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    Happy Thanksgiving 2014
    Erik
    By Erik,

     
    From all our families to yours.
     
    Have a happy and festive thanksgiving filled with family, football, and friends.
     
    Be safe out there.
     
    Happy Thanksgiving!

    The CombatAce review: IL-2 Battle of Stalingrad
    33LIMA
    By 33LIMA,
    'There is no land behind the Volga!' *     
                                                            * Red Army 'no retreat' slogan during the Battle of Stalingrad   Well, it's here! IL-2 Sturmovik: Battle of Stalingrad ('BoS') is the latest in a long line of WW2 air combat sims to bear the illustrious IL-2 name. The last major iteration, Cliffs of Dover, forsook the Eastern Front for the Battle of Britain. But with BoS, it's back to the (here, frozen) steppes of Mother Russia and the Great Patriotic War, as the Soviets dubbed the bitter conflict in the east.
     
    As you'd expect from the title, BoS is based around the momentous and decisive battles around Stalingrad in late 1942 and early 1943. The Wehrmacht's 6th Army, fresh from its triumph in the Second Battle of Kharkov, had swept south in the major German offensive of 1942, to the banks of the River Volga and the city which bore the name of the wily and feared Soviet leader. After slowly grinding down the epic Soviet defense of the city, the German forces there were cut off by two successive pincer attacks which overwhelmed the less well-equipped Romanian, Italian and Hungarian allies holding the flanks. Manstein's attempt to break through to 6th Army fell short while Hitler forbade withdrawal, lulled by Goering's assurances that the Luftwaffe could repeat its success in supplying by air the earlier (but much smaller) Demyansk pocket. Despite herculean Luftwaffe efforts, galvanized by the highly-capable Erhard Milch, the supplies delivered were never enough and when the major airfields inside and outside the Stalingrad kessel at Gumrak, Pitomnik, Morosovskaya and Tatsinskaya were over-run, the writing was on the wall for the battered and ultimately starved 6th Army, which surrendered in February 1943. This famous Soviet victory stands with the few battles that can claim to have dictated both the outcome of WW2 and the fate of Europe for many years afterwards.
     
    So, set against this epic background, how does BoS shape up? Let's find out! The review will be in several parts, a real CombatAce team effort, with 'Founders' CowboyTodd41 and Jedi Master providing an Early Access participant's insights on different aspects of the new sim. To wrap up the review in style, Hellshade will provide a video finale showing BoS in action!  
    Availability and installation
    BoS is available by download from both the Publishers and Steam and on DVD. Each format comes in two versions - 'Standard' and 'Premium' - which differ in the number of flyable aircraft provided (eight versus ten, respectively).
     
    There is no manual with the sim. Apparently, one is being worked on but for now, it's a case of diving in and working your way through things for yourself. Much of the interface and controls will be reasonably familiar, if you've played the sim's progenitor, which is actually Rise of Flight (RoF). There are some enthusiast-produced aircraft guides available already and of course you can find material covering instrument layouts, performance and handling online, if not also in books - for example, Eric Brown's most excellent 'Wings of the Luftwaffe'. On the battle itself I would highly recommend William Craig's 'Enemy at the Gates' (the film only covered the sniper duel, a tiny part of the book) which won't tell you which Kampfgruppe, Tank Brigade or Jagdgeschwader went where and when but it's a gritty, memorable and powerful picture of the battle as seen by those who experienced it.
     
    My review copy of BoS is the Premium edition and was downloaded from from the Publisher's website. The download and installation process was entirely painless, the slow part being downloading the 'game client' via the 'Launcher' app that is your point of entry into the sim. Though different in some details, this Launcher will be familiar to players of RoF. BoS's Launcher is illustrated below (the desktop background pic is from IL-2 '46). As you can see, amongst other things, the Launcher lets you configure some graphics options at this front end, though few, compared to RoF's Launcher. As in the older sim, the Launcher will update BoS over the 'net, but automatically, rather than manually as before.
      Once you start the sim itself, you are invited to log on. As with RoF, some features require an internet connection. You can fly Quick Missions offline but not the stock Single Player campaign. This I believe is because online servers generate campaign missions, track your progress and use this to apply BoS's 'extensive in-game achievement system' (as the developers describe it) which we will come to, later. I don't especially like this connection dependency but - though there was a glitch one weekend when a server issue prevented player achievements being recognized - having a decent broadband connection, this requirement doesn't much affect or concern me. The developers have said that the bandwidth required for this is low.
     
    The sim's main menu screen is the 3d aircraft view familiar to RoF fliers, displaying the last aircraft you flew (or the IL-2 Sturmovik by default) as rendered in-game, now in a hangar setting as seen here. For me, the interface is a bit choppy, with a bit of mouse lag, which I gather is a known issue for some though a minor one. We'll go through the options it presents, later on.  
      The planes
    The aircraft featured in BoS are listed here. Those asterisked are flyable in the Premium version, only.
                              German                                                 Soviet
                            Bf 109F-4                                               LaGG-3
                            Bf 109G-2                                              Yak-1
                            FW 190A-3*                                            La-5 *
                            Ju 87D-3                                                 IL-2   
                            He 111H-6                                               Pe-2
     
    So we have a decent mix of fighters, bombers and attack aircraft, out-of-the-box. The FW 190 was apparently not in action at Stalingrad but is presumably included for its popularity and to provide an alternative German single-seat fighter to the two visually very similar Bf 109 variants. The developers have said that the Ju-52 transport may be added later, possibly AI-only. While this slow tri-motor transport would be a popular mount with only the bravest (or most foolhardy) players, it really is an essential aircraft for Stalingrad and a good choice for an AI plane. The Luftwaffe used every available type that could carry cargo or personnel in their desperate 'air bridge' operation including bombers and FW 200 Condors, but the 'Tante Ju' was the mainstay and the sooner it's added, the better. A Ju 88 and a Bf 110 would also be very welcome, on the German side. In my book, the more major types a sim can feature from the get-go, the better, even if only the AI gets to fly some of them (or you have to pay to activate the cockpits). But apart from that Ju 52 - and the fact that a Bf 110 would have been a better choice, historically, than an FW 190 - BoS already comes with a respectable planeset, for the time period featured in the sim.
     
    Here are some of the stars of the show, inside and out. They are gorgeous, with accurate outlines and detail, readable stencil markings, panel lines & rivets visible in relief ('bump mapping'?) and animated aircrew, RoF-style.   Heinkel He 111H:                      (note the subtitled radio comms from the 'tower' at Morosovskaya airfield, in the cockpit pic)   Messerschmitt Bf 109F (top) & Bf 109G:       Focke-Wulf FW 190A:     Lavochkin La-5 (in a snowstorm):     Petlyakov Pe-2:     ...and finally, the star with the top billing - the Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik:     As well as flying these birds, you can man other crew positions, including bombardier and air gunner. Here I am in the dorsal position of the elegant Heinkel 111, manning my MG 15 and ready to ward off the Ivans. You can see the neat panel and rivet detail, especially running out along the main spar of the starboard wing. The aircraft has the correct 70/71/65 colour scheme with factory finish pattern on top and the appropriate theatre markings, comprising yellow rear fuselage band and lower wingtips.     Having closed my canopy to keep out the slipstream and looking down into the fuselage, I can see two of my comrades below, one standing by a waist gun, the other ready to go prone in the sterbebett (death bed) ventral position, should the need arise. The cocking handle on the MG 15 reciprocates when you fire the weapon but I haven't yet fired off enough rounds to see if the reloading of the saddle drum magazine is animated, which if so might look a little odd as I am invisible, in the 'cockpit' view.     Luftwaffe aircraft had a semi-gloss finish and this is nicely captured, along with the correct factory-applied camouflage colours and patterns. As you'd expect, the aircraft have dynamic self-shadowing, inside and out. Perhaps the cockpits are not quite as sharp as Cliffs of Dover's...and they're not 'clickable', for those who like fiddling with such things rather than hitting a key. But they look good enough to me and combined with 'head bobbing' (which you can turn off), those moving shadows and minor canopy scratches catching the sunlight, the effect of being up in the heavens in a real aircraft is superb.   Externally, the lack of individual or unit markings creates a certain blandness, my only real criticism here. And I understand why there aren't swastikas on German tails, but the vestigial ones provided perhaps look worse than none - better no marking than an inaccurate one. I recall the old Revell 1/72 FW 190A, in its 1960s incarnation, had a normal cross for a tail decal with a note in the instructions acknowledging the inaccuracy and stating that portraying the correct markings (and I quote) '...would not be in keeping with the spirit of democracy.'     But I digress...instead, I should add that all screenshots were taken at medium graphics settings (the 'Balanced' pre-set). My PC is slightly below the recommended specs for BoS but flies RoF, a recommended benchmark for the new sim, fine at medium settings and is ok with BoS.
     
    Engine sounds are distinctive and realistic, much better than the original IL-2. Your guns could be louder though. Some have reported your airframe being hit is barely audible but that hasn't been my experience. Radio transmissions can be a tad repetitive but sound like...well, radio transmissions (they are in the original language, with subtitles available).   In short, the BoS aircraft are exceptional; they look and sound great. The contrast is a bit high between the 70 (Schwarzgrun) and 71 (Dunkelgrun) upper surfaces on the Ju 87 for my taste and I think the 109s should have little fillets either side of their lower radiator flaps but those are very minor quibbles.
     
    Coming in part 2 - the environment, the options and Quick Missions!

    IL-2 Battle of Stalingrad - first flight!
    33LIMA
    By 33LIMA,
    Checking out the Bf109 in the new Eastern Front air combat sim!   I was flattered to be invited by Skyviper to be on the team for the CombatAce review of 1c/777's IL-2 - Battle of Stalingrad (hereinafter referred to as BoS). Having only recently installed the sim (I wasn't a participant in the 'Early Access' programme) it'll be a little while until we get the review done & dusted. In the meantime I thought folks might be interested in my first impressions of one of the BoS aircraft, the iconic Messerschmitt Bf109, which comes here in the form of the F-4 and G-2 models, distinguished mainly be the latter's more powerful DB605 motor and visually, by its heavier-framed cockpit.   So far, my impression of the BoS aircraft is that they're as good as, or better than, any aircraft I've seen in a combat flight sim. Cliffs of Dover's cockpits might be a little sharper-looking (perhaps just thanks to sharper or darker shadows) but outside and in, these birds look just terrific. As an old-time Luftwaffe modeller, while I find the vestigial swastikas slightly irksome and don't welcome the lack of unit markings, pending availability of the facility for user-made skins, I can't help but admire the accuracy of the finish. For example, the 109F I'm flying here has a very accurate rendition of the standard 74/75/76 fighter finish (Dunkelgrau, Mittelgrau and Hellgrau, respectively). It's applied in an accurate upper surface Messerschmitt factory pattern, appropriate for these later 109s and features readable stencil markings. Even the fuselage side mottling is straight out of the textbooks, with spots of Schwarzgrun (70), Dunkelgrau (74) and 'RLM' Grau (02). The slightly glossy standard Luftwaffe finish is also nicely captured and in the right light, you can see every rivet and panel line caught in relief. The overall effect is a joy to behold.   Anyway, I recently took my first proper flight in a 109 - a favourite familiar to me from many another sim, including European Air War, CFS3 and the original IL-2 series - and it was an experience and a half! I just did the one circuit, set up via the 'Quick Mission' option (which will be familiar to Rise of Flight users, given the close family relationship with BoS). I don't do 'complex engine management' but even so, it was a pretty awesome experience, the sort of flight I'd have expected in a plane built for FSX.   The airfield I think is Morosovskaya (spelt slightly different in the sim) which I recognised from William Craig's superb 'Enemy at the Gates' - if you read just one book on the battle, make it this one (the film was just a single episode from the book). This airfield I recall was, with Tatsinskaya, one of the two most important bases for the Luftwaffe's desperate 'air bridge' into the Stalingrad 'kessel'...until the T-34s arrived there and put a sudden stop to flying operations, in dramatic and violent fashion.   From the cockpit of my chosen Bf109F-4, even the engine start (computer-assisted, just using the 'E' key) was most impressive. OK, there was no black-overalled mechanic standing on the wing turning the hand crank but there were cockpit indicator lights coming on and animated switches flicking. Then came the sound of the 109's flywheel spooling up and finally, the throaty roar of that big Mercedes DB601 as it spluttered then thundered into life. Great stuff, like watching and listening to a real warbird start-up video!       Flaps set and flying control movement checked, taxying out to the runway was the first challenge, using mainly the brakes combined with short bursts of throttle to keep her rolling. I managed to get her lined up fairly well.     The take-off was a bit hairy with plenty of swing, first left when I opened her up a bit then right when I steadily applied full power. I kept her fairly straight but once off the ground, was suddenly afflicted by a serious wobble. Did I pull her off at too low an airspeed, and maybe the leading edge slats had opened differentially? It was quite scary for a couple of seconds but I stayed in the air and, gaining height, turned onto the crosswind leg of the left-hand circuit I was planning to fly.       Throttling back and gingerly checking out control responses while relishing the realistic sound of my engine - a far cry from the drone of the original IL-2 109s - I turned left again and settled onto a downwind leg, applying a bit of elevator trim (which I believe actually adjusts tailplane incidence, in the 109) when I'd settled on what seemed like a respectable cruising speed. Possibly I was a little high for the 1,000 feet I'd planned for the circuit - I had turned off inflight map and instruments. Once well down the leg, I looked out over my left shoulder for a glimpse of my airfield, remembering that when it was at roughly 7 o'clock, I  would want to turn left again, onto the base leg.   OK, so where was the runway? Oh-oh....my base was lost in a sea of whiteness.     I remembered that there had been a medium-sized wood or town somewhere just north of the airfield. I could see what might have been that area, in the form of a dark patch on the ground. Taking this as my mark, when I judged it about right, I turned left and rolled out onto a heading just short of north and flew my base leg.     At some point, fiddling about with the 'pilot gestures' controls, I had inadvertently fired a flare, which I assume is why the flare gun has now appeared in its slot below the starboard windscreen. Nice touch!   When I was nearly level with the wood, I turned left again, onto my approach to the still-invisible airfield. As I began to roll out of my turn, peering desperately ahead to the left of the dark area I was using as my reference point, I was mightily relieved to see the runway, between wisps of low cloud. Whew!       I held my left turn, then reversed it, to line myself up with the runway. Throttling back, I started dropping my flaps and then lowered my gear. The 109 is no slouch and things seemed to be happening awfully quickly! It's been a long time since I had my handful of flying lessons in slower Cessnas but in pitiful ignorance of the correct numbers for a 109, I did my best to use the throttle to control my rate of descent and the elevator to manage my airspeed.       I often land in the external view because with no peripheral vision and the other limitations of 'flying' at a monitor, it's easier to judge when to flare. Not this time! Having flown the circuit from the cockpit, apart from slipping outside from some screenshots, I decided I would go the whole hog. Flying from the cockpit view with all the self-assurance of a rabbit in the headlights, I flared too soon and landed heavily, bouncing rather badly. I somehow managed to keep the wings level and did my best to make the next bump survivable.     They say it's a good landing if you can walk away from it and a great one, if you can re-use the aircraft. By that standard, I'd made a good landing. And most of the plane looked to be re-usable.     So far so rather brilliant. But this is a combat flight sim and therein lies the real test for BoS. Anyway it's off to a good start in my books, though I will want to spend more time doing circuits and bumps before I take on the Ivans in a campaign.   In the meantime, of course I could not resist a bit of blowing stuff up (or attempting to) but that's a story for another day!     Watch this space for the CombatAce review!

    Mini DCS Su-33 Flanker Review by Eric J
    Skyviper
    By Skyviper,
    Mini DCS Su-33 Flanker Review By Eric J                     When I first got Flanker 2.0 back in 2000 or so, I started what was now my staple aircraft, the Su-33.  Over the course of the years I have come to love and enjoy this aircraft, and since its still in the “inventory” of DCS Flaming Cliffs 3, I still like to take the old bird out for just purely flying and sometimes combat missions.  Though over the course of the years it is generally the same aircraft all around, but with the new tweaks to the flight model it’s changing but under the hood it’s still the aircraft I started to respect and love since Flanker 2.0.   Flight Model                 The aircraft’s flight model in 1.2.10 of Flaming Cliffs 3 was considered more stable than the current 1.2.11 and quite frankly since Flanker 2.0, where you could feel the weight of the aircraft and subsequent thrust of the aircraft.  Given the years of flying this jet however, a lot of people dismiss it (mainly the gunzo crowd as they preferred the Su-27 due to simple fact that the Su-27 was lighter (because the Su-33 had to be strengthened for carrier landings) despite the fact that the aircraft had two less pylons.  Plus the Su-27 was to most people great for most everything else, with the multi-role Su-33 looked down upon.  Which in the years I’ve flown it I’ve done most everything everybody has done in the aircraft, so it’s not as “Less capable” as the Su-27, which couldn’t use PGMs.  In Flanker 2.0 you had the additional Precision Guided Munition capability (though they were pre-set at the time, but was flexible enough to handle most missions) as at the time of its making the Russian Naval Air Force was trying to fund such a capability.  Enter DCS where weapons are more stringent and realistic, as when LOMAC rolled around. The capability was never funded and LOMAC followed suit by removing that capability.  However you could still modify the MEInit.xml and add that capability, using Kh-29Ls instead of the TE model, which was always fun to use.   Besides that and from various observations the Su-33 was to me considered the “Black Sheep” of the aircraft set, treated but not really cared for by the community, not as “flashy” due to the Su-27 and the F-15.  As while everybody wanted to fly air combat and duel, I was more interested in Ironhand, or SAM Suppression as well as simple ground attack back when I was known as Flanker562, and given the pure power and capability I fell in love with it through the years.  Even in DCS the Su-33 is to some a hard aircraft to fly, but it requires some patience and skill to manage the aircraft as even with the tandem triplane layout, tends to stall a bit more than the Su-27 does, the (back then) Nagging Nadia yelling at me for angle of attack and so on.  And it should be noted that when you fly the Su-33 you’ll hear that a lot.  Again it’s heavier and should always be treated with some respect due to that.  Once you finally get a hold of the aircraft and begin to push it more, the more it’s rewarding to you as a flyer.  Again it requires time and patience and simple flying is the key to get the nuances of the aircraft down and manage it.  There’s a lot I can say about the aircraft, and the heavy reinforcement makes it more durable than most.  And if you fly this aircraft don’t feel guilty.  No it’s not as maneuverable as its brother Su-27, but again, once you know how to exploit the aircraft’s maneuverability and power, you can do most anything with this aircraft.  I’ve done some DACTs with the newer engine and eventually came out on top of the Sabre, so if you manage it and force the aircraft (Bitchin Betty will again let you know if you push the aircraft too hard, a lot), you can take on any modern fighter and have a good chance on coming out on top given skill level.                   However the current flight model of the 1.2.11 version makes it more “bouncy” than usual, as with 1.2.10 once you tweaked the curves (for me anyway) the aircraft was stable, and frankly thought it was too stable in the curve setting.  Now I’ve had to add some dead zone to prevent it from doing as such, which is fine as while it’s not the best I can still fly the jet normally and have no problems figuring out what works for me, given that I’ve flown it often on in various guises for almost 12 years.  It truly is a beast and back then when it had the firepower, was better in my opinion than the Su-25T as far as bringing a good warload to the fight.  While the claws are dulled with the more realistic and stringent loadout manager you’re limited to bombs, rockets, and gun.  Still once you get a hold of the Su-33 it never will leave my side.  The only exception will be the upcoming DCS: Hornet and the DCS: Super Hornet. The Su-33 is the only aircraft the player can fly that is able to do carrier operations currently.  But given the aircraft’s lack of popularity its future remains to be seen as the real Russian Naval Air Force will retire the aircraft next year, and probably within a couple years Eagle Dynamics may move to a Mig-29K module, if they do.  Which will be nice, but the ability to use PGMs will be nice, but I’d rather have the capability on this bird than on a more short-legged jet.  While some claim that the Su-33 has less capability it sure doesn’t have the staying power and endurance of a Su-33.                   Despite this and until Eagle Dynamics in a few years removes the aircraft, I’ll keep flying it because it’s simply just a great aircraft to fly and will always be near and dear to my heart.     3D Model/Textures                 The current 3D model of the Su-33, after the years since LOMAC came out in 2004, is looking very sharp and the accompanying screenshots show the beauty of this aircraft.  So mostly I approve of the look and the texture work is always superb.  However due to the lack of official support (I simply haven’t made any of my own layered PSDs due to other projects I’m working on) of official PSDs to add your own custom skin is noticeably absent which is a bummer as given the detail it’ll take me a while to make them.  But that’s for me to worry about as I will say that they have added the better quality to the textures as back when I was doing skins both for Eagle Dynamics and for hobby work, it went from one texture map to more, which is good as the quality is showing and doesn’t hit your framerates as hard as one might think.  So out of 5 stars I give it a 4, simply because of lack of any texture support.   Functionality                 As with any Flaming Cliffs aircraft, the cockpit does not have 6DOF functionality and quite frankly for the Su-27 and Su-33 it’s simply not needed in my view.  Still the displays inherit from the Su-27 and the small MFD shows everything that the Su-27 shows, so for a review I will simply refer to my Su-27 review, as it’s all the same to me.  The only major difference of course is the small box on the left of the HUD showing the glide path indicator for carrier traps.  And after two years of not flying it the system still works as it should, given that I did a first try trap after so long in the aircraft.  It shows how much experience pays off with this aircraft and the easy of familiarity I do have with it.   Major issues so far                 So far with 1.2.11 the only major issue to me is the bouncy flight problem, but again as mentioned before my stick needs to be adjusted some more to compensate for that.  Overall as I think the aircraft is treated as a “Black Sheep” it still works and really one of the most bug free aircraft Flaming Cliffs 3 has to offer.  However, the only major visual bug is the fact that the instrument panel is used from the Su-27 (matter of fact its laid out similar) so be aware that your two wingtip stations will not be displayed when selecting them.  Other than that the aircraft works as it should.     Final Thoughts                 The Su-33, if you haven’t noticed, is and always will be my preferred jet.  And as said before when the Hornet or Super Hornet finally gets finished, will become my other jet as I like Navy jets, and the Su-33 is no exception.  And after 12 years of flying the aircraft I have to say that it has treated me well over the course, as once you fly the Su-33 long enough, most of the aircraft seem less tame than it.

    Net Neutrality - It's your issue too
    Erik
    By Erik,
      If you don't want to get involved this image may be very real sooner than you think.   Join us here. We need your vote to tell congress, federal government, and big business, NO.   http://combatace.com/topic/84316-net-neutrality-urgent/page-4?do=findComment&comment=679973

    Panzer Elite's new look - PP2-x!
    33LIMA
    By 33LIMA,
    The old girl's back at the front!   Wing's Simulations' Panzer Elite - not to be confused with the later 'arcade' tank game Panzer Elite Action - was the doyen of tanksims for many years and in many ways, she still is. With the classic Panzer Elite Special Edition (PE-SE), which included a series of major mods, you could fight your way through campaigns in Libya, Tunisia, Italy, North-West Europe and Russia with British, German, US and Soviet forces, fighting from a great variety of tanks. Artillery support, infantry, A/T guns, light armour and soft-skinned vehicles were all there. Briefings were accompanied by animated maps and voiceovers. Platoon command and control was second to none and better than nearly everything else. Radio and intercom traffic was pretty thoroughly represented. You could swap around crew members with different skills and, within some limits, choose your ammo loadout and some optional extras for your tanks.   The years passed and better-looking tanksims appeared, good and not-so-good, but some of PE's talented modders didn't give up and improvements continued to be made, notably time of flight for projectiles and better graphics.   This mission report is my first serious outing with a new PE mod, still in beta but already showing the way ahead for PE - Panzer Pack 2-X, or PP2-X. The original Panzer Pack by the Lenort brothers was one of the original big mods for the sim, geared towards multiplayer. Its latest incarnation is by modder Slomo, based on a new PE .exe from fellow modder Brit44 'Aldo'. Main visible improvements include some much better tank models, with 3-dimensional and better-animated wheels and track, which had been 2-dimensional, even on previously-improved models. The latest version of PP2-x also includes more recent work by Aldo which pretty well eliminates the tendency of PE tanks to teeter sometimes like they were made of cardboard, as they moved on uneven terrain, which makes for a big improvement to my eye. Many tank and other models are still the originals from PE-SE, but these are gradually being replaced as work on the beta progresses. As things stand, PP2-x is a mod for the basic sim, so doesn't add Eastern Front, Libyan or other campaigns; to play these in their latest versions, you'll need a different mod, BobR's PE3, which I used in my last PE mission reprot, fighting the Sherman Firefly..   Details of PP2-X are available here: http://pedg.yuku.com/forums/52/PP2X#.VG0pTcnHSRE. Graphics and animations are still not up to the latest standards but especially with the new tanks, are a tremendous step forward from the originals and they really give this fine sim a new lease of life.   Having installed PP-2x (latest version 1.2) in my 'mods' folder and enabled it using the JSGME-like Mod Enabler that comes with PE-SE, I decided to play for the Wehrmacht, starting with the first mission in the Normandy campaign, 'St Lo - 3 July 1944', a mission which all the PE old hands will know well!   Here's the screen that greets you when you start. Your platoon awaits you! You can see your allocated tanks, parked up in front of a slightly-knocked about farmhouse. In the centre stands your 'adjudant', in practice your platoon sergeant whose animated figure, when clicked on, will open up the options that your industrious second-in-command will be able to organise for you, as befits the abilities of the professional Senior NCO that you, a mere Lieutenant, will be glad to rely upon. Click on the tanks and you can choose to replace them (which I usually do, if only to get a platoon that is realistically equipped with the same model of tank). You can also choose to move crewmen or add realistically-available features, like skirt armour ('schurzen') for German tanks. Long-time PE players will recall that the cow moves and moos! It's been a lo-o-o-ong time since sim developers put this kind of care into creating an immersive front end.     In the pic below, I have replaced my Panzer IIIN (short 7.5cm gun) with a late model Panzer IV to match my other tanks - a mix of Panzer IV H and J versions, all with long-barrelled 7.5cm guns, the J model being a late war 'economy' type with manual-only turret traverse and other simplifications. I am also adding available upgrades - some extra protection, including spaced armour for both turret and hull sides, as normally carried from about mid-1943 (hull spaced armour was frequently lost, but the turret 'skirt' generally stayed put).     Having already set my realisim options to my taste (via the 'adjudant'), it was time to kick off the mission briefing. Here is the basic mission map.     The voiceover and map markings, which appear one after the other, talk and walk you through the mission - again, a touch that few other sims have equalled, before or since. Basically, our 4-tank platoon has formed up at the hamlet of la Corbierre and is to move a short distance to the north, to la Croix de Pirou, to help defend that village against imminent, concentric US Army attacks. We are supporting some Panzergrenadiers in that place and are ourselves supported by two other platoons which will follow us, plus others on the flanks. As usual in PE, your side's little battlegroup is a mix of different platoons with often unspecified but varied equipment, when a more coherent, more homogenous force, with slightly less variety and tied more closely together in what they are doing, might be more realistic.   Here's how the briefing looks when it's stopped playing through. The green arrows are the expected, concentric US attacks, while the blue markings indicate our (German) positions and movements. If we can't hold la Croix de Pirou, we have been told we can fall back to la Corbierre, whence we came, and if it goes really badly t*ts up, then St Giles to the south is where we must make our stand, with a platoon of anti-tank guns already there as a last line of defence.     I clicked the icons on the right to review advice, weather etc and then had a good look at the map, to choose my firing positions. These I intended to occupy at once, rather than waiting for the enemy to appear, in this fairly close country, where lines of sight and fire were rather short and nasty surprises could creep up on you rapidly.   On the left, the ground was fairly level, with open terrain ahead of the village. This open area looked like a possible killing ground but fire positions in that direction lacked hard cover, just limited cover from view amongst some shrubbery and little scope to 'shoot and scoot' under cover, from fire position to fire position. In the centre was the village itself, an obvious target for enemy artillery and while providing some cover from direct fire, this would also limit my own arcs of view and fire, while separating my tanks from each other. On the right was higher ground, with a fair bit of soft cover and some countours which suggested better fire positions, possibly hull down, from which I could shoot and scoot, while possibly firing from the advancing enemy's flank, as they came into that open ground.   Plan made - I'd move out wide to the right in column formation, turn back left when just ahead of Croix de Pirou, and then go into line abreast, edging the platoon, in that formation, into our initial fire positions.   My plan made and the mission loaded, I ordered my tanks into column and we roared off to the right. Here we go, boys! Let's see if we can teach these impertinent Amis a thing or two, about what German Panzers can do!       ...to be continued!

Portal by DevFuse · Based on IP.Board Portal by IPS


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