stuart666

I think it was Small Wurzburg in reality that could couple up to searchlights. We dont have that unfortunately.

Id be a little wary of that. For one thing the runways at Greenham Common were all broken, and there were no HAS. All they had was the buildings for the GLCM's. That might have been envisaged as a deployment location, but if it was, nothing came of it. I did read that the HAS at Boscombe down were for an American F111 wing to deploy to the UK at short notice. Not sure what one. Ive actually done marker files for all the barracks and military installations (not necessarily including all the runways) in Baltic and Leningrad military districts. Let me know sometime if its of interest and Ill post it up.

The ONLY place ive noticed a reference to volume 2 is on the Australian war memorial, which sadly doesnt host a copy online. So it clearly exists, but doesnt seem to have been much issued for whatever reason. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/LIB118151

Yeah, here you go. You need a google account, but you can read it for free there. https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Great_Britain_Air_Ministry_Air_Navigation?id=WbJ8AAAAIAAJ I actually bought a 1944 copy on Amazon, wasnt very expensive. Little above my head though, but its making me think I should probably input wind corrections into my Mosquito scenarios.

I should add, thats the only WW2 deviation card I can find right now, thats from the Air Ministry Navigation manual. I will post up if I find any more. Not the most immediately useful source (or aircraft come to that...) but at least its something to experiment with.

This map already has quite a lot on it to allow the Mosquito to stretch its legs, and im particularly happy to see Friston which was often used as a recovery airfield for damaged aircraft. However, I think the addition of a few other places would greatly inhance the use of the mosquito on the map. Hunsdon airfield, home for 487,464 and 21 Squadrons (I think 140 wing actually) at the time of the Amien Prison raid. Thorney Island airfield. Home for many mosquito squadrons at the time of the Normandy campaign. Its also got unique scenery from being on an Island, and seems to be largely preserved through the British Army now using it as a barracks. Amien Prison. Because with Hundon, you can now run the fill mission Baupame Grevilliers. Where I think JG26/7 were based at the time of the Amien prison raid, one of which shot down Gp Cpn Pickard, as well as at least one Typhoon. Some westcountry airfields like Middle Wallop would be a good inclusion also. Bristol, Bath scenery, means its not quite so fixated on the east of the country.

Thanks Lau. I admit im very new to this stuff, so Im talking very much from a position as an amateur, so apprecate you not ripping me a new one. Speaking of Links, I notice Greg of Gregs Airplanes and Automobiles has done a video on navigation, and its his opinion that individual aircraft magnetic variation, at least in the ones he has flown, does not exist. That of course doesnt make him right, but I find it interesting he has come to the conclusion it is so. As he points out, if they did, they would have to vary it for every aircraft that spawned, which I suppose to prove awkward.

Ive seen nothing like that, and Ive looked. It might be worth asking on https://ww2aircraft.net/forum/ and see if anyone has one. I would suppose there would be some difference between a BIV and a FBVI just to the close proximity of the guns. I suspect its a tall order. I believe there is an example deviation card in in the 1944 Air Ministry Air Navigation manual but, unhelpfully, its of an Avro Manchester... https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Great_Britain_Air_Ministry_Air_Navigation?id=WbJ8AAAAIAAJ I think you are right, other than the magnetic deviation, I dont believe they model individual aircraft compass deviation. Whats even stranger, when I create a scenario on channel map, I believe sometimes says 9 degrees deviation on the rose, and other times 8.9. Maybe they are modelling compass deviation via random event, instead of modelling the aircrafts personal compass deviation?

So looking at this again, it seems the ai aircraft will drop 4 bombs, if ALL of the bombs carried are short tail. If there is a mixed configuration, such as at Amiens, with a configuraton of short tail internal and AP external, then it will just drop the 2 external bombs, the AP's, and not even open the bomb bay doors. Can anyone else replicate this?

Been working on my own version of Operation jericho, and do not seem to be able to make the AI drop all their bombs on the first past. In fact, they seem to prefer using the exernal bombs, and never open their bomb bays at all. This is despite setting the menu to 'bombs' and to use 'all'. I had thought that it was a mismatch between having GP and MC bombs, but it seems, looking at ED's own version of Jericho, that they elected to just use internal bombs and not use the wing ones at all. Is this a long standing issue?

Fair enough. There would appear to be something wrong then.

Yes, but was that a Mk1, or the Mk9 which had a considerably longer nose? I must admit its kind of odd dogfighting like this, in that you are half the time not shooting at the target at all because its beneath the nose. The odd thing is, how accurate it usually turns out to be.

So just to point out, Ive updated the old Normandy template (ive left it up in case anyone prefers the old one) and done a static template for the flak defences, beach defences, V1 sites and radar sites in Normandy, as they may have been in 1944. If anyone has any ideas for improvements, or can demonstrate something is wrong, please post it up and Ill try and fix it. https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3333865/ My other template, that for the Crimea showing Cold War missile defences, is here. https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3319451/

Thanks Rudel, Ill post it up there too then.

Ok, so its up. Maybe I should post this up in the mod forum, Im not sure. https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/3333865/

Probably a forlorn hope, but a belated +1 from me also.

I like that! Really needs some warships with 14 inch guns though. Ok, so Ive upped the template, so It should be available sooner or later I guess. Let you all know when its unlocked. Ive also got a channel template, which I actually did first. Thinking about whether to equip all the v1 sites with flak or let you guys figure it out. I guess it probably makes sense to let you all figure that out, you are all smart enough.

I wouldnt say no to a He111. I believe they used it to fire Hs293, and of course as a variant, there is also this. Meaning its relevant pretty much till the end of the war. Both this and the Ju88 survive in enough numbers to be viable to model. In fact, I gather the Battle of Britain museum in Kent were stripping the paint off what they believed was a CASA and found, much to their surprise, it was actually a Heinkel built aircraft that had been supplied during the war. Added to which there is plenty of evidence of what its like to fly a Casa built version to have a good stab at building a flight model. We live in hopes anyway.

I would think 2 main types would be best. The A5 which we already have, so you could simulate a WW2 bombsight. Which for DCS would require some work, but would rather open the door for a lot of other aircraft that also operated with bombsights. The C6, yes, I can see that, but it would be rather limited in the things it could do. Not least because we dont have any allied MPA's it can operate against. The problem is, whatever version is done (much as with the mosquito) the answer will be from the community 'very nice, but its not the version I wanted!'. Well, anything Luftwaffe and twin engined gets my vote tbh.

A London to Paris air race might be quite interesting.

No problem. The same guys also do a 3 volume set on the Normandy Landings (must have come out over 20 years ago now), thats also well worth getting.

Which may be fair enough as a flyable one (I would suggest there is a very good book that just came out on the 'horsepower race' which would solve a lot of the riddles about the horsepower of the engines, that and the actual existence of a surviving intact Typhoon, and 2 in the midst of rebuild), but as an AI, that argument just doesnt stand up. There isnt any flyable Ju88's either, yet they modelled one just fine. TBH, Id pay for an extension of the Channel map into the low countries. Yes, people would screech about it, its probably true. But Id buy it, and use it. And whats more, so would everybody else. Im really impressed with Channel map. Unlike Normandy (which not picking a fight with, but outside of the immediate area of Normandy isnt as accurate as one might wish, at least as far as the railways and road system is concerned), Channel map certainly seems to be very accurate. Id love to see that taken east, and can see no realistic argument for not doing so. Dont want to take it into Germany? Fair enough. Give us an extension to the border of the Netherlands and some of Denmark. That will do me just fine. I only want to bomb the phillips factory an various Gestapo headquarters in me mozzie. I really dont want this to be taken as a rant, because what we have is fantastic. Im really starting to get into the WW2 side of it again (largely because aircraft are so much easier to learn!). But it could be even better, if they just steered it in a single direction and worked to that. Its not that Beaverbrook got everything right either. But there was a singlemindedness about what he was trying to achieve, that for the most part worked. We would probably loathe a Beaverbrook in charge of the WW2 side of DCS. But if it created some kind of unerring direction, we would swiftly forgive them, maybe even love them for it if it came up with some cohesion. What would I do next? Id do a crewable Ju88. With the full breadth of the Normandy map, and the presence of Mosquito, we have the real potential for some really good night bomber scenarios. I feel sure that would get some bums on seats.

Id rather they didnt do Battle of Britain yet at all yet. If they just put in a G6 and a Typhoon, we would have a near complete set for Normandy. An extended channel map and a Tempest, nearly everything we need for the Ardennes in 44. When you look at BOB, they dont really have a single one of the aircraft used. Even the Ju88 is a later variant. Thats huge work towards that. Id welcome it of course, but finishing some of the other things they were seemingly working towards would I would think be a better start. I truly dont mean to sound critical, I was working in route development for a popular train simulator company. i know compromises have to be made. So its not the compromises I find so saddening, its the lack of joined up thinking, the finishing of a trend they were seemingly working towards. They really seem to want a Lord Beaverbrook as far as WW2 as concerned. Its more like a cat with a laser pen at the moment. Perhaps there is much more happening behind the scenes. I hope so.

Thanks Rudel, thats very kind. Incidentally, if anyone is interested in the subject of German Radar, perhaps even wants to make their own templates, my current bible is 'German Coastal Radar Stations, then and Now' by After the Battle publishing. https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/German-Coastal-Radar-Stations-Hardback/p/20966 Doesnt give you all the radar sites inland, but its a damn good start.

Oh, the F6F is great, and I can entirely see ED wanting to do one (Id prefer a Wildcat/Martlet, but hey, I get it) I can entirely see them wanting to do the pacific too. But is it wise? Sadly, judging by the problems IL2 found by covering the same theatre, probably not. I notice the reboot hasnt gone down the same road, for entirely understandable reasons. They have their work cut out just doing East and West. As I say, im not condemning ED, I know they have to do a lot with not very much. Im genuinely please with all they have done for us. But It does seem to me that something has to change, and if that means splitting WW2 from the modern stuff, maybe thats the way to go. Otherwise its always going to play second fiddle to the modern day stuff and never progress to the point where it can seriously complete with other sims, like IL2. Just my view fwiw, no disrespect to anyone intended.