Duce Lewis

Typically there were several groups of Mustangs assigned to escort the bombers to the target A 2nd escort package rendevoued with the heavies for the escort home This freed up the 1st for ground attacks on the homeward trip, Airfields, RR, etc. Yes, but the 1st stages are so important Whoever starts off with the tactical advantage can put the their opponent on the defensive I fly average rated squads most often If we can set-up a well timed bounce, many times we can wipe them out with no losses Reverse the odds and they're chasing you home

Gun jams usually occur when firing looong bursts ...5 sec Best to fire multiple short bursts instead Sure can be a sinking feeling to be in the middle of a DF, plently of ammo, and the Vickers won't work!!! Keep test firing it though as eventually it should unjam

Nice relate there Olham I sure hate them Bristols! I think of the frontline as the line of death Only bad things happen on the other side of it It's tough to break off but dice are just too loaded in their favor ...did I mention I hate Bristols?

Speaks to OFF's immersion level that we're having this discussion Creaghorn's advice works well I stay high in the fight but often spot wingies in trouble down low If the scrap is about even, I'll dive to their aid It's a tough decision when the odds turn bad and you spot some poor sod below swarmed by 3 or 4 Turning for home (as a suicidal dive is senseless) sure leaves a bad feeling How many times did RL pilots had to make that choice? And how many scotches did it take to push it outta your mind?

Good show Hobbit! You see, it's really quite easy, just keep doing that til the end o' the war Either that or join the rest of us in the Grave Diggers Union

Rocketing Rabbit .1956 There used to be a sign in a farmers field near where I grew up "Don't take a shortcut across this field unless you can do it in 9 sec ...cuz the bull can do it in 10!

Landing the Roland will never be a stroll in the park with that wing placement But pushing Zoom all the way back allows more usage of the wing cutouts to see the ground/horizon Thanks for looking at the FM Pol

Good to hear you're having fun deadangle Yep, OFF is certainly a challenge But if it wasn't, it'd get boring & that just doesn't happen Welcome aboard,

I took 4 Rolands to attack an enemy airfield yesterday We met 6 N.11 or 16's and 4 DH2's Rolands are the speed burners of March 16 so we worked our way around them DH2's flew off and we had the 6 Nieups at 8 O'Clock heading straight for the target Pushed over into the dive, figuring we could make 1 pass then outrun them Tactical situations can change quiclky in OFF, and 4 more Nieups popped up at 1 O'Clock high 10 swift and agile Scouts vs our 4 Rotunds didn't seem sporting so we aborted the mission Speed seemd our only hope se we banked to port and tried to thread the needle between them Knowing we had a long way to go, we kept a shallow dive for speed and watched as the pincers closed Ca-lose it was but we slipped through and ran to the lines, over, and well behind our lines 6 Nieups at our 7 O'Clock and 4 more at our 5 O'Clock Knew we could ourun them but I wanted to scrap so I plotted a little sceme Turned about 10o to starboard allowing the 4 to close and distancing us from the 6 Held steady til we opened the gap from the 4 and did it again ...and again Eventually the flight of 6 Nieups fell back enough then turned for home Waited til they were outta sight then called the attack Can't really call it a dogfight as both crates are a study in opposites Rolands can't roll fast enought get on those reversing Nieups tails And TG's scare off any attempts of the Nieups to latch onto us Wingnuts couldn't get into the action much but hitting "H" brought them around for flybys TGer & I traded turns getting short bursts out but many times he just missed good opportunities Finally caught 1 good and laid some long bursts into the little Nieup He dove and milled around low before eventully crashing Wingnuts had dissappeared and remaining 3 Nieups were a little shot up so we just flew off home Epilogue ------------------------- Rolands can be fun if you're a patient flyer Action tends to develop slowly Slow roll rate inhibihits manueverability but once in the turn she'll come round quick enough She doesn't stall easily but lay her too far over on her side & she'll slide earthward She's a speedster (early on ) but still underpowered Managed a fairly quick reversal by pulling up quick out of a dive and ruddering over But vertical tactics don't seem to be her forte Coordinating your shot opportunities with the TGer's seems to be her strongest suit I'll get back to you when I figure that out though ...He he!

Just a thought; maybe "Split" is based on their formation position Wingies on the left go left etc. cfs3 could do something dumb like that My experience is that Wingnuts will shoot through you, fly through you, or demolish you in any way to get the victory Best to just get outta their way and let em have it I have had some success with Rejoion Command, but if they're that close, best to pull off

Hi Erik, thanks for the clarification On another unamed forum we were allowed to post a short personal message below our avatar Any chance of that happening here? Some seem to have figured out how to do that already

Going away on a church retreat this weekend Up to the clean air in the Catskills (well cleaner air) Get away from all the distractions and forge a closer relationship with the Lord See y'all on Tuesday!

Great review Firecage! OFF has to be flown to be really appreciated You detailed the experience very well cfs3 Hard Code has been unraveled some too All that great AI has been Rex Hannovers rewriting of cfs3 code These guys are marvelous There's no quit in them and we're the lucky benefitiares Happy Hunting,

Welcome back Rooster! AWOL guys buy the beers!

Hi Fortiesboy, Sorry if I offended you in any way Not gonna deny that I'm religious or afraid to speak about it Many times people here have shared a bit of their personal lives Personally I enjoy that, think it's breaks down a little of this electronic wall between us As I was leaving for a while, I thought I'd open up a little too I agree this isn't the forum for religeous discussion or debate That's why I kept it quite light But I don't think I should have to hide it completely either Peace,

Ah, you've been to our little mountain top in the Catskills They were everywhere! Even a nest right above our main doorway Nobody got stung AFAIK ...but there were a few dancing folks about Li'l buggers have been having a tough time ...worldwide I think Hope they make a comeback

Thanks Wid / Lou. Quiet and solitude has it's merits Good for reflection and recommitment Cheers,

You guys are doing an amazing job OvS! Take your time, take care of your families No wine before it's time Thanks for all your efforts M8,

Well 2 missions under my belt so far Met Quirks then Scouts on the 1st one Quirks were no problem and we knocked down all 4 w/o loss, I got 3 and the flight got the last one I tried to set up a Beam Attack ...but ...she's no DVII and I never made it around for the pass TGer laid in a good burst though so I just flew parellel and let him chew up the Tommie The leader Quirk even manuevered a bit Roland seems more sluggish than the Biff so you need to plan your passes carefully Met some Bristol Scouts next and they were a lot more trouble Hard to get on their tails but TGer can hold them off Tried chasing one low and flew her right into the turf Have to be careful down low as she loses altitude in a turn pretty fast Re-enlisted and met some DH2's next Shot all 3 down but the Wingies didn't engage this time It was an escort mission but a window popped up saying no Recee squads were not available Wingies were assigned the recee duties and therefore had bomber FM I suppose FA62 are definately fighters but the Rolands are not too easy to fly Managed a sloppy wingover and a diving barrel roll (with a lot o' rudder) Landings are an experience, as BH said that wing blocks everything from just above the horizon down Low approach worked OK and I bounced her once on 2 wheels We'll see how long Lt. Johann Schaefer lasts

Hi andqui, Bristol F2b's, Fee's etc. already have fighter and bomber squads I suspect many more but not so sure about the Roland yet I've been contemplating a Roland Campaign ...hmmm FA62 eh? I'm off to give it a try I'll report back ...probably very soon too

Thanks Rick ...sure was!

I've seen duplicates of the 1st Flights skins sometimes "Rove your assigned airspace, find the enemy, and shoot him down. Everything else is rubbish." Manfred von Richtofen Had to add this one too "I would rather have a German division in front of me than a French one behind me." George S. Patton

Wow great thread! I fly Flanders area July 1918, certainly a Biff rich environmnet ...or as the Biff squads say "a target rich environment" Fly the DVII and use 3 basic tactics * Stuka Dive from above (Best results but can only be used 1 time/scrap) * Head-on, slightly low and to the side * Beam attack, slightly low so the wing blocks the TGer No matter how well executed, the most dangerous moment occurs when passing the target Jink, flip, wiggle, dive, that blasted TGer always gets his burst in Always dive below on the finish I don't get exclusive engine hits, but get sprayed everywhere Not much better as controls suffer and setting up the next pass is slow & wobbly I was convinced that the Biff's TGer could swivel/elevate faster than other 2 Seaters No matter what side I pass on, the TGer can always can whirl his mount around Checked the airplane files and found the settings for the Bristol and Re8 to be essentially the same! But the Re8, though you have to be careful on the approach, is far easier to handle than the Biff Re8 TGer's just don't get the passing shots in Having many years in the motor industry, many applications being start/stop, a huge factor is the moment of inertia Def: http://en.wikipedia....ment_of_inertia Basically, any large object (like a MG Mount) requires a lot of energy to start it roatating and then to stop it The TGer should have trouble getting on target and then will overshoot/undershoot (ringing) once there The fact that both crates are flying different paths requires the TGer to also constantly adjust his aim In short, passing should be the most difficult time for the TGer, when he's the least accurate My guess is, cfs3 has no modelling for inertia and the TGer can zip right on target and hold it's aim

I'm back guys! Just crashed yesterday as we were quite busy all weekend The Lord indeed did spark new resolve in me but more importantly, in the Youth Group I work with To see their eyes light up with understanding and honestly open up in group discussion was heartwarming Thanks all for your good wishes Mutual support works wonders Peace all,