Olham

It was raining Pups, when we were about to take off from Boistrancourt today. I shot a wing off this one, but his wingman was very angry about that and hit my craft so, that I had to put it down again. Try to top that: flying time - 2 minutes; one kill!

Thank you for your help, Shredward. Using another field map, I got the final overlay together for the airfields of Jastas 4, 6, 10 and 11.

Thank you very much, Morris. It would of course only make sense, when I am the first to activate it? Cause I would want a version with full access and all rights. If you have such a full version and want to give it away, I will be glad! I can only offer you new skins to make for your own use. Please send me a PM, what you want.

Good idea, Bletchley! And you're right: after some time of flying from La Jolly Ferme, west-northwest of Verdun, I knew all the lakes and forrests around there very well.

Interesting read, Conrad! Hellshade, you are absolutely right there - I like to have more than only one good restaurant in my area: more choice. And I visit them all. Because of choice. I think, for us real WW1 air combat enthusiasts, it is no question to have either this or the other sim. I bet, many here do already have both sims. I don't have RoF yet, but will sooner or later get it. That won't keep me from getting P4 - no way!

It was a pleasure to help you, and I see that it really means something to you, to know where your family roots lay. For all, who want to read from first hand about how class distinction faded away in a German Jasta, I recommend Julius Buckler's "Malaula! The battle cry of Jasta 17" (translated into English by Norman Franks). Buckler was a young roofer, before he became a pilot in the Great War. A very good read, also about the social life of a rather poor family in the pre-war Germany.

The Great War / Western Front map, that RAF_Louvert provided in the downloads section. I make excerpts from it, just like I need them.

Now I have made a new overlay from the field map, and erased all bright areas. Also I have made a larger Google Maps satelite picture from Chateau de Béthune. I hope I got the correct building - there is a smaller Chateau-like building slightly higher and further east.

This is my third pilot with Jasta 5, May 1917, within short time. And it doesn't look like he will get very far. The amount of enemies we are running into, is amazing. I can hardly avoid the fights, cause the enemies are everywhere around us often. After almost every fight, I have to put down a pretty shot up Albatros. Man, this is tough! Not that I'm complaining - if I want it more "peaceful", I fly my 1916 Jasta 2 pilot. Sometimes I like it hot. But at this rate, I won't live very much longer. I often ask myself: what would Creaghorn do? I know, that he avoids fights, when the risk is too high. But here - how can you avoid a fight, when you are surrounded by enemies most often? My Werkmeister will kill me, when he sees this!

Haha - at least that's what he would have died from, if he hadn't chosen the quicker way. Thank you, Dej and Shredward.

Elephant, in May 1917, only a few ace Albatros do already show the later so characteristic green tails with red outlines. Werner Voss, when he was there, didn't have that design either. I have - like him - chosen a white tailplane. I will change to green, when we get the later D.III. jwrich, you need to have skins at "normal resolution" in "Workshops". The "high" one won't show bulletholes.

What wealth we are wallowing in - see all these refusals...

And I always thought, the German military was the most bizzare...

Well, you Americans can't deny you have quite a lot of English blood in yourn veins, eyh? And the military seems to be the same everywhere.

Us Germans???!!! Who is the world champion in cutting the lawn to perfection (even scissors would be used)? The British! (I know that from "Asterix in Britain"! Hah!)

Cerny-La Ferté-Alais - A Flying Museum south of Paris Here you can see a video of a Caudron G.III (Replica, in colour) in flight! Also some great photographs of other aircraft. Click on the British flag (top right) for English language. Click on "Flying Museum" in the frame "Welcome" at the left; then on the pictures of the planes you want to see more of. http://www.ajbs.fr/ May have been shown here before, but for all who missed it.

Yep, Leutnant von Keltsch was very lucky - he received a full burst from the twin guns of a SPAD XIII. Could have been his end. Even the wheel covers were sieved. Yes, when I say, I marked it, I did it this way. - pop the TAC up - go through the enemy craft with "next target", until the one is chosen - then I press "A" (attack) If I only have my personal wingman near, or if under too much stress escaping, I often only press "H" (Help!) In good or elite Staffeln, that helps a lot - the enemy is as good as dead. And often very quick!

You're a nice chap, tranquillo, and if I hadn't got IL-2 1946 a long time ago, I'd cry: "Here, please!"

You were not the only one. Pawgy also just made five posts in the TrackIR thread.

Did you press "Post" with all five fingers, Lou?

Wondering, if it might be possible to make some of the airfields - those, which are well documented in photos (like Bertangles, Bailleul Asylum, Bertincourt, Brayelles, Roucourt, Toulis and so on) look a bit more like the RL originals in OFF ? That would be great, to recognise your field just from it's whole shape and setup.

The more I learn about WW1 air combat, the more mistakes do I notice. MvR has never been flying an unmodified Albatros D.V with the "hunchback". And Till Schweiger's googles are far too modern. Ah, well, and Schweiger as Werner Voss - much too old.

I'm still working my way through Peter Kilduff's book "THE RED BARON - Beyond the Legend" Here are some passages, that made me wonder: End of January 1918, Manfred von Richthofen finds (after business in Berlin) some time to visit his mother in Schweidnitz - for the last time. His aircraft had been brought to Breslau for maintenance, and he had to travel there by train. Freifrau von Richthofen called a last goodbye to her son from a window: "Auf Wiedersehen, mein Junge!" ("Until we meet again, my boy!") At the station, his sister reinforced the message: "Please, be a bit careful - we DO want to see you again!" Richthofen's reply: "Can you imagine, Ilse, that I could ever die in some wretched bed of straw?" Before his trip back, he and his mother had seen through some photogrpaphs from his time at Feldfliegerabteilung 69. Looking over his shoulder, his mother pointed to one smiling young flyer and asked: "What has become of him?" "Fallen in combat." She pointed to a second man, to which Manfred replied: "Also dead. Before she could enquire further, he said in a voice suddenly hoarse: "Do not ask anymore. They are all dead." Short before the beginning of the last big German offensive - "Operation Michael" - the commander of JG 1 handed an envelope with the Geschwader seal on it, to his adjutant, Oberleutnant Karl Bodenschatz. It was von Richthofen's official testament, designating his successor.

Had to let some steam off today. This Strutter crew was my first victim. I had just shot them down, when I noticed a single Nieuport 17 sneaking up on me. He didn't get very far and was victory #2. Then I changed to Leutnant von Keltsch, the Saxonian nobleman, to fly the D.Va. We had to escort 4 D.F.W. C.V, and they were going so high, that the Albatros' engine performed like a soap-bubble-bath again (I hope, the D.V and D.Va will get changed for P4 - they appear weaker sometimes than the D.II). At the front, we got received by some 10 or 12 SPAD XIII. Too much at this altitude. I managed to shoot the wing off of one, before his mad wingman pierced my kite. But here, the wingmen commands came in handy - I pressed "Help", and also marked the SPAD and pressed "Attack", and he got shot to pieces before he knew he had hit my craft. I sailed behind our lines, guarded by my men, and put the kite down near a road, without any problems.