad you noticed that too. I was suspecting i was just imagining that. Nice thing. I will try to start some really old campaign, to see if there's a change there too. But in those final days of the war, there were far more pilots than planes available on the Axis side. If you ruined your aircraft and survived, small chanse you would get another one, unless you were a top ace. It was Luftwaffe infantry job for those fellows! Edited March 27 by AndreiTomescu Misspelled
Sandmarken Posted March 27 Author Posted March 27 52 minutes ago, AndreiTomescu said: But in those final days of the war, there were far more pilots than planes available on the Axis side Actually the other way around! There where alot of planes, just no pilots or fuel! 🙂 2 hours ago, Vendigo said: bailing out will allow me to proceed No, but it coud be added if people want to. 2 hours ago, Vendigo said: Then I was lucky the enemy bots didn't follow me back to my home base They shoud not follow you to the base, but the AI is well the AI 🙃
Sandmarken Posted March 27 Author Posted March 27 (edited) 3 hours ago, Vendigo said: The AI behavior seemed oddly realistic I have found in my experience that having an attack MCU (not attack area MCU) set to low priority makes the AI pretty aggressive and also more aware of their environment. For some missions with longer dogfights, I have had the problem that some of the AI decides to just fly off; then there is sometimes a time trigger or check zone that reminds them to get back into the fight. Working with the AI is half the work on campaigns !😅 Edited March 27 by Sandmarken 1
Vendigo Posted March 27 Posted March 27 2 hours ago, Sandmarken said: No, but it coud be added if people want to. If you ask me, I would prefer to be able to proceed to the next mission after bailing out. To be frank, I am frustrated that so many creators force the player to return to the home base, or score a kill of the designated target in order to proceed to the next mission. 3
Sandmarken Posted March 27 Author Posted March 27 2 minutes ago, Vendigo said: would prefer to be able to proceed to the next mission after bailing out. Noted! I'll see what I can do about it in an update. You can land at all friendly airfields, not only the home one. You can take off, land immediately, and get the mission complete. Since you always fly the same plane, number 3, I found that if I allowed bailouts, it would be wrong to see the plane explode and then fly it again in the next mission. 1 1
Vendigo Posted March 27 Posted March 27 (edited) ...talking about bailing out - just replayed the second mission: I was on auto-pilot on the way to the target area and as soon as we made contact I turned the auto-pilot off and guess what - I immediately collided with another 109, and had to bail out! PS Btw, do you know whether selecting the DB605DC engine modification is historical in this campaign? Edited March 28 by Vendigo
AndreiTomescu Posted March 27 Posted March 27 23 minutes ago, Vendigo said: selecting the DB605DC engine modification is historical in this campaign? it might be....😉 i did the same, sometimes, in despair. But if master Sandmarken didn't block it, then we can just say we received an airplane with a better engine. in march 1945 the engine was available. however, i think it burns a bit more fuel Spoiler Spoiler 26 minutes ago, Vendigo said: I was on auto-pilot on the way to the target area pls,don't. you'll miss some stuff
Sandmarken Posted March 27 Author Posted March 27 23 minutes ago, Vendigo said: Btw, do you know whether selecting the DB605DC engine modification is historical in this campaign? It's hard to say because most documents from this time, at least if you can't access German libraries or archives, are very limited. I think if the engine was even used wich is an argument of its own, it would probably this late in the war. Sometimes one or a few wingmen will have them, and I also made the option available for the player if they want it! Historically? Unlikely, but not impossible. 26 minutes ago, Vendigo said: I immediately collided with another 109, so I had to bail out! Just too many 109s in the air! Just take off and immediately land if you want to skip doing it a third time 🙂 6 minutes ago, AndreiTomescu said: pls,don't. you'll miss some stuff I mostly flew that part on autopilot my self 😅 1
AndreiTomescu Posted March 27 Posted March 27 1 hour ago, Sandmarken said: mostly flew that part on autopilot my self 😅 ha,ha,ha. you lazy bones! 😂 even doing a mis 10 times, still no autopilot. to search for bugs,,,,,or more accurate to enjoy the flight.
Sandmarken Posted March 27 Author Posted March 27 8 minutes ago, AndreiTomescu said: ha,ha,ha. you lazy bones! 😂 even doing a mis 10 times, still no autopilot. to search for bugs,,,,,or more accurate to enjoy the flight. This is why you are the tester and not me 🙂 2
Vendigo Posted March 27 Posted March 27 I have beaten the second mission, or rather it was I who got beaten! Still zero kills, just several exciting chases (both as the hunter and the hunted). The AI antics do surprise me sometimes. Spoiler 1 1
AndreiTomescu Posted March 27 Posted March 27 27 minutes ago, Vendigo said: exciting chases that is the reason for playing. Kills are for Fortnite. no offense. my favourite ace, lt Ioan Dobran, has done 340 missions, 74 air fights and had 10 confirmed air kills, 3 probable and one ground kill. So ......
Vendigo Posted March 28 Posted March 28 In mission "Air defence" the wingman No.4 doesn't have the proper skin attached, just a plain standard skin. Also, I was able to proceed to the next mission after bailing out - after my plane disintegrated I got the usual message: Crash-land successul, mission complete!
Sandmarken Posted March 28 Author Posted March 28 19 minutes ago, Vendigo said: No.4 doesn't have the proper skin attached In mission 4 your flight is a mix of I. and III. gruppen and your wingman flies the G14 as I.Jg27 did. i did not include any custom skin for it. Jg 27 Gruppen I and II had the G14, while III had the K4, and IV had a mix, as far as my research went. 21 minutes ago, Vendigo said: Also, I was able to proceed to the next mission after bailing out I think then maybe you will be able to bail out anyway! If the pilot is killed, it should trigger mission failed.
Vendigo Posted March 28 Posted March 28 (edited) Frankly, your campaign is so well made it deserves adding custom skins to the blue side, or at least adding swastika on generic skins. Seeing the censored skin next to you on the runway is such an immersion breaker! PS I just got shot down right after dropping bomb on the bridge! Edited March 29 by Vendigo 1
Kurfurst Posted March 28 Posted March 28 On 3/27/2025 at 3:20 PM, Vendigo said: Btw, do you know whether selecting the DB605DC engine modification is historical in this campaign? Yes. BTW its not a different engine, its just a higher manifold pressure setting on the same engine. 1
Sandmarken Posted March 28 Author Posted March 28 50 minutes ago, Kurfurst said: Yes. BTW its not a different engine, its just a higher manifold pressure setting on the same engine. This must be after March, as I guess "aufgelöst" is something like "disbanded" for IV. Gruppe. They disbanded late in March after losing almost all its fighters to the Allied bombing of their airfield, achmer.
Sandmarken Posted March 28 Author Posted March 28 1 hour ago, Vendigo said: Frankly, your campaign is so well made it deserves adding custom skins for the blue side, or at least adding swastika on generic skins. Seeing the censored skin next to you on the runway is such an immersion breaker! PS I just got shot down right after dropping bomb on the bridge! Thanks! There are enough skins available, but to keep the campaign small, I chose to include only the most essential. The bridge bombing is my favorite mission, based on an interview with a Luftwaffe pilot. He was flying for JG 53, but I figured some things could be "adjusted" to fit the campaign better. 😁 2
Kurfurst Posted March 28 Posted March 28 2 hours ago, Sandmarken said: This must be after March, as I guess "aufgelöst" is something like "disbanded" for IV. Gruppe. They disbanded late in March after losing almost all its fighters to the Allied bombing of their airfield, achmer. Document is dated 20 March 1945, and yes its from a series where several unit disbandments are ordered, and equipment status for the rest are ordered. (Bf.B.Nr.1564/45. g.Kdos) 1
Sandmarken Posted March 28 Author Posted March 28 23 minutes ago, Kurfurst said: Document is dated 20 March 1945, and yes its from a series where several unit disbandments are ordered, and equipment status for the rest are ordered. (Bf.B.Nr.1564/45. g.Kdos) I've seen enough discussions about the 1.89 ATA engine, and they tend to be a bit heated, so I think it's best to let the player choose what they think is appropriate. 😅 Thanks for the documentation! 1
sevenless Posted March 29 Posted March 29 Now this one was really something special. Highly appreciated! Please do more or this kind. Chock full of high adrenalin moments. Huge formations and you really fealt to be part of the big picture. Excellent stuff! 2
Sandmarken Posted March 29 Author Posted March 29 49 minutes ago, sevenless said: Now this one was really something special. Highly appreciated! Please do more or this kind. Chock full of high adrenalin moments. Huge formations and you really fealt to be part of the big picture. Excellent stuff! Thx! 🙂
Vendigo Posted March 29 Posted March 29 (edited) I have finished the campaign with 22 kills. Very, very well made! “Remagen” is indeed a memorable one! Btw, on my last playthrough I crash-landed and my plane ended up in the river, but close enough to the bank for the cockpit to stay above water level. But I didn’t get the message of successful crash-landing and the mission wasn’t completed… Spoiler I would suggest locking the fuel loadout in every mission, since lack of fuel plays an important part in this story. Now, to report some issues: in mission “Bridgebreaker” a P-51 was able to catch up with the flight of Arados on their retreat and shot down one of them, I think the Arados speed is too low. Spoiler In the final mission my plane was damaged so I landed at Munster-Handorf and the B-26's followed me down, bombed the airbase and started flying around in circles. Not sure why it happened but it was rather unexpected – just as I landed I saw the B-26’s flying low and dropping bombs on the airfield, not so far from me btw! Spoiler PS The last subtitle in the final mission has a typo! Edited March 29 by Vendigo 1
Sandmarken Posted March 29 Author Posted March 29 4 hours ago, Vendigo said: Very, very well made! Thx, that means alot comming from a master of the editor like you 😀 4 hours ago, Vendigo said: would suggest locking the fuel loadout I'm a little reluctant to lock anything like engine modifications and fuel. I like to suggest, but people seem to like to do what they please.🙃 4 hours ago, Vendigo said: Bridgebreaker” a P-51 was able to catch up with the flight of Arados on their retreat and shot down one of them, I think the Arados speed is too low. This is historically accurate. That was one of the days with the most raids from KG 76 attacking the bridge (actually, the pontoon bridge built next to it). They suffered casualties from P-51s and, I think, P-38s. A pretty good Il-2 movie was made about that day! Spoiler 4 hours ago, Vendigo said: In the final mission my plane was damaged so I landed at Munster-Handorf and the B-26's followed me down, Thats the b26 target. They are supposed to turn for home after they dropped the bombs. Thanks for the reports on many of the missions. I'm happy someone played through the campaign already. Now I'm patiently awaiting your Ju 87 one. 2
FeuerFliegen Posted March 29 Posted March 29 On 3/28/2025 at 12:12 PM, Kurfurst said: Yes. BTW its not a different engine, its just a higher manifold pressure setting on the same engine. hmm, I was under the impression that the DC had a slightly larger supercharger; which would explain why it has LESS HP given the SAME manifold pressure; the specifications state that it has less HP when you compare 1.45ata on each engine. DB has 1430hp at sea level @ 2600rpm / 1.45ata DC has 1370hp at sea level @ 2600rpm / 1.45ata If this is not the case, then why does the DC engine have less HP, given the same manifold pressure?
Vendigo Posted March 30 Posted March 30 (edited) I replayed the final mission a couple times - actually my favorite type of mission in the Western front is the interception of the heavy bomber formations. I wish you put more B-26's in the mission because my gang beat them up very easily, only 2-3 bots might survive.. Or maybe you based the quantity of enemies on the historical data? Btw, maybe a bug - I want to report B-26 odd behaviour! They are supposed to carpet bomb the target from high altitude, aren't they? In fact, upon arriving to target they descend all the way down and drop bombs like this, but No.4TQ fails to drop his bombs, so the whole flight ends up circling around the airfield: Spoiler Also, last time when I landed at the homebase I didn't get the message of mission completion, the trigger didn't work. Spoiler Edited March 30 by Vendigo 1
Sandmarken Posted March 30 Author Posted March 30 8 minutes ago, Vendigo said: They are supposed to carpet bomb the target from high altitude, aren't they? In fact, upon arriving to target they descend all the way down and drop bombs like this, but No.4TQ fails to drop his bombs, so the whole flight ends up circling around the airfield: Il look at it, might be that i forgett to set the bombing altitude correct! There are no more bombers simply because that was the number my pc coud handle! 9 minutes ago, Vendigo said: Also, last time when I landed at the homebase I didn't get the message of mission completion, the trigger didn't work. Spoiler Mission complete for last mission is in the air before the fight with the p51s. It is to signal that you will get a mission complete also if shot down.
AndreiTomescu Posted March 30 Posted March 30 The hole campaign, not only the final mission, ends once you intercept the bombers. What you do next, either you "meet your fate in the skies", or run for home, is like a never ending story. It's the first time I see this kind of epic ending, movie-like, that i enjoyed tremendously. A great applause for @Sandmarken for this emotional and even philosophical approach. I see it as a salute for all those boys who died unfairly young in a conflict that most of them never chose to be part of. 4
Vendigo Posted March 30 Posted March 30 16 minutes ago, AndreiTomescu said: The hole campaign, not only the final mission, ends once you intercept the bombers. What you do next, either you "meet your fate in the skies", or run for home, is like a never ending story. I tend to spend (almost) all ammo on the bombers so when the Mustangs arrive, I am either empty and headed home or just a fraction of ammo left, and those P-51's are quite evasive. I was chasing one but couldn't damage it bad enough. Then I run out of ammo so I head for home in good conscience! 1
AndreiTomescu Posted March 31 Posted March 31 (edited) my final mission: I chose to meet my fate in the skyes: shot down 2 bombers (conserve ammo, only short and sure bursts, cause that 30mm cannon is deadly from one single explosive bullet), danced with the mustangs. Managed to get one down (NOT shot down, only down to the ground, where i'm more confident) to 2k meters. Compressed and lost consciousness. Got back, and dogfighted to my best. Missed many snapshots, ammo getting low, I've decided to try a head-on. The AI was a better sniper.....got me right on. Edited March 31 by AndreiTomescu too much zeroes at the cannon :) 2
KodiakJac Posted March 31 Posted March 31 @Sandmarken "I think it's best to let the player choose what they think is appropriate." "I'm a little reluctant to lock anything like engine modifications and fuel. I like to suggest, but people seem to like to do what they please." Wonderful campaign design philosophy! Make a suggestion, give them a framework, but then let the player decide! Thank you! 1 1
Aapje Posted March 31 Posted March 31 I don't see any downsides to just letting players choose. If they want to use the presets, they can, and if they don't, they can choose different. 2 1
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