Olham

Baldric: does anyone know a way to control the wingmates while under DId ? Well, you can still use the orders "split", "attack", "help" and "rejoin". The only thing you can't do, is to advise a specific target to the wingmen. Or at least that's what I think. Creaghorn - how do you do it?

Oh, welcome on the "dark side", Blue! We need every good man!

Hauptmann Mahlow, FA(A) 250, Wasquehal 26. Oktober 1916 An alle Offiziere Intelligence reports of a British Strutter squadron, where the newcoming pilots want to become good fighter pilots and aces just like we do. And that they want to have a kind of competition going between usand them. They have now got a new commander, who called them to their duties in a - well, let me say, in a gutter snipe manner, with all the vocabulary used in such environements. They didn't even stop from insulting his majesty, the Kaiser himself! Well, we are gentlemen, and want to behave like such. We shall not answer them with bad words and behaviour, right? But I don't mind at all, if you shoot them down as soon as you see them anywhere in your range. Furthermore the intelligence report said, they are doing starts and landing training. On craft like theirs, that seems to be necessary. We have better things to do. I want you all to do some fighting training in your DFW. Treat them, as if they where an Albatros. Learn to fly in the best way for your rear gunner to fire at them. When they are below right, bank right to open the gunner's range. When they come from behind and low, turn, or climb, to expose them to your gunner. And follow your attacker's moves in mind. Learn to feel, where he will go - and be there already. Once they pass your craft or attack from your front, try to hit them with your own forward gun. And always fly as the pilot, never the gunner. You must do the intelligent flying. The man in the back is the better gunner. As you're not so agile, you will have to learn good long range and deflection shooting. Learn to feel, where your tracers go - and then use that feeling! Fire at the point, where the opponent will be, when the bullets arrive. Let them fly into your bursts, destroy them! gezeichnet: J. Mahlow, Staffelführer

Pick a good glider, like I think the Pup should be. Then cut off magneto at 1.000 feet. Once the prop stops turning, you'll hear the airstream over the surfaces. Sometimes wind, too.

Now to the names - how shall we do them? We would recognise each other best by using our Forum name, I suppose. In that case, my pilot could be named: Juergen Olham. Or we choose real German names, with our Forum names as a nickname in the middle; like: Juergen 'Olham' Mahlo In the second example, you could give me your first and family names via PM, and I make sense of them as a German name. For example Jack Miller would be Hans Müller, John Carpenter would be Johann Zimmermann. What do you all think is better?

Checked the Jastas, that Lou named for getting the Fokker E.V (D VIII) later. Jasta 1 and Jasta 8 never got the Fokker Dr.1 Dreidecker Jasta 19, 24 and 36 started to late for us So the choice is made - we will be flying as a special Elitegruppe within Jasta 6.

Okay, wonderful, Lou, this is what I needed. I'll check all those Jastas for usability in this DiD Campaign. Siggi won't do the commander of the British side, he said. So you guys have to elect one still. For the 'Huns': We will start our campaign as Leutnant. Whenever we have to start a new pilot, we will start him at the current date, right after the old one's death. We will not only loose your victories, but also any higher ranks, and start as Leutnant again. And don't worry about phases, where you can't fly. You just advance time later, to catch up with the current date.

Have made that decision now - it will be the DFW. Hannover wasn't yet in service at that time, and Roland is damn tricky to start and land. Pappy, with that avatar, you look like you should join our 'Elitegruppe' in Siggi's Full DiD? (Pappy like 'Pappy' Boyington, the 'Black Sheep'?)

Meine Herren We have got another new member in our crew: VonGuber will make sure, that our ranks will always be filled. Let's welcome our new pilot! So far, our Elitegruppe will be: Olham Creaghorn Baldric Mr.Lucky Rickitycrate Velvet Rooster89 77Scout Hasse Wind VonGuber Baldric, Rooster, Hasse Wind, you're right about the DFW - it is easier to fly and land than the Roland. So it will be as Siggi suggested anyway: DFW C.V, FA(A)250 from Wasquehal. I am thinking of a colour sheme we can take with us on all craft, and which is different to all existing historical skins. On the DFW, it will only be a fuselage band. The only good looking colours not yet used I could think of so far, would be orange or torquoise. We'll see - I want to keep a touch of surprise. Everyone should take some flying time on the DFW, if he wants to get through that phase well. We will do our first flights on November 5th, 1916 - I expect to see you in acceptable condition. Wegtreten! (Dismissed) PS: I ask you all again: Does anyone know, if Jasta 4 got the E.V / D VIII ? That is important to know for our Jasta choice decision.

Baldric, how could Hawker get you from down there? This looks like you rule the scene?

One last thought: if we can't get any new sticky space, we could use Siggi's DiD Standard sticky, right?

Just checked Jasta 4 aircraft and movements. They are definitely the most moving around Staffel among my choice, and they get further south, to the Verdun sector, too. And they fly all craft except for the Albatros D Va 200 hp. But they fly the Halberstadt D II/D III from our start until 30. January, 1917. Also do they fly the Pfalz D III/D IIIa very often and long; 2.10. - 20.10.1917, 23.10 - 16.11.1917, 21.11.1917 - 20.3.1918, 1.4. - 8.4.1918, 16.4. - 24.4.1918, and 28.4. - 2.5.1918 If they didn't get the E.V / D VIII, they are out anyway. But if they did, it's our decision to make. I'll try to find that out tomorrow.

You should not hear your engine, when it is out. I often have to make dead stick landings after clashing with Brisfits. The engine stops, the propellor comes to a halt, and then all I hear is the air streak in the wires, and the wind. Check the balance in "workshop" - maybe you have the outside sounds too loud and so hear your wingman to well. And: your engine won't be out, when you only pull throttle back. You should cut off magneto.

Okay, I have checked through the two seaters now. The Hannover seems to have entered service only later, so what we could fly apart from the DFW, is the Roland. That craft has a poor view forward down. I'll test it tomorrow, and you "Germans" may well give me your opinion: DFW or Roland for a start? And another point: all of us, who have read about DiD flyers, must be aware, that Creaghorn is a far better DiD pilot than me. Me, I had just switched off "crutches", from DiD/TLW to the new Full DiD - only to crash it into a Brisfit! I had not been aware, that it was descending with a hanging tail - from the looks, I had thought, it would zoom over me. If it turns out in the tournament, that I am a lousy DiD pilot, I will hand the baton to Creaghorn, or whoever else is doing best.

Carrick, your second craft is a Hannover, isn't it? Does it also have an engine block for toasting the pilots face in front of him? I tried the DFW today, but we didn't meet any enemies. I found that I could use the gunsight F6 still. It unables the TrackIR view; you have to switch back three times. Might be operational, but the normal forward view is very poor.

Axgrinder, I have written to Sitting Duck and Vasco already, that I will join in, when I'm able to. I will at least give it a good try, to see, if my old reflexes are still in operational status.

The French could be in there, if enough people would fly their side.

Now I have checked Jasta 6 until May 1918, when they get the D VII, and they really move around. Here is a map of their moves. Also I list the aerodromes and aircraft here now. I'll try to check the same for Jasta 4 later on. Albatros D II 30.10. - 28.12.1916 Ugny-l'Equippee 29.10. - 31.12.1916 Vaux-en-Vermandois 01.01. - 06.03.1917 Vaux-les-Rubigny 07.03. - 19.03.1917 Wassigny Albatros D III early 20.03. - 17.05.1917 18.05. - 22.05.1917 Premont Albatros D III 23.05. - 08.06.1917 09.06. - 01.07.1917 Bisseghem Albatros D V 02.07. - 20.11.1917 21.11. - 12.12.1917 Lieu-St.-Amand Albatros D Va 13.12. - 01.01.1918 Fokker Dr.1 02.01. - 20.03.1918 21.03. - 31.03.1918 Awoingt 01.04. - 04.04.1918 Lechelle 05.04. - 09.04.1918 Harbonnieres 10.04. - 20.05.1918 Cappy Fokker D VII 21.05. - Guise

Good point, Rickitycrate. Jasta 6 would get the E.V I think. Not sure about Jasta 2 and 4. RAF Louvert, didn't you post a detailed list of Jastas, that got the E.V? Could you lead me there again, Sir?

Found this very moving, and a good example for "never give up, before it's over"

He made this important experience early enough to make him last long. Yes, wildlife is dangerous any minute - even for the hunters. If a Hyena bites into the paw of a Gepard, the cat can't hunt anymore for so long, that she'll dy from hunger. That's why they never fight for their prey against those bonebreaking jaws. There was one YouTube non-video (it shows a picture sequence only) about a lioness, who got killed by a warthog. She looks completely unharmed, except a hole in her throat. The broken off tooth of the warthog stuck in there. Only when the rangers turned her over, they saw her blood, that had run out.

I often find myself humming Matt's "Opening Title", which I find rather optimistic and honouring the pilots somehow - it fits incredibly well. It hasn't worn off on me after hearing it so often.

Have never flown with manual mixture controll. I don't even know, what to do when. So I would only prefer it, if it works better - like someone said a long time ago, you can lean the mixture so, that the engine gets a little more speed?

Stiffy, your side will be settled by Siggi, I'm sure. For the Germans: I have checked the movements and aircraft of all Jastas which are there already in November 1916, and so now it's condensed down to two Staffeln. Jasta 2 Pro: getting around a bit, but later only; getting all craft but the Pfalz Con: not as much moving as in Jasta 4 Jasta 4 Pro: getting around most of all, getting ALL aircraft, including the Pfalz Con: we would have to fly the Halberstadt (one gun only) until 31. January 1917, before we'd get the Albatros D II Jasta 6 Pro: getting around a bit, but later on, in 1917; getting all craft but the Pfalz Con: not as much moving as in Jasta 4 Remember, the true Germans: we change to winter time tonight and get one hour plus. But still I'm tired - good night for now!

You're right, Baldric, I wasn't reading. The DFW C.V will start from Wasquehal, Flanders. Jasta 5 is good for the choice of aircraft, Creaghorn, but not that good for the moving around. They are never at the north sea, nor in Alsace or the Vosges. I have so far chosen Jasta 2, 4, 6, 10 and 12, and will check tomorrow, which one will have all the good aircraft, maybe except the Pfalz. Gute Nacht, Männer; wegtreten!