Lt. James Cater

Finished what i had about midnight and was STILL looking around for something i might have overlooked as i didn't have the usual buzz level. It's now about 8:30am and i strongly craved a drink while i was in the shower getting ready for work. My anxiety levels are sky high knowing that there will be no comfort awaiting me when i get home. Maybe sobriety isn't all that it's made out to be? Anway's i'm thinking about a blog or something to distract myself and to figure out what to do in lieu of the alcohol. This is going to be worse than i thought.

Even though we determined the BF-109 for sure as the top scoring plane, i think that the FW-190 also has more kills than the Mustang and Hellcat combined. When you fought against the odds the Germans did, you certainly were in a target rich environment. Add minimal time away from the front and one could certainly run up a score provided you stayed alive long enough.

Breaking the alcoholism isn't going to be easy. The longest period without drinking in the past 10 years or so has been when i was in jail. Even then, as soon as i was released i hit the liquor store and loaded up before even getting home. During one homeless peroid, i had a steady job and still managed to have a few drinks a day, timing it just right so i could beat the breathalyzer at the shelter. If i wanted to party, i knew where there were good mostly safe spots to sleep it off until morning. As of now, when i get home at about 5 pm i usually drink until 12 or 1 AM. On the weekends and i have nothing planned? As long as possible. From just after waking until my body can't take anymore and shuts down. As i type this out i'm home from work knocking off the last of my supply. I should be done with it about 2 AM and the struggle begins tommorrow afternoon.

http://combatace.com/gallery/image/17810-clipboard-ggjpg/ http://combatace.com/gallery/image/17812-clipboard-gjpg/ http://combatace.com/gallery/image/17811-clipboard-g1jpg/ April/1972 Back at it again with my first ever USMC pilot. First two missions were pretty straight forth. The strike needed a roundabout flightpath since there is a Fansong to the SE of the Arrowhead. Perhaps we'll deal with that site in the near future. The CAS was prety intense. THe NVA bought in some medium flak guns and it was a bit touch and go until they were knocked out. Then we reduced their infantry to the point where the ARVNs mopped them up. Will be more detailed next flight.

Whenever you grow tired of doing ordinary campaigns, check out the Dead is Dead group for a major challenge. My latest pilot is flying an A-6 off the Coral Sea during the Easter Offensive.

Hey, Siddley. be really, really careful if you do the Steel Tiger campaign. Don't think that just because you aren't going Downtown that the flak won't be as effective.

Happy New Year to everyone! Hey, it's also been one year of DiD! Time sure does fly!

Just getting back into the cockpit myself. Otherwise, i'm RWE in Rome:Total War-Barbarian Invasions dealing with trying to capture Constantinople and Alexandria so i can concentrate on restructuring my armies to deal with some hordes to allow time to make serious changes to the empire. Also been doing a lot of NLH poker. I'm working out kinks in my strategies so i can start a second job doing online sit and goes. Head up i'm fine, i'm just doing my best to get myself in that position without busting out due to stupid play.

Don't know if it's proper tactics for a 101 or not, but i've gotten really good results from being defensive and running MIGs low fuel. Once they turned away i stalked and shot at them.

I was looking at another thread and someone said that Barlocks and such don't do anything and are nothing but targets for ARMs. Is it true? If so, i sure as hell wasted a whole lot of time and effort planning routes to avoid radar coverage.

You are correct! That area has been my doorway for a long time. Take off and go for altitude as quick as reasonably possible to preserve fuel. Head towards it at a decent throttle setting and keep an eye out for enemy fighters. Once over the town at the base of it, drop the nose and head for the weeds. Once you get to the end there are all kinds of target areas to the north that can be approached by flying a route in between multiple SAM sites. Just stay away from built up areas as some towns have lots of AAA.

One thing i'd like to know is...Who would actually fly the 101 for anything other than than Intercepts and Recce work? I mean, perhaps you can get lucky with boom and zoom but get caught in a real furball and your squadronmates are good as gone.

Actually, in WOE there is one spot on the map that gives low level radar free access to the enemy backyard. http://combatace.com/gallery/image/17304-img00714jpg/ You come in right over the trees, dead center on this route and it's like you vanished off the face of the earth and reappeared where they least expected it. I've flown it countless times on strike and recce missions. On egress it's also a godsend since there are no defenses anywhere in the area. You can go low and fast to outrun MIGs back to the front without worry about groundfire. It's pretty much the WOE equivalent of Thud Ridge.

Perhaps i should have been a bit more specific. I meant Warsaw Pact EW radars. In some areas in WOE i know where there are Barlocks and on certain strikes i've done everything possible to avoid exposing myself to them during the ingress. If they aren't networked, i'd sure like to find out how to change that if possible.

Am back in action. Edwin Flowers is grounded for now. I have a USMC A6 driver with two missions flown in WOV. i'll supply all details once i get home from work tommorrow.

I tried adding them to my Thud but screwed it up and so said to heel with it. Personally, i like having the stars. I loved to check out each plane ready to taking off and hoped to see them with more kill markings next mission.

24SEPT79 I lost the screenshot so here it is. While attacking a target near Peenemunde. Flowers and DeComp were shot down by ground fire and taken prisoner. I'll do my best to get in about two-thee missions a week in the future but i now have something i'm working on that takes up virtually all my non work hours. Damn Cliff, at this rate you'll be doing the missions solo before long!

Just a quick heads up. Will post report in a few hours, the real world intrudes on flying.

http://combatace.com/topic/49956-the-double-ds/ When things start getting a bit stale, give it a shot!