IL STURMOVIK 1946

[AirborneBob]

I also think that Hans-Joachim Marseille had a lot of expereince in combat that translated to a higher klill ratio.....survivial is its own reward

 

[Sakai]

Marseille was one of a kind. Aces like Hartmann and Galland, who had higher kill tallies, are quoted as saying he was the best. His piloting skills weren't up to standard, but his tactical sense and marksmanship set him apart. Hartmann's dicta is the way to turn an entire air force into aces, and not just select gifted individuals. I read the book written about him called, "The Blonde Knight of Germany" and it gives incredible insight into his mind and tactical thinking. Over the Kuban, where they faced skilled and determined soviets, he racked up an incredible tally using the same basic methods. Stay fast, stay high, fire only when assured of a hit, and then leave. He called it, See, Decide, attack, coffee break/repeat, seriously, lol.

When flying with the pit on, his tactics make even more sense. Without it, I can make deflection shots like Marseille since I know where the enemy is and have all the points of reference I need. With the pit on, it is a much different story. Before I wondered why the dumb AI would do a -G break down often when attacked since I just nosed down and blasted him, now he is gone from view and the padlock wont follow if he is. I lose bandits all the time this way an i KNOW what they are doing. I now follow 'Dicta Hartmann' much more closely, and it pays off. Plus I am a 109 pilot at heart so it just feels right.

 

[PoorOldSpike]

For years I've been telling newcomers to CM- "Fight with your brain first and your weapons second", and it seems as if Marseille adopted the same maxim and worked out how best to punch the enemy out of the sky without running round like a headless chicken..
(It also applies to all branches of the military and even to all wargames)
For example when I begin a game of CM with a new opponent, I can tell within a few turns if he's fighting with his brain, and if he is, I think to myself "Uh-oh I better watch myself, this guy knows how to punch!"

PS- I'm going to have a go with the padlock in IL-1946 soon, I haven't touched it yet.

 

[zaraza]

New utility i found....IT's called Sans IL2 FOV changer. It can change your FOV very much:

http://il2fovchanger.byethost7.com/

 

[PoorOldSpike]

New utility i found....IT's called Sans IL2 FOV changer..

Looks interesting. At the moment I'm experimenting with assigning about half a dozen keys to different FOV levels, there are only 3 default ones (Del/End/PgDn) but adding more allows us to fine-tune the level to 'in-between' settings.

 

[zaraza]

You can assign buttons to manualy change FOV, but it's still to big (or small ). Just little bit wider than "Page Down" look.

 

[Sakai]

Warfare hasn't changed as much as many people think since the beginning of war, only the tools. Yes, airpower has added new elements, but the concepts remain the same. If this wasn't true, then Sun Tzu's book would be mere entertainment, rather then the basics on which all war is based. On starting a new battle in CM, I always look at the lay of the ground first while going over my objectives, then see what I have at my disposal to accomplish what I want done. When I enter an air battle, I try to observe the enemy's actions (online this is crucial) before I decide how I want to fight him. If I see him bore in at me balls to the wall, I know he is aggressive, and maybe not too experienced, and I know at once that time is on my side, stay alive for a few minutes and he will be out of E and options, then I strike. Doesn't matter if I am flying a 109 or a P-39. Good insight here, not a bad idea to look at the greats from time to time and maybe adjust your own thoughts or practices. Marseille is the kind of guy all virtual fighter pilots want to be, a ladys man on the ground, and still able to turn with Spitfires while hung over, THE MAN!

 

[PoorOldSpike]

Fw190A-8 bounces Allied formation

I set this up in the mission builder to do a typical diving attack (or "bounce") used by German fighter pilots to attack a numerically-superior force by simply diving through them at tremendous speed--firing on the way-- then using their speed to exit the area before the enemy can respond.

My Fw 190 is on patrol at around 6000 metres (I wish the game used feet) and spots a group of 3x Spitfires (white circles) and 3x B-17's (red circles) 4000m below.

Diving- (this is a default-armed Fw with 4x 20mm cannons and 2x MG's, i meant to take the version with 6 cannons but clicked the wrong one, so this will have to do).

My blue tracer lances down at the B-17 leader-

closing the range...note my phenomenal 930km/h speed (I wish the game used mph)

"You ain't walking away from this Charlie" I yell as I push my nose down to avoid a collision-

I doubt any of them even saw me..
(Note the Russian stars on the B-17's, i forgot to select USAAF markings, duh)

Scratch one B-17.....bye guys, you can't catch me...(I could climb back to a great height and repeat the show over and over all the way to Berlin if I liked)

 

[zaraza]

POS, did you find option to save your mission, and watch it again and again and again later?

 

[PoorOldSpike]

No mate I've only had the game a couple of weeks and am still learning where all the options and stuff are.
I'd like to try to find some addon aircraft mods too, I want to fly a Typhoon.
Also i want a mod to turn Okinawa a realistic green, its light brown at the moment.

 

[zaraza]

After each flight on 'results' screen there is option "Save Track". Save it under a some name, and later you can watch it from main menu option "Play Track".
Notice that tracks listing in Play Track is case sensitive, so capital letters come first. Lower case letters come after "Z"

 

[Sakai]

In the controls section, there in a control called 'toggle speed bar'. You must assign a key to it but once you have, you can switch between english/metric/none. Also, individual aircraft have their nations gauges in the pit, so US planes are imperial, German are metric, etc.

 

[zaraza]

Also, individual aircraft have their nations gauges in the pit, so US planes are imperial, German are metric, etc.

I'm perfectly comfortable with this. Gives you more feeling that you are in certain aircraft.

 

[PoorOldSpike]

After each flight on 'results' screen there is option "Save Track". Save it under a some name, and later you can watch it from main menu option "Play Track".
Notice that tracks listing in Play Track is case sensitive, so capital letters come first. Lower case letters come after "Z"..

Good stuff..

In the controls section, there in a control called 'toggle speed bar'. You must assign a key to it but once you have, you can switch between english/metric/none. Also, individual aircraft have their nations gauges in the pit, so US planes are imperial, German are metric, etc.

Ach sooooo..

Warfare hasn't changed as much as many people think since the beginning of war, only the tools...If this wasn't true, then Sun Tzu's book would be mere entertainment, rather then the basics on which all war is based..

Yes, above all, Sun Tzu shows all anybody needs is simple good old commonsense, and all the great generals have had it through the centuries.
But all too often in wargames/sims, newcomers play in the way they think they're 'supposed' to, or 'expected' to, rather than just playing the way THEY think they should; no doubt they're basing their tactics on what they've seen in Hollywood war films, ha ha..
And it goes without saying that it's essential a commander/wargamer knows exactly what the capabilities of his weapons are; I personally analyse every game in fine detail and run tests, draw up charts and stuff such as this first rough draft of a chart I'm preparing to cover IL-1946 armament; I take every kite up for a flight individually to check them out in-game rather than rely on what manuals say-

 

[Rico]

After each flight on 'results' screen there is option "Save Track". Save it under a some name, and later you can watch it from main menu option "Play Track".
Notice that tracks listing in Play Track is case sensitive, so capital letters come first. Lower case letters come after "Z"

The ability to record your mission, save it and play it back for viewing is one of the best features of IL... although watching yourself wallow across the skies like a drunken sailor on shore leave while trying to keep formation or trying to get into position for an attack is quite a humbling sight -- just when you thought you were such a hot-shot pilot ;-)

 

[Bert Blitzkrieg]

Marseille was one of a kind. Aces like Hartmann and Galland, who had higher kill tallies, are quoted as saying he was the best. His piloting skills weren't up to standard, but his tactical sense and marksmanship set him apart.

I don't think that is correct. At least not completely. From this link: http://www.2worldwar2.com/marseille.htm this quote is taken:
Marseille's self-training program
Vision - Marseille decided to adapt his eyes to the powerful desert sun and the dry desert atmosphere and to adapt his body to the desert's conditions. He stopped wearing sun glasses, deliberately exposed his eyes to the desert sun, and shifted from alcohol to milk. He also noticed that in the intensely lit dry desert atmosphere, aircraft can be detected from greater distances than over Europe and deduced that hiding and surprise are less practical over the desert than in the cloudy sky over Europe.
G-Force - Marseille worked endlessly to strengthen his abdominal and leg muscles in order to enhance his ability to sustain higher G-Force and for longer durations during dogfights better than the average fighter pilot. G-Force is the enormous centrifugal force experienced when a fighter aircraft makes sharp turns during dogfight. The modern G-suit that helps pilots sustain it was not yet invented in World War 2.
Aerobatics - Marseille used every opportunity to perform breathtaking aerobatics. In addition to free entertainment to his friends on the ground, this also gave him an outstanding control and confidence in extremely maneuvering his Messerschmitt 109 aircraft.
Marksmanship - Marseille spent his unused ammunition practicing firing at ground objects and trained a lot not just in plain strafing but also in high deflection shooting while in a sharp turn, which is much harder.
Intelligence - he began to read every possible intelligence information he could find in order to maximize his knowledge and understanding of the enemy.
Tactics - That's where Marseille marked himself as a great innovator of air warfare, and he kept improving. He claimed that in the perfect visual conditions over the desert, large formations are in a visual disadvantage against highly maneuvering single aircraft. He preferred to fight alone, with a single wingman providing warnings from a safe distance. He claimed that when fighting alone in a short range dogfight, he could quickly fire at anything he saw, while the attacked formation's pilots were confused, hesitated, and switched to a defensive position that further increased the lone attacker's chances. He also claimed that fighting alone eliminates the high risk of firing at or colliding with a wingman in such extreme maneuvering. Marseille said that in such conditions, there's a lower chance and too little time for the usual chase attack method, and preferred to use high angle deflection firing from short range while making a sharp turn. In doing so, he never used his gun sight and instead fired a very short burst at the passing target in the split second when its leading edge, its propeller, disappeared from his eyes behind his aircraft's nose. He calculated that when firing a short burst at this position, his gun rounds will hit the target's engine and cockpit, and he trained in this unorthodox aiming method on his friends (without firing) many times and perfected his ability to use it. He deduced that over the desert, a fighter pilot can become "invisible" only by extreme maneuvers at close range, and that the intensity of the maneuvering was more important than the speed of flying.

In another biography I read, it is also mentioned that his flyingskills were so high, that other German pilots couldn't use his tactics because they couldn't fly like he could.

 

[PoorOldSpike]

Marseille was a 'thinker' and they're the most dangerous humans of all because they fight with their brain..

 

[Corsaire31]

Problem with the "record track" is that it won't work (for me...) if you use a Track IR, and I can't imagine flying without... Once you try it (same in Arma II) difficult to go back to vanilla gameplay. For me the best stuff for the money I bought...

 

[Sakai]

I agree that Marseille was an expert 'combat' pilot, but he wouldn't have made the cut according to modern day airline standards. He wrecked 4 109E's in his first 7 missions. Granted, most of this was battle damage related, but some of it was being reckless. The reason he was sent to JG27 was for discipline for disobeying an order to go home and shot down a fighter chasing his wing leader. Instead of a congratulations, he was transferred and confined to barracks for a few days. When he arrived at his new unit, he promptly wrecked a new aircraft on a ferry flight. His take-offs and landings were not a thing of beauty either, coming from the same men who praised his combat ability. Once, while visiting an Italian unit, he took an MC.202 up for a test flight, and wrecked it. In combat, however, he could make the 109 dance like Fred Astair (spelling? lol) He was known to drop all flaps to tighten his turn to kill an enemy, a maneuver that would have left lesser pilot in a spin. He was that rare kind of pilot who, when things were safe and calm, was not the greatest formation keeper and weaving in flight. Once a fight was joined, he was a force to be reckoned with. All info I have gleaned if from wiki, and much of that is quoted from the many books written about him and pilots who served with him. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans-Joachim_Marseille

 

[PoorOldSpike]

Sure Marseille had prangs but then so did other aces, for example offhand I recall that both Johnnie Johnson and Douglas Bader wrecked a Spitfire by poor flying.
158 victories in 2 years of flying says it all about HJM's overall abilities..