Olham

Sounds very promising, JFM! Especially the D.I is still a pretty much unknown craft it seems. And I hope this will comfort you a little - the German AMAZON seems to show the right planes; only for the E-book Kindle Edition they used a wrong D.III (of Werner Voss). See here - that's what I got here:

Hey, that's looking good to me - carry on, tranq!

Thank you guys for memories. I'll search for some of these as free downloads.

Holy Moly! You are getting the details done like an old master! Geeze, I guess stuff like those valve springs must be pretty tricky. Now, if you could bring yourself to make models for flight sims, with less poygons, you could send in your application for the job of building some of the yet missing models for OFF. This simply looks stunning to me...

Okay, thank you for the detailed answer. That's strange - I wanted "Enemy Unknown", but must have got mislaid somewhere. I'll try again tomorrow.

Now summer is standing in the open door, about to travel south. The mornings are getting a bit chillier, the first leaves are turning yellow. I am at school again since 5 weeks, and I must say it is a tough job. I had forgotten how hard learning and memorising were. When I come home, I am not even in any mood to fly (which is a very serious sign of stress for me). But I also think it does me good. Not sure at all, if I can still become a fully cerified web designer, but even if not - I guess I will learn enough to become at least an uncertified one. Why bother? In the evenings, I often just listen to one of my hundreds of records. It brings me back down and makes me feel homely and comfortable. For all who carry a burden - or maybe more than one - have a short moment of rest and listen to this little piano piece by Eric Satie. Perhaps it helps a little.

Thanks a lot, Balders!

It's the first from your list. But researching a bit deeper, I found several people saying that "Jagged Alliance 2" was better; that it was "like XCOM with real characters". "Jagged Alliance", anyone?

Found a free download for XCOM UFO Alien Invasion - downloading right now.

Ah, I see. Thanks for your forgiveness. I guess I know what you mean. I have an old game which I still like a lot. It was quite hard for a long time to beat the computer, before you slowly but surely gained the upper hand. It was called "Grandest Fleet". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Grandest_Fleet http://www.myabandonware.com/game/the-grandest-fleet-30z It is impossible to say how anyone would like it, if he saw it now. But back in the 90s, I happily wasted hours trying to reconquer my islands and gain the upper hand. I always selected the parameters for my random maps so, that I had many rather small islands. So I had a lot to conquer. And you only saw from the map, what you had already reconoitred. The driving and firing ranges for all boats and ship were different. Oh, I better stop before I get into it - it was big fun.

Damn, are you guys kiddin' me? Those games are from 1995! So I understand, you are all waiting for the new versions coming out this year?

Now, if a total newbie would like to get into the "XCOM" series - where must I start? Can anyone point out, how many titles there were, and ca. from which years they are?

I have just found this book title "Hauptmann Boelckes Feldberichte" (1916). I wonder, if anyone here actually read this book? And if you did know the above title - is there a better book about Boelcke you would recommend? I'd like to get a better insight into the person Oswald Boelcke.

I've searched AMAZON for "Cinema 4D" but all I get are tutorials. Is it not made anymore?

Shot down by French Flak - or: The Sturdyness of a Pfalz D.IIIa (Excerpt from K. F. Kurt Jentsch: "Beim Jagdflug tödlich verunglückt?") I am still reading Karl Friedrich Kurt Jentsch's book "Beim Jagdflug tödlich verunglückt?". Now I came to a passage, where he is getting shot down by Flak, and how his sturdy Pfalz D.IIIa faithfully carries him back over the lines, before "she dies". I thought you might like to share this part, and since I don't know of any translations of the book, I translated it for you to share. The people back in Jentsch's days expressed many things even different to nowadays Germans, and I have tried to keep his own 'speech' as far as possible (so excuse me, when it doesn't read like proper English). I posted it in the other forum; here is the link: http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3644697/Shot_down_by_French_Flak_or_th.html#Post3644697

Ah - that explains the superb roundings. I wonder if there are certain steps to choose in a program, what poly quality I want to use. Before I build one, and then it gets too big... Well, still not very long. But I guess, inside (cockpit stuff) would be the tricky thing. And of course the rotating engine! Great to hear - thanks for your info! Yes, I can imagine that - and will try it too one soon day. Now the first is the choice - which program suits it best for flight sims.

Addition to above translation: I have read on now, and Jentsch did not come down on German held terrain, but in no man's land. Covered with mud, he was quite well camouflaged, and he did what he had learned in basic trainings: he crawled through the lowest furrows in the terrain towards the German lines. When he reached the first barbed wire barricades, he knew there were always small gaps for the most forward patrols to slip through. He found one and moved on, still crawling. When he saw a first single German soldier with a rifle, he approached him from behind (quite risky, I thought!) and spoke to him, when he was close enough. The soldier was quite shocked, but had a calm and warm Bavarian temper. "Ah, there you've got away fine again!" he said, "the primary position is still quite a way behind." He led Jentsch through the running trench; they came to a search light and barbed wire barricades. At a railtrack near the main position two officers took him over. They looked at him with deep mistrust; only when he peeled out of his jacket, and they saw the Iron Cross and his aviator's badge, they became friendlier. There Jentsch was brought into a deep dugout built of solid wooden beams. The Bavarians gave him some Zwieback and cold tea. They told him, that he had to wait for the darkness. "The French have full insight into all our positions here; they would start firing at once. The artillery should begin any minute. They always try to destroy planes, which come down in no man's land." And really, the artillery began only minutes after that. The earth was shaking from close impacts. but the dugout was solidly built. In wire beds left and right, soldiers were sleeping; candles in empty bottles' necks were lighting the dugout dimmly. Smoking cigarettes, Jentsch told them what happened. After darkness ad fallen, an Unteroffizier lead Jentsch all the way to the rearward lines. Still running through trenches with very bad vision, Jentsch fell several times. The French arty was still firing, and sometimes a close granade came hurling over with the characteristic deep howling. Impacts. From a shallow slope, they could see the occasional white flares going up over the front lines. At 10 PM they reached Molinchart. All windows were blinded; no light could be seen. From the artillery commander's house Jentsch can make a round-call for Jasta 61. After a while, they answer, and they get their Staffelführer to the phone. "Here is Vizefeldwebel Jentsch". "Jentsch?" A doubtful voice. "Jentsch is dead!" "Not yet, Herr Oberleutnant, I'm alive!" He told them, where he was right now. After many worried and caring questions, Oblt. von Daniels told him he'd send a car. The telephone room of the artillery commander was very comfortably warm from an iron stove and the light of carbide lamps. They served Jentsch some army bred and liver sausage. Around midnight, a car with screened off headlights appeared. With a food package, Oberleutnant Daniels climbed out. He had insisted to come in person. During the ride back Jentsch heard, that they had already reported his death to the army high command. At 2 h in the night they arrive at Voyenne. The comrades had set up a meal table for Jentsch in the mess. A bowl with a mix of delicious stuff, and even a bottle of wine. Jentsch's brother (who was his mechanic) had organised some sweet confection. Deeply moved by so much attention and attachment, Jentsch ate what he could. Fifteen minutes later he dropped himself onto his bed like a dead. He slept deep and well. They let him sleep until 11 AM - no one was allowed to disturb him. When he entered the office, Feldwebel Gröpler congratulated him to his return, and handed the 'Tagesbefehl' of the 7. Army to him. He read: "Flugzeugführer Vizefeldwebel Jentsch, Jagdstaffel 61, beim Jagdflug tödlich verunglückt." ("Pilot Vizefeldwebel Jentsch, Jagdstaffel 61, killed in an accident on a fighter sortie.") The big Behrens came in and shook Jentsch's hand on his "rebirth". "The condemned live long" he said smiling.

Wow, Iti, that looks great to me! The detail of the rigging and the wheel spokes, which can be seen in the access hatch - amazing! What program do you use? I am thinking of trying the modelling myself, so perhaps you can answer me some questions? - is your program suitable for flight sim 3D models? -how many hours did this take you to build? -can smaller, tricky parts first be built in larger size, and then reduced to their correct size? -can cockpit openings or other holes be cut out later? -can one "insert" a ready-built cockpit into a ready-shaped fuselage later? Thanks in advance, and good success, Iti!

If you want to see the cutie in flight - here is Kermit Weeks flying his Fokker D.VIII. I'm not so sure, if the 4-colour Lozenge is correctly done, but enjoy it anyway. http://www.clipwings.com/index.php?command=show_video&video_id=1269

As far as I know, the claims system will be improved in that way, that it will recognise more key data, and wether your listed witnesses were close enough to witness your kill. I am masochistic enough to say, I'd like it, when all exaggerated claims would get rejected. That might make the victory numbers a bit more realistic. And if they stll leave that button in the "Workshops", you could switch realistic claims off, if you don't like it.

As far as I know, not. It should be the same plane. But after the wing failures and withdrawal of the E.V, Fokker must have decided to give her a new name - just to appear reassuring, I guess.

Here is a link to "The Aerodrome" galleries. This painting by Steve Anderson is said to show an impression of that victory (last victory of the war - I don't believe that, but at some point they may have just stopped confirming victories). According to this painting, the poor British feller was a Sopwith Camel pilot from No. 203 Sqdn. http://www.theaerodr...image.php?i=619

At FLICKR I just found this feller, who has posted lots of satelite pics with drawn in positions of ancient aerodromes. Not sure, wether he is correct, but I'll dive deeper into that. Here is one of my personal OFF favourite airfields - Marchais: http://www.flickr.co...hoto_6538934721 It seems there is a magazine or map collection called Anciens Aerodromes - interesting stuff! There are tons of such pics... .

Yes, Hauksbee, he made it; and he even survived the war. I have visited the Canal near Chauvignon and that water bassin (in Google Maps) , and found one crater- like pool next to the modern motorway - it could be a mine crater, and even that one Jentsch dropped into. I guess the French he heard were soldiers right over the Canal on the other side, shouting to each other about the crashed craft.