Hasse Wind

Yes, that would be great for historical realism and immersion. It's completely understandable that not every airfield can be recreated so accurately, but maybe some could.

Well, that certainly proves with Lothar's own words that he was quite the hothead, especially compared to his hunter brother. It's a miracle he survived the war, only to die in an accident some years later. A good read.

Hey, that's interesting. I had no idea he wrote something like that. Thanks for the link. Agreed about the Nazis and how many people saw them at first (and some truly blind ones even till the end).

Richthofen had been serving since the beginning of the war, so surely he must have been at least somewhat exhausted and sick with the situation. That's only human and must have happened to everybody who'd been in the action for so long and in such a responsible position. But I have no idea how MvR felt in his heart during those final weeks. Maybe nobody now living does. I've sometimes wondered how much an ace like MvR shared his feelings with his closest friends and colleagues. Manfred did have another big ace as his brother, after all. Unfortunately Lothar died so soon after the war that he never had the time to write memoirs or anything about his relationship with his brother. At least their early deaths saved the brothers from the Nazi era, unlike many of their pilot colleagues, some of whom became fanatic Nazis themselves. Their honor and reputation was never tarnished by the crimes of the Nazi regime. The temptation to become a Nazi or their supporter would have been considerable for such patriotic and famous officers as the Richthofen brothers were.

I thought dogs love to sniff all kinds of disgusting things. But maybe even they draw the line somewhere.

It's true that the general situation on the Western front was not yet completely desperate for Germany at the time of Richthofen's death. That change happened a couple of months later when the attacking German armies had run out of steam and the Entente forces started their heavy counterattacks. By August/September 1918, it became obvious to all the high ranking German military leaders that the war was lost. Around the same time morale started to deteriorate among the common soldiers, which had already happened to the frustrated sailors waiting uselessly for a change in the blockaded German harbours. However, the German army that attacked in the west in the spring of 1918 was not the same it had been in 1914. Officers noted many disciplinary problems among their men that had not been visible earlier. The long war had simply exhausted the army. This was not restricted only to the German troops, of course. The British and the French had similar problems in their armies. They were lucky to have so many fresh American troops available, men that hadn't yet experienced years of bloodshed and losses. I don't know what personal thoughts Richthofen was thinking in April 1918, but I'm sure he was aware of the critical situation and knew that the moment of truth had arrived for Germany. They had to win the war soon, or be defeated by the growing power of the Entente nations, which were decisively reinforced by American economic and military might. Germany had no such allies. Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Turkey and Bulgaria were all completely exhausted by the spring of 1918. And it must have been painfully obvious to Richthofen and his pilot comrades that the enemy seemed to have almost limitless resources, as the number of Entente aircraft and squadrons just kept increasing the longer the war went on. Under these conditions, Richthofen must have been extremely motivated to give everything for his country and see Germany triumph after years of death and suffering. He could best serve his beloved Fatherland by staying alive and continuing to inflict casualties to the enemy with his comrades.

Looks great. The improvements are spot on.

I was reading about Mr. Buckles and some of the other old veterans (who all died before him) only last week and now I see he is gone too. Soon there will be nobody left from that fateful period of history. Let us never forget what happened in 1914-1918. R.I.P.

My God, those designs just keep getting more and more horrible! :suicide2:

Bullethead's Austrian abominations hit the jackpot. No wonder the whole k.u.k. Doppelmonarchie was on the brink of collapse even before the war.

This is a great little modification. Gentlemen, give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

Good to know this will be changed in P4. I never fly scramble missions, especially if I'm serving in a two-seater squadron. Speaking of improvements, I really hope bomber/recon careers will be treated differently in P4. Now they are too much like being in a fighter squadron.

Amazing!

He must be in excellent physical condition. Imagine running so quickly at takeoff and then hanging on during the flight.

Now that's some excellent historical analysis, JFM. If only it could be found from all works about WW1 air combat!

Nasal steroids shouldn't cause any such side effects, but of course you must always follow the instructions when taking any drugs and consult your doctor if something doesn't feel right. The instructions are there for a reason. The most severe side effect one can usually expect from using such sprays is a somewhat dry or irritating feeling inside the nose, maybe an occasional minor nosebleed, which is not dangerous. Nasal sprays are different from the stronger oral steroids (taken as pills etc.) that can have serious systemic effects on your body. Sprays have a local effect and are quite safe to use. Of course it's always best if one can manage without taking any drugs, but often the side effects are the lesser of two evils, if the symptoms of an illness are intolerable.

Lou posted some good advice. Many people have sinus problems all through the year, but often they become worse in winter, when the air is cold and dry and differences in temperatures are significant. Last autumn I had a flu that lasted for a month, which made me feel miserable. Nasal steroids can be quite helpful for people with long-term sinus problems. Have you consulted your doctor about them, Lou? You can use them regularly without any serious side effects. They can really help with nasal congestion, greatly reducing the need for any other medication or other treatment.

That's one ugly aircraft. Even the Fee is a beauty compared to that abomination.

There are some pretty amazing mods for Oblivion. I expect things will be no different with the new game, which alone makes it worth buying.

No, I haven't. But I've been one of those teenagers.

I wonder if I'm going to need a new PC? Looks very nice.

Haha, what's happened to Professor v. Richthofen's hair?

War is ugly business. The pinnacle of air combat skills in WW1 was to completely surprise your enemy and shoot him in the back. So much for the romantic 'Knights of the Sky'. Without bomber and recon aircraft, there would have been no fighter aircraft. The fighters were there to shoot down the two-seaters and other heavies, and to protect their own. As such, there's nothing shameful MvR's or any other ace's actions. They did their duty, which was to help their own country and its allies to win the war. In fact the aces of all air forces combined didn't kill all that many people, if you think about the grotesque number of casualties caused by artillery and machine guns. A single machine gunner could wound and kill more men in one day than MvR during two years of his whole fighter career.

Somebody must have informed MvR early in his career that he should never use semi-colons. He did a good job at following the advice.

Come now, Lou. Wouldn't that look nice with all your French medals and other stuff?