Olham

Never mess with Strutters, I say, too. The FE2b is not that difficult. I could down 4 of those with my Albatros DII, within 4 minutes! But when I see Strutters, I let them pass, and hope they do the same with me. They really attack sometimes; and there are even aces amongst them!

Captain - were can I find a girlfriend like yours? You guys are definitely mad, and I would offer to cure you - but I have another sortie in 10 minutes, and I can't give it a miss. There are some SPADs out there round the Marne bend, waiting to get burnt...

My experience, Griphos, seems to be, that you order "attack" first, but then press the "help" key. It seems, that only wingman 1 follows that, unless the others are very close.

Warning - Hauksbee again!

Different to dogfights, the rear gunner's fire always hits your crate from the front. And a running engine is something very vulnerable. These rounds went right into it's interior. What would you expect to happen, when it turns with some thousand rpm?

File Name: Albatros DVa Wolf File Submitter: Olham File Submitted: 04 Apr 2009 File Updated: 20 Oct 2009 File Category: Aircraft Skins Skin created from original OFF skins made by OvS/James Romano and Paarma/Arto Karttunen. Click here to download this file

File Name: Albatros DIII Red Yellow File Submitter: Olham File Submitted: 04 Apr 2009 File Updated: 20 Oct 2009 File Category: Aircraft Skins Skin created from original OFF skins made by OvS/James Romano and Paarma/Arto Karttunen. Click here to download this file

Jasta 15, Bonneuil Ferme, 26. April 1918 Oberleutnant Wolfram "Wolf" Mahlo Standing in front of my mirror this morning, I looked into a stranger's hollow eyes. Couldn't sleep well after yesterdays escort mission. Almost got killed by a mad SPAD pilot; he wouldn't let me out. If Richard hadn't jumped in at the last moment... Just made it over the lines. What are we painting our Albatros for so beautifully - the next day, there are holes in it. Lifting my razor blade to my chin, I notice my hand is trembling. Calm down, man! I do my best, but cut myself. Pressing the Alaun stick on the spot, I feel, something bad may happen today. I taunt myself. Sometimes helps, to get into the boots. We take off into low, slate grey clouds. April should be my time; it's my birth month. Thoughts of home. Anna in her white gown - on a meadow with daisies - can almost hear her laughing... Over the front line, south of Villeselve field, we encounter 4 SPAD XIII. This time, we're not outnumbered. And this time, I'll pay you back, boys! I order split and attack, and climb a bit more before the clash. The helter skelter begins! All nervousness is gone. I'm the mad Wolf now, hunting for the kill! Hook up behind a SPAD and give him such a good burst, he pulls up vertical and explodes! Ja! Ja! Ja!!! This is our day! Quick check now. I must be at some 3.000 Meter. I'm the highest flyer - everyone has "travelled downstairs". I can see a SPAD attacking Gussendorf's plane, and must hold myself back, not to break up my wings by my dive. Werner turns fine, the SPAD can't get behind him, but keeps trying. And you don't even notice me, you fool! He get's a full shower of hot lead, and breaks away! In the same moment, I'm hit. I really feel the tackles in the airframe, and a hot, sharp cut on my left cheek. So much for the fool! I pull round so hard, that my Albatros stalls for a moment. While tumbling through the air like a leaf in the wind, the SPAD zooms past me, but collecting hits. I see many white puffs, and pieces coming off. Just when I caught up my crate, Richard von Marchlewitz zooms past me, still after the SPAD. He is literally shooting it to pieces; the pilot must have been dead, before it hit the ground! Now there's only one SPAD left, chasing our new man, Erich Steiner. I jump on it, but can't save him anymore. Flying through the smoke of his crash, I almost ram the SPAD from behind, firing 300 rounds into his plane. He tries to pull away, but must have lost most of his manoeuverability. In a wide right turn, he get it all. Continuing the turn, descending, he get's a last burst. He slams right into the soil. I fire a green flare and circle, and after a while, three Albatros are coming towards me. What a touching moment! On returning, I look around me. Even in this weather, the landscape looks wonderful now. I wipe my cheek, and my hand is sticky red. So what! Looking over my shoulder, I see Mannheim and Gussendorf to my right, and von Marchlewitz to my left. He waves to me with his boyish grin, and I wave back. What a fine wingman he is. Always there, when I need him most! I'll open my best Cognac with him, when we're back at Bonneuil Ferme.

Thank you, Siggi! Now, that's what I call a good help! Should make it more successful now. And you, Pol - take care, the tap isn't running, when you leave the flat!

Here's a picture. Now, I don't know, if the fixation of the gun to the metal bow is a turnable joint; but if so, you wouldn't have much of a safe angle below the plane. http://www.greatwarflyingmuseum.com/planes...s_small/sop.jpg

Thanks a lot for guiding me over there, Fortiesboy! Very useful details and additions about TrackIR, I had not known. All of you, who, like me, haven't visited the help section yet - take a look. HomeBoy's TrackIR advice alone is definitely worth it!

My god - what a great job you have done here on explaining TrackIR step by step, HomeBoy! This should be used by TrackIR themselves! I read details I din't know, which will be very useful. I must admit, I hadn't got used to the new forum form; and haven't been in this section before. Thank you, Fortiesboy, for guiding me here!

There, there, Catfish... Don't you see? The crumpets are trying to keep every trick and chance for them, to maintain air superiority (as if they didn't have it anyway - at least in numbers of planes). I'll write the time now as it is in the briefing (Takeoff at 12h08). We'll see, how far I get.

Good report, Baywing! Don't know for the Strutter, but when they have the gun mounted on a ring, they can move it to one side, and fire almost down behind themselves. Almost no dead angle.

What do you mean with: ...probably wrong ? Do you get your claims confirmed or not? But I see - I won't get anything out of you (Lol!) And it's not so, that I didn't get mine confirmed - my best pilot so far had 7 confirmed, and 12 claims.

Yes, BirdDog Wings of Glory, Dawn Patrol, and Flying Corps - back then, it was outstanding. I still have them somewhere.

This was a very special order, I was given today (great idea, Winder & team). I had to protect and bring back my wingman, who had a special camera for aerial photography on board, as the two-seaters couldn't come. This time, I fought like a mad wolf, although we were outnumbered. Our three Albatros D Va stood against 5 Camels. But we kept them so busy, that one of them hit the deck in a tight turn fight. My wings shot another one down; and I did so, too. The last "crumpet" was a tough pilot; we went up and down and around like on a fun fair, but I hit him again and again, and he couldn't get behind me. My last burst blew pieces out of his upper wing; but when I tried to turn away, he swayed round and rammed my lower left wing. After that, he crashed. I crawled home with a "beaten Wolf", that always wanted to lean over to the left. Stick tough right; damn tricky to change direction carefully; I just made it over the mud and made an uncomfy landing - but made it!

No, I think, not. But my wingman got carried away so far, he became a white spec on TAC. With my damaged plane, I wouldn't try to join up with him again, but just made it over the lines. for an emergency landing. My plane lay on the left wing in the end, but didn't burn fortunately.

That is something that always annoied me in the videos: player pilot gently drifting around the scene, shooting an Albatros here, and another one there; and in between the two, sipping from his thermosflask. No Albatros veteran, and certainly no ace, would have flown on in gentle soft curves, playing the perfect turkey for your pleasure. When a Nupe gets behind me, my manoeuvers will be immediate and abrupt changes of direction; even if you could follow, you'd find it hard to hit me. If they managed to change that, this patch must be a great improvement! I haven't installed it yet, but will today, and I don't know if I will enjoy it, but it sounds like this is getting closer and closer to the real desperate situations, even good pilots died in...

Wikipedia was useful again here. "The Krupp 75 mm guns were later supplied with an optical sighting system that improved their capabilities, but these sorts of systems were not deployed by other forces." Here's the full site about Anti Aircraft Combat. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti_aircraft...bat#World_War_I

Harder? You liked it harder? Oh me oh mine! I find it difficult enough already, to survive more than seven sorties, man! But well, to look at it realistic: why shouldn't AI fly as clever and dangerous as we arm chair pilots do, eyh? (I hate reality!!!) (Lol!!!)

Are these selfmade skins, Stump? Cause, then you may post them in the skinning department, too? The overall torquoise Albatros (Croneis ?) looks most interesting to me. Keep them coming!

I should think, they had something like that, UncleAl - I mean, they had planes, subs and Zeppelins! But in the artillery, I saw another method, what you can do, when you're not sure about the target distance. You just use different loads in the cartridges. So, one granade bursts at 7.000, the second at 7.500, and the third at 8.000 - one of them may hit you with it's shrapnels.