RAF_Louvert

. Thank you Olham for the information and advice. I often search about on ebay.de and stumble my way through the translations. As to the Turkish War Medal being the equivalent of the German Iron Cross, I'll agree if you are talking about the EK2c. From all of my readings I gather the TWM is more akin to the French Croix de Guerre in that it was given out a lot for actions in the field, (but unlike the CdG it could only be presented once to the same individual). Hasse Wind, I don't have anywhere to put a German uniform, much as I would like one. My little 'flying room' is quite full as it is. Dej, thank you, I am sure I will enjoy this find for a good long time. Hauksbee, not critical at all that the ribbon is not correct for the medal. As it turns out, it appears that it is a period ribbon for the Imperial Russian Order of St. Stanislaus. So I will actually be receiving two separate awards for the price of one. .

. I have GOT to make the trip round to that part of the world. 22 hours one way in the air be damned, it would be so worth it! .

. A very evocative painting, thanks for sharing Olham. And thank you to Hauksbee and Mike Dora for the very complete background information on the aeroplane and it's AO. I live for this kind of WWI aviation history, and in particular when it involves one of the 'forgotten' fronts of the Great War. .

. I know where you just found this link mein Freund. And I agree, it's always better to risk it and post such good info twice, (or more), rather than not at all. .

. Well done elephant. I knew I had seen that Alb before but could not remember for the life of me just where, (as it turns out it was at Les As Oubliés de 14-18 website). Flyby, I've a hunch you are correct about the rods being clamped on to take measurements of some sort during the testing done by the French. Now then, I would like to know where the plane in question ended up because the first photo posted by Olham looks to be much more modern, and the uniforms worn appear to be post-WW2 US. .

. Olham, that is an outstanding website and I have visited it many times in the past. Beautiful stuff! Good idea to share the link here Sir. .

. Olham, it may be that this is a photo of a captured Alb sitting at Claye-Souilly northeast of Paris. The Bessonneau tent hanger looks like standard Allied issue to me. .

. Olham, here is a photo of the same plane sitting at the aerodrome near Souilly, France, 2 January 1918, (photo courtesy of Heritage Prints): Perhaps one of our Alb experts can supply more information on whose plane this was and which jasta it belonged to. .

. Olham, that appears to be a photo from many, many years after WWI, if the uniforms worn by the men in the picture are any indication. Truth be told, they look like 1960's - 1970's US Air Force uniforms, so I am wondering if this plane wasn't part of a collection at an American base somewhere. I'll have to do some investigating. .

. Oh, I do agree Olham, and it's not only Hauksbee's above comment that points to his OFF/WWI barmyness, but even more so his website and blog. Here are two examples of his work that clearly illustrate just how hopelessly gone he is: Welcome to the BOC Hauksbee! BTW, membership in this most dubious organization should definitely be added to your resume. .

. I am very sorry for your loss Olham. My thoughts and prayers go out to you Sir, and to the family of your departed friend. .

. I'd would have to agree that anyone who is so deeply into OFF and the whole WWI experience that he inadvertently notes the year in a correspondence as '1917' is most assuredly barmy enough for the club. Welcome aboard Wayfarer! And Shiloh, remember our official club motto: "Per Dementia Ad Astra". Oh, and a big "Welcome Back!" to you Olham. .

. Best of luck Widowmaker, though I am sure you won't be needing it Sir. You'll do just fine. Here's to hoping that you thoroughly enjoy the excitement of the new venture. .

. vonOben, the works noted by 33LIMA are all very good, and I will add a few other personal narratives by German flyers that have been published in English. “An Airman Remembers”, by Hans Schröder and translated by Claude Sykes, (NOTE: this volume was recently reissued as “A German Airman Remembers). Also, the works of Haupt Heydemarck, to include “Double-Decker 666”, “War Flying in Macedonia”, and “Flying Section 17”. These were also translated into English by Mr. Sykes. I can recommend them all as excellent reads. .

. That is really quite amazing Shiloh. Very, very well done Sir. And I can't get over the sim graphics in that...wowzers. .

. Yes indeed, that is an excellent one and I've seen it several times over the years. Let me add my thanks for the reminder of this classic as well, Shiloh. .

. o yes stumpjumper YUOve dfinetly leFT ANIMppresoin sir .

. After dinner this evening I started up my flying computer and sat down to a recce of the Hun positions up near Ostende. It was 14:32, St. Omer time, when the Quirk coughed to life, and as it warmed I made my usual check of the controls. A short two minutes later and we were rising slowly into the cold gray February sky of 1915. My observer sat ahead of me and turned his head ever so slightly each time we banked. I came around to the east-northeast and put our bus into the long slow climb towards the Belgian coast. Wintry clouds hung silently in the air as the 90hp RAF engine in front of us droned a steady tune, pulling us ever higher, ever higher. I leveled out at 8,000 feet and watched as the woods and rivers crept below us at an almost imperceptible rate. No Man’s Land came into view and we inched our way towards it, and watched the flashes of the shells from the big guns as they found their targets along the trench lines. The PBI was catching hell down there. When our mount finally slipped across to the Boche side of the mud Archie came calling. The first few ugly black puffs were well below us, so far in fact you could hardly hear them. But they worked their way closer and soon had our height. I began a lazy bob-and-weave pattern that seemed to sufficiently throw off their aim and we continued on with no more thought to the gunners’ efforts below. Time seemed to stand still as we made our rounds above the enemy positions near the coast. The dusty blue sea was quiet and looked as if it could stretch on forever. For a moment I considered bringing our bus around and setting a course for England, but only for a moment. And anyway, it was time to make our way back to the aerodrome and report in with our intel. HQ would be needing it for their planning of the next push, whenever that might be. The sky was darkening; night was coming on. The sun was beginning to slide below the western horizon and was now little more than a cold dingy orb glowing through the winter haze. St. Omer came once more into our view and I throttled down, and dropped into a long slow glide towards the field. The wheels settled lightly onto the frigid, dead grass and I guided our bus back to the shed, shutting of the mags and cutting the fuel at just the right moment so that we coasted gently to a stop not twenty feet from the hanger doors. Now all was quiet, save for the occasional barking of the camp dog. I looked at my watch. It had been two hours and forty-seven minutes. Two hours and forty-seven minutes in the virtual skies of this amazing sim. Two hours and forty-seven minutes wandering above the Western Front, in the visage of a machine that existed nearly a century ago. Two hours and forty-seven minutes. I never would have guessed it; it seemed timeless. .

. Don, do you also OC your graphics card? That can have a very large impact on how well OFF runs for you. I have found that pushing up the memory clock speed on the card can show the biggest gain in this sim in terms of smooth performance when the sliders are up in the 4 and 5 range, (remember to keep your terrain and scenery sliders at 4 or below, never put them at 5). .

. The Jasta 11 website is a great place to visit, and I've been there many times looking through its resources. Thanks for the reminder Olham. And thanks for the shared pictures everyone. . Also, I'm not so sure about that dogfight being for real, but it is still neat to see. .

. Olham, have a fantastic time mein Freund! We'll hold the fort down for you whilest your away. Javito, I think going to Minnesota has a very nice ring to it, but then I may be a bit partial. And what's all this tripe about wishing you were able to travel a short ways and be in a whole different country with a different language and culture? You're only three hours from Chicago. .

. Well Helloooooo Stump! Nice to see you dropping in Sir. I'd offer to buy you a drink but from the looks of your last post you may already have had several presented to you by your fellow OFFers. But what's one more, eh? Cheers Mate! .

. I post this eBay listing only because I find it funny how often these pieces of fabric pop up for sale. At last count there were enough "actual pieces" of MvR's red triplane to cover about six more such kites. Fabric From MvR's Plane For Sale At least you'll get an interesting book with this deal. Now then, whoever buys this, I have the actual bullet that killed MvR and I'd be willing to part with it for the right price. Oh, and I have his Blue Max for sale too, (almost forgot about that). .

. As many of you know, for a good long time our former OFF comrade Uncleal had accrued and posted a rather large and very useful string of topics directed towards helping the newcomers with some of their virtual flying woes. However, when our sometimes-surly-but-always-well-intentioned veteran caught a Blighty one and was sent back, his collection of wisdom went with him. But being the helpful sort that he is, he has forwarded them along for reposting so that all those searching for these ever useful OFF Hints 'n Tips may enjoy them once more.They are reproduced here in their entirety from Uncleal’s own notes, and remain intact with only minor changes in spelling and punctuation. Enjoy, oh you seekers of knowledge. . ************************************************************************

. BALLOON BUSTING (hopefully staying alive in the process) Any Discussion about the proper method for destroying a balloon, should include how it was actually done. Let's get one thing straight; a balloon is a PRIME Target. You know it, I know it, and the enemy defenders know it, so to say it will be rather heavily defended is an understatement. What is a balloon but a bag of gas, which when mixed with air is extremely flammable. Your attack plans must differ throughout the war. Early on the incendiary ammunition was highly unreliable. It was known to ‘light off’ from engine heat alone. The great Willie Coppens, Balloon Ace Extraordinaire, would purposely kill his engine at high altitude directly over the balloon, as noise abatement, as he did a full dive on the balloon. When within gun range he would restart his own engine, the gunners couldn't hit him because the balloon was in the way. So he'd destroy the gasbag, only to fly away at full speed. He did this 16 times. It worked, but the method was never copied The more accepted method, is to ventilate the gas bag real well with your machine gun, so that the area near the balloon is saturated with a mixture of air & gas, which only needs to be exposed to flame to destroy the balloon. Enter the Le Prieur rocket, which was little more than an overgrown firework. Your aircraft carries 8 of these rockets, fired electrically, and they're none too accurate. So get close, fire your rockets, and hopefully set off the escaping balloon gas thus destroying the balloon. By the way, as soon as the incendiary ammunition became more reliable, the La Prieur rocket disappeared at the front. The rockets in OFF belong on a P47 in terms of range, accuracy, and destructive power. However, this is hard-coded into CFS3, so if you want rockets, use these, or none at all. Just how close you wanna get before opening fire is up to you, but there's no hiding why you're in the area. The diving attack has some merit, as the defending machine guns can't hit you until you’re at about 2000 feet. But the AA fire has no such limitation, plus you can't bob and weave on the way down. Once you open fire you're committed, and they know it! Balloon busting is no easy job, unless you're talking about the one every airfield features, and you can destroy those just testing your guns. You could of course make a show out of the balloon mission and order your wingmen to attack while you just stay back and watch. However you can't claim the balloon if they shot it down. If you're the guy who destroyed the balloon, you should go straight home, (no dogfights along the way). You must survive and your wingman has to as well, he's your witness. If he dies, kiss that balloon goodbye. PS: Those rockets are great for bridges and locomotives THE OLHAM METHOD OF BALLOON ATTACK For balloon attack, I approach the balloon at 2.000 - 3.000 feet, zigzagging first, and find out how he is lined up because I always attack them along their full length axis, and if possible from the sun side. From the right position, I dive on it in a 30° - 40° dive, stabilise my aim, and fire bursts at it when it appears big enough. I mostly destroy it in the first approach. If that fails, I go back to 2.000 feet zigzagging, and then dive down on it much steeper (45 - 50 °), blow it up, and then pull out and away zigzagging, not climbing too hard, as that would reduce my escape speed, (I stop firing at the balloon at about 400 feet distance, and pull out). When out of reach of the balloon's flak, I climb higher for crossing back over the lines. NOTE: German aircraft cannot carry rockets of any kind, ever. NEW PILOT'S METHOD, AND IT WORKED Long story: I went around the front and circled around from the east. The balloon was high in the sky by the time I found it. Wingmen went down to the deck and started suppressing the German defences; I bored straight in on that sausage. Took a hit from something, (no idea what), that knocked the Nieuport around like a kite. I had a look and my left bottom wing tip looked as though Superman had grabbed it and bent it upwards. It wasn't sheared off it was just bent upwards. Very bad for the controls, I was side slipping all over the sky with flak/mg fire all around. HOWEVER, I was still able to flame the balloon and because I was already aiming west I was able to kind of make my plane coast towards friendly lines. The landing didn't go so well. I landed among the British troops in No Man's Land. "Landed" is overstating it since the plane crashed and sent me to the infirmary for two weeks. PS: Seeing as how it's Bloody April, missing two weeks of it may not be a bad thing. .