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Sopwiths over Flanders Fields 4

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The Camels are coming!

 

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Such was the title of one of the WW1 Biggles books by Captain W.E Johns  - the others being 'Biggles of 266' and 'Biggles of the Camel Squadron'. And while adapted for a younger readership - a case of beer became one of lemonade, for example - they were for me a useful, informative and entertaining introduction to the lore of World War One in the air, written by one who served in it. As the titles indicate, our hero Biggles flew a Camel. And why not, for the Camel is one of the few WW1 aircraft whose name is still widely-known to the English-speaking general public, credited with the destruction of more enemy aircraft than any other British or French type. The Camel also seems to have destroyed rather a lot of its own pilots, due to some tricky flying characteristics. But it was one of the planes that helped the Royal Flying Corps put 'Bloody April' of 1917 behind them and was still in widespread and effective front-line service at the end of the war, in both fighter and fighter-bomber roles. Named it seems from the hump wherein were mounted its twin Vickers .303' machine-guns, the doughty Camel is surely a worthy subject for this, the fourth installment of Sopwiths over Flanders Fields.

 

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For this campaign, I elected to fly with 46 Squadron, after she had fully converted from Pups to Camels in November 1917, about the time of the Battle of Cambrai. Unfortunately, due to not having FRAPS running, I neglected to get pics of the mission briefings and the like! We're based at Filescamp farm, a bit north-west of Arras and much further north from Cambrai, where a massed tank attack was to achieve a breakthrough of the German lines that the British found themselves unable to exploit.

 

Our first mission was nearly my last!

 

Leading 'B' Flight's seven (!) Camels, I was tasked to catch enemy aircraft reported to be in the area of the front lines just south of Arras, as described in the map view in the pic below. By the time this was taken, we were about half-way to the target area.

 

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There was nothing much to be seen when we got there, so I took the flight a little further south of Arras, keeping a careful eye all around. The weather was quite good but there was a fair bit of cloud about which, combined with a ground haze, somewhat restricted visibility.

 

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We were at just over ten thousand feet, high enough for Huns to be able to slip in underneath us, where they would be hard to spot against the shelled ground far below.

 

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In fact, had it not been for turning on the Tactical Display briefly for a navigation check, I would not have spotted the Huns who were, it seems, stalking us from below. You can just about see one of them, an Albatros D.V which I have just padlocked, in the centre of the screenshot below.

 

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I ordered an attack and spiralled down to the right, after my chosen target. The Hun, not to be outdone, spiralled up to get at me.

 

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As you can see, the Albatros had distinctive black and white fuselage and tail markings, as well as the common mauve and green on the upper surfaces of his wings.

 

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Using my height advantage and superior turning ability, I was soon on his tail, but he kept his speed up and didn't make it easy for me. In the picture below, you can see some of the rest of my flight arriving. I had seen a second Hun on the way down, so I trusted to the others to deal with him, while I knocked down this one.

 

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I got some hits, causing the V-strutter to reverse his turn and break left. I had to fight some adverse yaw bringing the nose around, and this enabled him to gain some ground on me.

 

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But not for long. He levelled out. I knew that I'd definitely done him some harm, and wondered if he was going to make a run for home. He wouldn't make it, if I had anything to do with it!

 

Shot10-16-16-17-04-17.jpg

 

Suddenly, a burst of fire whacked into my machine from somewhere astern. 'B' Flight didn't seem to be doing a very good job of keeping the other Hun or Huns occupied! I broke hard to get out of the line of fire of my attacker, even as my own intended victim rolled right and came down after me. A second ago, I'd been the hunter. Now, I was the prey. This wasn't working out at all as I had intended!

 

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My virtual blod had spattered my virtual goggles and I twisted and turned to escape my pursuers. One of them was an historical ace, Werner Dahm of Jasta 26, evidently intent that I should be his next victory.

 

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But if there's one thing Camels can do, it's turn. I was losing a lot of height in the process but I'd nothing to lose, and I even got one of the Huns in my sights, for a time

 

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But the roll-rate seemed to have dropped off, like my wounds were sapping my strength. Just when I thought I was done for, other Camels hove into view and I rolled over and nosed down, in an effort to get clear.

 

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It didn't work. A pair of beady Hun eyes were watching my every move. And then, down he came.

 

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At this point, I was being shot at from the ground, too, and my one thought was to get away, back to the west and over our own side of the lines, just a few hundred yards away.

 

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The Hun made a single pass, coming in so close he all but chewed my tail off with his prop. But by then, I was over our trenches and, pursued by rounds from our ground MGs, the Albatros pulled up and around, and that was that. I'll bet that the drivers in the motor transport convoy that was trundling along the road just behind our trenches were as glad to see him go, as I was.

 

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There was a friendly aerodrome close to the lines and I made straight for it. Happily, I remembered to avoid flying into the the cable of the observation balloon which was tethered nearby...

 

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...and I was soon safely back on terra firma.

 

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That little show cost me a damaged kite and thirteen days in hospital. It was some consolation that I had damaged at least one of the Huns, and that the others were claiming three victories between them, all later confirmed. It wasn't a very auspicious start from a purely personal standpoint, but I had survived, and 'B'' Flight had won its first battle with me at the helm. A start had been made, of sorts.

 

...to be continued!

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Behind the lines...our lines...

 

Shot10-16-16-19-55-31.jpg

 

My next two missions were...well, to be perfectly frank, a bit of a let-down. Both were patrols, in squadron strength, to areas behind our own lines. The RFC commander in France, 'Boom' Trenchard, would I think have been appalled to see a full squadron of valuable Camels so deployed, when they should have been operating offensively. Typically, RFC scouts are described as flying three kinds of patrol - Line Patrols, roughly over the trenchlines; Offensive Patrols (known as 'O Pips' in the phonetic terminology of the time) up to about 4 miles over; and Distant Offensive Patrols, up to about 10-12 miles into enemy territory. Which is not to say they didn't do other work, most commonly ground strafing as 1917 drew on, and sometimes escorts or what would in a later war be called 'scrambles' to intercept enemy aircraft. But patrols were the 'default' RFC fighter mission and Trenchard's tactical doctrine required - nay, demanded - that the patrols be flown offensively, that the enemy be confronted in 'his' skies, not 'ours'.

 

There being no particular indication that enemy incursions were being experienced or were expected, I had my own doubts about this sort of tasking. So on the first such show, down towards the area west of Arras, I pushed my course on the last leg well out to the east. 'A' Flight could look after the designated patrol area, for all the trade I expected them to find. Hun scouts rarely ventured over our side I knew, and the odd 2-seater should be no particular problem for the other flight to knock down or drive off.

 

All very disobedient, but if challenged later I'd put it down to checking out something suspicious over in that direction, strong winds, haze, or any combination thereof. Soon, we were over the lines and I turned south to patrol them for a bit.

 

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Despite the fact that our main point of attack at this time was towards Cambrai well to the south, there was a fair bit of ground fire below, as our gunners pounded the Germans.

 

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It wasn't long before other, German gunners were shooting at us. Dark puffs of Archie began to burst in the skies nearby. The fire was about right for height and not too bad for line, but rather desultory, so that I hardly bothered with evasive action. I threw in the odd turn, as much to clear our tails and guard against surprise attack from 'the Hun in the sun', in the mostly clear blue skies.

 

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Soon, even Archie disappeared, and I was left tootling up and down the lines, wondering if I might have had more luck sticking with the original patrol area. All there was to see, was the continuing shellfire. Somebody at least was having an eventful day, but it wasn't us.

 

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To stave off incipient boredom, I started fiddling with the label settings, and managed to turn on aircraft labels, which showed that there was air activity all around us, even if I couldn't see it. In the haze lower down towards Hunland, a flight of Pfalz scouts was 'going home'. I have no idea why my own flight, ahead and left, were labelled as 'fighting'.

 

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Over on our side of the lines, to my right, about five miles away, the labels revealed that some RE8s were arriving back at their base. All this activity was well outside the short, c.1 mile radius I had set for the Tactical Display, beyond also the 4000 meter radius I had set for 'dot mode' display of more distant aircraft. So I didn't succumb to temptation and go after the Pfalzes, but, as is my way, treated them as 'Not seen' and carried on, regardless.

 

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Soon after, I gave up and went home. Had my squadron commander been Robert Smith-Barry, later famed as the father of the modern flight training syllabus, but who tore strips off a patrol which returned early after a stiff fight, I'd have been given a rocket for 'deserting my post' while we still had fuel in tanks and rounds in ammo belts. But for me, enough was enough, and home we went.

 

The next mission was worse again. This time - perhaps in punishment -  'B' flight was just me and one other Camel, again relegated to a patrol behind our lines - further behind, this time. And again, with 'A' Flight similarly assigned. This time, more bored experimentation with keystrokes ended up in my ordering my solitary flight-mate home, and I soon followed him, in disgust.

 

My fourth show would more than make up for all that preceeded it. We were assigned a railyard attack, and my 'B' Flight was back up to strength. I wasn't massively keen on getting shot down by ground MG fire so early in my career but consoled myself with the thought that this time, 'contact with the enemy' would certainly be forthcoming. I equipped our Camels with four twenty-pound Cooper bombs apiece, and this time gave my machine a skin to replace the stock 46 Squadron one - that of the unit's most famous pilot, Victor Yeates, whose semi-autobiographical Winged Victory is one of the classic works on the air war of WW1. Would this mission be even a minor classic? I would soon find out.

 

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...to be continued!

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Target below!

 

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So, it’s off towards Hunland we go, to hit a railway yard in open countryside a few miles east of the lines. This is not my cup of tea. I'm a virtual scout pilot who wants to be jousting with other 'knights of the air' and all that other jolly, 'Boy’s Own' stuff. But it’ll have to do - after two rather tiresomely uneventful shows on my own side of the lines, this foray into enemy territory is an opportunity that I’m going to make the most of. I won’t be too unhappy if we meet the enemy in the air en route and have to dump our little bombs. And if we do make the target unmolested, I’ll dump my eggs there promptly, and maybe fire off a few rounds, but I'll save the rest for the Huns in the air I hope we’ll meet on the way home - if not sooner.

 

On our way to the front, I have a bit of time to admire my 'office'. Truly, the cockpits are one of Win gs over Flanders Fields' very many big improvements over its precesessor. Now, not only are the textures a whole lot better, but it no longer looks like cockpit lights are a-blazin' - now, interiors have a more suutably gloomy appearance.

 

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I have five Camels in ‘B’ Flight, with as many again in ‘A’ Flight flying ‘in support’ – whether as an escort, or attacking the same target, is not entirely clear. As they’re in full strength too, this time I make the effort to stay close, getting into a position slightly below and ahead of them, where they can cover our tails and we can generally support one another. If and when the Huns run into this lot they are liable to regret it, I tell myself smugly as I look around at our impressive little force.

 

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There’s quite a bit of cloud around and as we make a sharp turn at a waypoint beyond the lines, I lose sight of ‘A’ Flight and don’t see them again. Hoping neverthess that they will still be heading in the general direction of the railyard and therefore not too far away, I press on at the head of ‘B Flight. Our turn has brought us onto the last leg up to the target, but for a while, I can’t make it out between the clouds lower down.

 

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We can’t see the target, but maybe the target can see us, for we are soon bracketed by Archie. It’s a fairly light barrage and I ignore it – by now, the railyard must be almost directly below us and we’ll soon be diving down onto it and leaving Archie's unfriendly black puffs well astern.

 

As I bank around to get a better view below, I see the target through a gap in the clouds – a stretch of railway with sidings and some large sheds. We’re here!

 

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I turn on the Tactical Display, switch to display ground objects and order a flight attack on one of them, amongst the cluster which represents the railyard. Then I begin to spiral down, ready to make my own attack. As I lose height, I study the yard to pick out a specific target. I’m in no hurry – I want to attack at about the same time as the others have begun to make their runs, so that I won’t be the sole recipient of the ground MG fire that I know we must expect.

 

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Round and round I go, edging lower, but my flight-mates seem reluctant to begin their attacks. I look around and now, I can’t see them anywhere, even after I come out of the low, broken cloudbase.

 

The first pencil-line smoke trails from the tracers of ground fire pierce the skies around my Camel. This isn’t going well! I’m either going to have to get out of here and start all over, or give up on a co-ordinated attack and make my own run without further ado. I quickly choose the latter option. I’m already under fire and so half-committed; and there’s no certainty that I’d be able to regain touch with the flight, if I back out now. So, mind made up, I grit my virtual teeth, bank around, and come in for the attack.

 

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...to be continued!

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Trains, planes and gasbags...

 

 

 

There are some wagons and a locomotive in sidings but I have already decided that I’m going to attack the large sheds with my bombs. They’re a much bigger target and it’s unlikely they are empty of something worth wrecking. However, I mess up my first attack because I forget the bomb release key!

 

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I bank up and away, leaving the target undamaged and lucky not to have been hit by ground fire for no return.

 

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Repeating my first effort, in a shallow dive, I run diagonally across the length of the sheds and this time, I manage to let fly with all four of my 20-pound bombs in quick succession. Blasts of dark smoke mark their impact as I race over the yard and away, pursued by more MG fire. Looking back, I can see that I’ve got some hits – the sheds are still there but pock-marked and crooked.

 

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I push my luck by making a couple of runs across the yard , firing my Vickers at anything that comes into my line of sight. This includes the locomotive, but my .303 rounds seem to make little impression on it. It’s a far cry from the climax of the old WW1 movie ‘The Dawn Patrol’, where Errol Flynn alone attacks a huge target, with results that any Strike Eagle jockey would have been proud of.   

 

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My Sopwith Camel is no F-15 but air-to-air is its business, and I decide, according to plan, that it’s time to conserve my ammunition for the scrap with the Hun airmen that I expect may lie ahead. The railyard is soon slipping away behind and beneath my tail.

 

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However, what I hadn’t expected at this point was to be on my own, in addition to being low, coming off the target. Suddenly, I’m not so keen on a scrap with enemy scouts. ‘B’ Flight remains obstinately out of sight somewhere, and I haven’t seen ‘A’ Flight since that last waypoint. What I have seen, however, is an enemy observation balloon, more or less along my route back towards the lines. You can just about see it in the pic below, above the horizon well to the right of my Camel's nose.

 

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I gain height and fly in its general direction, quickly leaving the ground fire behind. Neither ‘A’ Flight nor Huns appear, which makes up my mind. I’m going to have that ‘sausage’ for breakfast!

As I get close to him, still climbing and steering offset rather than on a direct course, Archie opens up again...

 

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...but by this time, I’m high enough and close enough to roll over and dive on the balloon, coming in along his long axis.

 

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I start shooting as he comes into range, easing off the trigger at short intervals to avoid a jam – I don’t want to have to make a second attack, if I can possibly avoid it.

The balloon seems unimpressed by my shooting (they are not winched down in WoFF and there’s no ‘Flaming Onions’, strings of big tracers from a large bore automatic cannon the Germans commonly deployed to defend such targets). Just when I think he’s going to escape, there’s a smudge of dark smoke on top of him...

 

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...and the next split second, up he goes, in a massive and rather impressive billow of orange-red fire, as the hydrogen filling the gas-bag is violently consumed.

 

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No doubt about that one – one observation balloon shot down!

As I come off the target I find myself over the German reserve tranches and come under more ground MG fire. I twist and turn like a snipe to get away to the west, very much not wanting to be brought down on the very last lap after what’s been a moderately successful show, marred only by the apparent reluctance of my flight to make a contribution.

Happily, I escape with nothing more than a few non-fatal bullet hits which leave pilot and machine performing normally. The lines are so close together that no sooner am I clear of the enemy trenches, than I’m approaching our own.

 

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I take another look behind, on the off chance that one of more of ‘B’ Flight has decided to show themselves.

Coming up behind is another aircraft. Head on, he’s hard to identify – a single-bay biplane with a straight top wing and a slight dihedral to the lower one, which fits a Camel…but also an Albatros. The lesser lower-wing dihedral and slimmer nose tells me he’s a Hun. And he’s coming right at me. If I’d delayed looking back a second longer he’d have got me, too!

 

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Clearly, this mission's not over yet!

...to be continued!

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Him or me!

 

I break hard right, suddenly forgetting whether it’s to the right or the left that the Camel is supposed to be able to turn more tightly.  I'm in luck, as it's to the right!

 

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I've narrowly missed being caught napping, just as I've reached the safety of my own lines. Now, with the rest of 'B' Flight no-where to be seen, whether I get home or not will depend entirely on who comes out on top, in the next few minutes - me or this Hun.

 

I’m not especially keen on a dogfight at low level. I’ll be relying on hard turns, and although I expect to be able to make them tighter than the Albatros, I know that this will risk a spin. At this altitude, a recovery is going to be unlikely. So if the Hun doesn’t kill me, it’s very possible I’ll do the job for him. I wonder if some Camel pilots were, at times, as afraid of their own machines, as they were of the enemy’s; and I'm conscious of the keen-ness lent to this question by the fact that I'm now facing it myself, something only a combat flight sim, or the real thing, can deliver.

 

I'm soon gaining on the Albatros; he's turning hard too, but he can't out-turn a Camel. So long as I don't over-do it and spin out, I'll soon be warming his hide with my Vickers.

 

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And so it quickly comes to pass. I come in behind him and give him a burst. Bits fly off the Hun and he runs for the lines in a shallow dive. He's fast, opening the range, but I line up another shot before the range is too great and force him to turn again.

 

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This time, he gets cute and pulls up and around, converting his speed into height and threatening to roll in onto my tail...

 

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...but I quickly turn in under him and he gives up on that idea. Instead, he makes another dive for the lines. By the time I have cleared my tail and worked out that he's no longer there, the Hun has opened out the range again.

 

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However, I'm able to cut across his course and soon, I'm slipping into his blind spot, below and behind.

 

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He breaks hard left as my first burst whacks into him...

 

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...but it it doesn't do him much good. There's no obvious sign of damage, but his speed is falling off and I get in another burst at close range, then have to break to avoid flying into him.

 

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I come around for another pass, but it's not going to be necessary. The Hun noses down into a spiral to the left...

 

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...and I pull up and watch as he goes down for a forced landing in no-Man's Land, pursued by tracer fire from our trenches. The boys down there evidently do not share my conviction that the business at hand has now been settled in my favour.

 

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The Hun puts his kite down without wrecking it so I leave him to his fate and resume my return flight. The shellfire drumming up clouds of dirt behind me makes me doubly glad that it's him, and not me, down on the ground back there.

 

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Soon, the muddy earth of the shelled area is giving way to green fields again, and I begin to relax.

 

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On my way back to the airfield, I pass one of our own observation balloons. If he has any sympathy for the crew of the Hun balloon he may have seen me shoot down a few minutes back, he doesn't show it. At least these fellows have the luxury of parachutes to escape from a blazing mount, unlike we fighting pilots!

 

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The sun is sinking in the skies to the west as I fly home, highlighting the folds in the ground which, from high up, can look rather flatter than it really is. In WoFF, such fine vistas are worth savouring; they add considerably to the sense that you are in a dynamic world with lighting and weather that's as variable as the air and ground activity all around.

 

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Amongst which activity is a train passing by the airfield, as I make my approach...

 

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Unfortunately, I didn't get a screenshot of the full debriefing. But 'B' Flight must have eventually hit the railyard, for they were credited with doing some damage, for no losses. For myself, I received no such credit despite the wrecked sheds, but I was awarded the balloon and the Albatros shot down. Which will do nicely. Especially as, from his fancy markings, the Hun was probably an ace of some description. 'Forty-sixes' Camels have come and they are making their mark, in the air and on the ground - let the Huns beware!

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      Their Website http://matricapp.com/ All edits are done on the desktop app that is a free download  The mobile app communicates with this desktop app to work with your game (Or photo editor, videos, music, etc. etc. Matric is useful beyond gaming) Google Play Store on Android phone or tablet to get the mobile app.  Cost for the app is scaled based on what you can either afford or how much you value it ranging from $12.99 to $19.99 you choose how much you  pay. I use a Kindle Fire tablet that I found a work around to get the Play Store on How I use Matric in WOFF
      I set up my deck to have everything I didn't have set up already on other devices (you may see buttons you don't need or need more but this is easily editable)  I use SmoothTrack Face Tracking App on my Android phone with Opentrack on my computer so I didn't need the eye movement commands As an aside, I have tried many setups and this is the best inexpensive solution I have found for face tracking I had trouble with my VKB Gladiator NXT Joystick so I pulled an old Logitech Extreme 30 Pro joystick out and started using it.  I think the Gladiator issues are related to some setup I was doing for IL2 and not related to WOFF, I will dedicate the time later to getting it going in WOFF but the Logitech works fine for now. the Logitech has a few commands on it, these are not on my Deck I changed a handful of commands while playing around with setup, please be aware if you download my deck that the following are not standard WOFF commands: Fixed Views Toggle Control+NumberPad5 Select Next Weapon Conrol+NumberPad2 Right Rudder Trim Control+NumberPad6 Left Rudder Trim Control+NumberPad4 Increase Time Compression Control+Semicolon Quality Control If you find an error in my deck, please share it here, I haven't even pushed every button in game yet. Future Plans
      I expect my decks to change quite a bit as I learn. Some buttons will be removed, some changed in look or groupings.  Dedicated decks built for given plane types that have identical or very similar commands, removing commands that do not apply to those planes Move buttons that are needed to access quickly (Combat) in sizing and location to fit my needs as I learn I already have Blip button and unjam guns at the edge of the screen and large in anticipation of needing them quicker I can see moving or copying the Wingman commands to the Weapon and Combat page to access them in the heat of battle without changing pages Decks for realistic flying without any navigation buttons, just the bare basics after I get competent Add maps as pages to decks, they will not be scrollable, but multiple pages that are static maps (images) can be added.  Area around landing field for sure As much of the engagement area as possible as additional pages I hope that some of you here use Matric and contribute your work so that I can implement your improvements into my own setup. If there is another option for this type of tablet based game control that is inexpensive I'd love to hear your experience. For now I can't think of anything that would make me change but I try to keep an open eye as to what is out there. Get my Deck for Free if you have Matric
      Kodokushi WOFF BHAH2 Flanders Field 1.1.2022 Deck • Matric (matricapp.com) Or seach 'Kodokushi' from the desktop Matric app  I plan to date my decks as I update them and will try to keep on top of removing the older decks if they seem obsolete compared to newer efforts  




    • By BuckeyeBob
      Hello, gents. Although I prefer to keep discussion of the OCM to my thread at simhq for now, I have several pics of work in progress I would like to post, and combatace.com is much friendlier with images than the other site, so I thought I would post them here. Keep in mind that these are all works in progress and may or may not show up in the mod. Of course, all questions and comments are welcome. Overall, I am making progress on the mod and hope to have something by the middle of next month or so.
      ALL PICS ARE WORKS IN PROGRESS
      Old light haze

       
      New light haze

       
      Old thick haze

       
      New thick haze

       
      New Fog

       
      Let me know what you like and don't like about the pics. The main obstacle to getting any of these new clouds into the sim is the flashing issue. Although I have been able to reduce it some, no matter how I try, I can't seem to completely eliminate it, especially for haze and fog clouds. That's why you see so few of these clouds in vanilla BHaH2. However, I haven't given up hope yet!
      Cheers!
    • By 33LIMA
      A new campaign with the 94th Aero in France!

      I don't really have the system as yet for the latest version of Wings over Flanders Fields but I was inspired to start this campaign after seeing some of BladeMeister's screenies of the Nieuport 28 in a certain other new sim, over on SmHQ. I've always liked the N.28 ever since making the newly-issued Revell 1/72 kit back in the 1960s. I'm no big fan of SPADs so I decided to start with the 94th Aero 'Hat in the Ring' Squadron in late March 1918, before the SPADs arrived.
      We're based at Villeneuve les Vertus near Reims, which latter is behind the Lines to our north. I'm leading a patrol of four. We're new to this game and are starting out by getting used to the area, and to combat flying in general, well behind the front. So I'm not really expecting too much to happen today.

       Here I am, ready to start up.

      And there are the boys, shortly after doing so,  engine smoke blowing away in the propwash. As well as my foursome, A' Flight is putting up a pair of Nieuports to patrol the same general area.

      As befits the flight leader, I'm first off the ground, into clear blue skies.

      Time for a quick look at my map, I think.

      Then up and away we go again.

       I throttle back slightly and begin a gentle right turn to help the boys catch up.


      I reckon that's Epernay, down there. If not, then I've wasted no time in getting us lost.

      Right, now for the boring bit, the long climb for height, before the patrol really begins.
      ...to be continued!
    • By VonS
      INSTALLING WOFF BHAH 2 IN (CLASSIC) WINESKIN ON A MAC AND/OR THEN TRANSPLANTING THE ENTIRE INSTALL TO WINDOWS 10 BOOTCAMP (info. added May 3, 2021)   Directions below should be followed, first to install WOFF BH&H 2 in WineSkin on a Mac, and then (optionally) to transplant the OBDSoftware\WOFF folder to Windows 10 in Bootcamp. This will allow for a BH&H 2 install to co-exist with previous WOFF installs in Windows, and also makes use of the same settings/keys file, to minimize installation and tweaking hassle for us Mac-heads.   The steps below assume that you already have an older version of WOFF running in WineSkin on your Mac - because such an older install in WineSkin is necessary to have for the full installation, and testing, of BH&H 2, to complete itself (otherwise the install will fail). These steps also assume that you are familiar with the installation steps, instructions, jargon, etc., located under the long WOFF-on-a-Mac post that is available under the WOFF threads on SimHQ.   (Those who do not have a previous version of WOFF installed in classic WineSkin, which is necessary for all of the steps below to be completed, are recommended instead to try either a direct install of BH&H 2 in Win10 on the Bootcamp side/partition of a Mac, or to try installing BH&H 2 into newer WINE wrappers available via the unofficial and newer WineSkin fork available at https://github.com/Gcenx/WineskinServer.)   STEP ONE: go to https://sourceforge.net/projects/wineskin/ and download the latest classic, wineskin winery (ver. 1.7 as of this writing), via the green "download" button there   STEP TWO: double-click on the program; in the menu that opens click on the plus sign to the left of "new engines available," and in the list that then opens choose WS9Wine1.7.7, download it, and then - when you're back in the main menu - choose "create new blank wrapper" (now wait about 3-4 minutes for your Mac to make the custom wrapper; once finished, the wrapper will be placed in an Applications folder that has been made inside your user folder on OS X and/or macOS)   STEP THREE: double-click on the wrapper once again and choose "install software" in the main menu; then "choose setup executable" in the next window that opens and locate your exe file for WOFF BH&H 2 that you purchased; now let the wrapper do its thing to install the game   STEP FOUR: once installed, the wrapper will go back to the main menu and you can click "quit" (it may also prompt you to locate the program before it drops to the main menu, the program in this case being the exe file of the game that was just installed - best thing at this point is just to leave this alone and close that window, if it doesn't drop to the main menu automatically)   STEP FIVE: once the wrapper has quit, don't double-click on it but "right-click" it and choose the option in the popup menu on OS X and/or macOS that says "show package contents" (this will open the wrapper's folder and should list something like a contents folder, the alias to its c drive, and an app/icon called WineSkin); double-click on the app named WineSkin and you will open the main menu window again, of the wrapper; and choose "advanced"   STEP SIX: under the advanced menu, to the right of the box called Windows EXE (that contains a file path), click on "Browse"; this will open up your finder on OS X and/or macOS, and then you can scroll to your desktop or downloads folder on your Mac; look for the latest patch for WOFF BH&H 2 that you should have downloaded separately, from the official WOFF website, and choose that updater exe installer (click "choose"); then you're back in the WineSkin advanced menu with the proper file path for the update patch's exe now listed in the box near the top of the window; now quit that WineSkin preferences window and go back to the main WineSkin app that you previously created - and then double-click on the main WineSkin app icon so that a window opens and which will allow for an installation of the latest update patch to happen (follow directions that pop up in the relevant window, to install the WOFF BH&H 2 update patch); once the process has completed, quit the main WineSkin program again, if it does not close automatically   STEP SEVEN: right-click on the main WineSkin wrapper once again, choose "show package contents," and then double-click once more on that secondary WineSkin icon/wrapper mentioned in STEP FIVE above; under its "advanced" menu, to the right of the box called Windows EXE (that contains a file path), click on "Browse"; this will open up your finder on OS X and/or macOS, and then you can scroll into the "drive_c" of the wrapper into which you installed WOFF BH&H 2 and then patched it to its latest version; in "drive_c" look for "OBDSoftware\WOFF" and scroll into there, and keep scrolling until you find "WOFF.exe," and choose that (click "choose"); then you're back in the WineSkin advanced menu with the proper file path for the game's exe now listed in the box near the top of the window; now close that secondary WineSkin wrapper window   STEP EIGHT: copy or move the now updated OBDSoftware\WOFF folder that resides in that WineSkin wrapper to your desktop; the WOFF folder is found by right-clicking on the main WineSkin wrapper and choosing "show package contents"; the package is located within the "drive_c" folder, by the way   STEP NINE: now locate the WineSkin wrapper for your earlier edition of WOFF, double-click on it and select "show package contents," and navigate to the relevant "drive_c" directory to locate the OBDSoftware\WOFF folder that corresponds with that older variant of WOFF; rename that folder to something like OBDSoftwareOld\WOFF and move it to your desktop; now copy over, to that location instead, the fresh OBDSoftware\WOFF folder that corresponds with BH&H 2, from your desktop   STEP TEN: copy and replace the OBDSoftware\WOFF\OBDWW1 Over Flanders Fields\campaigns\CampaignData\Pilots folder in your fresh BH&H 2 folder (that should be in the older WineSkin wrapper by now, as explained in the previous step) with the same folder from OBDSoftwareOld\WOFF that is now on your desktop (this is an important step; otherwise, BH&H 2 will not open in WineSkin unless this older Pilots folder transplant is done)   STEP ELEVEN: now close all unnecessary WineSkin windows and double-click the main WineSkin wrapper icon for your earlier edition of WOFF but that now contains the newer OBDSoftware\WOFF folder with the transplanted CampaignData\Pilots folder; allow BH&H 2 to open; recommended is to fly one quick combat mission or one of the other instant missions available, to allow all necessary files to populate successfully in your install; congratulations!, you now have a successful WOFF BH&H 2 install running in (classic) WineSkin; you may now quit WOFF BH&H 2   STEP TWELVE: optional at this point, if you like, is to copy the now functioning and tested WOFF folder that resides in your BH&H 2 WineSkin install (the one located at OBDSoftware\WOFF), to a Windows 10 partition on your Mac, or perhaps to another Mac (or Windows machine) where you already have an older version of WOFF installed; there will be no need to un-install that older version of WOFF that resides in Windows; simply rename that older version to something like WOFF UE or WOFF PE, in order to run BH&H 2; if you want to run the older version of WOFF again, rename the newest WOFF folder to something like WOFF BH2, and the older one simply to WOFF, and the old version then becomes functional; both installs will coexist happily, and will also use the same keys/settings located under AppData\Roaming\OBD_Games\OBDWW1 Over Flanders Fields (recommended, however, is to map extra keys for Lewis gun loading/reloading into the older WOFFKeys.xca file that you have, for full, functional use of that gun in BH&H 2)   NOTES: Don't forget to swap back your older OBDSoftware\WOFF folder into your WineSkin WOFF wrapper, on your Mac, if you will not be running BH&H 2 in WineSkin but only in Windows; or, make a copy of your functional WineSkin install instead, place the older WOFF folder into that wrapper, and enjoy running multiple versions of WOFF that way too, directly in OS X/macOS (recommended is to give the multiple WineSkin wrappers different names, to avoid confusion, if you choose such a setup); no guarantees that the instructions posted above will result in a stable install of WOFF BH&H 2 on your Mac, but there is a fine chance that careful following of the instructions will result in a good install   TIP: I recommend loading my "FrankenBHAH Enhancement Package" in WOFF BH&H 2 on Macs. It is JSGME-friendly and improves FPS via my FrankenMiniTuner, among various other improvements worked on in FrankenWOFF 4.18. Please see the "Read Me" file included in the package for more info. The link to the package is (https://combatace.com/forums/topic/92320-fm-tweaks-for-woffuepe/?tab=comments#comment-783155). Also, if loading Reshade and perhaps my shaders preset file for WOFF, in BH&H 2, recommended is to set NoMultisampling to a value of 1 in the two d3d8 configuration files that are included in the package, located under WOFFScenery\Shaders and OBDWW1 Over Flanders Fields.   ----- ADDENDUM: WOFF BHAH2 BOTTLING (Brief Illustrated Tutorial; info. added May 4, 2021)
      Please find included below some tutorial pics. for how to install/extract WOFF BH&H2 into an empty WineSkin bottler that should first be optimized for WOFF BH&H2 bottling and that runs well on Mac OS X versions 10.5 to 10.12 (for macOS versions 10.13 and higher, recommended instead is to see the unofficial WineSkin port for Macs at https://github.com/Gcenx/WineskinServer). Bottler not supplied for download here; recommended is to make your own either via classic WineSkin, and then to install BH&H2 as specified in the pics. below, or to install/bottle via a newer WineSkin as per the link given immediately above.
      The "BH&H2 Bottler" in my case, on my Mac Mini, has been set to Windows 7 compatibility, with WINE Wrapper version 2.6.2, and WINE Engine WS9WINE1.7.7. No WineTricks have been installed because this wrapper ONLY installs WOFF BH&H2, and individual patches for BH&H2, into ready and transportable form, but does not serve up a functional, running BH&H2 install within the wrapper itself.
      To set up a functional, running install of BH&H2, proceed to look carefully over the final illustrated instruction set provided below, and as well do read over the more thorough installation directions located under this relevant WOFF-on-Mac post (above) or the longer one on SimHQ that also covers installation info. regarding WOFF UE/PE before focusing on BH&H2.
      NOTE: Successful transporting of a functional, running install of BH&H2 onto a Win10 partition on your Mac (should you choose not to run BH&H2 in WineSkin) - requires that you also, already have an older version of WOFF installed on the Win10 partition/drive, since that older version has created the necessary Windows registry files for WOFF, as well as other necessary folders that contain keyboard/joystick customizations for WOFF, etc.
      Happy bottling, transporting, and flying of WOFF BH&H2,
      Von S 
       
      Classic WineSkin Main Window - Use "Install Software" button to install BH&H2 and all relevant update patches

       
      Right-Click Maneuver - After BH&H2 has been installed and patched, right-click and choose "Show Package Contents," to display directories

       
      Navigating to C Drive - Double-click on the "drive_c" alias to enter the c drive main level directory

       
      Locating the "OBDSoftware" Folder - The relevant folder will be located inside the main level, c drive directory (see further explanations provided on the pic.)*

       
      * Recommended is to keep a copy somewhere on your Mac of such a bottled, patched, but non-functional WineSkin wrapper with BH&H2 installed and patched inside it - this way you may patch/update the bottled version whenever new patches come out, and then carefully follow the same procedures as explained in the pic. immediately above this note, in order to be able to fly the latest version of BH&H2 either in WineSkin wrappers or in your Win7/8.1/10 Bootcamp partitions.
    • By Ghostryder
      It seems we moved here so I registered to post my impressions thus far with this new edition of WOFF. I moved last Nov. and that was really the last time I flew so my memories are a bit hazzy but I do remember some things and can note some things just by flying about 5 missions thus far.
       First off the purchase experience was trouble free and pretty straight forward. Recieved the required emails for download almost immediately. The download clocked in at 9.6 Gig and took me but 14 minutes to complete. I'd rate this much better than any download I've done on steam or other services. The install I didn't clock but it took conciderably longer. There's a lot of files and if I had to guess I would say at least 20 minutes or more. I'll also note the latest patch was pretty small and only took a few minutes. As of this writing there's only 1 patch that fixes some runtime error and tweaks some color settings. 
       For those considering a purchase write down your purchase number as you will be asked for it the first time you run the sim. I of course hadn't done this but luckily I still was able to alt-tab out and retrieve the email for the number. Next step for me was go into the workshop and set up my thrustmaster t.1000 and throttle. I generally like to remap some buttons to time compression and engine start/stop. I suck as a pilot so I tweak the settings to also use auto pilot and TAC options with lables. As usual I forgot to 'save' the remap when i exixted and had a joyful time trying to remember what keyboard commands turned this stuff on lol. Again remember to save when you remap. 
      After that first flight where I fumbled with a fuzzy memory ---never did get auto pilot on but I managed to land without killing myself--I remapped again and this time "Saved".  Yes it's like riding a bike. Not so much the flying but repeating the same dumb mistakes I made the first time I flew WOFF long ago. 
      So I created 3 pilots. A french run, an ROF run and a Jaster run. Pretty much all started in 1915. The first one in January. ROF in august and the German on started in November. This is because I left season on 'any'. So that's how they generated. 
      Some things I noticed right away was of course the new color photos, the 2 seater that placed the gunner right in front of me gave full view to the new turning heads. I noticed no stutters though I would say my FPS is a bit lower, hovering just above 60 fps most times. This isn't a top of the line system but a recent build with a good ASROCK MB with an I5 9800, 16GB RAM. A Nvidia 1660 ti using a 1 TB SD drive. I was generally in the 80s FPS wise on the older version. but then again I have everything set to 5 so there's that. 
       As for odd things I've noticed. On my very 1st flight the text was so small it was unreadable with flight instructor and labels on. But it corrected itself and never returned on future missions. I'll note also the keyboard in workshop lists the pause key but that does nothing. ESC key is pause.
      Also in the old version you alway heard "contact' before you even appeared on the field on missions. That glitch has been fixed. 
      I am so impressed I just paid about $200 for a Track IR 5 which I hope arrives within a week or so. 
      As for the price of the sim? For me it's worth it because I loved WWI flight sims. I could care less about Multiplayer and I want immersion above all else. A dynamic campaign is king in my view. My first WWI sim was Knights in the Sky and of course followed by the Red Barons. WOFF to me is the ultimate for career and campaign. 
      besides that I've spent as much for Cyberpunk 2077 which is a buggy mess and will probably never be the RPG that was promised. I'm still waiting after 9 years for anything resembling the game Chris Robert's promised with Star Citizen that was suppose to be finished in 2014, hundreds in any Paradox title with DLC purchases.....so as long as the game is your cup of tea and you can support a small dev in a very nitch market ....why not? 
      anyway I just wanted to sign in and give some impressions. I really want to try to make it early in the war to war's end but i've yet decided what campaign/country/squadron to choose. Any suggestions as to your favorites?
       
       
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