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#3517543 - 02/13/12 11:22 AM Re: 10 Jan UPDATE: BoB Game Hub Operation Sealion Mission Pack, AAR and Screenshots from next 2 missions!: ***** [Re: Freycinet]  
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Originally Posted By: Freycinet
The sacrifice of that Spittie pilot going head to head with the locomotive was very poignant, thanks.


Actually that was a sacrifice borne of necessity. It is, as it should be, damn near impossible to stop a train with a few lucky hits from a brace of .303s. I thought about putting Beaufighters in this mission so they could hammer it with 20mm cannons - but they aren't player flyable - or Blennies, but I don't want to overuse these as most players don't fly them.

So I thought, why not give the player a dilemma. If they are lucky and can get enough rounds on target to slow or stop the train, great, but if not, what will they do? Just turn back to base and let the khaki wallas worry about it? Or make the ultimate sacrifice?

H


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#3520081 - 02/16/12 08:17 PM Re: 10 Jan UPDATE: BoB Game Hub Operation Sealion Mission Pack, AAR and Screenshots from next 2 missions!: [Re: HeinKill]  
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Missions 12-14, S-tag +3, are now up.

http://www.box.com/s/79qsxei5k0bzc0e4jyyx

Instead of the usual screenies or vid, I thought I'd post the mission briefings for these missions to give people an idea of just how many different player flyable sorties and land based conflicts are built into these three mission files. If you were to fly every individual sortie in just these three mission files, it adds up to 16 sorties. With an average of 5 different player flyables in every mission, the mission set to date includes around 70 flyable sorties, each with its own individual briefings, primary and secondary targets, and accompanying challenges. It is a much more varied and intense player experience than is possible in an offline scripted campaign following a single point of view.

Seelowe 12: Sept 25 morning, S-tag +3

In yesterday's fighting the RAF lost 97 more fighters leaving only 440. The SE England airfields of 11 Group, Bomber and Coastal Command were cratered ruins, and once more the threat of collapse, which had receded in early September, was looming. The Luftwaffe had lost another 71 fighters and 142 bombers. Few of the final 2nd wave German reinforcements made it through the British naval and air blockade of Folkestone. Despite stubborn resistance by the 1st and 2nd Canadian divisions overnight, the German XXXXI Army Corps, with the 10th Panzer as its spearhead, captured intact one of the two bridges over the River Stour at Kingston, and troops are pouring across. However, in the early morning, the British VII Corp committed its 1st Armoured strategic reserve, comprising Valentine and Cruiser tanks, on the left flank of the German salient. The German supply line to Kingston is stretched tight, and the British mean to cut its throat. They have been met by the Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler Regiment, comprising mounted troops, flak battalion and a Stug batterie.

RAF Spits
Our engineers at Kingston were killed trying to mine the southern bridge, and now the enemy has crossed to the Western bank of the Stour and has flanked our defences. Bomber Command has been given the job of destroying both bridges. 64 Sq is down to its last 4 machines. You will fly a combat air patrol over Kingston in advance of the raid, and engage any Luftwaffe fighters in the area. Volunteers from the 1st and 2nd Canadian Division are holding their positions on the ground, and will do so throughout the bomber attack. Pray for them.

RAF Hurris
Our engineers at Kingston were killed trying to mine the southern bridge, and now the enemy has crossed to the Western bank of the Stour and has flanked our defences. Bomber Command has been given the job of destroying both bridges. 111 Squadron will escort the bombers. Volunteers from the 1st and 2nd Canadian Division are holding their positions, and will do so throughout your attack. Pray for them.

Luftwaffe Hawkinge
Flying for Erpro 210 you will take off from Hawkinge and fly N-NW to Elham. An enemy column of tanks and vehicles is headed East toward Selstead where a surprise British armoured attack has been met by Leibstandarte SS Stugs. Our tanks have the upper hand but the arrival of the extra enemy force could tip the balance. When you have destroyed the column, you are free to engage targets of opportunity, both land and air.

Luftwaffe Kingston
Our troops have captured a crossing at Kingston. Fighting is still intense but it is vital we get as many men and machines across as possible today, with the gates of Canterbury wide open! Patrol the airspace over Kingston to deter any enemy aircraft. You are free to engage targets of opportunity on the ground, particularly gun emplacements, but your priority is air defence.

Luftwaffe Elham
Flying for LG2 you will proceed N-NE to Elham. An enemy column of tanks and vehicles is headed East toward Selstead where a surprise British armoured attack has been met by Leibstandarte SS Stugs. Our tanks have the upper hand but the arrival of enemy aircraft could tip the balance. Keep the airspace clear.


Seelow 13: Sept 25 early afternoon, S-tag +3

The German supply situation is critical. Despite three days of fighting the only port which has been captured is Folkestone, which can only support 150 tonnes an hour of supplies at full capacity. The actual rate of offloading is currently 90 tonnes, due to constant air and artillery bombardment. Transport Fleet C, transporting critical infantry, panzer, staff and corps troops and supplies was intercepted and fewer than 20% of the ships made it to port. Of the two destroyer flotillas from Cherbourg and four torpedo boat flotillas available to escort the convoys at on S-tag minus 1, only 4 destroyers and one torpedo boat flotilla remain. The decoy action of the morning however was successful in luring away heavy ships from the British Home Fleet, and the light cruisers Emden, Nurnberg, and Koln have now turned back toward Norwegian ports to evade British pursuit. Transport Fleet E is now approaching the Dover coast. It is transporting the first echelons of the 6th Mountain Division, 8th and 28th infantry, a company from Panzer Battalion D and staff and corp troops of the VIII and X army corps, plus vital fuel and ammunition. If it does not dock and unload successfully at Folkestone, the invasion cannot be sustained.

RAF Manston defend
Scramble! RDF is showing a large German convoy approaching Dover, with strong air cover including both fighters and fighter bombers. Ships of the Royal Navy 18th Destroyer Flotilla are approaching the convoy from the north and may already be engaged. It is critical 64 and 54 Squadrons provide cover against bomber or dive bomber attack for this destroyer flotilla. Our bombers and the navy boys will take care of the convoy - your job is to protect our ships.

RAF Attack
RDF is showing a large German convoy approaching Dover, with strong air cover including both fighters and fighter bombers. Ships of the Royal Navy 18th Destroyer Flotilla are approaching the convoy from the north and may already be engaged. It is critical that we drive away the heavy fighter escort that is covering the convoy, so that our bombers can get through. Over the next three hours we will be throwing everything we have available at this convoy, and Jerry will do his utmost to protect it. If we send it to the bottom today, we just might turn the tide on the whole invasion.

RAF bomb
RDF is showing a large German convoy approaching Dover, with strong air cover including both fighters and fighter bombers. Ships of the Royal Navy 18th Destroyer Flotilla are approaching the convoy from the north and may already be engaged. It is critical that we hit it, and hit it hard. Over the next three hours we will be throwing everything we have available at this convoy, and Jerry will do his utmost to protect it. If we send it to the bottom today, we just might turn the tide on the whole invasion.

Luftwaffe Hawkinge cover
Our supply situation is desperate and the prospect of further bad weather means our convoys must cross during broad daylight. A large supply convoy is currently off the coast of Dover and will inevitably come under air or naval attack. It is transporting the first echelons of the 6th Mountain Division, 8th and 28th infantry, a company from Panzer Battalion D and staff and corp troops of the VIII and X army corps, plus vital fuel and ammunition. Fly immediately to Dover and patrol above the convoy. It must get through! Our bombers have been assigned to attack any British naval shipping sighted in the area. These ships may also be heavily escorted but you are NOT to leave this convoy unprotected in order to engage aircraft which do not directly threaten the convoy! Is that understood?

Luftwaffe Erpro Dover

Our supply situation is desperate and the prospect of further bad weather means our convoys must cross during broad daylight. A large supply convoy is currently off the coast of Dover and will inevitably come under air or naval attack. It is transporting the first echelons of the 6th Mountain Division, 8th and 28th infantry, a company from Panzer Battalion D and staff and corp troops of the VIII and X army corps, plus vital fuel and ammunition. Fly immediately to Dover and patrol above the convoy. Your primary objective is to protect the convoy against air attack but If you identify a threat from British naval forces approaching from the north, you will attack with cannons and bombs and then return to convoy protection duty. The convoy must get through!

LW bomber
Our supply situation is desperate and the prospect of further bad weather means our convoys must cross during broad daylight. A large supply convoy is currently off the coast of Dover and will inevitably come under air or naval attack. It is transporting the first echelons of the 6th Mountain Division, 8th and 28th infantry, a company from Panzer Battalion D and staff and corp troops of the VIII and X army corps, plus vital fuel and ammunition. Fly immediately to Dover and patrol above the convoy. Your primary objective is to protect the convoy against attack from British naval forces which our Freya radar indicates may be approaching from the north. Your Ju88 is armed with armour piercing bombs. Send any Royal Navy ships to the bottom!

Seelowe 14: Sept 25 late afternoon, S-tag +3

Following concerted British air and sea attack throughout the afternoon, 87% of shipping in Transport Fleet E was lost, along with 3 destroyers and 15 torpedo boats. In the air, the RAF has so far lost 23 aircraft today, to 13 Luftwaffe. The British armoured thrust at Selstead was successful, and the SS Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler has been cut off from Folkestone and is making a fighting withdrawal north toward Denton, pursued by the British 1st Armoured and elements of the NZ Division. Meanwhile, the 1st and 2nd Canadian succeeded in re-establishing control over the River Stour crossings at Kingston and is reinforcing for an early morning counter-attack against the 10th Panzer and troops of the Germany XXXXI Army Corps. An estimated 30,000 German troops are now caught in this pocket. The German VII Army Corps and 8th Panzer has succeeded in penetrating to the streets of Dover, and fighting is taking place from house to house, within sight of the Port. In the West, the 7th Flieger Division has withdrawn to Hythe township and is digging in. In the East intense fighting continues near Manston, with Kampfgruppe Bauer reporting their light mortars are within range of the airfield. A Fuhrer Conference has been convened for 0500 Sept 26 to review the situation. 80,000 men are now ashore in England, with supplies to last two to three days at best.


RAF Manston
The airfield is under direct attack from German troops! Get your machine in the air! Strafe enemy troops and vehicles once airborne, and land at Ramsgate when you are out of ammunition. Well, what are you waiting for? GET ONE UP!!

RAF Recon

The OSS has reported German troops massing just outside Denton. They have so far identified elements of the German XXXXI and XIII Army Corps. We need a more exact count of enemy troops and tanks at Denton. You will take your Tiger Moth aircraft in and attempt to photograph the German encampment. You can expect heavy AAA in the area, don't hang about. Get in, evaluate the situation, and get out. You will land at Canterbury to make your report.

RAF strafe
The 1st Armoured has Jerry on the run! Our tanks are pursuing German armoured columns north on the road between Folkestone and Denton. Try to stall their retreat and allow our armour to catch up, by strafing the German columns. Your secondary objective is to identify and attack any German positions in or around the town of Denton. The OSS has reported a convoy of German wounded in ambulances and trucks is heading south from the fighting at Kingston, toward Denton also. You are not to attack any medical vehicles, so make sure you have good visual recognition before commencing your attack.

Luftwaffe Hawkinge
Those peacocks in the SS have been given a shower and a shave by the Tommies and our troops at Selstead and Kingston have now been cut off from Folkestone. A major push is planned for tomorrow to break their encirclement, but for tonight they have been ordered to dig in at Denton, about 5 minutes flying north of Hawkinge. Cover their retreat and patrol the area over Denton.

Luftwaffe Erpro Manston
The paratroops of Kampfgruppe Bauer have reported they are close to capturing Manston! If we can secure Manston airfield we will have two Luftwaffe bases on British soil and total control of the skies over Kent. The Bf109s of JG26 and troops from Kampfgruppe Mendle are already preparing to fly into Manston as soon as it has been secured. You will fly immediately to Manston. Your primary objective is to destroy any enemy AAA or anti tank emplacements you can identify. Your secondary objective is to attack enemy aircraft on the ground, or in the air.


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#3521772 - 02/18/12 11:59 PM Re: 10 Jan UPDATE: BoB Game Hub Operation Sealion Mission Pack, AAR and Screenshots from next 2 missions!: [Re: HeinKill]  
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I've just had a run in Mission 14. The action at Manston as i was trying to take off was marvelous. It really was a joy to fly. Thanks again HeinKill...you really are doing a great job here. I've flown them all several times over in several different roles ... brilliant thumbsup

#3523609 - 02/21/12 08:10 PM Re: 10 Jan UPDATE: BoB Game Hub Operation Sealion Mission Pack, AAR and Screenshots from next 2 missions!: [Re: HeinKill]  
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Thanks for the kind words. They make it worthwhile. That mission took about two hours to write, create and populate, then about five hours to fine tune, with two land battles to coordinate, a convoy of ambulances that wouldn't follow waypoints and 5 flyable sorties...

But I've topped a thousand downloads of the various CoD mission packs now, so it's good to hear from people who are enjoying them...

H


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#3525635 - 02/24/12 10:27 PM 24 Feb teaser [Re: HeinKill]  
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A little taste of what the missions of Day 5 of Operation Sealion will bring...

September 26, S-tag +4, 1230 hrs GMT

Elements of the 10th Panzer and Liebstandarte SS Adolf Hitler have fought their way out of the Denton Pocket. Rather than retreating South toward the main German force at Folkestone, they have taken British forces by surprise and escaped north toward Canterbury. The 1st and 2nd Canadian Divisions were in the process of reinforcing their southern front, and German armour was able to drive through a gap in British lines at Gorsely Wood. Panzer IIs and IIIs of the 10th Panzer and Stugs of the Leibstandarte SSAH, backed by motorised troops of the XXXXI Army Corps, have radioed to Berlin that they have captured the Canterbury train station and are pushing on the center of the city. They are however, totally cut off from German supply lines. In an act of bluff and bravado, Adolf Hitler broadcasts to the British people, "Germany wants peace with Britain," he thunders, "But your leaders have brought war to the very streets of English villages and cities, and the German flag now flies from the spires of Canterbury Cathedral. London is next! The nations of Britain and Germany are not natural enemies. I call on Britain to surrender and avoid an inevitable and terrible fate!" After a conference with Churchill, Dowding orders all remaining 11 Group squadrons withdrawn north to preserve them for the defence of London. Churchill convenes an emergency session of the War Cabinet.

Erpro 210 over Canterbury




Chieftains and AT guns at the train station are overwhelmed




64 Squadron fights back



10th Panzer closes on the city center





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#3528226 - 02/28/12 11:37 PM Re: 24 Feb teaser [Re: HeinKill]  
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How do you have your graphics set up? Your screenshots always seem to have much more "depth" than mine do. Everything of mine is in sharp focus, is there a setting to fix this to look more like yours.

#3528487 - 02/29/12 08:28 AM Re: 24 Feb teaser [Re: HeinKill]  
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It's funny you say that. The other day I was taking screenshots for my ongoing AAR of the Sealion campaign.

http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3492251/5.html

I was thinking myself, how cool it is that in the ground shots, the foreground is blurred, while the mid and far objects are in focus. See the grass/weeds here:



But I don't use any special settings, this is stock CoD. Some of the photos I give a simple edge blur in post production, but for example the one above was not one of those.

H


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#3528518 - 02/29/12 10:15 AM Re: 24 Feb teaser [Re: HeinKill]  
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Missions 15-17 now available for download. These missions feature ongoing land warfare, large scale air conflicts, and Canterbury populated with Cathedral, vehicles and trains.

http://www.box.com/s/er8cx7x66d06ei7hy3h8

September 26, S-tag +4, 1230 hrs GMT

Elements of the 10th Panzer and Liebstandarte SS Adolf Hitler have fought their way out of the Denton Pocket. Rather than retreating South toward the main German force at Folkestone, they have taken British forces by surprise and escaped north toward Canterbury. The 1st and 2nd Canadian Divisions were in the process of reinforcing their southern front, and German armour was able to drive through a gap in British lines at Gorsely Wood. Panzer IIs and IIIs of the 10th Panzer and Stugs of the Leibstandarte SSAH, backed by motorised troops of the XXXXI Army Corps, have radioed to Berlin that they have captured the Canterbury train station and are pushing on the center of the city. They are however, totally cut off from German supply lines. In an act of bluff and bravado, Adolf Hitler broadcasts to the British people, "Germany wants peace with Britain," he thunders, "But your leaders have brought war to the high streets of English villages and cities, and the German flag now flies from the spires of Canterbury Cathedral! London is next! The nations of Britain and Germany are not natural enemies. I call on Britain to surrender and avoid an inevitable and terrible fate!" After a conference with Churchill, Dowding orders all remaining 11 Group squadrons withdrawn north to preserve them for the defence of London. Churchill convenes an emergency session of the War Cabinet.


Mission 15: Breakout from the Denton pocket. German armour, expected to try to fight south and rejoin the main German force at Folkestone, pushes north on Canterbury instead. Missions feature CAP, ground attack and the first raids by Corpo Aero Italiano during the invasion.



Mission 16: German tanks reach the center of Canterbury and the Cathedral. The largest air battle of the invasion to date takes place. Germany throws all available units, including Italian fighters, into the effort to protect the forces attacking Canterbury. The depleted RAF responds with all available 11 Group units while inadequate British forces try to hold back the German armour.



Mission 17: German armour captures the Canterbury train station, and troops dig in for the night beside the River Stour. The Royal Navy begins direct naval bombardment of Folkestone. Flyable sorties include RAF recon and CAP, while Luftwaffe sorties include CAP, shipping attack and a dramatic escape from behind the lines, by captured Tiger Moth.





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#3528817 - 02/29/12 06:18 PM Re: 24 Feb teaser [Re: HeinKill]  
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Ahh, wasn't thinking of post-production editing, as I'm a complete PS neophyte. I especially love #1, #2, #6, & #7 from the Sept 26 description. I thought your game looked like that, I'd go buy a 7970 (or whatever that newest card is) in SLI if I could get the game to look like that, haha.

#3531188 - 03/03/12 08:48 AM Re: 24 Feb teaser [Re: HeinKill]  
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A little AAR from the mission pack...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmuDi2F60-8



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#3531448 - 03/03/12 06:46 PM Re: 24 Feb teaser [Re: HeinKill]  
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Eeeh, heinkill, you do know that there is a emergency release lever for the canopy, the red one, in the cockpit of the 109, don't you?
And you also know that there is a emergency release lever for the gear, working with gravity, and this pump is to get fuel pressure without running engine?

Last edited by robtek; 03/03/12 06:47 PM.
#3531531 - 03/03/12 09:34 PM Re: 24 Feb teaser [Re: HeinKill]  
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What? And take all the fun out of crash landing?! It's my favourite part of every mission!

H


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#3531845 - 03/04/12 09:34 AM Re: 24 Feb teaser [Re: HeinKill]  
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Heinkill, nobody will take your beloved crash landings away, it's just more variety to decide to release the canopy
and get squashed when the plane lands on its back, or keep the canopy and see the fuel pooling below you, waiting for a spark while you are trapped inside. biggrin
And with the gear, on even ground you have a good chance to stay upright, or if you descen too fast that it breaks at the impact and
takes enough energy that the plane doesn't explode.
Decisions, decisions.

#3533698 - 03/06/12 09:59 PM Re: 24 Feb teaser [Re: HeinKill]  
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Thanks! I actually managed to fly one of the missions (#14) without getting shot down, blown up, or crashing on landing...quite proud of myself. Here is the AAR, for posterity (though yes, I do realise I don't have a screenie of me landing. You'll have to trust that even I can land a Tiger Moth...)

Seelowe 14: Sept 25 late afternoon, S-tag +3

Following concerted British air and sea attack throughout the afternoon, 87% of shipping in Transport Fleet E was lost, along with 3 destroyers and 15 torpedo boats. In the air, the RAF has so far lost 23 aircraft today, to 13 Luftwaffe. The British armoured thrust at Elham was successful, and the SS Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler has been cut off from Folkestone and is making a fighting withdrawal north toward Denton, pursued by the British 1st Armoured and elements of the NZ Division. Meanwhile, the 1st and 2nd Canadian succeeded in re-establishing control over the River Stour crossings at Kingston and is reinforcing for an early morning counter-attack against the 10th Panzer and troops of the Germany XXXXI Army Corps regrouping at Denton. The German VII Army Corps and 8th Panzer has succeeded in penetrating to the streets of Dover, and fighting is taking place from house to house, within sight of the Port. In the West, the 7th Flieger Division has withdrawn to Hythe township and is digging in. In the East intense fighting continues near Manston, with Kampfgruppe Bauer reporting their light mortars are within range of the airfield.


Major Hereward de Havilland, chief test pilot for de Havilland aircraft company, was at home with his wife and two children when the telephone rang on September 22 1940. His wife had noted he had been distant during the meal - she assumed because he was worried about the latest tests on the de Havilland Mosquito prototype. She was wrong.

The male voice at the other end did not identify himself. "Major de Havilland?", he asked.

"Yes. Who is this?"

"Banquet lights," was all the voice said, before the line was disconnected.

It may have been a short message, but he had been waiting for it, and it was one de Havilland had been dreading. He walked back in to where the family was having their tea. His wife knew, without asking, that he had been called back.

He had kissed her on the forehead, pinched the cheeks of his two toddlers, and then gone to the hall cupboard and taken out his attaché case. He had driven immediately to the de Havilland aerodrome at Hatfield where frantic activity was already underway, with engineers fitting each of the six Tiger Moth training aircraft of the 1st Elementary Flying Training School with bomb racks holding 8 x 20lb anti-personnel bombs.

de Havilland had opened his locker, and taken out a parachute, flying suit, service gas mask, tin helmet and gas cape. The gas mask, helmet and cape were tied into the student's seat of the Tiger Moth, together with a service pistol, in case he was brought down behind the lines. He had reflected on this - behind the lines, in Kent! German troops had landed overnight, and now the Western front had come to Britain. The thought made his blood run hotter.

But operation Banquet Lights had been a suicide operation, as he'd expected. Of the six Tiger Moths that took off from Hatfield, weighed down with the small ineffectual bombs, only five had made it to the invasion beach head, and only one had made it back to Hatfield.

Now it was 25 September. Could it really only have been 3 days? His short lived career as a combat pilot had been curtailed, but he still had a choice - return to Hatfield to continue work with his brother on the new Mosquito aircraft, or fly recon missions for the Office of Strategic Services, the OSS. He knew his temperament could not cope with test flying the next generation of fighter, when war, real war, was being waged just a hundred miles away. So each day, five times a day, he had taken one of the company's Tiger Moths up, with a photographer in the student's seat, and flown out to find and fix the advancing German lines.

Each day the front line got depressingly further from Folkestone, closer to Canterbury. Yesterday Panzers had advanced as far north as Kingston on the Lesser Stour, and Elham in the West. But they had been thrown back from Kingston by the 1st and 2nd Canadian Divisions, after being carpet bombed by Bomber Command Wellingtons and strafed by the new cannon armed Beaufighters. In the West, the Stugs and truck mounted flak batterie of the Liebstandarte SS Adolf Hitler were routed by Valentine and Cruiser tanks of the British 1st Armoured Reserve.

Churchill had held his armoured counter attack until he saw the enemy commit himself on Canterbury. He knew he had only one roll of the dice with the precious few tanks of the British VII Corps, but they had prevailed, and cut the throat of the German salient. The enemy was now bottled up at Denton - elements of the 10th Panzer retreating south from Kingston, while the German XXXXI Corps and Leibstandarte SS were pushed north.

de Havilland had been told that upward of 30,000 enemy troops were being bottled up at Denton, but where precisely? It would be his job to find out.

In the hills north of Selstead, guns of the Royal Artillery 58th Medium Regt., veterans of France, are readied for a night time bombardment of German positions at Denton, as soon as they are identified.



de Havilland decides to start his search at Kingston, the scene of the previous day's hard fought battle for the vital bridges over the Lesser Stour river.




He would follow the main Canterbury road south from Kingston, through Denton, toward Hawkinge. There should be German forces heading south from Kingston, and others advancing north away from Elham, converging on Denton. Maybe their positions would give him a clue as to where the main body of the German forces was lurking. In the distance he could see smoke pyres - perhaps indicating burning vehicles...



In the sky above, 111 Squadron flies a protective combat patrol, their job to deter any interest in the low flying and defenceless Tiggie.



They soon have their work cut out for them as LG2 109s out of Hawkinge begin to object to their presence. They do their job, keeping the 109s busy, but it does not go well.











The wounded 111 Sq Hurricanes fight back gamely, but the more experienced pilots of LG2 have their measure









No matter, it is just enough to keep the sky clear for de Havilland.

5 miles out of Kingston, he sees a line of Panzer IIs heading cross country. They try to pull under cover, but are too slow.







He marks their direction and position.



Looking in their direction of travel he sees a small fire on a hilltop outside Denton. Too small to be seen from altitude...but could it be a visual marker for scattered German troops to home on?



Squinting between the spars of his wings, he thinks he can make out tents, or camo netting.



He turns the Tiger Moth toward the hill. Within minutes his suspicions are confirmed as angry flak begins to erupt in front of him.





He doesn't dare overfly it, but gives his photographer a nice beam shot. The hillside is swarming with Boche!







A large portion of the trapped German XXXXI army seems to be digging in on the hill overlooking Denton.





He scurries for cover, flak from 88s and lighter 30mm chasing him all the way.





As he dodges and weaves, his observer points at the ground. There below...a lone Stug pushing through a field. Perhaps a remnant of the fleeing Leibstandarte SS.



It hides in the shadow of some trees, invisible to high flying recon, but not to his Tiggie...





Then his observer punches the air with both fists, pointing ahead. Hot on the heels of the Stug, surrounded by the shattered hulks of German flak trucks, they can see Cruiser tanks of the 1st armoured, ploughing north, up the road toward Denton.







It occurs to him that this one road tells the whole tale of the German advance so far. On the first day they took Folkestone. Then broke through the GHQ stop line, and captured Hawkinge. From there, this road led them directly north, to Kingston, the furthest point of their advance, 12.9 miles from Folkestone - where the 1st and 2nd Canadian finally threw them back. Meanwhile they tried to widen their front to the West, before the Cruisers and Valentines of the 1st Armoured gave them a bloody nose. They were only 12 miles from their target of Canterbury but now they were trapped on this road, the Canadian Divisions pushing them southward...the 1st Armoured pushing them north.

To a hilltop in Denton.

He leaves the Cruisers to their pursuit.



As he turns back toward Hatfield, he hears flapping and banging outside his cockpit, and notices the fabric on his right wing is starting to come away, as small rips caused by the flak start to tear open in his slipstream. The flak had passed right through the lightweight construction of the Tiger Moth without exploding, which was a blessing. But it had been an uncomfortable few minutes!



Luckily the Gipsy Major engine keeps singing its two note song without complaint.

"I'll have to tell Geoffrey about this one", de Havilland thinks quietly to himself. Geoffrey his brother, the man who designed the Tiger Moth. The man who was no doubt, right now, pouring over drawings of his beloved Mosquito.

Tell him wood and fabric is all well and good for surviving a good flakking, but what his Mosquito really wants is speed


***

It is the end of day 4 of the Sealion invasion. 90,000 German troops are ashore, and Germany holds the port of Folkestone, and Hawkinge fighter command field, but has been held out of Dover, and the paratroop attack on Manston has not yet succeeded in taking that airfield. The supply situation is critical, with no further prospect of resupply due to the dominance of the Royal Navy in the Channel. A Fuhrer Conference has been convened for 0500 Sept 26 to review the situation.



Now encircled, 30,000 troops of the XXXXI Army Corps, and including remnants of the 10th Panzer and Leibstandarte SS, are digging in at Denton. With de Havilland's report to guide them, it is just a matter of time before they will hear the banshee roar of British long range artillery.



(This AAR is from the mission set 12-14, available here: http://www.box.com/s/79qsxei5k0bzc0e4jyyx . In this mission the player flyables include the LG2 109s, 64Sq Spits out of Manston, Erpro 210 109s on patrol over Dover, 111Sq Hurricanes patrolling Denton, and of course, the Tiger Moth. And trust me, the German encampment is not as easy to find as it may seem - as mission designer I knew where to look and it took me a while! Darned rolling hills all look the same!)


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#3533711 - 03/06/12 10:36 PM Re: 24 Feb teaser [Re: HeinKill]  
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 13,364
Freycinet Offline
Veteran
Freycinet  Offline
Veteran

Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 13,364
Exciting stuff!


My Il-2 CoD movie web site: www.flightsimvids.com
#3535919 - 03/10/12 09:18 AM Re: 24 Feb teaser [Re: HeinKill]  
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,743
HeinKill Offline
Senior Member
HeinKill  Offline
Senior Member

Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,743
Cloud based
Still some fun yet to come... I just discovered how to create spawns in mission! Yes, I am a slow learner...but a happy one! smile


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#3538117 - 03/14/12 02:19 AM Re: 24 Feb teaser [Re: HeinKill]  
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 26,557
wheelsup_cavu Offline
Lifer
wheelsup_cavu  Offline
Lifer

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 26,557
Corona, California
Very cool. smile


Wheels


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Wheelsup_cavu

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#3539839 - 03/16/12 10:10 PM Re: 24 Feb teaser [Re: HeinKill]  
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,743
HeinKill Offline
Senior Member
HeinKill  Offline
Senior Member

Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,743
Cloud based
A little progress update. I have decided the next installment will complete the mission pack. Missions 18-24 (Sept 27 to 30) have been completed, and I am fine tuning the various sorties in each mission. Should be finished in a week. The last 7 missions will be released as a pack, and then I will compile the entire 24 mission pack into a single download.

By rough calculation the 24 mission files in the mission pack feature 120 flyable sorties.

I can't tell you if it ends well, or ends poorly for Britain, can only say I hope the ending retains a little surprise... neaner

Have just plucked out an element from one of the last missions in the pack, which is actually the mission/sortie I found hardest of all the missions.

It was inspired by the efforts in 1940 to develop night fighter tactics using the completely unsuited Hurricane Mk Is and IIs. To quote Leo McKistry in his book "Hurricane"...

In practice the plane proved woefully inadequate (for night fighting) during the long winter of 1940-41. Hurricane squadrons flying at night rarely even saw a bomber, never mind intercepted one... Without any navigational aids, no airborne interception radar, the Hurricane pilots could do nothing more than grope in the dark.

"On a pitch black night, when there was no moon, it was virtually impossible to expect any form of contact at all." Douglas Bader, leader of 242 Squadron, said, "Your best hope was to look for the burst of AAA and search somewhere ahead of it, because it was always behind the bombers. But really, none of us saw anything except fires, and gun flashes below."


This didn't stop the pilots from going up.

So I created a night fighter mission, sending the RAF up and into the sky over Canterbury. The sky is actually full of German aircraft but only once in ten missions did I manage to find them!

And as if flying around in the dark isn't hard enough, try a) finding your airfield again and b) landing on the blinking field with only some pale white and red lights to guide you!

I've left these screenies virtually untouched to give the impression that, well, its DARK up there...


One of the briefings. The RAF pilot can either go up as wingman and follow his flight leader, or take off solo.


Red and white marker lights have been placed on the airfield to help landing. In reality these were hooded so that they were not visible from altitude (the system was called Jakobs Ladder) but in CoD they are visible from all angles.


The best way to find enemy bombers, as Bader remarked, is to look for heavy AAA bursts.



You are almost right upon the bombers before you can see them, and they usually open fire before you do.


Canterbury burns. Very disheartening to see the flashes of bombs bursting, knowing the bombers are up there somewhere but you can't find the blighters!

Anyway, just a taster. Next steps in the mission pack development

- Release final installment, missions 18-24 (this week)
- Compile full package as one download (next week)
- Create 'alternate ending' package so that both fans of LW and fans of RAF will have the ending they are looking for (March)
- Use the missions to compile the first of 4 'single squadron point of view' campaigns: probably RAF 64 Squadron (Spitfires). April or May probably. I am open to alternate campaigns, because it can be easily done from the POV of 111 Sq Hurricanes, LG2 Bf109s, or Erpro 210 109s and 110s. So feel free to post if you would for example rather have a LW campaign.

Cheers,

H


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#3540110 - 03/17/12 10:57 AM Re: 24 Feb teaser [Re: HeinKill]  
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 24
Coda Offline
Junior Member
Coda  Offline
Junior Member

Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 24
These missions look incredibly cool! I'm new to COD, so I haven't even completed the in-game campaigns yet (although quite disappointed with the first one until I found a bird sitting on my lap in the spit :P) but you can bet I'm gonna try these missions. I can only imagine the incredible amount of work that's gone into them. My hat's off to you Heinkill.

#3540428 - 03/17/12 11:49 PM Re: 24 Feb teaser [Re: Coda]  
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,743
HeinKill Offline
Senior Member
HeinKill  Offline
Senior Member

Joined: May 2006
Posts: 3,743
Cloud based
Originally Posted By: Coda
These missions look incredibly cool! I'm new to COD, so I haven't even completed the in-game campaigns yet (although quite disappointed with the first one until I found a bird sitting on my lap in the spit :P) .


Thx, and welcome to the forums! Yes the RAF campaign is a joke...but the LW campaign is ok. You can find a walkthrough for both on my website to help you decide which campaign missions to fly and which to skip. There are some good user msde campaigns out there now...go to Airwarfare.com to find them.

Cheers,

H


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