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Il2 Update 5.106 Update released


By 76.IAP-Blackbird, September 20
Dear friends, Update 5.106 has been released! It brings three new aircraft, many improvements to the career mode and several historical campaigns, and other changes. In addition, two of the campaigns that were previously only available on our website are now available on Steam. The three new planes are the armed sibling of the C-47, the Lisunov Li-2 Collector Plane, and two new additions to Flying Circus Vol.III Early Access - the German Albatros D.II and the French Nieuport 17 fighter. The Lisunov Li-2 was a Soviet version of the DC-3 built under license. Although it looked similar, it was quite different from the original because it was adapted for Soviet production - all measurements were converted to metric, it had different instruments, cargo doors, landing gear, even the engines. This Soviet C-47 sibling was like a gunship wannabe - in addition to being able to carry bombs, it had turrets AND a forward-firing machine gun. Normally, going the "jack of all trades" route means sacrificing something in each trade, but the USSR needed versatile aircraft. While the Western Allies had plenty of long-range fighters to cover their bombers and unarmed transports during the war and enjoyed air superiority most of the time, the Soviet VVS usually did not have that luxury. The D.II was the first in the pantheon of legendary Albatros fighters. It became the symbol and icon of the fighter plane in the Great War. The rapid mass production of Albatros fighters allowed Germany to maintain air superiority until April 1917. "Bloody April" has become synonymous with the heavy losses of British aircraft in 1917. Its pilots noted the good power of its twin machine guns, good forward and upward visibility, responsive handling, high speed, and impressive rate of climb. The fighter took part in battles all along the Western Front. The Nieuport 17 was intended to be a further development of the Nieuport 11 fighter. Compared to its predecessor, it had a larger wingspan and surface area, a more powerful engine, a Vickers machine gun, and metal aileron control wires. The plane was initially built in several French factories, but licenses were soon purchased by other countries: Great Britain, Russia, Italy, Finland and Japan. Pilots noted its good climb rate and visibility, as well as its excellent maneuverability. The plane's powerful engine and high dive speed exposed the main drawback of the "one and a half wing" design - a weak lower wing due to only one spar. There are two known occasions when pilots made successful landings after losing their lower wings. As you can see from the change list below, there are many improvements to Career Mode that we hope you like. More are on the way! If you prefer to make your purchases on Steam, there are a lot of new things that are being released there today at the same time as the update. Two campaigns that were previously only available on our website have been updated and released there: Ten Days of Autumn and Hell Hawks Over the Bulge. In addition, several new bundles have been released - Steam Bundles allow you to purchase multiple aircraft and campaigns, along with the corresponding modules, at a discounted price. While they are mostly aimed at new players to make it clearer which aircraft or campaign belongs to which module (for example, they all include the Battle of Stalingrad for newcomers), they can also be beneficial for seasoned players - the content you already own on Steam is excluded from the total price, so it may be cheaper to buy a bundle even if you own all but one of its contents. We hope you enjoy the new update and that it will enrich your gaming experience! See you in the skies! Update 5.106 Changelist Soviet Li-2 Collector Plane capable of carrying cargo, paratroopers, bombs, defensive and forward-firing armament, has been released; Albatros D.2 airplane is available in Early Access for all owners of "Flying Circus Vol. III"; Nieuport 17 airplane is available in Early Access for all owners of "Flying Circus Vol. III"; Ten Days of Autumn campaign is updated and is now available on Steam as well (tactical numbers and correct camo, the aircraft quantity in the air is increased by one third, the number of convoys and artillery batteries is doubled, numerous edits to briefings,  illustrations redesigned, all missions finalized and retested); Hell Hawks Over the Bulge campaign is updated and is now available on Steam as well (script triggers, aircraft tactical numbers, generic and unique paint schemes for three participating squadrons, faster mission loading); Sky Nomads campaign is updated (slightly reduced the difficulty of the 10th mission and changed the briefing of the 15th mission); Normandy and Rheinland Career mode: new mission type - Intruder; Moscow, Stalingrad, Kuban Career mode: added Artillery Spotting missions for USSR (IL-2 and U-2) and Germany (Bf 109 E, Ju-87); Rheinland Career: added photo reconnaissance missions on Spitfire XIVe; Career: updated free hunt missions, added patrol area marks the map and updated mission score logic; Career: enemy night fighters can be encountered near the front line during night combat patrol missions; Career: fighter cover has been added, enemy free hunters removed from transport missions in all career timeframes; Career: trains appear in combat reconnaissance missions correctly; Stalingrad Career mode: Ju 52 transport mission have fighter escort; Rheinland Career mode: in the transport escort missions during the Market Garden and Varsity operations the transport aircraft have mixed loadouts; Western Front WWI Career: BoSta 13 during the first phase (1917) and SchuSta 27b after 29.09.1917 careers progress correctly; Western Front WWI careers: potential career progression issues to Phase 2 corrected for French Escadrille SPA 26, British squadrons No.1, No.2 AFC, No.11, No.18, No.19, No.20, No.23, No.43, No.46, No.48, No.56, and No.79, and German Jasta Boelcke, Jasta 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 14, 35b, and 40s. Kuban Career mode: fixed German ground attack aircraft not having bombs in escort missions; Career mode: corrected taxiing at Tangmere airfield in Normandy and Bolshaya Rossoshka near Stalingrad (previously the lead aircraft could crash into another planes on the runway); Normandy Career mode for USA and UK: in all escort missions the escort flight comes from the UK side; ShVAK gun internal firing sounds updated; Fuel gauge switch control has been implemented on Ju-88, Bf 110, Me 410, Fw 190D9, A-20, C-47, Li-2, Hurricane and Typhoon aircraft. The switch no longer activates "automatically" from time to time, there is a new command for this (RShift + I by default); Spitfire Mk.V, Spitfire Mk.IX, and P-38 aircraft have the fuel gauge button control implemented (P-38 has a remaining fuel reserve control button). The button is no longer pressed "automatically" from time to time, you have to press and hold the button to operate the fuel gauge (RShift + I by default); Ground spotters correctly give targeting info to AI pilots; Fixed a problem with AI pilots climbing as a flight while carrying a heavy bomb load; Corrected airframe strength of Nieuport 11 and Halberstadt D.II (slightly increased) and Siemens-Schuckert D.IV (slightly decreased); Nieuport 11: RPM indicator now gives correct readings; Nieuport 11: corrected engine thermal model, overcooling tendency is decreased; Nieuport 11, Halberstadt D.II: corrected visual flight stick position and fuel gauge bulb in the cockpit; Hs 129: corrected typos and errors in cockpit textures (Oyster_KAI); Halberstadt D.II and Mosquito F.B. Mk.VI series.2 are visible at long distances (more than 10 km) correctly; Ju 88A-4: lower gunner uniform matches the time of year and timeframe.
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Il2 DD Update Dev Blog 347 "Albatros D.II, Nieuport 17, Li-2 VDV"


By 76.IAP-Blackbird, August 19
Dear Friends, Summer is almost over and many team members are on their way back from vacation. During the year, the IL-2 team has grown at a record pace - 17 talented professionals have joined us. These programmers, artists, and other specialists have now finished their training, settled into the project, and are working full-time on all kinds of neat stuff, both announced and yet to be announced. You may know the only person who left due to family reasons - Kurt, our former Community Manager. (Fortunately, he is doing well and we wish him all the best). Please bear with us - even though it may seem like things are quiet from the outside, there is still a lot of work going on. Of course, all of the team members, old and new, are getting paid for more than just being really nice people. Today we want to show you the screenshots of the new planes that were taken today - they are in beta testing right now. The next two planes in Flying Circus Volume III are already in the air. Meet the legendary Nieuport 17...
and Albatros D.II.
The Soviet cousin of the C-47, the Li-2, is slowly but surely making its way there as well. This time there is a bit of winter action here.
The upcoming 5.106 update will bring even more improvements. There will be new Career Mode missions (including an Intruder mission, a deep strike into enemy territory), updated campaigns, and more. See you in the skies!
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Il2 Update 5.105 Update released


By 76.IAP-Blackbird, July 27
Dear Friends, Another update, 5.105, is available now. Today we have released the first two Flying Circus Vol.III aircraft - the Halberstadt D.II and Nieuport 11 early Great War fighters. The emergence of the Nieuport 11 at the front finally put an end to the devastating superiority of the Fokker monoplanes, which for a time had become known as the "Fokker Scourge." During the Battle of Verdun in February 1916, Nieuport 11s inflicted heavy damage on the enemy's air forces, which forced the German High Command to review the tactics of combat aircraft. Many famous aces of WWI (including Georges Guynemer) had their first major successes flying the Bébé.
Most of the pilots were impressed by Halberstadt D.II's better performance compared to the older Fokker monoplanes, especially its better climb and speed and very quick, easy, and responsive controls which gave it good maneuverability in the hands of experienced German pilots.
Our friends LuftManu and Avimimus have teamed up to prepare interesting videos of these birds that give a nice overview. The release of this update commences the Early Access program for Flying Circus Vol.III - if you consider acquiring it eventually, these new aircraft are only a few mouse clicks away right now. Of course, there are other improvements and fixes in the update change log: 5.105 Halberstadt D.II is available via the Flying Circus Vol. III Early Access program; Nieuport 11 is available via the Flying Circus Vol. III Early Access program; Photo recon missions on the Arado Ar 234 jet are added to Bodenplatte Career mode timeframe (Sonderkommando Sperling); Fw 190 A-3, A-5, A-6, and A-8 external textures and paint schemes improved (Martin =ICDP= Catney); Certain Spitfire Mk.IXe, P-47D-22, and P-47D-28 paint schemes corrected (Martin =ICDP= Catney); Sky Nomads campaign updated: difficulty level is lowered a bit in the first mission, the text is corrected, Spanish and French translations added thanks to enthusiasts E69_Cananas and DN308; Issues with a line drawing order on the map that could result in a wrong-looking mission route on the map have been corrected; Original ShVAK gun sounds are restored due to popular demand - the new sounds will be reworked to better fit in the overall acoustic concept; A couple of bugs in Normandy and Rhineland Career missions that could result in the player flight not traveling to the next waypoint have been found and fixed; Issues in the transport aircraft missions that could prevent them from meeting their escorts have been found and fixed; AI pilots will more efficiently wait for their lagging-behind wingmen and pursue enemy aircraft while being far from the rest of the flight. The work on the next update has already started - according to the plan, it will bring the Li-2 and possibly other new previously announced aircraft. Meanwhile, we hope you enjoy the new aircraft and, most importantly, the remaining third of the summer days! Make every one of them count.  See you in the skies!
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Il2 DD Update Dev Blog 346 "Li-2 VDV"


By 76.IAP-Blackbird, July 15
Dear Friends, The release of the next update draws closer and we have some new screens to share. Soviet paratroopers are now training in airborne operations using the new Li-2.

Their comrades in their winter uniform are preparing and will join them soon. The Halberstadt D.II is in the final testing stage. As with the Nieuport 11, these two will be the first Flying Circus Vol.III aircraft to appear on your computers. Meanwhile, we have started a screenshot event - if you have Battle of Normandy (BTW, while the Summer Sale on Steam has ended, you still have a couple of days of discounts left on our website till July 16th) you can participate. Make a nice screenshot of the Normandy landings and submit it in our special Discord channel or forum thread before Thursday, July 20 at, 1900 UTC. The winner will receive a code for the collector plane of his or her choosing. See you in the skies!
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Il2 DD Update Dev Blog 345 "Li-2"


By 76.IAP-Blackbird, July 10
Dear Friends, As the summer goes on, the work continues. One of the collector planes in development, Li-2, is nearing its release. Here are some of the WIP shots we wanted to share with you (no airborne operations shots yet - the paratroopers will learn how to jump from it next week). As you can see, unlike its unarmed C-47 cousin, this one was like a gunship wannabe - it had turrets AND a forward-firing machine gun - who knows when it might come in handy, right?! An armed transport aircraft with paratroopers and cargo inside - how much more versatile can you get? Well, add the bomb-carrying capability to this mix as well and you get a machine that ticks nearly all the boxes you ever wanted. Usually going the 'jack of all trades' route meant sacrificing something in every trade, but the USSR needed versatile aircraft. While the Western Allies during the war had plenty of long-range fighters to cover their bombers and mainly unarmed transport aircraft and had air superiority most of the time, Soviet VVS resources were always not enough. You may notice many other differences to the C-47 - different instruments and cargo doors, for instance. Even the engines were different, being Soviet-built. We hope to release this interesting aircraft later this month or in early August. See you in the skies!
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In Grief and Sadness...Our Greatest Loss...GodSpeed Marty.


By swambast, July 9
It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we now tearfully announce the loss of our greatest contributor, our biggest fan and a wonderful person…Marty James Nielson ("NIELS" around here). “Utah Air National Guard, Senior Master Sergeant, Marty James Nielsen left the airspace of this world on his last refueling mission with God's angels on May 21, 2023, surrounded by his loving family. Marty was born on July 7, 1960, the first of three sons to James Nielsen and Nancy (Fullmer) Nielsen.  Marty grew up in the Glendale neighborhood of Salt Lake City...he joined the Utah Air National Guard, where he served honorably for 30 years as a boom operator, refueling military aircraft in mid flight, and as a crew chief."   Marty was a constant supporter and advocator of the When Thunder Rolled Project since Day 1.  He was always willing to help out wherever possible with enthusiasm and passion and was an official team member.  Marty provided helpful research support, but more importantly, was one of the masterminds behind our target area creations.  He became known as the target placement king; having a keen appreciation for detail and creating some of the most meticulous target areas ever created for this sim such as the North Vietnamese rail yards (the last he was working on before he passed).  Many of our custom assets were directed by his requests.  And we would happily create them; he always put them to great use and genuinely appreciated them.  Moreover, among many development lows resulting in slow downs, Marty was always there providing motivation, encouragement and willing to help out whenever called upon.  His presence and influence alone greatly contributed to getting back in action, delivering the goodies he needed to do his placement magic and feeling blessed to have such an amazing supporter with us.  I personally enjoyed my discussions and collaboration with Marty, and felt so fortunate that our paths would cross sharing a common passion and hobby together.  A foundation in Military Service, Family and Faith further helped unite us. My last communication from Marty was as follows:  Thank you for the reply Steve and the kind words. Got home yesterday from the hospital. Struggling a bit today can’t guarantee much progress. I will do my best in the next few days…Godspeed my friend. Bless you and your family.  Marty  Well my friend, I know it’s too late for you to respond…but you have ALWAYS done your best for this project, for me and for the greater good.  Today we lit a candle in your honor.  Today we immediately thought of you when we heard the words:  “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  Right back at you:  Godspeed Marty, Blessings to You and Your family…and until we meet again...rest in peace and thank you for the impact you had on my life, it was a true honor to know you. Post Script and Lesser Thoughts Beyond just the WTR Project, many members here have interacted with Marty in various ways as he was an avid fan and supporter of this community.  I’d ask for each of you to please remember him and his family in your thoughts and prayers, his enthusiasm and appreciation for all the collaboration and modding work here will truly be missed.  Feel free to share in this post any fond memories or other thoughts you may wish to share, he would love that. In Marty’s memory and honor, we will be memorializing him within the WTR Project.  We have finished our tribute plans for him and are currently collaborating with an artist to make this a reality which includes Marty featured as the KC-135A Tanker Boomer, a renown F-105/Thud Pilot (among his favorite aircraft ever) and even more.  We will post more details as that tribute continues. With Marty’s passing, he takes with him most of the WTR target area lay-outs we planned and nearly finished.  Obviously, this is a significant set back and therefore another progress update will be delayed until late Summer.  As usual, if you have an interest in helping please send a Private Message. Take time to reflect on this loss, how Marty might have made your day in some way.  Time is short and yesterday is not promised, so remember to love and appreciate today...take this moment right now to thank someone for their love and support.  All of you, be well. In sadness for the loss, in gratefulness for the friendship...
Steve (aka "Swambast")    
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