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Let's Fly: IL2 Sturmovik 1946 with Bay12ers! [not livestreaming]

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Anvilfolk:
For livestream, always check last post!

Hey all,

I think IL2 Sturmovik 1946 gets far too little attention around here, so welcome to the topic where I post sorties of the squadron I fly with, the 13th (loosely based on Air Group 13, based on the Essex-class USS Franklin). This shamelessly doubles as a recruiting post, so if you have any questions about the game or the squadron, post them here.

The 13th does mostly torpedo bombing, which is challenging to master, but accessible for the newbie. That said, some guys are interested in fighters, dive bombing, glide bombing and level bombing. We have a big preference for the Pacific Theatre, and the Allies in particular. Therefore, you'll find us mostly inside a TBM/F Avenger, but also on the B5N Kate or the G4M Betty depending on the maps. We like to fly together in formations for their protective value, and so that you can be close by when people screw up hilariously. We usually fly on Zekes vs Wildcats, a full-real server hosted by the wonderful blokes at Warbirds of Prey, focusing on the Pacific Theatre. We're trying to set up some regular squadnights where most of us try to get on, on Mondays and Wednesdays starting from 8pm EST/EDT until whenever, but will fly any other nights people are up for it. Right now, we have about 10 active pilots, with more coming (the 13th is migrating from SWG, and I'm actually the first guy not from SWG in the squad). We've got younger guys, older guys, some complete newbs, some who've been flying for years upon years, some who just like hanging around and some who are super into WWII. A little bit of everything. We don't take ourselves seriously, and we'll be laughing our asses off most of the time on Vent. We do try to improve our tactics and be competitive nonetheless :)

All in all, it's just time well spent as far as I'm concerned!


Here's a description of what you could expect as a lone wolf online.

--- Quote ---You go online and join a server on a non-descript map. You choose the airfield closest to the border in the hopes of finding action sooner. You look at the planeset, and are happy with the P-40, which is an OKish dogfighter for 1941-42 and can carry a bomb in case the opportunity arises. Gun convergence is set at 200m; not too close, since you'll have a hard time catching those fast Bf109s. You press Fly. Instantly, you hear the sirens around the airfield, and spot at least half a dozen nearby smoke columns from crashed planes, twice as many airplanes in the air (you see some twin-engined too) and a hundred times more tracers from AAA and airplanes alike. "Uh oh", you think, "this airfield is busy. Better get going". You wait for 2s as the engine gets turned on, and shove throttle all the way up. "Screw the runway, I need to get airborne ASAP!". Flaps down, and work the rudder to (barely) avoid the hangars around you. Once you hit 180km/h, you pull back on the stick, gear up, flaps up moments later. You're airborne but still teetering on the edge of a stall. All of a sudden, you hear a couple of thwunks and your airplane lurches to the left. "What the"... you look to your left to see... nothing! The wing's missing. You frantically try to eject, but the ground is coming too fast. WAY too fast.

The screen goes black.

"OK, fine, I'll show them". There's no point in taking off from that airfield, they have air superiority. You select another one further away. This time you don't pick any bombs, and set your fuel charge to 30%. You're going to need all the advantage you can get and this makes your plane lighter, a better climber. You probably won't survive to use up 30% fuel anyway... You hit Fly, and off you go again. Before heading for the battlezone, you climb for a couple of minutes to gain the altitude advantage. Then you head for your previous airfield, keeping the plane a sharp, steady climb. You open the radiators so your engines don't overheat too soon. You notice the sun, and decide to manoeuvre so that you'll come in to the airfield from up-sun to make you hard to see. Three minutes later, you're damned close. You weave a around a bit, looking behind you. "I'm clear, for now...". A fraction of a second you see tracers and a plane woosh past you from above. "WHERE THE ********** DID HE COME FROM?!!?!" You roll your plane to look down at the enemy. A FW190. Figures, with the size of the holes you now see in your wing. Still flying though, and the enemy carried right on down, diving on someone else.

While looking down, you focus on another P-40 with a couple of bandits on his tail. He might make it, if you intervene. You're still going slow from the climb, but you'll gather speed in the dive. You roll over and pull back on the stick. "Here we go....". You make sure to cut inside their turn, closing fast, but the friendly P-40 gets some more hits while you zoom down. He seems to be flying straight at this point. "Maybe they took out his controls", you wonder. Sure enough, the canopy pops off the plane, and the pilot struggles to get out. It's only been 7 seconds since you were attacked.

The enemy planes are breaking away and climbing, but you're ALMOST on them. You pick the one closest to your path, and start pulling a lead on him. You press the trigger, and the plane shakes with the gunshots. One of your MGs from the damaged wing jammed, so your plane swerves a bit and puts your aim off, but you leave the 109 trailing liquid! You look at your speed gauge. It now shows 550km/h. Uh oh. You got a bit over-excited, and the ground's coming up way too fast! You pull out as hard as you dare to, with the plane shaking and groaning in protest. It wants to stall the damaged wing, but if you don't pull harder, you know you're going to crash! You pull harder... harder... harder... you start to black out but you continue pulling, gradually loosing vision. "Damn it.....". Wait, it looks like you might make it! You can barely see the horizon from all the G's, but you think you're gonna make it! The feeling is exhilarating, and you avoid the urge to laugh as you get more and more convinced you're actually surviving this! "Hahahahaha... AW HELL NO!", and the airplane lurches AGAIN. Right before smashing into the ground, you realise what happened... you were pulling far too many G's for your poor damaged wing. It buckled under the pressure and snapped off, leaving you to die a surprisingly calm death. After all, you were passed out from lack of blood in the head.
--- End quote ---


This is a sortie I made with 2 other guys a while back. I'll get some more, but not today. Far too tired :) I will try to keep it updated with our most interesting sorties :)

VT-13, Torpedo Squadron 13 is en-route to target.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Would you look at that nice formation?
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
There's the flattop! Start torpedo run... TORPEDO AWAY!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Torpedos are running, and looking good! Break away!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
We sure can, Wespe, we sure can... The 13th always makes it through! 8)
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Time to head back - and there's our fleet. On final...
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
Signal officer gives the cut, and she settles down nicely. That's it boys, we've done it again!
Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Should I put screenshots within spoilers or not?

Erkki:
To me, perhaps the most memorable sorties were the ones where I made some silly mistakes and got neck deep in trouble, but still managed to survive. Behind enemy lines, low, slow and alone vs. 4 or 5 real human players, anyone? It actually comes pretty interesting when one flies online full difficulty (as I always do) and actually try to survive as many sorties as possible. My all time record was 156 kills(only those confirmed by someone else counting) in about 100 sorties; I was eventually killed by friendly AAA fire trying to shoot something through me. Lol.  ;) I dont think I can repeat that any soon, but around 50 kills is pretty "easy" to say so, after that you have to play pretty carefully and even then a small mistake can end ones virtual life.

I have some stuff on the youtube( http://www.youtube.com/user/ekuthenewbie some later vids are imho OK the early ones crap!) - just to post here, perhaps the first thread here on the Il-2. Myself have played it since it came out and flight sims since 1999.

Anvilfolk:
I'm definitely not a natural dogfighter, so I stand little chance against the vets of the online servers. I never did have a lot of situational awareness (even with track IR...). Do you still fly? If so, on what server? :) With those stats, I'll be sure to flee if I ever see you on the other side ;)

Before, I never used to have enough time and patience to climb and keep my advantage no matter what. I now have a little more time, and I really need to get in the mindset of survival. The 13th is actually trying to start playing on Ghost Skies, which is a complicated campaign system where dying REALLY screws your team over, and so everyone is trying to survive, not just get into dogfights :)

I personally don't get much of a kick out of being a lone-wolf (perhaps in no small part due to my sucking at it). I do love flying tight formations for the teamplay aspect of it :) Going after objectives is also interesting, as is "the feeling of being there".

We could use a proficient escort, if you are interested and timezones permit, Erkki :)

P.S: I see from the videos that you're a LW guy ;) Heheheh! I personally don't like those planes much, but their firepower is mind- and plane-blowing ;)

Erkki:

--- Quote from: Anvilfolk on October 13, 2011, 09:29:13 am ---I'm definitely not a natural dogfighter, so I stand little chance against the vets of the online servers. I never did have a lot of situational awareness (even with track IR...). Do you still fly? If so, on what server? :) With those stats, I'll be sure to flee if I ever see you on the other side ;)

Before, I never used to have enough time and patience to climb and keep my advantage no matter what. I now have a little more time, and I really need to get in the mindset of survival. The 13th is actually trying to start playing on Ghost Skies, which is a complicated campaign system where dying REALLY screws your team over, and so everyone is trying to survive, not just get into dogfights :)

I personally don't get much of a kick out of being a lone-wolf (perhaps in no small part due to my sucking at it). I do love flying tight formations for the teamplay aspect of it :) Going after objectives is also interesting, as is "the feeling of being there".

We could use a proficient escort, if you are interested and timezones permit, Erkki :)

P.S: I see from the videos that you're a LW guy ;) Heheheh! I personally don't like those planes much, but their firepower is mind- and plane-blowing ;)

--- End quote ---

I dont believe the trackIR is necessary - it helps with immersion but if you have one free hand (like my setup of stick + pedals) you can be as or nearly as competitive without. You'll miss some FOV without the 6DOF(which is imho way too free in modded il2) though... In cliffs of dover that isnt much of a problem as the head movement is much more restricted and more realistic (imho).

Havent flown much lately but we fly usually the online campaigns (currently ADW but we've flown them since VEF1, VWF and Bellum in 2003) and some of the more realistic servers such as CZ_AH. Warbirds of Prey servers Spits vs 109 and Zeke vs. Wildcat we dont play on because out of 10 squad members 4 are banned for quite long now. I don't comment more to not start a flame war here other than that I think at least 3 out of those 4 are for no reason as no warnings were given and as far as we know, no rules were broken nor were even tried to be. The 4th(me), well, I've been banned like 4 times. 3 were just shooting down server admins and the latest was due calling one of them, a retired RAF mechanic, jokingly an old nazi when I saw him fly a Ju 88. He didn't get it.

I dont like flying for "blues" because of the firepower though(its just the Fw 190 that has it any way), maybe its being the underdog... A different mindset is needed when one cant just rely on raw performance and ability to outfly and/or escape anything ever encountered. At least I know my ride isnt the "clownwagon" if you know what I mean.  :P

Anvilfolk:
I'm sad to hear that... We've also had some run-ins with certain admins on WoP. I find that if we are careful on the forums and fly just Zekes vs Wildcats that is not as much of a problem.

Hah, clownwagons! :) In my experience, planesets are fairly balanced if you play them right. I am personally of the opinion that every plane has its advantages and disadvantages... You seem to have extremely good aim, which makes the firepower on the FW190 absolutely wonderful, so you are flying the plane right. Imagine you only had .303 or even just some .50 cals! In the Pacific early war the Zekes and the Wildcats are also sort of balanced. The Zekes flame super easily, but out-turn anything else in the sky on a whim, and have cannon. Sometimes, it just degenerates into a dogfight, and then blue easily wins :) In late war, with the Hellcat, you either keep your E and/or altitude, or you are also a goner.

I thoroughly enjoyed those videos! I can change the name of the topic, and you can post your sorties here too. It'd be lovely to hear some ADW stories. Since I was without a squad and without time, I never got into those big online wars. That's why I'm so excited about Ghost Skies now :)

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