RAF_Louvert

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Greetings All,
 
After being inspired by Bullethead's D.VII in Austrian hex camo, I decided to skin up an Albatros D.III in the very odd yet somehow strangely compelling J.Backhausen & Sohne swirl camo pattern. After painting my own 'fabric' using an original factory printed template and notes on the subject found at The Aerodrome forums I got to work applying it on to an early OFF Albatros D.III, (which is as close as we can currently get to the OFFAG Albs). Hope you enjoy winging along in this kite high above the Alps.
 
Cheers!
 
Lou
 
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Here is the next in the series of WWI British ordnance survey maps: the Lens Sector of France, Map 11. I’ve again assembled this one from many high quality screen captures of the original example, which resides in the Lloyd Reeds Map Collection of McMaster University’s online library, (my sincere thanks to that fine institution for providing this and many other original WWI maps free of charge). After reassembling the image I cleaned it up a bit and it's now ready to work along side the Tournai and Hazebrouck maps.
 
Again, I hope those of you who fly OFF using paper maps and compass will find this wonderful old map useful.
 
Cheers!
 
Lou
 
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Due to the amount of interest in my recently posted map scan of the Hazebrouck sector of Belgium and France I am now offering a full-sized image of the next map to the east: the Tournai Sector, Map 5. I’ve assembled this one from about 60 high quality screen captures of the original example, which resides in the Lloyd Reeds Map Collection of McMaster University’s online library, (my sincere thanks to that fine institution for providing this and many other original WWI maps free of charge to those of us who study on such things). After I reassembled the image I made a fair amount of “repairs” and cleaned it up considerably and it now serves as a fine companion to the Hazebrouck map.
 
Again, I hope those of you who fly OFF using paper maps and compass will find this wonderful old map useful.
 
Cheers!
 
Lou
 
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Recently I was fortunate enough to acquire an original 1916 map of the Hazebrouck sector of Belgium and thought I would share my good fortune. After an afternoon of scanning and assembling a couple of dozen clips I can now offer a full-size copy of this wonderful old item. This is the same type of map as used by RFC and RNAS pilots and observers, and this particular example covers the area from St. Omer across to Ypres and points south, (about 40 miles x 30 miles). I hope those of you who fly OFF using paper maps and compass will find this highly detailed old chart useful.
 

 
Cheers!
 

 
Lou
 

 
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Greetings All,
 
Olham recently mentioned the scan of the 1918 National Geographic Western Front Map that I assembled from about 120 smaller clips and cleaned up for use when navigating in OFF. This is a high quality JPEG copy that I originally posted in another download link on the forums several months ago, and since it has been asked about I though it best to place it here to make it easier for folks to locate. This is a VERY large image, (7760 x 6550), so just be aware of that when you are downloading the RAR file and unpacking it. To use this map it is best to make a small clip of the AO you are currently assigned to fly and print it out, then use it as your cockpit map, just like our RL counterparts did back in the Great War. Enjoy.
 
Cheers!
 
Lou
 
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Greetings All,
 
Here is a full set of new and improved medals for our beloved Over Flanders Fields BHaH HiTR combat flight sim.
 
The instructions for their use are relatively simple. Start by making a back-up copy of your "Medals" folder found in the "CampaginData" folder of your OFF install; the path to it should look something like this if you've installed the sim on your 'C' drive:
 
C:\OBDSoftware\CFSWW1 Over Flanders Fields\campaigns\CampaignData
 
Now all you need to do is copy and paste all the new medal files found inside the "New_OFF_Medals" folder into the "Medals" folder of your OFF install, allowing all the new files to overwrite the old ones, (this is why you made a back-up copy of the original folder first, so that you can go back to the old medals if you so wish).
 
Alrighty then, that is all that's required if you wish to do nothing more than see the shiny new versions of the thirteen original OFF awards on your various pilot's pages. However, if you're like me and would like to adjust the medals presented to be a bit more historically accurate, you can now do so by going into your active pilot's dossier and changing a bit of text. Following the same path that brought you to your "Medals" folder you will also see your "Pilots" folder. Inside are all the files for your pilots; active, inactive, captured, and dead, (assuming you haven't already deleted your captured and dead ones). Find your current active pilot's dossier by opening up your "PilotXDossier" files one at a time, with 'X' being the number of the pilot, (but don't assume the number matches up with that actually shown in the sim; it does not, which is why you have to go through your various pilot dossiers until you find the correct one). Once you have found your current active pilot's dossier, make a copy of it for back-up purposes. Now, with your active "PilotXDossier" opened up in Notepad, look down to line #19 and you will see a number that represents how many medals your pilot has been presented, and immediately following that are the names of each medal. To change a medal you need only type in the new medal name, (which is the same name as the medal image file found in your "Medals" folder), in place of the medal you are replacing. The lines of text you are dealing will look something like this:
 
5
Iron Cross 2nd Class
Iron Cross 1st Class
Hohenzollern House Order
Orden Pour le Merite
Red Eagle Order
Null
Null
Null
Null
 
Save your changes and you're done! Now pop into the sim and look at your current Pilot's Page. Is that spiffing or what!
 
 
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The medals included in this new pack are as follows.
 
The thirteen original OFF P3 medal files which are, in order by country:
 
Military Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Service Order
Victoria Cross
Croix de Guerre
Military Medal
Legion of Honour
Distinguished Service Cross
COngressional Medal of Honor
Iron Cross
Royal Hohenzollern House Order
Red Eagle Order
Orden Pour le Merite
 
The seventeen new OFF P3 medal files which are, again in order by country:
 
Military Medal Britain
Military Medal with Bar
Military Cross with Bar
DFC with Bar
DSO with Bar
DSC Britain
DSC with Bar Britain
DSC with Oak Leaves
Croix de Guerre Belgium
Albert Order with Swords
Iron Cross 2nd Class
Iron Cross 1st Class
Iron Cross 1c Iron Cross 2c
Military Merit Order Bavaria
Hohenzollern House Order
Golden Military Merit Cross
Turkish War Medal 1915
 
Just as before, red backgrounds denote awards of the Entente Powers, while blue backgrounds denote awards of the Central Powers. In the new awards you now find a few more that can be presented to the enlisted pilots. These are: the British Military Medal and Military Medal with Bar; the Belgian Croix de Guerre, which can be presented to NCO's and officers alike; the Prussian Golden Military Merit Cross, often called the "NCO's Blue Max", (as the Orden Pour le Merite was for officers only); and the Turkish War Medal 1915, (like the Iron Cross, this can be awarded to all ranks). On this last one, you could assign it to a pilot who may have started his military career serving on the Eastern Front before transferring to the Kaiser's air service, (much as Ritter von Richthofen did).
 
About the various versions of the Iron Cross now available to you. The idea is that when the sim assigns you your first award as a German ace, (which will be the generic Iron Cross), you can now go into your pilot's dossier and change that to the Iron Cross 2nd Class, and at the second award of same generic version you can now switch it to the Iron Cross 1st Class, which would have been the proper order back in the Great war. Additionally, as you are presented more awards both by the sim and later on by yourself as acting Adjustant, you can switch to the single image of "Iron Cross 1c Iron Cross 2c", which will free up an additional display space on your pilot's page for one of the new awards, (despite the extra "Null" lines in your pilot dossier, the sim will only ever display five medals maximum).
 
You will notice two versions of the Hohenzollern House Order, and they are identical except for the name. I included the second one as the sim does not allow room for a third line of text under the medal image, and with the original file the word "Royal" forces the name into a third line which gets cut off by the text below it.
 
I should also point out the British DSC; this was a typical award of the RNAS and should be used when flying with that branch of the service.
 
And remember the medals with bars, (or in the case of the US DSC, an oak leaf cluster), denote a second award of the same honor, so these would be added to a pilot's page later on in his career and would take the place of the same award without the bar.
 
One final point. Sometimes the sim will revert to the original medals on your pilot' page when it presents you with the next one. Not to worry, simply change them back. This issue doesn't come up very often, but it might and I didn't want you getting all fidgety.
 
 
That's it. Have fun with the new baubles, and feel free to stop by the "Over Flanders Fields General Forum" and make a post if you have a question about these, or if you wish to spot me to a pinta' for being such a swell.
 
Cheers!
 
Lou
 
 
P.S. I have created a set of tables to help folks determine how to go about awarding the new medals to their virtual pilots, and here is the link to these tables:
 
Award Guidelines For The New Off P3 Medal Set
 
Enjoy!
 
 
 
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Greetings All,
 
I have gathered together these public domain books for ease of downloading and for the enjoyment of all. This is the fifth of numerous such collections I am making available here.
This download contains the following PDF titles, (I have tagged each file as either BIO or REF so they will be self-sorting when you place them in your "Books" folder):
 
 
Biogrophies, Diaries, Personal Writings
 
"Above The Battles", by C.H.A. Andre, c.1919
 
"En l'air!", by Bert Hall, c.1918
 
"Green Balls: The Adventures Of a Night-Bomber", by Paul Bewsher, c.1919
 
"Letters of an American Airman", by Captain Hamilton Coolidge, C.1919
 
"The Fledgling", by Charles Bernhard Nordhoff, c.1919
 
"With the Flying Squadron", by Flight Lieutenant Harold Rosher, c.1916
 
 
References:
 
"Military Aeroplanes" by Grover C. Loening, c.1917
 
"The Aero Manual", c.1909
 
"The German Air Force in the Great War", by Georg Paul Neumann, c.1920
 
"Wings of War", by Theodore Macfarlane Knappen, c.1920
 
 
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Enjoy!
 
Lou
 
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Greetings All,
 
I have gathered together these public domain books for ease of downloading and for the enjoyment of all. This is the fourth of numerous such collections I am making available here.
This download contains the following PDF titles, (I have tagged each file as either BIO or REF so they will be self-sorting when you place them in your "Books" folder):
 
 
Biogrophies, Diaries, Personal Writings
 
"Above the Battle", by Vivian Drake, c.1918
 
"Cavalry of the Clouds", by Alan Bott, c.1918
 
"Go Get 'Em!", by William Wellman, c.1918
 
"In The Clouds Above Baghdad", by Lt. Colonel J.E. Tennant, c.1920
 
"Sky Fighters of France", by Lieutenant Henry Farre, c.1919
 
"Winged Warfare", by William A. Bishop, c.1918
 
 
References:
 
"Aviation In Canada 1917-1918", by Lieutenant Alan Sullivan, c.1919
 
"Learning To Fly in the U.S. Army", by E.N. Fales, c.1917
 
"The A-B-C of Aviation", by Captain Victor W. Page, c.1918
 
"The War in the Air: Volume I", by Walter Raleigh, c.1922
 
 
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Enjoy!
 
Lou
 
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Greetings All,
 
I have gathered together these public domain books for ease of downloading and for the enjoyment of all. This is the third of numerous such collections I am making available here.
This download contains the following PDF titles, (I have tagged each file as either BIO or REF so they will be self-sorting when you place them in your "Books" folder):
 
 
Biogrophies, Diaries, Personal Writings
 
"A Happy Warrior", the letters of William M. Russel, c.1918
 
"An Explorer in the Air Service", by Hiram Bingham, c.1920
 
"George Guynemer, Knight of the Air", by Henry Bordeaux, c.1918
 
"High Adventure", by James Norman Hall, c.1918
 
"Plane Tales From the Skies", by Wing Adjutant, c.1918
 
"The Way of the Eagle", by Charles J. Biddle, c.1919
 
 
References:
 
"The Australian Flying Corps 1914-1918", by Frederic Morley Cutlack, c.1933
 
"Knights of the Air", by Lieutenant Bennett A. Molter, c.1918
 
"Textbook of Applied Aeronautic Engineering", by Henry Woodhouse, c.1920
 
"The Struggle in the Air 1914-1918", by Major Charles C. Turner, c.1919
 
 
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Enjoy!
 
Lou
 
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Greetings All,
 
I have gathered together these public domain books for ease of downloading and for the enjoyment of all. This is the second of numerous such collections I am making available here.
This download contains the following PDF titles, (I have tagged each file as either BIO or REF so they will be self-sorting when you place them in your "Books" folder):
 
 
Biogrophies, Diaries, Personal Writings
 
"A Flying Fighter", by E.M. Roberts, c.1918
 
"An Aviator’s Field Book", the field notes of Oswald Bolcke, English Edition c.1917
 
"Flying For France", by James R. McConnell, c.1917
 
"Heroes Of Aviation", by Laurence La Tourette Driggs, c.1918
 
"Night Bombing With the Bedouins", by Robert H. Reece, c.1919
 
"The Red Battle Flyer", by Manfred von Richthofen, English Edition c.1918
 
 
References:
 
"Aircraft Of Today", by Charles C. Turner, c.1917
 
"Information for Air Service Mechanics", by The U.S. Air Service, c.1919
 
"Practical Flying", by W.G. McMinnies, c.1918
 
"The Romance Of Aircraft", by Laurence Smith, c.1919
 
 
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Enjoy!
 
Lou
 
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Greetings All,
 
I have gathered together these public domain books for ease of downloading and for the enjoyment of all. This is the first of numerous such collections I am making available here.
This download contains the following PDF titles, (I have tagged each file as either BIO or REF so they will be self-sorting when you place them in your "Books" folder):
 
 
Biogrophies, Diaries, Personal Writings
 
"14,000 Miles Through the Air", by Captain Ross Smith, c.1922
 
"Air Men O'War", by Boyd Cable, c.1918
 
"Fighting the Flying Circus", by Eddie Rickenbacker, c.1919
 
"Guynemer, The Ace of Aces", by Jacques Mortane, c.1918
 
"Luck on the Wing", by Major Elmer Haslett, c.1920
 
"The Flying Poilu", by Marcel Nadaud, c.1918
 
 
References:
 
"Aircraft Mechanics Handbook", c.1918
 
"How To Fly", by A. Frederick Collins, c.1918
 
"Orders, Decorations, and Insignia", by Colonel Robert E. Wyllie, c.1921
 
"The American Air Service", by Arthur Sweetser, c.1919
 
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Enjoy!
 
Lou
 
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Sunday, 23 September, 1917: Vlisseghem Flugplatz, Belgium.
 
Savage British attacks at Menin Road have strained our brave troops to the limit. After falling back to a new defensive line they are now holding their own and continue to fight with true mut. Our informants in England tell us the British are about to deploy a new form of gas weaponry in this general area of the front and have been massing the deadly canisters in a railyard near the outskirts of Ramsgate. It is rumored they plan on dropping these upon our troop marshalling positions at Izegem, and may be bringing them across by heavy bomber at any moment.
 
Your flight of Albatros D.III scouts have been given the vital task of escorting a wing of Gothas from Kagohl 3 over the North Sea to bomb the railyard and it's lethal stock into oblivion. You will take off and circle the field once to form up, then fly easterly towards Nieuwmunster Flugplatz to join with the Gothas. Climb to working altitude as you make the crossing and provide cover for the bombers along the way. You will have a full fuel load which should give you an additional 20 minutes of flying time, remember this if you get into any fighting, and be sure to lean out your mixture as much as safely possible in order to conserve benzin. You will no doubt encounter defenses over Ramsgate so keep a sharp lookout for enemy planes as well as AA. Once the Gothas have delivered their bombs you are expected to see them safely back home. However, if you do run across any enemy heavy bombers in the area it is a safe bet they are carrying the new gas canisters. You should do everything in your power to see that they don't make it across, for if they do countless numbers of your countrymen will suffer a gruesome fate.
 
The Kaiser realizes this is a lot to ask of your small jagdstaffel, but His Imperial Majesty has complete faith in your ability to succeed in this most vital mission.
 
Gott sei mit Der.
 
 

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Strike fear into the hearts of the Hun when you comest in this unquestionable shape. There will be no wondering whether thou art a spirit of health or goblin damned, or if thou bringest with airs from Heaven or blasts from Hell. Your intents will be most assuredly wicked. (apologies to Shakey Bill fans everywhere for my paraphrasing of his Hamlet's diatribe)
 
Enjoy!
 
Lou
 
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1917 Nieuport 24 "Celia V", belonging to Corporal William "Wild Bill" Wellman, American volunteer flying with Escadrille 87.
 
Wellman went to France and joined the Norton-Harjes Ambulance Corps, later transferring to the French Foreign Legion, and then on to the French Air Service. After training on Bleriots and Nieuports he went into the Lafayette Flying Corps, assigned to Esc 87. Once he was assigned a mission to drop pamphlets on the Germans. While performing aerobatics over German lines his motor quit, but he managed to crash land and flipped upside down. He couldn't get loose and was rescued by French troops. Wellman was nicknamed "Wild Bill" by the French for his one-man dawn patrols over enemy lines where he would bomb and strafe the Germans. He had two confirmed kills and was eventually shot down by AA fire. In the crash he broke his back in two places, his control stick went into the roof of his mouth and he ended up with a permanent limp and a silver plate in his head. When Wellman was discharged as a sergeant from the French forces in March, 1918 he left with the Croix de Guerre with two Palms, the Medaille Militaire and the citations, A L'Ordre de L'Armee and Le Pilote Americain, Marshall de Logis. After the war Wellman went on to become one of Hollywood's leading directors. The initial success of his career was launched with the 1927 WWI aerial saga "Wings", the first film ever to win the Acadamy Award for Best Picture, (information courtesy of www.worldwar1.com).
 
I wish to thank Polovski, Winder, OvS, and rabu for their outstanding skins and graphics that provide the starting point for these paint schemes.

Bristol F2b, unit number B4/66, belonging to the Belgian Air Service. The original aircraft this OFF example is modeled after currently resides in the Brussels Air Museum. I wish to thank Polovski, Winder, OvS, and rabu for their outstanding skins and graphics that provide the starting point for these paint schemes.

Sopwith Camel belonging to Belgian ace Lt. Jan Olieslagers of 9me Escadrille de Chasse. I wish to thank Winder and rabu for their outstanding skins and graphics that provided me the starting point for this paint scheme.

1917 Sopwith Triplane RNAS, "Where's the Bratwurst?" Just a fun one for all you Tripe flyers out there who want a bit more colour in your lives.
 
Cheers!
 
Lou

(Inspired by British_eh's exciting "Dover Straits Mission")
 
May of 1916. The War has been raging for twenty-one months and shows no signs of ending any time soon. Information has just been received that the Hun have constructed a small but important servicing yard on the Belgian coast east of Knokke for their ships that travel and patrol the North Sea and beyond. It is vital that this yard be destroyed in order that we might hinder German naval operations in this area. Your assignment is to lead your flight of eight BE2c's up along the coastline and do as much damage as possible to the target facility. You will have escort in the way of five DH2's from 29 Squadron that will meet you over your aerodrome at Koksijde. Make best speed to the target and try and keep your altitude when bombing as you will likely encounter not only enemy scouts but also heavy ground fire if you get too low. It has further been reported that a German cruiser is patrolling the waters near the shipyard. Good luck, and God's speed.

Bonjour, bravez les aviateurs! French High Command has ordered Escadrille SOP.5 to fly their Strutters deep into enemy territory and bomb a German zeppelin base located in the northern Alps. You will leave shortly before sunrise and use the pre-dawn darkness to cross the front. Get as much altitude as you can, and don't forget to lean your mixture to conserve fuel. Due to the strong seasonal winds blowing towards the east and the length of your flight, you will not be able to return to your home aerodrome but instead will fly south from the target, up over the mountains, and land at an airfield in Italy. It is advised that you keep your altitude and bomb from 2,500 meters, the height of the mountains along the valley and the enemy's defenses could prove to trap you otherwise. Be aware that you may encounter German 2-seaters along the way, as the target base is also used to launch air strikes into northern Italy. Do your best, the eyes of France are upon you.

It is a moonlit night in July of 1917. London sleeps as flights of Gotha bombers proceed from the east along the Thames with the intention of bombing the very heart of Britain yet again. Your flight of Se5's stationed at Sutton's Farm have been given the order to scramble immediately and intercept the Hun threats before they can unleash their deadly cargo. Camels from nearby Hainault Farm are on the way as well to assist in this most dire mission. Fly south to the river and alt up as fast as you can and don't waste your ammo, there will be no time to land and reload. Watch for the searchlights and the AA as they converge on the Gothas, it will aid you in locating them once they are over the city. This will be an extremely difficult mission, so do your best. The safety of London depends on you and your squad mates. Good luck and God's speed, you will need both.

 
 
Greetings All,
 
Here is a challenging mission for you to try. A pair of zeppelins are staging a daring dusk raid on Paris. You must scramble your Camels, which are stationed on the northern edge of the city, and climb to intercept the airships before they can reach the Eiffel Tower. But beware, they have waves of escorting Hun fighters tagging along, and despite the help you will receive from the Spad VII's of ESC15 you will still have your hands full. Remember, your primary objective is to destroy the brace of zeppelins before they can reach the Tower. And one more warning, a certain ace from Jasta 37 and his wingman have been reported in the area as well, so watch out. Don't forget to use the Camel's outstanding climbing abilities to stay above the enemy fighters as best you can, and to reach the airships as quickly as possible. And if you are skillful enough to down your targets you will still have to fight your way back home and land safely.
 
Best of luck!
 
 
 
 
 
P.S. You will need the "ZeppelinL30" folder in your "aircraft" folder, and you can download that file from the following link: ZeppelinL30 files
 
 
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Here is a new skin for the Camel that was created using ideas gleaned from many old WWI aircraft photos. Enjoy!

Bristol F2b #D8084 flown by Capt Sydney Dalrymple of 139 Squadron RAF, based at Villavera aerodrome.

1916 Strutter 1 1/2 "Elephant of Flight"